Playtown Pranksters
Happy Pranks-Giving Writer’s Prompt
November is for sharing pranks, shenanigans, and tomfoolery
“My one wish is to be forever young and stupid.”
— Abraham Lincoln ¹
[It won’t hurt my feelings if you skip to the end and read the November prompt instructions before the rest of the story.]
Douglas
“Douglas, the door won’t open. The handle is frozen and nothing will move it,” Rochelle blurts out, mind alarm in her voice.
An hour earlier, Douglas thought himself clever for locking his roommate out of their shared space. It was the only way for the Captain of the university baseball team to spend romantic time with Rochelle without the nerd interrupting. “Steven should remember his keys before walking out next time.” The couple shared the devious laugh of co-conspirators.
Now, Douglas wasn’t sure he made the right decision.
“Bbbbrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiippppppppppptttttttt,” the sound of duct tape spooling off the roll echoes in the dorm hallway.
“Sounds like they are sticking duct tape to the door frame, but something else is jamming the lock,” he ponders in confusion.
The soft laughter of vengeance is the only response the small knot of pranksters allow the occupants of Room 217 to hear.
Steven
“He locked you out of the room again?” the floor’s Residence Advisor asks Steven.
“Yes, he’s in there with a girl. I’m not going to sleep anytime soon. Can I crash in your room?”
“No,” the RA says with surprising conviction. “If he locked you out, it’s time to teach him a lesson. We will lock HIM in.” A mischievous grin crosses the RA’s mouth as he pulls a handful of pennies out of the front pocket of his acid-washed blue jeans.
“Uhhh?”
“Trust me, I’m a physics major. Now find a few guys and a boatload of duct tape.”
The small posse of easily amused students gather outside Steven’s room with the needed supplies. The RA explains the method for jamming the doorknob, and the team gets to work. ²
Douglas
“You shouldn’t have locked him out, Douglas,” Rochelle chides.
“Can we at least enjoy ourselves while the door is locked?” He looks at his girlfriend expectantly.
“Absolutely not,” disgust dripped in her tone.
“When we leave this room, I remove his head with a baseball bat.”
Steven
The posse admires their handiwork. The imitation silver doorknob won’t turn from either side of the entryway, and the door frame is covered from floor to ceiling with duct tape.
Taking charge, the RA issues commands to his army of helpers. “We won’t leave them in there all night. The Resident Director does her rounds at 9:00 p.m. Everyone must be back in their rooms and acting normally fifteen minutes earlier. Except you, Steven. It would be best if you hid in my closet. Douglas has a bit of a temper.”
Douglas
The digital clock on Douglas’s meticulously tidy desk reads 9:02 p.m. He and Rochelle hear a shocked gasp outside the door from a voice they don’t recognize.
At the sound, students from the surrounding rooms rush into the hallway to discover the source of the distress. With the skill of students in their first week of theater class, they react to the missing door hidden behind the tape.
The RA arrives on the scene, also feigning surprise. At the instruction of the Resident Director, the small mob tears the duct tape off the door, but the handle remains inoperable.
“If you hit the door solidly a few times, you know, really put your shoulder into it, whatever is causing the jam might dislodge.” The RA yells to Douglas inside the room. His supervisor glares at the student leader assigned to shepherd the second floor and raises an eyebrow.
“Just a guess, I’m a physics major,” he offers meekly.
With an audible thud, Douglas slams into the door several times before the sound of copper coins rattles down on the floor tiles. The door yanks open, and out runs an enraged Douglas strangling a wooden baseball bat in two meaty hands.
“WHERE IS STEPHEN?”
Douglas and Steven
[A week later]
Stephen prepares for track practice while Douglas sits on the lofted bed behind him. He ponders how friendly Douglas has been to him since the night of the incident. Stephen reaches into the top drawer of the school-issued dresser, exchanging his customary boxer shorts for the tighty-whities required to run long distances in short shorts.
He slides the functional underwear on and notices a peculiar sensation in his groin. It’s warm. Too warm. Hot. HOT, HOT, HOT!!!
Stephen rips the undergarment off and sees gobs of blue ointment covering the insides.
“You put Icy Hot in my tighty-whities!” Steven screams.
“THAT,” Douglas pauses, “is for the doorknob.”
The Prompt
The previous story is a work of creative nonfiction based on a memorable prank from my sophomore year of University. Names have been changed to protect the immature. Yes, it happened, but I will not reveal which character I am in the narrative.
The November writing prompt is to share a story about a prank, tomfoolery, or shenanigans.
These can be essays, memoirs, creative nonfiction, or whatever format you are comfortable with. It doesn’t matter if you were the perpetrator or the victim as long as the story is engaging. Don’t have a great prank? Make one up. Tell us what you would have done if you had the time, money, or high-priced attorneys to get away with it.
Almost anything goes, as long as your word babies center around hijinks.
Guidelines
Pranks can be mean, but they are also fun, silly, or playful. They are not felonies or hate crimes.
If your mischievous misdemeanors intruded on the wrong side of the law, consider labeling your story as fiction —especially if the statute of limitations has not expired.
The prompt is not an attempt to discover which Playtown writer acts like the worst terdnugget to the rest of humanity. The older, wiser, and more mature-ish person you’ve become should be able to giggle at the ridiculousness and immaturity of your younger self. If not, save your story for another day.
All stories must follow the Playtown Submission Guidelines on family-friendly content. A ten-year-old girl will read every story.
I’m the only editor; please allow 48 hours for your submission.
Footnotes:
¹ Sound wisdom from Honest Abe — that I made up.
² This section is purposely vague as the author does not want to be accused of teaching anyone to violate fire codes or other dangers associated with impromptu barricades.
³ Icy Hot is a pain reliever creme that athletes spread over large areas of skin as part of their training and recovery regimen. The product is named after its hallmark chemical reaction of feeling ice cold before ramping up to a fiery heat that relaxes sore muscles. According to Stephen, when applied to the groin area, the sensation is unpleasant.
Missed our last prompt? It’s never too late for piracy.
Playtown Pranksters
Adam Robinson— Alex Praytor— A.J. Cralle (she, her)— BichoDoMato— Patrick Eades— Victor Cardenas — Ajgoodrich — Ann James— Ben Ulansey— Tejaswini Katreddy— B.R. Shenoy— Carlo Zeno— Cristina Cattai— The Fifth Pillar— Deb Palmer— Douglas Lim— PC Hubbard— Eric Filipkowski— Fatima Zahra Zuberi— Ginger Cook— Grandma Smillew — Gulsun Uluer— Hollie Petit, Ph.D.— Jonathan Weaver— Jay C Wells— Jim Karwisch— John Losey— Kandis Lake— Kendra Sparkles— Kristen Stark — Kua Lina— Linda Ann Fryer— Lu Skerdoo— Malky McEwan— Mary Chang Story Writer— Matthew Clapham— Michelle Spencer— Natalie— Santa Claus— Patrick Metzger— Philip Mann-Montreal— Philip Ogley— Rachel A Fefer— Raine Lore— Robin Wilding 💎— Sally Prag— Shirley Laffa— Smillew Rahcuef— Selina Miyasia— Srini— Susan Christiana— Tai Le Grice— Taylor-Grace — Nathan Chen— Toni The Talker— Toya Qualls-Barnette — THE CREATIVITY DOCTOR— Eko BP— Uvebruce— Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles— Ed Caplan— Yana Bostongirl
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