The Reverse Prank Prank

There are several things I don’t do well – making first impressions, ordering takeaway without wanting to strangle the person on the other end of the phone and remembering what people’s names are the first 5 times I meet them are just a few of those things. Another one is pulling off pranks.

Not long ago I mentioned a couple of colleagues who delight in their skill with a prank. Well, I am proud to say that in my debut April Fools performance, a couple of other committed workmates and I managed to prank one of the pranksters. In addition to this, in the equivalent of hitting a bull’s eye target while blindfolded, I managed my part without even being present for said prank.

‘The Reverse Prank Prank’ – in which the pranker becomes the prankee, and the original prankee joins a secondary conspiracy and becomes a co-pranker.

Stage 1 – The Prank

LJ decided to prank our boss, Dame Deadpan*, by asking for a meeting and explaining to Dame that she was leaving the company for a top secret project with the opposition, and she had asked another key staff member to come with her.

Stage 2 – The Reverse

Helena and I consulted on the matter, and then promptly told Dame Deadpan about the plan. We decided to reverse the plan, without telling anyone else.

Stage 3 – The Setup (a pause for paranoia)

LJ, becoming increasingly paranoid that Helena and I were planning something, but not sure what that something was, sent us a pointed email containing nothing but a link to the Split Enz song ‘One Step Ahead’. This was ironic, because she wasn’t. I placated her by pointing out I wasn’t going to be at work on Friday, and that though we had tried to think of a suitable prank we had decided it was too difficult to get a pro like LJ on April Fools. What I did do was warn LJ that I thought her prank on Dame Deadpan might push her over the edge, and the reaction might not be pretty.

Stage 4 – The Reverse Prank Prank

LJ (accompanied by a complicit Kiwi Snow White) enacts the prank, telling her lie to Dame. Dame promptly (in an Oscar nominated performance) loses her shit, grabs her bag and declares she’s had enough of everything and storms out of the office, with LJ (feeling nauseous) and Snow White (horrified by the dramatic turn of events) chasing after her calling out “April Fools!”

Of course, I wasn’t actually there for Stage 4, so my satisfaction has been limited to several re-tellings.

Fortunately, as her penchant for practical jokes suggests, LJ has a sense of humour.


Painefull Out

* = Dame Deadpan is British, cynical and hilarious. The other day she put a giant Lindt chocolate rabbit on my desk because she was afraid she had been mean to me. Despite the fact it is more likely that I was just being my usual smart arse self, I accepted the Guilt Chocolate willingly.