EPTIt was first year university and I was living with some friends in a 3 bedroom apartment in a rather peaceful area. I recall having to wake up to a lady singing scales every morning. Naturally, this presented a problem, as my classes all started later in the afternoon, and my day would start ideally at 10am. She would also listen to news at 6am, and her TV happens to be right against the wall where the pillow side of my bed was. Bad neighbors have always been a problem for me.
Apart from that, my friend and I also experienced loud banging noises to the floor above us. The noise would be equivalent to someone dropping a dumbbell, but the sound was very timed and repeated at a slow frequency, something like once every 5 minutes. It was so annoying because it was during exam time, and we needed our peace and quiet to study. The perfect plan was then devised.
We took used egg carton boxes and cut out the pockets for the eggs and taped them onto sheets of paper. Then we would arrange it in a fashion so a happy face formation would be made. Everyday, we would increase the number of cartons pieces that we would use, to create ascending power, you know?
In time, it was too easy and it wasn't enough, so we've combined banging the door along with taping happy face egg cartons on the guy's wall. We lived on the floor below but we decided to use the elevator for escape, because it's more dramatic and glorious every time.
The banging got more powerful during every attempt. We would start with some knocking, then we starting using fists and eventually knees. It would be very loud. We even increased repetition, and I think our record was like 7 double-elbow slams. Our success rate has been 100% and we would alternate roles during every mission. One person would hold the elevator and coordinate the hit-and-run getaway, while the other person tapes the egg cartons on the door and finishes the banging. It was too easy for us so we would create challenges within ourselves. See who can bang the door more times than the other person before getting into the elevator.
Sometimes the escape was so narrow in such a way when our elevator door was 1/2 closed, the "bad neighbour" would actually open the door but we would be well on our way downstairs. It gave us the rush and made us feel alive. However, once we were safe back in our apartment, we would first pause in silence to listen to the ruckus that he would raise about the mysterious bangings.
We even gave them gifts. Like if we found an rotten apple in our fridge, we would cherish the presence of the fruit and place it in front of his door. Also, we found a rather nice painting in the laundry room that the previous user did not want anymore. We even gave that to the people upstairs.
However, all good things come to an end. And one night we tried to set a new record. Taped our happy face cartons on the wall, left an apple, and did multiple slams on the door. As the elevator door was about to close, we saw a hand grasp the cracks of the door at the latest timing possible, we were too greedy and got caught with a timing retaliation.
So the scariest moment of the year happened. The man confronted us and asked us what's the big deal. I was literally shell-shocked and speechless. My roommate said we were doing laundry, and were going downstairs. We actually never openly admitted that we were the ones doing the banging, which was a rather amusing conclusion to our circus act. In the end, it was a good experience and definitely a memorable one with my roommate who is now one of my closest friends. Moral of the story? A lesson was well learned by the noisemakers upstairs.
