It was a chilly November morning at Maple Heights Condominiums, and everything seemed calm… too calm. Jack Martin, the ever-vigilant condominium manager, sipped his coffee as he scanned the lobby for anything out of place. Just as he took a satisfied sip, a resident named Mrs. Jenkins, a sprightly retiree with a mischievous glint in her eye, approached him.
“Jack, dear, have you seen the elevator today?” she asked, suppressing a laugh.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “The elevator? No… why?”
Mrs. Jenkins giggled. “You’ll just have to see it for yourself.”
Curious and slightly concerned, Jack made his way to the elevator bank, where he found a small crowd gathered. As the elevator doors slid open, Jack was greeted by an unexpected sight: the entire elevator interior had been transformed into what looked like a tropical beach. Fake palm trees stood in the corners, a bright blue ocean backdrop covered the walls, and sand-colored mats lined the floor. A mini speaker in the corner played the sound of crashing waves and seagulls.
“What in the world…” Jack muttered, suppressing a grin.
One of the residents, a teenager named Ben, came forward with his phone camera in hand. “Pretty cool, right, Mr. Martin? It’s ‘Vacation Elevator’! We’ve been taking pictures in there all morning.”
Jack sighed, but he couldn’t help but smile. The prank was harmless enough, and the residents seemed to be having fun. “Alright,” he said, “but who did this? It had to be someone crafty.”
From the back of the crowd, old Mr. Thompson, a serious fellow who rarely cracked a smile, stepped forward. “It was me,” he announced solemnly. The crowd fell silent, stunned. Mr. Thompson was the last person anyone would have expected to pull a prank.
Jack’s jaw dropped. “You, Mr. Thompson? Really?”
The older man’s expression remained serious for a moment before he burst into a fit of laughter. “No, of course not! It was Ben and his friends. But I always wanted to see the look on your face, Jack.”
The crowd erupted in laughter, and Jack threw his hands up in mock defeat. “You got me, Mr. Thompson! Alright, alright… Ben, make sure the beach is cleaned up by the end of the day.”
Ben saluted. “You got it, Mr. Martin! And, hey, maybe we can do a winter wonderland theme next month?”
Jack chuckled and shook his head as he walked back to his office. He couldn’t help but appreciate the sense of humor in his building, even if it meant dealing with a few unexpected surprises. As he sat down, he thought to himself, “Life at Maple Heights is never boring, that’s for sure.”
