A Startling Discovery

You know those times where you think of an absolutely brilliant plan? You spend hours thinking of something incredible or that perfect idea just comes into your head, but then when you try to execute it, it goes horribly wrong? This is one of those stories.

This must have been at least five years ago. My dad drove my best friend and I to go to the Wildlife Experience. As a kid, I absolutely adored this place. Located in Parker, Colorado, this location served as a combination museum and art gallery of nature. It had various paintings and sculptures of animals, a movie theater with IMAX 3D, a temporary exhibit venue that switched exhibitions every few months, and the most incredible exhibit of all, Globeology. This exhibit was a walk through the major biomes of the planet, with dioramas and even interactive animatronics of animals from the tundra, the tropics, the ocean and the desert. It was one of my favorite places when I was younger, and on this particular day, I brought my best friend along with me.

For whatever reason, she was in a particularly energetic mood that day. She kept finding just the right time to come up behind me and startle me by putting her hands on my shoulders as she made a loud noise. Of course, since I'm easily startled, I fell for this every single time. In my head, I kept trying to find just the right moment to get her back, just the right time to get my revenge. After a few minutes wandering around the first floor, I found my opportunity when she had to go to the bathroom. We were in the middle of a long hallway, near the gift shop, and I happened to be right next to a large pole that most likely acted as additional infrastructure for the building. This is when my brain kicked into gear. I decided to hide behind this pole and wait for her to come back. There was no way she was going to expect me coming out from behind there. All I had to do was stay quiet and listen for her footsteps.

A few minutes pass, and I finally hear footsteps. Clip, clop, clip, clop, getting closer and closer. It's her. This is my chance. I stay quiet. I listen to the steps get ever closer. And closer... and closer... and finally, I hear my moment. She's right there. I jump out and make a loud noise right in her face.

The plan worked! She was absolutely startled! Oh... wait... that wasn't what I expected at all. The "she" that I startled was, in fact, not my best friend. It was an adult woman, probably in her 30's or 40's, carrying towels in her arms. I assumed she worked for the museum and was bringing clean towels to the bathrooms around the building. This was the moment I realized my plan had completely backfired.

"Oh, my god, I am so sorry, I did not mean to startle you like that, that was meant for someone else!" I frantically apologize to this poor woman, who absolutely did not deserve to receive a heart attack like that.

She chuckles in relief as she jokes, "Well, it certainly worked, didn't it?" As she walks away, I see my best friend. She had apparently started walking back at just the right time to see me scare the pants off of some stranger in a sorry excuse for a revenge plan. She rolls on the floor laughing, and all I can do is stand there, lost for words as to how this plan went so wrong.

Looking back now, that story is incredibly funny to relive. To this day, I wonder if that woman still remembers me, still remember the quip she gave in response to my misguided attempt to startle a friend of mine. To be honest, I don't even know if my best friend remembers this story. However, for me, it was such a random, embarrassing event for me at the time that it's pretty much burned in my memory for the rest of my life. Sometimes, it's the little things that stick with you, and in this case, this little plan gone wrong will always be a part of my repertoire of humiliating tales.