The Prank

I worked in an old Victorian hotel on a promenade in a well known holyday spot.
It was four stories high including the attic witch was once the living quarters for the staff.
The third floor was turned into the living quarters for the staff. It was a creepy looking place with a tower in the middle.
One day in off peak when the guest’s numbers were low and the staff was reduced to two waitresses and me as chef lol.
Just a little laugh at the idea of me been a chef, that’s another story.
Anyway one day or night whatever the case may be.
It was around November and it got dark early and I felt like playing one of my pranks, one that I did every second night. I would go up into the attic and move the old furniture and drag stuff across the floor.
Then make my way back to my room as quick as I could.

The girls would come knocking on my door telling me about the noise that they heard.
I would tell them that there was nothing to worry about. That it was more then likely a ghost.
I would go on to tell them that back in 1914 the hotel was turned into a war hospital and it as properly a ghost of a dead soldier.

On this particular night the girls went down to the bar for some drinks after I play my prank. I opened all the vacant room doors to let the street light shine in onto the hallway.
I removed all the bulbs from the light fittings, I then removed a curtain or drape from one of the windows it was pale green in colour.
I got a coat hanger hung if from one of the light shades then wrapped the curtain around it.
It hung about two to tree inches from the ground, with the light from the street shining in on it, it looked scary.

Later on that night I was at the bar and had forgotten all about what I did.
The girls came screaming into the lounge saying that they saw a ghost.
It really scared the living daylights out of them.
It had taken some time to calm them down in the end I told them what I did. And I went off too a night club in the basement of the hotel, where I met up with my friends.
We were having a good laugh over some more drinks about what I did.
With that the fire alarm went off and a member of the fire department came in and asked everyone to leave.

The fire was up in the staff quarters and the two girls were treated for shock.
After a number of days of investigations by the police they arrested the ex chef and a friend of his from the Royal Navy for causing the fire.

It went to court and I was called as a witness because the two guys were in my company when I was telling the story about the ghost I made.
When the two accused were been questioned they said that when they had gone to the staff quarters (where they had no right in going) they found the place in darkness and lit a match he said just as he lit the match he saw a ghost dropped the match and ran.

Then it was my turn to give evidence and boy did I get it from left and right and the news papers were there, they had a field day with the story of the ghost.
The two guys were locked up because they couldn’t see the (ghost) from where they said they were and where the fire was.
And I got one hell of a rough time from my boss; mind you the bar did well for a time after the story hitting the papers.
And it was the last prank I played on someone for a long time.

Did you ever play a prank and did it ever get out of hand?