I Boarded The Upper Level
While digging through folders full of old writing, we turned up some ancient prompts and decided to share them. We’ll return to the chain story next week.
- a shoplifter
- the Eiffel Tower
- a bucket of hair clippings
- psychological experiment
I boarded the upper level of the double-decker elevator along with Professor Coiffeur and my fellow doctoral candidates from the psych department. My backpack was heavy and uncomfortable. When we reached the lower observation deck, we all exited the stuffy box. Most of the tourists stayed on the ride up to the top for a better view of the city. Professor Coiffeur moved over to the railing around the inner opening in a very businesslike manner, and waited for us to join him.
“We are all prepared, oui?” he asked.
“Oui oui!” we answered in unison. We were all very excited about today’s experiment.
“Then let us begin.”
The professor unzipped my pack and lifted the bucket out. Half of the grad students reached in and gathered huge handfuls of the hair clippings. The other half readied their cameras and notebooks.
On the professor’s command, those of us with fistfuls of hair began walking up to the tourists and offering it to them. The others made careful observations, hoping that the observed reactions would follow the predicted pattern.
Stage 2 of the experiment had us touching the hair to strangers’ cheeks without asking permission. That went as poorly as expected and we quickly moved to Stage 3 which entailed upending the bucket over the railing, dumping all of the remaining hair clippings down on the unsuspecting crowds below, and observing the chaos.
It was a very satisfying day of scientific enquiry. To reward myself for devising such a successful experiment, I pocketed an Eiffel Tower key ring for every member of the team on my way back to the elevators, plus some chocolate for myself.