What did
the old time socialites do at the parties to make them a fun thing? Most of the
party agendas were very similar. Occasionally a new stunt would be introduced. A very
knowledgeable guest started explaining to me how the stunt worked. I was
expecting anything from a lizard pushed roughly down my collar to a chain
locked around my ankle for the rest of the evening. “This
experience will not hurt you and you will find it to be a lot of fun. What we
are going to do is have you stand on a board with a strong buddy at each end.
They will raise the board with you standing on it about a foot or so above the
floor. Another good friend will stand by your side and you will place your
hands on his shoulders so there will be no danger of you falling. When you are
at the proper height the good friend will step aside and you will jump off of
the board and onto the floor.” That
sounded simple enough so I bravely stepped on the board and waited for some
action. I soon heard some scrambling at the ends of the board and felt myself
being lifted. Someone guided my hands to the shoulders of my good friend
standing at the side of the shaking plank. I could tell that I was being raised
several feet above the floor as I began to reach down to keep my hands on his
shoulders. For a short
time I remained at the high elevation then I began to slowly descend. The
spokesman told me, “You are going down now and you will be about a foot above
the floor. When the good friend leaves you are to jump off of the board and on
to the floor.” Again, this sounded
simple enough so I jumped, expecting to land quickly. The landing
was an unbelievable experience. I had believed that I was about a foot above
the floor when actually the board handlers had lowered me to within an inch or
two of the surface, holding the ends of the board and shaking it a little to
make me believe I was still in the air. If you have never played the game you
cannot imagine how odd it seems to jump blindly from a height and finding out
that you are actually expecting the downward jump when you are already down! It
is an unbelievable feeling! Every one
in the room was laughing. My odd landing must have been quite a spectacle. I
thought the laughter and giggling would never cease. Eventually it was quite
enough for the board master to offer the experience to anyone else willing to
try it. I was a little surprised when He was
quickly blinded with the wrap and placed on the board. A good friend gladly
stepped forward and let the performer hold his shoulders for balance. The two
board lifters raised the board an inch or two and began moving it erratically
from side to side while the good friend began to squat toward the floor. |