When the lights flickered and the elevator went pitch dark, I didn’t give it a second thought. The nearby Hurontario Light Rail Construction had been causing a few planned and unplanned power outages in our building. I was on my way down to the parking garage when the elevator ground to a halt.

“It should take about a minute or two before the generator kicks in,” I said to myself. I was going to the bank to get some Euros for an upcoming trip.

As the elevator made jerky movements and halted again, the emergency light flickered to life. I looked around. There was no one else in the dimly lit elevator. I knew there was no need to panic. Security had eyes on every elevator in the building and could probably see I was trapped. The elevator panel confirmed what I suspected. It read: This elevator is now on emergency power, and the car is returning to the main level.

Relieved, I waited. The car showed no signs of wanting to move. I was still suspended in elevator purgatory waiting for the security guards to reach out to me. After what felt like five minutes, I pressed the Emergency Call button.

“Security. How can I help you?” It was one of the new international students doing part-time security work at the desk. There was no urgency in her voice.

“I am stuck in Elevator-4,” I tried to sound nonchalant.

Her silence confirmed no one had noticed I was trapped in the elevator.

“I see you,” the guard said after a brief pause. “We’ll bring you down to the lobby manually.”

That sounded like a plan.

Ten minutes and a few more jerky movements later, I was still stuck between the 27th and 26^th floors. I presumed the attempt to bring me down manually hadn’t worked.

Fifteen fidgety minutes later, I called the Security Desk again. This time, I reached Wilson, the Supervisor. He informed me that there was an extensive power outage in the area. They had successfully brought all the other elevators down manually, except for Elevator-4, the one I was in.

The only option left was to call the elevator company’s emergency service desk!

“What’s the ETA? Do we have an SLA with them?” I was a little more concerned now.

Wilson tried to reassure me, “Shouldn’t take more than an hour, though, the elevator company is getting a lot of calls from other buildings in the area as well,” he tried to temper my expectations. He seemed eager to get off the phone and tend to the power outage-triggered workload landing at the front desk.

To me, that sounded like a potential two-hour wait, or more.

As minutes ticked by, I tried to stay calm and keep my mind distracted by watching a YouTube video on doubles squash. I had a friendly tournament scheduled later that week.. That lasted about ten minutes. My patience was dwindling along with my cellphone battery. Pacing around the elevator floor, I felt like a caged animal on full display for the security folks to see.

I took quick stock of my situation. I had eaten before I left home. No need for food or water for a while. No need for bio breaks either. The medium-sized elevator provided enough room to do some stretches. The mirror-lined wall gave the illusion of more space, though it added to the eerie atmosphere. I had enough of looking at myself.

Shifting my weight from one foot to the other, I took deep breaths, determined not to panic. My legs felt tired from all the standing. I wondered if I should sit on the floor to conserve energy, What if it took more than two hours to get me out? My unexpected solitude was getting to me despite attempts to keep my mind on positive topics such as my recent trip to India and the upcoming trip to Greece.

I briefly considered calling my daughter in San Francisco to share a laugh about my predicament, but I decided against it. Why worry her for something she can do nothing about? So, I called my wife to let her know I was an hour into an unplanned adventure and would return in an hour or so, sans the Euros.

Reminding myself that things could have been worse, I took a deep breath. I ran a few what-if scenarios in my head. What if five other people had been trapped with me, and one panicked? Or what if there had been children or elderly folks who needed medical assistance? And what if I had been on my way to the airport to catch a plane? The possibilities were endless.

The shrill ring of my phone broke the eerie silence. It was my wife checking up on my well-being and reminding me to conserve my phone’s battery. I was closing in on the ninety-minute mark. I reassured my wife, reminding her I was fine. Note to self: Research the dos and don’ts of elevator entrapment. You never know what might happen!

“Hello, Sir!” It was Wilson.

The elevator technician was in the building and in the process of freeing me from my solitary confinement. A few tugs and creaks later, the door slowly slid open. I could see that I was back on the twenty-seventh-floor landing. Fearing the door may shut again, I quickly stepped out and took a deep breath.

Life was good again. At least, until the next time!