Shortly after 9 11, a colleague was called to duty (Army Reserve). He left stating that he did not know how long he would be away from work. Could be a week or months.

I thought (with the help of other colleagues) let's move all his stuff out of his cubicle and put someone else's name plate up. About six of us including the senior editor were in on the gag, down to putting up fake photos, and leaving an unfinished mug of coffe (lipstick print on the edge) by his PC.

When he arrived the very next week, he came in early as usual and I was the only other on our team also at work. Unfortunately I could only keep up the pretense for about 30 minutes, before I spilled the beans. He was about to contact facilities management to find out where his stuff was and where he was supposed to work.

I knew it had taken a long wheedling and possibly promise of first born for our publishing manager to get the whole editing team together on one floor, so any calls to fac mgt would be inadvisable. Well, unbeknownst to me, the pranked colleague decided to carry the gag further.

He contacted our line manager (the senior editor who was in on the original gag) and declared that facilities management had found him a desk on another floor, since someone had moved into his cubicle while he was away. Line manager was fit to explode. What would she tell the publishing manager who had gone to such lengths to get the team together? Eventually she was informed that it was only a joke and that initially pranked colleague was in on original trick.

I knew nothing about this until after the publishing manager came to my cubicle (a thing she never did - we were always called into her office for powwow). She had put on a convinicing "I am really angry" face and tone and body language.

"What's this about you moving Mike's things from his cubicle? I just got off the phone with facilities management and they will not give Mike his old cubicle back. He has to work on second floor until another desk opens on the third. Do you know how I worked to get my team together?."   Etc... and so forth. I was shaking in my seat.

Next thing I heard was Mike and the rest of the team in next cubicle (Mike's cubicle) sniggering as I tried to explain that Mike's desk was free and that it was only a fictitious move and fictional occupier.

It felt like the practical joke that would not end.