Trapped

This morning when we returned to the apartment building after breakfast, we had a bit of an adventure, or perhaps I should say misadventure.  We entered the elevator to go up to our apartment, the doors shut, and then the elevator went dead.

It is ironic, because just the previous day while we were in a café, we saw a report on the TV about 12 people who were trapped for over two hours in an elevator in the Latin American Tower, one of the city's most famous skyscrapers.

Our elevator never moved.  We were still at the ground floor and not stuck between floors.  None of the buttons worked, not even the emergency button.  Alejandro could not use his cell phone because there was no signal inside.  The elevator lights were still on, although one set of lights was flickering.  Later, the lights went out completely.  After spending a while in the dark, they came on again.  

Fortunately we could hear someone outside in the hallway.   Alejandro banged on the door and told them that we were stuck.  They contacted the building administrator to ask where the emergency key was.  Someone retrieved it, but they were only able to open the door a crack.  On a plaque inside there was an emergency phone number, and Alejandro read it to the people outside.  I could hear someone talking on the phone.  At last they were able to open the door.  There were about a half dozen people gathered outside.  I would guesstimate that we were trapped for about a half hour.

It was not a traumatic experience, but now I am rather leery of using the elevator.  This is not the first time that it has broken down, although, as far as I know, it was the first time that people were inside.  I suspect that sooner or later, the elevator will have to be replaced.  That will probably be a costly proposition for  us, the condominium owners, and we would all have to climb steps for a while.