The Terrible Two-year-old

[bhskittykatt]

So, our new GM has a two year old son, and yesterday I got a call that he had locked himself in the bedroom in the apartment.

CW: "Yeah, New GM's son locked himself in the bedroom in the apartment. Can you do something about it?"
Me: "Um...what exactly am I supposed to do that New GM can't do?"
CW: "Hang on, I'll transfer you."

Apparently, he had locked himself in, and the lock looked like there was a key that fit. I told New GM where to find Former Boss Man's old keys, but had to explain twice that since it was the manager's apartment, and that I had never lived there, that no, I had no clue which key it was.

New GM: "Okay, if one of those keys don't work, what do I do? Can I call you back?"

Yes, yes, you can call me back, and I will use my magical door opening powers to open the door. I mean, I sympathize, but really, what the hell does she expect me to do? Call Maint Man, or a locksmith, or try to force the lock again. Are you really this helpless that you can't cope when your child locks himself in a room? I can tell this new GM is going to be an...interesting...experience.


As an aside, when I was 14 months old, we moved across country, and I not only locked my mom out of our motel room one night, I set the deadbolt so the staff's master keys wouldn't work! My mom had put me in the room, turned around to grab a suitcase and come back, and in that time I'd locked the door and set the deadbolt. The staff had to find the super-uber-duber emergency key to override the deadbolt.

[Lachrymose]

And with that, you sealed your fate.

[Marmalady]

I told you to always carry your wand with you!

(and the word is 'Alohomora'....)

[rose_metal_nz]

The staff had to find the super-uber-duber emergency key to override the deadbolt.

Let me guess... It was a brick? "That's not a tool, that's a damn brick!" </Gone in 60 seconds>

[Shalom]

Let me guess... It was a brick?

No, there's an actual key that opens these, which is referred to in the trade as a bypass key, if I remember the terminology correctly. Pushing the button in these locks actually shoves a bit of metal into the bottom of the keyway so you can't insert the key in all the way. Even the master key won't work if this button is pushed, but the bypass key will still go all the way in because the bottom side of the tip is ground away for a quarter inch or so, so it doesn't hit the blocker.

Of course that doesn't stop clueless people from trying to get in anyway. I was once staying over at a hotel for the holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost, in English) during which it's customary to stay up the entire night studying. Having had my nose in the Talmud all night, followed by morning prayers and a light breakfast, I wasn't planning on doing anything else that morning except sleep. I didn't have a DND card to hang on the doorknob, so I just pushed the button and hit the sack.

Next thing I know, I hear BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!! "The key isn't going in!" "Well sometimes it sticks, you have to shake it a little bit." BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!

I stumbled to the door, yanked it open, and informed the two unfortunate housekeepers who were struggling with the recalcitrant lock (and incidentally pounding on my door) that I was asleep and would actually prefer to remain that way. I didn't go all SC on them, but I did explain what the function of the deadbolt was and why it was there.