The lower level parking area in my apartment is quiet. I head to the lifts carrying my late night grocery shopping - fumbling for my keys. I hear someone kick a can, the sound reverberates around the empty space. I turn and look, but can’t see anyone. Maybe they are hidden behind one of the pillars.

I use my special key and press the button to call the lift. It’s on level 7 and needs to come down 9 floors. It occurs to me that perhaps the villainous can kicker has been waiting for some unsuspecting tenant to unlock and call the lift – gaining access to the heart of our building. I look over my shoulder, but still see no-one. The lift is now at level 6.

I’m an agile thinker, especially in highly stressful situations. If the villain reveals himself, I quickly realize that there is no way to stop the lift now that it has been called. It’s now on level 5. I may have fallen blindly into his hideous trap.

I assume of course, that the villain is most likely superior in strength to me (this is often the case in good guy/bad guy situations). This will have to be a battle of wits and cunning rather than brute strength. Level 4. If I act defeated right up until the point that the lift arrives, then perhaps I can charge the villain and knock him over, by the time we untangle and get up, the lift door will have closed again!

Level 3. But of course, I will still be stuck with the villain and he will be able to take the keys from me. He’ll gain access to the heart of the building anyway! I look over my shoulder, he still hasn’t revealed himself. But I do notice a drain.

When I make my surprise attack, I could simultaneously throw my keys down the drain! In this way, the doors would have time to close and the villain couldn’t use the keys again to open the doors. Of course I’d be stuck too… and I don’t like my chances of running away – especially when I am carrying my late night grocery shopping. Level 2.

Of course I am willing to sacrifice myself for the greater good and the heart of the building… but ideally I’d like to live happily ever after too. I decide my best chance is to wait for the lift to arrive, and make my surprise attack trying to catch the villain off guard. I’ll have to maintain my footing so that I can quickly access the lift. As he is sprawled on the floor, I will watch the lift doors close on his face! Level 1.

I look around, still no one to be seen. But I am confident in my course of action and I am ready. Level P2…. P1. The lift doors open… the villain doesn’t appear.

If I hadn’t thought about things, I suspect that this story would have had a different ending. Villains can often tell when a person is confident and have a decisive plan of action. I’m almost sure that this is why he didn’t reveal himself. In any case, if I ever find myself in a similar situation, at least I have already thought about what I should do. It’s good to have a plan for every possible situation.