The Pettiest Tilt: How One Forgotten Pinball Machine Became the Ultimate Revenge Play
Moving Across the Country? Don’t Forget Your Pinballs (Or Your Friends’ Patience)
Ah, the universal saga of helping a friend move: you sign up for a weekend of heavy lifting, awkwardly maneuvering couches through doorways, and maybe—just maybe—a beer and pizza at the end. But what happens when your good deed turns into a year-long hostage situation with a pinball machine as the unlikely prisoner? That’s where our story, plucked from the digital annals of Reddit’s r/PettyRevenge, begins.
Meet u/Chocklateicecream, whose patience wore thinner than a worn-out flipper on a 1980s arcade game. What started as a favor—holding onto a friend’s non-essential belongings for “a few weeks”—quickly spiraled into a year of radio silence, ignored texts, and mounting frustration. By the time the friend’s brother finally came to collect, a plan for a little, well-deserved petty revenge was already in motion.
The Waiting Game: When Favors Go Stale
Let’s face it: most of us have been there. You help a friend, set a reasonable expectation (a few weeks, right?), and then… crickets. Your guest room becomes a makeshift storage unit, and your patience collects dust along with their stuff. “It wasn’t heirlooms or Pawpaw’s ashes,” the post assures us, but that doesn’t make the encroaching clutter—or the principle—any less annoying.
After twelve months of polite reminders, escalating to a final, ultimatum-laced message (“30 days and I’m getting rid of it”), the answer comes not from the original owner, but from their brother. The relief is palpable, but so is the urge to send a message: your stuff isn’t just baggage—it’s baggage with consequences.
Pinball Wizardry: The Sweetness of Petty Revenge
Now, here’s where our hero earns their stripes in petty revenge. Among the boxes and forgotten bric-a-brac is a pinball machine. Not just any pinball machine—a “pretty cool” one, according to our narrator. But before the new custodian arrives, a mischievous plan takes shape: remove all the pinballs.
To the uninitiated, this might seem like a minor inconvenience. Pinballs are cheap and easy to replace. But to any would-be player, there’s nothing more disappointing than flipping the “on” switch, hearing the whirring lights and classic arcade sounds, only to discover… nothing happens. No silver spheres, no game, just a machine that mocks your anticipation with its silence.
It’s the kind of revenge that doesn’t actually hurt anyone, but delivers a perfectly timed “gotcha!”—a harmless hiccup to remind the recipient that actions (or in this case, inaction) have consequences.
Petty, or Perfectly Reasonable?
What makes this story so relatable—and so satisfying—is that it strikes a balance between justice and humor. No one’s property was damaged. No lifelong trauma inflicted. Just a gentle nudge in the ribs, a wink that says, “Hey, next time, maybe don’t ghost your friends for a year after they do you a favor.”
In the comments, Redditors rallied behind the OP (original poster), sharing their own tales of overstayed storage, forgotten boxes, and friendship boundaries stretched to the breaking point. It’s a digital high-five to everyone who’s ever felt taken for granted.
Why We Love a Good, Petty Tale
There’s something universally satisfying about stories like this. Maybe it’s because most of us have been too polite at times, biting our tongues when we should have spoken up. Or maybe it’s because these tiny, non-destructive acts of revenge allow us to reclaim a little bit of power in situations where we felt powerless.
And let’s be honest: is there anything more poetic than a pinball machine, that symbol of fun and nostalgia, becoming the vehicle for a gentle, hilarious payback?
The Moral of the Story
If you’re reading this and thinking about asking a friend to hold your stuff “just for a few weeks,” let this be your warning: don’t forget your pinballs. And don’t forget your friends, either.
Have you ever been on the giving—or receiving—end of a petty revenge? What’s your favorite low-stakes, high-satisfaction story? Share your tales in the comments below. And remember: sometimes, the smallest acts pack the mightiest punch (especially when it comes to arcade games).
Game on!
Original Reddit Post: Enjoy playing your game!