[trapped in a lift] what would you do if

Two cleaning women were trapped inside a broken lift for two days with only two cough drops and six aspirin to sustain them. After the doors closed, the women discovered they were stuck on the first floor of the two-storey building.

There was no response from an emergency call alarm and the women could not pry open the doors, said Ms Bartoszewicz, 25. Neither had a mobile phone and the building was not due to open until after Christmas.

The women tried to sleep on their coats and used a corner of the lift as a bathroom. On Christmas Eve, an employee went to work. Ms Borowski said she heard him talking on his mobile phone. The women yelled and he heard them. Fire crews freed the women an hour later.

Russian domestic lifts are pretty safe and undergo periodic maintenance and with not a lot of money about, still residents of housing blocks pay, every few years, for a new lift . However, the electrics can and do stop and you're suddenly trapped.

Picture this - a man has just nipped down to the shop downstairs for milk and bread. He returns, uses the electronic button to get into the foyer of the house and pushes the lift button, stands back and observes the light above the door - 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... ping.

The door slowly slides open [and why do they always do this so slowly - is it an exaggerated attempt to portray gravitas and solidity?] and at that moment there is the buzz from the outer door and some girl comes through, clattering towards the lift. The man pushes Hold Lift Open and she skittles into the four person lift, also clutching packets.

Nods to him, he asks which floor and presses it, then steps back and they pretend to ignore each other as the hushpower door closes. Suddenly he pulls out his bloodred axe - no, that's a different tale ...

A little desultory conversation ensues [love both those words] and he glances over again and compliments her on her new jacket. Then the lift dies. Just dies. Her shoulders sag because:

1. she's been through this before, as she eventually explains, many times;

2. she's in there with a middle-aged man.

He calls the emergency woman below and there's no luck. She's obviously gone shopping. He glances up and around the lift for the first time, noting the elegant decor of brown wooden panels and a rickety roof which has possibilities. At least it is allowing in a finger of light producing a dull glow in the lift.

She's withdrawn into herself so he starts to cheerfully tell her about his last lift entrapment in all its gruesome detail, just to cheer her up, like. It doesn't appear to cheer her up and she reaches into a packet and pulls out a snickers bar. He, on the other hand, has done his three day shopping and has a smorgasbord in those packets. He pulls out a meat and veg pasty and starts munching and she glances over enviously.

He reaches in and pulls out the little packet with the three pasties and offers her one - urges her now. She takes one and offers the end of her snickers bar in return. He gracefully declines then tries the Emergency Woman again - still no luck.

They begin to discuss possibilities of escape and he reflects on his attire - he's in tie and good trousers for work and she's in the latest fashion jeans and snazzy jacket but at least her jeans are already ripped and the unworthy thought crosses his mind that he'll send her up through a panel in the roof.

He's damned if he's going to sacrifice those trousers for an idea and she, surprisingly, has chimed in with this thought and agrees - one's wardrobe is more important in this situation. So ... time to think this one out. There's sufficient food until tomorrow for both of them but the problem is going to be the bathroom [American sensitivities here].

And now she has to go to that particular room and actuals murmurs so. He reflects on his packets - if he repacked his food - well.

"How long?" he asks her and she understands what he's referring to - the time she has left before she really has to "go"? Some time, it seems. Now it occurs to both to use her mobile phone but no luck. He tries the Emergency Woman again but no luck. It's becoming apparent she's waiting for him to play the superhero but if he does, it will have to be sans trousers and jacket.

Still, that's an option because they must be near his floor now and he can nip back there and put some old clothes on. Problem will be leaving her in there alone. Actually, to be honest, he's worrying about leaving her in there alone with his packets of food. He discusses the plan with her and she's relieved but just before he disrobes, he tries the Emergency Woman one more time.

Eureka! She'll send an engineer. Where from? They'll have to phone him. Twenty minutes. The girl looks at him and he surmises, "An hour." She nods and indicates she has to "go". He starts to rearrange the packets and puts three plastic packets inside each other and hands them to her, then turns to the corner like a naughty schoolboy.

He tries not to listen but begins to hear sounds below on the first floor but it's people deciding the lift is not working and they'll go round the back to the stairs. Now if one of them at least were to get out at either of the floors they're between, well - it has possibilities.

She's now done and highly embarrassed and he has a strange sort of feeling inside but one thing for sure - they now must get out of there with the presence of ... that ... in the corner. The vigil begins with both squatting down, backs to the wall until the sound of the Emergency Woman and two men above.

Conversation ensues and all is well. Eventually the door above the lift is prized open, someone drops onto the roof and this now opens. Superhero now offers his hands and shoulder for her to climb onto and as she's young, she makes the lst athletic little climb up, assisted by the guy above. Packets are now passed up as well.

Now it's his turn and this is going to take some strength on both their parts. There go the trousers. He scrambles through the gap finally and the trousers are still OK but marked. She's disappeared by now. He dusts himself off, picks up the remaining packets and goes home.

Next day they find themselves in the lift again together and that's a special little moment.