I looked through the gap. it looked back.

I wasn't going to post this but it's been years and I still think about it.

So back in high school, I was in the volunteer club. We did this overnight trip to some small island, like a training retreat kind of thing. learning how to assist elderly patients, group etiquette, whatever. Pretty normal stuff. After the sessions we'd just hang out in our rooms.

On day two, after lunch, they had us clean the facility. Volunteer club, so obviously WE'RE the ones doing it. I got assigned to the girls bathroom.

Small island, small bathroom. Just four stalls. I was alone.

Except one stall was closed.

Okay, fine. Someone's in there. I waited. And waited. Ten minutes go by and nobody comes out.

"Maybe they're sick?" I thought. I waited a little more.

But I was running out of cleaning time so I finally called out. "Sorry, I'm going to run the water now!" Turned the faucet on and everything.

Nothing. No response.

I finished all the other stalls. That one last closed door just sitting there. I was getting anxious because I literally could not finish without cleaning that one.

"Hey, uh... I need to clean in there..."

Still nothing.

So I crouched down and looked under the door.

No feet. Zero. If someone's actually using the toilet you'd see feet. There were none.

Okay so my brain goes: someone's pranking me, they're standing on the toilet seat. Classic.

I leaned in and peeked through the door gap.

And I SCREAMED.

Because something was already peeking back at me from the other side.

We made eye contact. right through the gap. I don't even know how to explain it I just. I ran. I bolted out and grabbed the guy cleaning the boys bathroom next door and dragged him back in.

We checked the stall.

Empty. Completely empty.

Here's the thing that makes zero sense. The boys bathroom was RIGHT next door. like directly adjacent. There is no way someone ran out fast enough without us seeing them. It's physically not possible.

And then we noticed something else.

That one stall? It had a squat toilet. An old traditional one built into the floor.

So if someone was crouching over it... where were their feet. how were there no feet. were they just. floating?

I still get chills thinking about it. I genuinely cannot tell you if it was a person or something else. I don't know. I really don't know.

But those eyes. cold and just. staring.

I haven't forgotten them.