The whole shopping floor was quiet and empty as all the shops were closed, but I had to go to the toilet. So I headed toward the toilet sign and pushed open the huge exit door. I had to turn left, walk a bit then turn right before I reached the toilet. Just outside, there was a cleaning trolley but no one was around. I went into the toilet, expecting to see a cleaner but I was all alone. The 2nd cubicle was closed so I assumed there was someone inside. But the whole toilet was just too quiet and I was a little suspicious.
Perhaps some men are in the toilet trying to secretly record a video of girls pee-ing, I thought.
Although doubtful, I still chose the cubicle next to the one with the closed door because it was the cleanest. I locked the door behind me, hung my bag on the door hook and started pee-ing. When I finished and was about to wear my pants, I heard the door to the toilet creak open and then of course, I heard footsteps. Perhaps I was very paranoid and my imaginations were running wild because of all the hundreds of emails that I've read about such incidents happening in public toilets.
Anyway, I was wearing my pants when I saw a shadow just outside my door. I quickly pulled up my pants and listened... and tried to look at what the shadow was doing. Nothing happened.
Perhaps the person is trying to was her hands at the sink just outside my door, I thought. Then all of a sudden, I saw my toilet door being unlocked, from the outside. The latch was slowly but surely being sled opened...
Alarm bells ringing in my head, I immediately pushed and slammed the door shut and latched the door lock. I didn't manage to close it the first time so I tried nervously to slam the door again and latch the door. Then I shouted "EH, WHO'S THAT?!", hoping desperately to scare away the person outside my toilet cubicle. I guess it worked because I heard some male noises and the person scurried away.
Being all alone, locked in a cubicle of a totally empty toilet and wondering what I should do next, I stayed in the cubicle for 2 seconds. Then I decided to go out. I figured that if I just stayed, he was gonna come get me anyway and I probably had a better chance running. So I came out of the toilet and even remembered to wash my hands then walk toward the main toilet door. I hesitated. What if he was waiting for me outside? What if there was a bunch of crazy men? Well I didn't wanna stay in the toilet too so I thought I'd just open the door to check and if there were crazy men then I'd run back into the toilet. So I pushed opened the door and I saw them standing there!
The indian lady cleaner was standing by her cleaning trolley and there was a male security guard beside her. I thought I looked nervous and scared but perhaps my face showed otherwise. The security guard upon seeing me started to apologise profusely and said that the cleaner told him that the toilet was empty. He tried to explain that he was just checking the toilets but I wasn't really listening. I was just happy and so damn relieved to realise that it was just the security guard trying to do his last round of checks before locking the toilet doors.
Although there was nothing to be afraid of, but the sight of my door latch opening and the whole experience gave me a good fright. Even 5 minutes after it all happened, I was still a little shaky and my fingers were shivering. Now I know why some girls just stand rooted to the ground when faced with danger and aren't able to fight back.
