Crowd Of Customers
A crowd of hungry customers stood staring at the little, four-year-old Kayla as she ran to her mother. Her cheeks were wet with tears as loud sobs echoed through the room.
Nicole, her mother, bent down as she tried to comfort her young daughter. "What's the matter?" She asked frantically. Kayla couldn't speak as she continued to sob. It sounded like she was in pain. But that was when Nicole noticed something on her leg.
New Year
It was New Year's Day and Nicole and Kayla decided to spend it at the park, after that, they would go to Kayla's favorite restaurant to get some food, McDonald's.
Nicole locked the front door before turning to Kyala, "You ready?" She asked and took ahold of her hand. From there, they walked together and made their way to the park, not knowing what was in store for them.
Scream
The pair soon reached the park and Kayla immediately set off across the grass to go play on the roundabout. She quickly hopped on and asked her mother to start spinning her. Nicole quickly gets her daughter laughing and giggling as she spins.
Just then Nicole’s phone started to ring and she looked away from Kayla to answer it. Kayla giggled as the roundabout slowed down and finally hopped off and charged towards the slides. Suddenly Nicole hears a scream and immediately knows it was Kayla.
Grub's Up
In her excitement, young Kayla had fallen and grazed her hand. Nicole hugs Kayla and comforts her. She quickly reassures the crying girl that it’s not so bad and everything will be ok. Kayla looked up at her through sobs and asked. “Can we get food now?”
Smiling at her daughter, Nicole simply answered “Sure thing,” and took her daughter’s hand. The two started off towards the restaurant which was roughly 10 minutes away. It was Kayla’s favorite restaurant, McDonald’s, and it was sure to stop any tears and make her smile again. If she only knew what lay ahead.
Teenagers
When they finally arrived at the restaurant, Nicole saw only a few people throughout the restaurant. People were dotted around among the green tables and in one corner sat a few teenagers who all har earphones in while they drank their drinks.
Two of the teenage girls look over at the pair who just entered and snigger. Nicole wonders what the teens problem is but she shrugs it off and leads Kayla to the queue, patiently waiting their turn to be served.
Place An Order
After a long wait that no doubt seemed like forever to young Kayla, Nicole finally approaches the counter to order. After a brief discussion, she orders something to eat for herself and Kayla. As she’s ordering, Nicole hands Kayla her phone and tells her to sit down.
Kayla quite happily takes the phone and finds a seat, contentedly watching videos on YouTube while she waits for her mom to join her. Suddenly, there’s a loud cry and something seems to be happening among the teens.
Distrcating Her
The group of teenagers in the corner of the room started a fight. They were yelling at each other as Nicole made her way over to Kayla, comforting her with a YouTube video. She wanted to distract her.
Eventually, the staff did break up the fight and kicked the teenagers out. But despite this, two teenage girls were still sitting at the table.
Lunch Time
The smell of burgers lingered in the air as Nicole and Kayla enjoyed their well-deserved lunch. Nicole was eating a Chicken Burger and fries while Kayla enjoyed a Happy Meal.
But that was when Kayla looked up at her mother with a serious, yet innocent look, "I need to go to the bathroom," she said quietly.
Wait
Kayla quickly polished her cheeseburger and grabbed a napkin to wipe her hands. Sliding off her seat she looks around for the bathroom. Finally spotting it, Kayla quickly trots off in their direction.
When she got there, however, it is locked and engaged. “There must be someone in there,” Kayla thought. She patiently stood outside the door smiling at her mother while she waits. That was when she heard something coming from within the bathroom.
Teenage Girls
Kayla could hear giggling and laughing on the other side of the door. Ten minutes passed before the door finally opened. It was the two teenage girls from earlier. They left the bathroom together, a smirk on their faces.
Nicole was watching as she gestured for Kayla to go in, "I'll be right here," Nicole said as she watched Kayla shut the door behind her.
Unwelcome Sound
“Mom!” Screams Kayla as she runs out of the bathroom, tears streaming down her face. Nicole shoots up from her seat, her bag falling onto the floor. The sound of your child screaming is a sound you never want to hear.
Kayla runs into her mom’s arms, “in the toilet,” she says sobbing, “go look quick!” Kissing Kayla’s forehead, Nicole makes her way over to the bathroom.
Inside
Walking inside the bathroom, the smell of antiseptic and bleach lingers in the air. “There’s nothing in here,” she thinks to herself, eyes scanning for something that would explain her daughter’s outburst.
A few toilet rolls were rolled out on the floor and the tap was dripping. But then she sees it. It’s the reason why her child is in tears.
Her Heart is Pounding
From a distance, it seemed a white sticky substance covered the toilet seat, but as Nicole got closer she realized it was glue — superglue, in fact — smothered all over the toilet seat.
Somebody had purposefully done this! Nicole bursts out of the bathroom, her heart pounding, and yells out to the manager and members of staff.
Holding Back The Tears
Nicole goes over to her daughter, who was still sobbing and yelling in pain. She checks her and sees that her skin has been ripped from the back of her legs!
Sobbing into her mother’s arms, Kayla was terrified, and Nicole was furious. “We need help” Nicole yells out to the crowd holding back the tears.
Never Seen Anything Like This Before
Joanna, the assistant manager at McDonald’s, thought she had seen it all - from petty fights over a BigMac to drunk and disorderly behavior by older adults.
She was used to diffusing heated situations and always knew what to do when trouble struck. But in her 15-year career in the hospitality industry, she had never quite seen anything like this.
This Wasn’t Enough For Her
Joanna and her staff all gather round the little girl and provide medical assistance. They help clean the wound and bandage her up while Kayla sobbed into her mom’s chest.
The mom then decided to go to the hospital, so she rang for a family member to come and fetch them. But this wasn’t enough for Nicole. She knew there was only one thing she could do.
Taking It Online
Posting to her personal Facebook in hopes to bring the pranksters to justice she wrote, “To the two young blonde girls that thought it would be hilarious to put super glue on the disabled and baby changing toilet in McDonald’s,” the post began.
“I just want you to know that I’m still having to console my four-year-old daughter who was unfortunate enough to use the toilet after your little prank.” Nicole hoped that the two teenage girls would be found and punished. Kayla didn’t deserve this.
Investigation
After the manager of the McDonalds reported the case to the police, the police department scoured the CCTV footage from the McDonalds to find the two perpetrators.
After the injuries poor little Kayla had suffered, they were treating the case as criminal damage and an assault. The cruel teenagers were thought to be aged 16 to 18 years old.
Prank Gone Wrong
After a brief investigation, thankfully the two girls were found and were subsequently interviewed by police. The two girls immediately apologized to Nicole and Kayla and admitted they regretted doing it. It was “prank gone wrong,” one of them told her.
But was this enough for Nicole and Kayla? The four-year-old would have to live her life with this terrible memory etched in her mind. Meanwhile, Nicole’s Facebook post was gaining traction.
Backlash
Nicole’s Facebook post went viral, and people everywhere were appalled by the “practical joke.” In an unexpected twist, however, people immediately started blaming Nicole for what had happened to her little girl.
“Am I reading that right, that she sat at a table while her 4yo daughter went into a bathroom ALONE?!? In this day & age...?” one woman wrote.
The Blame Game
Nicole was incredulous when the comments started rolling in. “She let her FOUR YEAR OLD go into the bathroom alone?!” another woman commented.
“AND she had to wait because there were two girls in there ahead of her?! WHAT?!?! Maybe if her mom would have gone in there with her, like a responsible parent, this wouldn't have happened. That poor little girl!”
A Mother’s Guilt
Of course, Nicole felt guilty enough about what had happened - it was only natural for the mom to think that if she had done things differently that day, little Kayla may not have been the victim of such a cruel prank.
Now, other moms were calling her out and saying it was all her fault. She beat herself up about not accompanying her daughter to the bathroom, but would it really have made a difference?
Seeing Reason
Thankfully, some people took Nicole’s side and defended her. “This is twisted. I’m glad these teens got caught and hopefully are rightfully punished. Poor baby: I hope she's not traumatized,” another shocked mom wrote.
Then, she proceeded to point out that all the people bashing Nicole were completely missing the point of the story.
Missing The Point
“And to the people who are focused on the mom letting her child go to the bathroom alone; while I understand your concern (as something worse could have happened) the fact is that this would have been just as jacked up if it happened to a teenager or an adult,” the user wrote.
“If it wasn't this poor child, it would have been someone else. It’s twisted regardless. Don’t focus on the WRONG point.”
Blame And Shame
“I hear a lot of blaming the mom…” another user wrote. Then, she pointed out that, yes, Nicole should have accompanied Kayla into the cubicle, but Kayle would have become glued to the seat anyway.
“It may have been her responsibility to go with the child, but that doesn't change the fact that the child would've sat on the toilet seat to "use the restroom" and got super glued...the two teenagers should be the two really put at blame and shame.”
It Would Have Happened Anyway
“I'm a little annoyed with people blaming the mother. This would have happened regardless if the mother was there or not, especially because I doubt you could see the friggen glue on the seat,” another user wrote in Nicole’s defense.
“The teenage girls who did this are to blame. Yes, maybe the mom should've been with her daughter but like I said if the mom was there or not it doesn't matter it would've happened anyway.”
Police Statement
A spokeswoman for the police caused a public outcry when she stated that they would not be releasing the names of the “pranksters” to the media.
"We are aware there is social media attention relating to the incident and understand that the public are concerned, however we have a duty to protect everyone involved and will take positive action against threats or abuse," Sarah Rolinson said. "We are in contact with the victim's mother and will keep her updated on our progress."
Justice Is Served
Hearing the news that the Police had subsequently taken appropriate action against the girls, Nicole lets out a sigh of relief. It had been a few weeks since the incident, and the events of that day still plagued her mind.
She watches as her daughter plays with her Barbies. “Finally, some justice,” she thinks while clutching a cup of tea. She takes a sip before smiling to herself and watches as her brave little girl carries on playing.
An Update
Fortunately, Kayla recovered well from her physical injuries, but Nicole was worried about her mental health after suffering such trauma.
“Kayla is very forgiving and fortunately seems to be coping well. But I hope they realize the consequences of their actions,” the angry mom told the media. Although the girls immediately
Pranksters Should Think Twice
This story just goes to show that although pranks can be a fun way to trick your friends, they can also result in some pretty severe consequences.
Hopefully, Nicole and Kayla’s story will remind pranksters to think twice about the people they could be upsetting, all for the sake of a laugh.