A Sight To See
Her terrified scream echoed throughout the restaurant. Everyone looked as she ran desperately towards her mom. Her mom stood up in a panic, her purse falling to the floor.
She bent down to embrace her little, shaking frame. “What’s the matter?”, she asks softly as she tries to comfort her sobbing daughter. Then she looks down, her face pales. “What’s on your leg sweetheart?”.
Just Another Day
It was just another busy day for mother-of-one, Nicole. With a seven-year-old daughter, Kayla, Nicole days were filled with the demands of motherhood. And today was no different.
After a busy week, Nicole decided to take her daughter to the local park and then go to her favourite restaurant McDonald’s, as a special treat. They got dressed and set out, unaware that their innocent outing would soon become a nightmare.
Playground Fun
When they reached the park, Kayla immediately ran across the grass to play on the roundabout. She quickly hopped on and asked her mom to start spinning her. Nicole got to work as Kayla laughed and giggled as she spun.
Suddenly, Nicole received a phone call and she looked away from Kayla to answer it. As the roundabout slowed, Kayle hopped off and charged towards the slides. Unexpectedly, Nicole hears a scream and turns to see Kayla.
Comfort Food
In her dizzying excitement, young Kayla had fallen and grazed her hand. Nicole ended her call and raced over to Kayla. She quickly comforts her. Kayla looked up at her through sobs and asked, “Can we get food now?”.
Smiling at her daughter, Nicole simply answered “Sure thing”. She took her hand and started off towards the restaurant that was sure to make Kayla smile again. If she only knew what lay ahead.
Teenagers
Arriving at the restaurant, Nicole saw only a few people eating in. People were seated sparsely among the green tables and in one corner sat a few teenagers who all had earphones in while they drank their sodas.
Two of the teenage girls looked over at Nicole and her daughter and sniggered. Nicole wondered what their problem was but she shrugged it off and led Kayla to the queue to order.
Placing An Order
After a short wait, Nicole approached the counter to order. As she ordered, she gave Kayla her phone and told her to sit down.
Kayla happily took the phone and found a seat, content to watch YouTube videos while she waited for her mom to join her. Suddenly, a loud cry sounds and something seems to be happening among the teens.
A Fight
The teens in the corner were yelling at each other, a fight had erupted and Kayla got a fright. Seeing how distraught she was, Nicole went over to soothe her and distract her from what was happening.
Workers soon separated the teenagers and kicked them out of the restaurant. Nicole noticed two of the girls still remained at the table, the same girls that laughed at her earlier. And now, they were watching her.
Suspicious Feeling
She knew they were talking about her but that wasn’t what bothered her. It was the way they laughed amongst each other they made a remark.
They were being obvious about it, and not in the immature arrogant way, but in a way that almost seemed malicious. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that these innocent-looking girls were up to no good.
Dinner Time!
Soon Nicole and Kayla are breathing in the wonderful smell of burgers and fries. Nicole had ordered a Chicken burger and fries for herself and a Happy Meal for Kayla.
They dug in and ate for a few moments before Kayla began to squirm. She looked over to her mom, her expression innocent yet serious. Finally, she leans closer and whispers, “I need the toilet!”.
Bathroom Queue
Kayla quickly polished her cheeseburger and grabbed a napkin to wipe her hands. Sliding off her seat she looked around for the bathroom.
When she spotted it, she found it engaged. Kayla knew to patiently stand outside the door and wait. She smiled at her mother while she waited. Then she heard something coming from within the bathroom.
Strange Noises
Kayla popped her ear up to the bathroom door, curious as to what sounds were coming from inside. She couldn't identify them. She cocked her head to the side as she tried to work it out.
Meanwhile, Nicole was watching her from a distance. “What is she doing?”, she thought. Alarmed that she was acting rude, she shook her head when their eyes met, warning her not to do that. But Kayla wasn’t the one in the wrong.
Giggles And Laughter
Kayla softly knocked on the door. Now, she knew what the noises were. Giggles and laughter came from the bathroom. There were two people in there.
After several minutes the door finally opened and the two teenage girls who had been sitting in the corner, talking about them emerged. They continued to giggle and laugh as they walked out of the bathroom. They gave a smirk to Kayla as they passed her.
Mother’s Reassurance
Kayla didn’t notice however, and simply waived her mom over to help her. But Nicole wanted Kayla to be more independent now when using the bathroom. So she refused to come over, instead mouthing, “I’ll be right here!”.
Kayla gave a nervous nod and stepped inside. She closed the door behind her, leaving her to face this situation all on her own.
Terrified
“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. Hearing her terrified scream like this was something Nicole never wanted to hear.
Kayla runs into her mom’s arms, she can barely talk as she sobs, “in the toilet, go look quick!”. Nicole kisses her forehead and makes her way over to the bathroom.
Endless Possibilities
Nicole wonders what on earth could have frightened her daughter so much. She wondered if she had an accident, but then again, she would have said so. Kayla knew she could talk to her about those things. If not that, then what?
Numerous possibilities ran through her mind but she would be completely taken off-guard by what she found.
Looking Inside
She walked inside the bathroom, and was immediately met by the smell of antiseptic and bleach that lingered in the air. “There’s nothing in here, in fact it’s rather clean!” she thinks to herself. Her eyes scanned for something that would explain her daughter’s outburst.
A few toilet sheets were rolled out on the floor and the tap was dripping. Besides that, everything seemed fine. She looked closer.
Close Inspection
She walked over to the tap and turned it off. Her eyes scoured the floor, paying close attention to anything shinier than usual. If there was a big puddle there, perhaps her daughter missed the toilet or just slipped on a wet tile, fell and got a fright.
She was focused on the minute details as her eyes darted around the bathroom. Then suddenly, she sees it. It’s the reason why her child is in tears.
Shocking Discovery
From a distance, she could see the dewy, shiny glow of the toilet seat. It looked odd. Then she noticed the small pieces of fabric from her daughters clothes that stuck to the seat.
There seemed to be a white sticky substance covering the toilet seat, but as Nicole got closer she realized exactly what it was and had a good idea about who could have done such a thing.
Superglue
What Nicole found was glue, but not just any ole glue. No, it was superglue, and it was smothered all over the toilet seat.
Somebody had purposefully done this and Nicole had a strong inclination of who it could have been. Her heart pounded as she stormed out of the bathroom and yelled out to the manager and members of staff.
Holding Back
Nicole went over to her daughter, who was still sobbing and yelling in pain. She checked her body and saw that her skin was raw on the back of her legs!
Sobbing into her mother’s arms, Kayla was terrified, and Nicole was absolutely furious. “We need help!” Nicole yelled out into the restaurant holding back tears.
Like Nothing Before
For Joanna, the assistant manager at McDonald’s, she thought she had seen it all. From petty fights over a BigMac to drunk and disorderly behavior by youths.
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.
One More Thing
Joanna and her staff all gathered around the little girl and provided medical assistance. They helped clean the wound and bandaged her up while she sobbed into her mom’s chest.
Although her injuries weren’t too bad looking, Nicole decided it would be best to go to the hospital just in case, so she rang for a family member to come collect them. But there was one thing Nicole wanted to do before they left.
Posting Online
Nicole grabbed her phone out of her pocket, took a photo of the crime scene and evidence and posted to her personal Facebook page. She had one goal in mind, to bring the pranksters who had long left the restaurant, 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.
Community Power
“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.”
She made sure to let everyone know what happened and a description of those responsible. She wanted to catch them, and with a little help from her tight-knit community, she did.
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 a “prank gone wrong,” one of them told her.
But was this enough for Nicole and Kayla? Who, for the four-year-old, would have to live her life with this terrible memory etched in her mind.
Justice Is Served!
Upon hearing the news that the police had taken appropriate action against the girls, Nicole let 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 wanted to make sure that they wouldn’t try a stunt like that again and that no other daughter would suffer at their hands: a job well done!
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, especially if they cause harm to anyone!
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.