My daughter and I were walking through the shopping mall when she suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the restroom: As soon as we locked the stall door, she pointed at something and whispered, “Mom, did you see that?” 

That day, we had decided to spend some time together and went to the mall. We needed to buy a few dresses for her — a celebration was coming up, and she dreamed of having “the most beautiful dress.”

We laughed as we went from store to store, trying on everything: light summer dresses, ones with bows, glittery skirts. My daughter twirled in front of the mirror and asked excitedly:

— Mom, does this one look good on me?

I smiled, looking at her, thinking how fast she was growing up. Everything was peaceful and completely normal — until she suddenly stopped in the middle of the store. Her eyes grew serious, her lips trembled, and she said quietly but firmly:

— Mom, we have to go to the bathroom. Now.

I thought she just needed to go, so I joked:

— So suddenly? Okay, let’s go.

We walked toward the restrooms, but I noticed she kept looking over her shoulder. She gripped my hand tighter and tighter, as if afraid I might let go. Once inside, she quickly pulled me into one of the stalls, locked the door, and stood there silently. Her face was pale, her eyes full of fear.

— Mom, — she whispered, — did you see it too?

— See what, sweetheart? — I asked, confused.

But she pressed a finger to her lips:

— Shhh. Don’t move. Look there.

She pointed at the gap under the door. I bent down and looked closely — and a cold chill ran down my spine, because what I saw was… 
To be continued in the first comment 

Under the door were black men’s shoes. Large, dirty, with untied laces — and clearly not belonging to a janitor.

Men’s shoes. In the women’s restroom.

I squeezed my daughter’s hand and tried to breathe as quietly as possible. My heart was pounding, and a thousand thoughts raced through my mind — who was it? Why was he there? We stood frozen, afraid to move, until a faint but distinct knock came from our stall door.

I felt my daughter cling to me tighter.

— Mom… — she whispered. — It’s him.

With a trembling voice, I asked:

— What do you want from us? I’m calling the police right now!

No answer. Only heavy breathing on the other side of the door. Then — slow, heavy footsteps, fading away, echoing against the tiled floor.

We stood there for a long time, motionless, until the silence became unbearable. My daughter looked up at me, frightened:

— Mom, who was that?

— I don’t know, — I said, trying to sound calm, though my hands were shaking. — But we’re not leaving until Dad gets here.

I called my husband and whispered everything to him. He left immediately. We waited, holding our breath. Outside, we could hear people coming in, water running, but every sound made us jump.

When my husband finally arrived and called out to us, I opened the door, still holding my daughter’s hand. We stepped out — and only then did we notice, on the floor near the entrance to the restroom, a dark muddy streak — the footprint of those same shoes.