Member-only story
Locked In
True tales from a family gathering
Because a three-year-old needing to pee, and not waiting for adult assistance, pulled down his bathing suit ( we were at a family pool-side cookout), and aimed his tiny penis at the nearby hedge, the adult conversation, perhaps lubricated with a few beers, turned to bathroom tales.
The following are stories of three members of this family going about their lives without incident until the day they entered a small space, shut the door, and then couldn’t open it.
A young man, in his thirties, visiting a foreign country, enters a public bathroom, finds an empty stall, and discovers the locking mechanism won’t latch properly; he struggles with it, pulling and twisting the handle until the door appears locked.
After finishing his business, he turns the handle expecting the door to open. It doesn’t budge. No amount of pushing, pulling, or turning the latch results in release. The stall he is trapped in is like a closet — fully enclosed from the floor to the ceiling.
Feelings of claustrophobia and panic wash over him. He’s becoming sweaty as he wrestles with the unyielding door. Desperately, he punches it, throws his shoulder against the metal, yelling in frustration striking again and again until suddenly it bursts open, and he is face-to-face with several startled people…
