This happened back when I was in upper elementary school.
One afternoon during class, I was sitting by the window, half-listening to a boring history lesson while staring blankly out at the schoolyard.
No classes had gym that period, so the schoolyard was completely empty... or so it was supposed to be.
Right in the middle of the yard stood a figure. An adult.
But it wasn't a teacher, nor was it the school janitor. It was someone I had never seen before.
Even from a distance, I could tell he had a stocky build. Probably a man. He stood there stock-still, staring down at the ground.
Unnerved by his eerie presence, my eyes were glued to him.
As I sat there blankly wondering who he could be, he seemed to notice my gaze.
Our eyes locked. At that distance, I couldn't really make out his face, but I felt certain our eyes had met.
The very next instant, he began frantically waving his arms in my direction.
I couldn't hear any sound, but he was waving both hands wildly as if shouting, 'Hey! Over here!'
The way he moved was just plain wrong. He was thrashing both arms around with all his strength, like a man possessed.
I immediately felt that I had seen something I definitely shouldn't have.
A chill ran down my spine, instantly dispelling any sleepiness.
I quickly looked away, turning my eyes toward the teacher's desk.
'It's just my imagination. I must be daydreaming.' That's what I tried to convince myself.
Still, I couldn't help being curious. Heart pounding, I stole another glance toward the schoolyard.
...He was gone. It really had been just my imagination.
Relieved, I went back to spacing out.
---That was when it happened.
*Ding-dong-bing-bong* 'The key to the first-floor shoe lockers has gone missing. Mr. Sato, please come immediately.'
An announcement over the PA system. I had heard this phrase many times during intruder drills.
It was a coded announcement to signal that a suspicious person had broken into the school.
To avoid alerting the intruder, our school used code words like this to notify everyone of their location.
In this case, the announcement meant an intruder was at the first-floor shoe lockers.
A sense of dread washed over me. Goosebumps broke out on my skin as I recalled the man who had been waving in the schoolyard.
...Was he moving from the schoolyard into the building...?
I wasn't the only one terrified.
My classmates began whispering anxiously, and a few kids started to cry.
Pale-faced, our teacher frantically began issuing instructions to the class.
It didn't take long for the entire classroom to descend into total panic.
---After that, we were sent home in organized groups, escorted by teachers for safety.
In the end, no intruder was found. I heard later that nobody even knew who had made that PA announcement in the first place.
*
Everyone made it home safely in their groups and was handed over to their parents. I imagine a lot of parents took off work early to come home.
My mom was already home, sick with worry.
The moment I got inside, I finally started to relax.
The panic from earlier vanished into thin air.
I spent the rest of the day lounging around the living room, reading manga and taking it easy.
Once I was home, I was safe.
At least, that's what I thought...
Just as I was getting bored of manga and drifting off to sleep, my mom shouted for me.
'Kanako! Phone call from the school!'
Startled by how unusually loud her voice was, I snapped back without thinking.
'Quit yelling, I'm right here!'
Mom gave me a puzzled look.
'Huh? Weren't you in the bathroom? ...Well, whatever, hurry up and answer! They said they have something to tell you.'
What was she talking about? I'd been sitting right here the whole time.
Besides, if it was news from the school, shouldn't they just tell my mom?
Annoyed at being woken up right when I was about to fall asleep, I grumpily took the receiver from her.
'Hello? This is Kanako...'
'...'
Silence met me on the other end. Aside from a faint buzzing noise, I couldn't even hear breathing.
Just as I was about to ask what they wanted—
I heard that sound coming through the line.
*
*
*
'*Ding-dong-bing-bong* The key to the bathroom next to the living room has gone missing. Kanako, please come immediately.'
...Which means... in there...
[End]