GHOST STORY #005
"Just One More Minute"
There was a rule everyone followed.
Never use the left stall after closing time.
Most people obeyed it.
One night, a technician stayed late.
A cabinet needed fixing.
Just one more minute, he told himself.
At 11:43 PM, the arcade lights shut off around him.
Only the restroom light remained on.
He stood in front of the stalls, hesitating.
The left door was unlocked.
That had never happened before.
He went inside.
The lock clicked behind him.
The light didn't flicker.
It stayed perfectly still.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message.
No sender.
"You stayed."
The timestamp read 02:17 AM.
Panic set in.
He tried the lock.
It wouldn't turn.
The toilet flushed on its own.
Once.
Twice.
Then the light went out.
When the arcade opened the next morning, the restroom was empty.
The left stall door was locked again.
On the floor, in front of the toilet, someone had written a message with a fingertip through the dust:
"Just one more minute."
No one stays late anymore.