我上的高中最近修建了一间新厕所——两层楼的建筑，铺着洁白的瓷砖，散发着一股精致的气息。据说它耗资 20 万元，是全市所有公立学校中最好的厕所。自然，大家都喜欢这个新设施，随着时间的推移，旧厕所就被废弃了。
但“不再使用”并不完全准确。我自己也去过那里几次，虽然我从未遇到过任何人，但摊位上经常散落着新鲜的烟头。似乎有些学生偷偷溜进去抽烟。
有一天放学后，我的同桌提起了旧厕所的事。
“考川，还记得以前的那个厕所吗？”他问道。
“是啊。现在它不是废弃了吗？他们什么时候拆掉它？”我回答道。说实话，我不希望它很快就被拆掉。它僻静的地理位置和废弃的状态在某些场合很有用。我想那些经常去那里的人也会有同样的感受。
尽管因疏于管理，会产生难闻的气味。
厕所位于主教学楼后面，周围是一片杂草丛生的田地。从楼上的教室步行到那里需要十分钟。不远处有三张石制乒乓球桌，曾经很受欢迎，但现在却长满了青苔。
“他们不打算把它拆掉。有时人们还会使用它。”我的同桌说。
“我偶尔会去那儿。”
“真的吗？”他看起来很惊讶。“新厕所有什么问题吗？”
“怀旧，”我随便找了一个借口说道。
“还算公平。不过我听说那里发生过失踪事件。你可要小心了。”
我大吃一惊。
“失踪了？”
“是的，人们进去后就再也没有出来，”他说道，语气中更多的是好奇而不是惊慌，就像在分享一个鬼故事。
“你怎么知道？”
“谣言四起。但是，你知道，无风不起浪。”
“这听起来简直是一派胡言，”我反驳道。“如果真的发生了什么严重的事情，学校不会这么沉默，警察也会介入的。”
“他们参与了，”他凑近，神情神秘地说道，“一名高年级学生失踪了几天。他的父母报了警，但搜捕是在周日进行的，学校对此讳莫如深。知道此事的人不多。”
“然后呢？他们找到他了吗？”
“是的，不过是在别的地方。”
他听起来几乎有些失望，好像希望这个谜团一直没解开。他把它当成娱乐。不过，既然学生已经找到，这似乎也没什么大不了的。
如今，学生们迫于压力，做出各种不理智的事情。离家出走甚至还不是最糟糕的，自杀才是更严重的。
“至少他们找到了他。他现在回学校了吗？”
"Yeah, but when people ask where he went, he says he doesn’t remember." My deskmate added, "Apparently, he lost his memory. Has no clue where he was or what he did."
Stolen novel; please report.
The outcome didn’t surprise me. If I’d run away, I wouldn’t admit to what I’d been doing either—it’d be too embarrassing. But running away wasn’t my style. I excelled academically and prided myself on my resilience.
The media often reported these incidents, but statistically, they were rare. They only seemed alarming because the cases were concentrated in coverage.
As always, the media was blowing things out of proportion.
But then my deskmate made a startling claim.
"I think that student encountered something supernatural. Maybe he was brainwashed."
How imaginative. He had a knack for turning mundane events into eerie tales, though none of them were credible.
I didn’t feel like debunking him, so I changed the subject.
He, immersed in his fantasies, didn’t mind my obvious lack of interest.
After leaving the classroom, I headed to the old restroom again.
As usual, it was empty. No one on the way there, and no one inside.
In one stall, stained with yellow spots and moss, were a few fresh cigarette butts.
Nodding, I pulled a cigarette from my bag and lit it.
Generally, good students didn’t smoke. But while I was known as a top-performing student, a promising candidate for prestigious universities, I had my rebellious side.
Like smoking.
My first cigarette was at ten, at a classmate’s house. On the balcony, we found his father’s sun-dried tobacco and rolling papers. Out of curiosity, we rolled one and lit it.
My classmate didn’t dare inhale, only puffing and complaining about the bitterness.
I, however, took a deep drag. To my surprise, I didn’t cough—my body adjusted instantly.
Ever since, I occasionally bought packs of Camel cigarettes. They were expensive and rare, so I had to save my allowance. Smoking ate into my spending money for other things, but I liked that brand.
I wasn’t particularly addicted, but once your body gets used to the bitterness and flavor, quitting becomes a test of willpower.
Not that I lacked self-control. Though smoking was unhealthy, plenty of non-smokers died young, while many smokers lived past sixty. My goal was just to reach sixty, so quitting felt unnecessary.
Every time I smoked in the old restroom, I wondered if I’d meet another smoker.
In this school, good students like me smoking were rare. The rest were what teachers called "bad students." Of course, they wouldn’t all end up as delinquents—it was foolish to judge a student’s future based on high school behavior.
I knew a few of them. Aside from poor grades and rebellious appearances, they weren’t much different from regular students.
Smoking was our only common ground, and while we could chat, our bond was shallow.
They knew I smoked but never tattled.
我以为会在旧厕所碰到他们，但从未遇到过。经过多次拜访后，我开始怀疑是不是有什么不言而喻的原因——也许他们也不想见我。
我陷入沉思，抽完烟。这时，厕所门口传来了脚步声。
有人进来了。
不知道为什么，我感觉有些紧张——可能是因为这是我第一次在这里遇到人。
我犹豫了，不知道是该走还是该留下。也许他们也不想见任何人，见面会很尴尬。
吸烟并不是什么严重的罪行，但学生们总是偷偷地吸烟。
最终我还是留在了原地。
那人走进最远的隔间。过了一会儿，四周恢复了平静。
我决定是时候离开了。我刚走出去，远处的摊位突然传来一声尖叫。
我吃了一惊，回头一看，却发现周围又恢复了平静。
我等待着，却没有任何动静。
有某种东西迫使我——既好奇又担心。
我走向摊位，同桌关于失踪事件的话语在我的脑海里不断回荡。
由于不知道是哪个摊位，我停在其中一个摊位前，喊道：“嘿，你还好吗？”
没有回应。
“我听到了你的尖叫声。如果你没事的话，我就走了。”
还是没有结果。
我正要走开，但一种奇怪的感觉阻止了我。
我转过身，试图抓住这转瞬即逝的想法。
当然——这个人没有吸烟。也没有烟味。
即使在这间肮脏的厕所里，你也能透过门闻到香烟味。
如果他们只是上厕所，为什么不回应？
也许他们不在那间隔间里。或者他们踩到了什么尴尬的东西而不想让人看见。
尽管有这些理由，我还是踢开了隔间的门。
它是空的。