When my neighbors decided to dump their rotting Halloween decorations in my yard, they thought they could make me deal with their mess. For years, I had tolerated their petty antics, but this was the last straw. Little did they know, I was about to teach them a lesson they’d never forget.
I’ve always loved Halloween. Each year, I go all out with decorations, turning my yard into a spooky wonderland filled with cobwebs, plastic spiders, hanging ghosts, and a glowing inflatable witch. The neighborhood kids love it, and it brings a sense of fun and community spirit to our block. But not everyone appreciates my enthusiasm.
Meet the Neighbors: Gary and Brenda, the Grumpy Duo
Enter Gary and Brenda, my neighbors two doors down. “Entitled” doesn’t begin to describe them. They’re the type who think the world revolves around them. Over the years, they’ve complained about everything from my Christmas lights being “too bright” to my dog barking a little too enthusiastically when he plays. Last year, Brenda even demanded I move my garden because it supposedly “blocked her view.” And this year, they decided to up their game.
Halloween came and went, and I’ll admit, I left my decorations up a bit longer than usual because work got hectic. But one morning, as I stepped outside to grab the paper, I was hit by a foul stench. It was as if something had died on my lawn. I looked around, and there, right in the middle of my yard, was a pile of rotting pumpkins, wilted cornstalks, and broken skeleton pieces. The smell was unbearable, and flies were already swarming.
The Note That Pushed Me Over the Edge
On one of the moldy pumpkins, there was a note. It read, “Figured you’d want the rest of the neighborhood’s decorations too. Enjoy cleaning it up, since you love decorating so much!” I recognized the handwriting immediately – Brenda’s unmistakable scrawl. My blood boiled. They’d not only dumped their trash on my lawn but also had the audacity to mock me for my Halloween spirit.
I marched over to Gary and Brenda’s house, barely noticing the crisp autumn air as I stormed across the street. When Gary opened the door, he had a smug grin on his face.
“Morning,” he said, crossing his arms. “Something you need?”
I took a deep breath, fighting to keep my voice steady. “Is there a reason your junk is all over my lawn?” I asked, giving him a pointed look.
He shrugged, trying to hide his smirk. “Well, since you’re the last one with Halloween stuff out, we thought you wouldn’t mind picking up ours too. Figured you’d want it all together, seeing as you’re the ‘Halloween Queen’ around here.”
The Audacity of Their “Favor”
The sheer audacity of his response left me stunned. He actually thought they were doing me a favor by dumping their garbage on my property. Part of me wanted to just clean it up and let it go. But as I looked back at my yard, littered with their rotting junk, I knew I couldn’t let them get away with this. That night, as I lay in bed replaying the smug look on Gary’s face, an idea started forming in my mind. If they wanted me to take care of their Halloween mess, I’d be happy to “return” the favor.
The Plan: Return to Sender
The next evening, after work, I gathered every last piece of rotten decoration from my yard. Holding my breath against the stench, I loaded everything into my wheelbarrow, fighting the urge to gag as I piled in the collapsing pumpkins and moldy cornstalks. Once everything was ready, I wheeled it over to Gary and Brenda’s house. Their lights were off – they weren’t home. Perfect.
I carefully arranged the rotten pumpkins along their walkway, positioned the skeletons in eerie poses on their porch, and draped the cornstalks around their front steps to give their house a haunted swamp vibe. As a final touch, I left a note on their doorstep that read, “Thought I’d help with your cleanup, since you love community service so much. Happy belated Halloween!” I even added a big, loopy heart at the end, just for flair.
The Fallout: An Unexpected Turn of Events
Three days later, as I was enjoying my morning coffee, my phone rang. It was Brenda. Curiosity got the best of me, so I picked up, prepared for a tirade. But nothing could have prepared me for the frantic tone on the other end.
“What did you DO?” Brenda shrieked, so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “We’re losing our house because of you!”
“Excuse me?” I replied, keeping my tone as calm as possible.
“We’re being fined thousands of dollars, and it’s all your fault!” she continued, her voice on the verge of hysteria.
I raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Brenda, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about! Ever since you dumped that… that filth on our lawn, it’s been a nightmare! Rats got into the house! They chewed through wiring, and now we’re looking at repairs we can’t afford. And that was the final straw with the HOA!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony. “So… you’re saying the HOA finally got fed up with your ‘spooky junk’?”
“Don’t play games!” she spat. “The HOA is threatening to evict us if we don’t pay up. They said this is the last warning. And it’s all because of that mess you left on our lawn!”
I took a deep breath, savoring the moment. “Funny, because my security cameras show you and Gary dumping those decorations on my lawn first.”
There was silence on the other end, then a sputter. “W-we… that’s irrelevant! You’re the one who trespassed. You set us up!”
“Set you up?” I laughed. “Brenda, you and Gary trespassed on my property, not the other way around. I just returned your things.”
“You need to tell the HOA it was all a misunderstanding!” she demanded, desperation creeping into her voice. “You have to fix this!”
“Why should I?” I asked, keeping my tone level. “Maybe if you’d cleaned up your own junk, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
The Consequences They Never Expected
It turns out that my little act of revenge was only the beginning of their troubles. The HOA had received numerous complaints about Gary and Brenda’s property over the past year—overgrown weeds, trash piles, broken fences, and, more recently, a rodent problem. My video evidence was the final piece they needed to take action.
With fines piling up and repair costs they couldn’t afford, Gary and Brenda had no choice but to sell their home. On their last day, I watched from my window as they loaded boxes into a beat-up U-Haul, looking defeated and exhausted.
As they drove away, I felt a momentary pang of guilt. But then I remembered all the years of petty complaints and entitled behavior, and the way they thought they could just dump their problems on me. In the end, they got exactly what they deserved.
