Vanessa, I relocated to my new neighborhood a few months ago to start over with my 10-year-old daughter. I\u2019m Vanessa, and I relocated to my new neighborhood a few months ago to start over with my 10-year-old daughter Emma. After a difficult divorce, I wanted a quiet life and a safe location for my daughter to grow up.<\/p>\n
We found a cute house on a leafy lane near a playground. Emma and I would stroll there every morning, laughing and appreciating the simple things. I thought, Finally, we\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n
For weeks, everything was OK. Life returned to normal with pleasant neighbors. I met Karen.<\/p>\n
Karen, my neighbor, appeared pleasant at first. She arrived with brownies and a TV commercial-style smile on moving day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWelcome to the neighborhood!\u201d she beams. \u201cI\u2019m Karen. Please inquire if you need anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
It moved me. \u201cMany thanks! Though we\u2019re still unpacking, it feels like home.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded excitedly, laughing. Moving is stressful, but you\u2019ll enjoy living here. I\u2019m next door if you need someone to watch your place.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cYou know, packages disappear around here if left out too long. I can always steal yours if I see them.\u201d<\/p>\n
She seemed thoughtful at the time.<\/p>\n
Not long later, things began to turn strange.<\/p>\n
First came a small package\u2014a book I ordered for Emma. The delivery app stated it was delivered, but when I got home, the porch was empty.<\/p>\n
I tried to relax. Perhaps it will appear tomorrow, I thought.<\/p>\n
Still no package the next day. I went to Karen\u2019s house and knocked.<\/p>\n
Hi, Karen! First, I tried to sound nonchalant. \u201cDid you see my porch package yesterday? A children\u2019s book for Emma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh! That?\u201d She said pleasantly, retreating into the hallway and returned with my opened package. I thought it could suit me! It was opened before I realized.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shocked. My name and address were on the label. She gave it back with a nice grin, like she hadn\u2019t crossed a line.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks,\u201d I nervously said. \u201cMaybe next time leave it on my porch?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, dear!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cSilly mix-ups happen often.\u201d<\/p>\n
I went home anxious but tried to ignore it.<\/p>\n
It happened again. Once again.<\/p>\n
Karen always laughed and said she thought the parcel was hers. It started with books and craft items. Not terrible, but annoying.<\/p>\n
It intensified.<\/p>\n
I saved to buy myself a winter coat as a treat after years of putting others first. Tracking showed it arrived. I rushed home, excited. discovered a vacant porch.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t knock this time. I rushed over to ring her bell.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Vanessa!\u201d She spoke with a sugary smile. \u201cWhat can I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy coat. You have it, right?<\/p>\n
She tilted her head, confused. \u201cOh\u2026 let me see!\u201d Inside, she vanished. She returned with my opened gift and coat partly out a few minutes later.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was that jacket I ordered,\u201d she joked, handing me the jacket. Silly me!<\/p>\n
I took it with a stiff smile, but I was fuming.<\/p>\n
Before Christmas was the final straw. I ordered a unique ornament for my mom, who collects them every year. Hand-painted, delicate, and special.<\/p>\n
I ran home after receiving the delivery notice. Empty porch.<\/p>\n
I stormed next door, too mad to feign.<\/p>\n
Karen smiled and opened. \u201cHi there! What\u2019s up?<\/p>\n
I snapped, \u201cYou know exactly why I\u2019m here. \u201cWhere is my ornament?\u201d<\/p>\n
She vanished and returned with the box open and the ornament unwrapped, as if she had been enjoying it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, this?\u201d I believed it was mine!\u201d She laughed while singing.<\/p>\n
The end. Enough was enough.<\/p>\n
After Emma went to bed, I ordered a glitter bomb kit online. One of Karen\u2019s few unstolen shipments, it arrived fast.<\/p>\n
I put it together carefully. A spring would scatter glitter when the package was opened. I included a message saying \u201cCaught you!\u201d Call the police next time. Happy holidays!<\/p>\n
It was wrapped in colorful paper with my name and address in large lettering. On my porch, I placed it front and center.<\/p>\n
It went quickly. A few hours later, Karen walked by pretending to like the decorations. After looking around, she snatched the gift and ran home.<\/p>\n
Almost had to hold my laughing.<\/p>\n
Next morning, I heard riotous shrieking.<\/p>\n
Karen was glittered on her porch when I looked outside. Her garments shone like New Year\u2019s Eve confetti, her hair like a disco ball.<\/p>\n
Flailing her arms, she tried to ignore it\u2014impossible. Everlasting glitter.<\/p>\n
She rushed to my house with the box like a bomb.<\/p>\n
\u201cHOW DARE YOU!\u201d she yelled at my door.<\/p>\n
I opened it grinning. \u201cOh, Karen! Was my package accidentally taken again?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou find this funny?\u201d Shaking the box, she spat.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunny? No,\u201d I said sweetly. \u201cSatisfying? Very.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her shock prevented her from speaking. Her chance was denied.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t want to look like a Christmas ornament, Karen, maybe stop stealing other people\u2019s stuff,\u201d I suggested quietly. \u201cNext time, I\u2019ll call the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sputtered, she turned and stomped away, fairy dust glittering behind her.<\/p>\n
News spread swiftly in the neighborhood. Apparently, others suffered too. Several neighbors reported missing shipments that appeared \u201copened by accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
My glitter stunt gave them the guts to face her.<\/p>\n
Karen then kept to herself. She rarely left the house over the holidays, and I always saw sparkles in her hair and clothing. Even though she scrubbed hard, the glitter reminded her of her sticky fingertips.<\/p>\n
As for me? Since then, no parcel has been missing.<\/p>\n
Sometimes a little shine fixes things. And honestly? I gave the best Christmas gift ever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vanessa, I relocated to my new neighborhood a few months ago to start over with my 10-year-old daughter. I\u2019m Vanessa, and I relocated to my new neighborhood a few months ago to start over with my 10-year-old daughter Emma. After a difficult divorce, I wanted a quiet life and a safe location for my daughter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30683"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30684,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30683\/revisions\/30684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}