As the sun dipped lower, the orange glow of my lights flickered from her front yard, casting shadows over her house. It felt surreal—like I was seeing some kind of twisted, alternate universe.
Now and then, I peeked out the window to see the scene across the street. Her house, covered in my decorations, with kids running up to her door, their parents complimenting her on the spooky setup.
I ground my teeth and imagined myself knocking on her door right now, with parents and kids watching, just to give her a piece of my mind. But no. I needed to be smarter than that.
Finally, around midnight, the street started to quiet down. Halloween was wrapping up; decorations glowed dimmer, porch lights turned off, and parents herded kids back home.
My neighbor’s house went dark, too, and I watched as her last group of visitors left, waving and chattering on their way down the street.
This was it. It was time.
I didn’t wait till morning. There was no way I’d be able to sleep with the image of my decorations plastered all over her yard. So, I grabbed my keys, threw on my jacket, and headed straight to the all-night convenience store.
Woman shopping around in a store | Source: Midjourney
Inside, the fluorescent lights hummed overhead as I stood in front of the paint aisle, scanning the cans until I found exactly what I was looking for.