Halloween, I walked outside to find my car covered in eggs. I thought it was a prank at first, but then I noticed the egg splatters reached my neighbor Brad’s sidewalk. Suspicious, I confronted him. His response? “Your car’s blocking the view of my Halloween decorations.” I was stunned. “You egged my car because it was parked in front of your house? You didn’t ask me to move it—you just ruined it?” Brad shrugged like it was no big deal. “How can people appreciate my display if they can’t see it from the road? You park there every day. It’s ruining the vibe.” My blood was boiling. “Brad, I’m a single mom with newborn twins. I park close because I have to carry babies, a stroller, and bags multiple times a day.” Without a care, he replied, “Not my problem. Find another spot.” I didn’t bother arguing. I stayed calm and pretended to understand so that he didn’t suspect my upcoming Halloween party revenge.
Exhausted and barely functioning on any decent sleep, Genevieve’s life was all about survival since her twins, Lily and Lucas, were born. Days blurred into nights, and taking care of her two newborns left her with no energy for anything else. While the entire neighborhood was buzzing with excitement over the approaching Halloween, Genevieve could hardly keep up with the usual suburban festivities.
And then there was Brad, her next-door neighbor. Brad was the self-proclaimed king of Halloween. Every year, his elaborate Halloween display turned his house into an attraction, complete with gravestones, skeleton dioramas, and giant jack-o’-lanterns. He relished the compliments from the neighbors, his smug grin becoming more insufferable with each one. But for Genevieve, none of that mattered. She was too busy trying to stay awake to care about Brad’s haunted circus.
One typical October morning, Genevieve stepped outside with Lily on her hip and Lucas cradled in her arm, barely coherent from exhaustion. Her eyes widened in shock—her car was completely covered in eggs. Shell fragments were scattered across the hood, and the egg yolk was slowly dripping down the windshield. It wasn’t just a prank. It was too specific, especially since her car was parked in front of Brad’s house the night before.
