When my packages began disappearing from my front porch, I couldn’t ignore the strange coincidence — my new neighbor, Tessa, never seemed to receive any deliveries of her own. At first, I assumed it was the work of porch pirates, but something about Tessa’s odd behavior made me suspicious. What started as mild concern quickly turned into unease as each week passed with more missing parcels.
Determined to catch the culprit, I stayed up late one night and caught Tessa on camera sneaking over and taking one of my packages. Furious but wanting proof, I planted a glitter trap inside a decoy box — but things didn’t go as expected. Realizing this was more than simple theft, I decided to involve the police and confront Tessa directly.
What we found stunned us — her basement was full of untouched packages, still sealed. Tessa tearfully confessed she suffered from stress-induced sleepwalking, which had worsened with loneliness. The thefts hadn’t been intentional; her subconscious mind had driven her actions without her awareness.
My anger melted into compassion. Seeing her pain, I chose understanding over blame. In time, Tessa and I became unlikely friends — sharing meals, movies, and conversations. The packages stopped vanishing, but in their place came something far more meaningful: connection and empathy between two neighbors.