The Neighbors Next Door

Evelyn slowed to a stop at the light, obsessively glancing in her rearview mirror. When the light turned green she wasted no time slamming on the gas and sharply turning the next corner, then quickly making the next right. When the black SUV behind her did the same she knew it was true.

“AH HA! I knew it!” she exclaimed. “They’re following me.”

Evelyn made the next turn up her street and sped to a halting stop in her driveway. She sat there in her car and watched, as the same black SUV drove past and pulled into the driveway next door. Susan, her next door neighbor gave a wave as she got out and headed into her house and Evelyn couldn't help but scold.  

She got out of her own car and stormed inside, slamming her keys on the kitchen table. Her husband Tim was already home and stood at the counter chopping onions for dinner, but paused his labor to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

“What’s got you so flustered, Ev?” he questioned.

“ I told you they’ve been spying on me!” she snapped.

“Who?” Tim asked, looking perplexed.

“Susan and that lousy loser husband of hers!” Evelyn cried.

“Babe, come on we’ve been over this before. Susan and her husband are a lovely couple and you’re just being paranoid.” he replied.

“Then why did she just tail me on the way home for the last 4 blocks?” she retorted. “I even took two wrong turns just to see if she’d follow me.”

“Maybe because she lives next door and takes the same route home as you,” Tim insisted, before returning his focus back to dicing the vegetables. 

Evelyn marched up the steps to their bedroom and slammed the door. Tim never believed her suspicions that something was off about the neighbors and that frustrated her. She tried to push it aside and decided a hot shower would help and headed to the bathroom. When she came out, she sat at the vanity beside the window and began combing her wet tangly hair. Her attention drifted to the window and she couldn’t help but notice Susan and her husband working outside. Susan was bent over tending to her patch of dirt that she called a garden, while her husband, Mark, leaned against the porch fixing some lightbulb.

She watched and was suddenly rattled by the unusual way Susan kept glancing toward  her house. It was subtle but unmistakable. Evelyn's heart pounded in her chest, agitation creeping up her spine. She wanted to go grab Tim but knew he’d tell her she was imagining it all. Evelyn got into bed and tried to center herself, but had no luck. 

What do they want with me?Are they part of some secret organization? Maybe they want to abduct me. All these thoughts made her skin crawl. Yet, somehow she soon drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Evelyn decided she’d start keeping a diary of all the evidence against the neighbors. She scribbled down what she had so far; car tailing, weird looks at her house. Still nothing solidifying to make a case. She threw her notebook in her purse and headed to work, she could collect more evidence later. 

That evening, Evelyn had decided to treat herself to a hot bath in hopes of easing all her worries. After soaking for a while, the bliss of bubbles and concoction of essential oils soothed her uneasiness and she got out of the tub feeling the most tranquil she had in a long time. Draped in only her towel, she sauntered over to the mirror ready to handle the damp mess of curls on her head. Just as she reached for the comb, the corner of her eye caught sight of a bright flash, similar to one on a camera or phone going off. Alarmed, Evelyn dropped the comb and scrambled to cover the rest of her towel wrapped body with her arms. Did they just take a picture of me? The thought of her neighbors snapping pictures of her fully exposed and vulnerable made her feel queasy. Her mind raced with all the terrible possibilities they could be capable of. Maybe they had already bugged her entire house with cameras and microphones and had been watching her this whole time. After composing herself, Evelyn made sure to shut the blinds and then pulled out her notebook to jot down what had just happened.

It felt vulgar and Evelyn hated the thought of her privacy being invaded. Yet again, she wanted to confide in Tim at how unsettling this was, but knew he would dismiss this incident once again as her just being paranoid. She still needed more concrete evidence to bring this to the police so there wasn’t much she could do. That night she barely slept. In the morning, she decided that after work she would have to confront Susan and Mark for their behavior. 

After a long and draining day at the office, Evelyn dragged herself home and was ready to take a shower and then face the neighbors. As she unlocked the front door, she froze in her tracks. Next door, Susan and Mark were setting up a tripod camera, with the lens facing directly at her house. The sight sent her into a frenzy. She bolted inside, making sure to lock the door behind her. When Tim arrived home, Evelyn was frantically racing around the house making sure to pull every curtain tightly shut so nobody could see inside their home. He was used to her shenanigans and didn’t say a word.

That night as she lay in bed, Evelyn knew she had to do something. This had gone too far. Quietly, she slipped out of bed and threw on her robe and a pair of slippers, ready to face her suspicions. She crept out the back door and into the shadows, grateful that it was nighttime and that the darkness concealed her. Her heart was pounding, as she stepped foot into Susan and Mark's yard. Trespassing was wrong, but Evelyn knew she had to face her anxieties and get to the bottom of this once and for all. At the thought of figuring out the truth, Evelyn inched further into their yard. She approached the tripod and held her breath, before ripping the camera off its mount. Her hands trembled, as she scrolled through the film. 

“Squirrels?” she whispered, confused. The entire memory card was filled with videos of squirrels running around her yard. 

“Find what you were looking for?” a voice called from the porch, prompting Evelyn to drop the camera in surprise.

Susan stood leaning against the doorframe, an amused look plastered on her face.

Evelyn's face turned a bright red as she felt the shame rising.

“I um- I thought…Wow this is humiliating,” she muttered.  

“I thought you were spying on me” she blurted out, covering her face in embarrassment.

Susan let out a laugh, and then motioned to the camera.

“Honey, that’s for capturing what pesky animals are ravaging our yard. Our garden keeps getting dug up and Mark keeps finding burrows under the porch,” Susan assured. 

That explains the squirrel footage, she thought. 

“Well, what about the other night?” Evelyn swallowed. “There was a flash while I was getting dressed, like someone took a picture of me.” 

Susan then pointed to the porch light, the same one Mark was fixing the other night.

“Motion sensor. I had Mark install them the other night. The light flashes when it senses movement in the yard. It's supposed to startle the wildlife out or something,” she shrugged.

Evelyn felt like a moron. Tim was right, this entire time she was just being paranoid.

“Listen, do you want to come in for some tea?” Susan asked. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot.”

 Evelyn smiled uncertainly, and then nodded. It was time to put her foolish assumptions to rest.

“Why not?” she replied. 

As she followed Susan inside, she felt lighter knowing it all wasn’t true. So light that she failed to notice Susan stop to bolt the door shut behind them. Or the pictures of herself, framed on the wall.