He Couldn’t Believe It
Adam couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared out over his yard. A strong smell hung in the air, burning the small crowd of people’s eyes as they stared. He didn’t know what to say.
They were all staring at him, bewildered by the sight before them. Adam felt rage bubbling deep within him, he couldn’t believe what his neighbor had done. Looking into the distance, he saw the blue lights approaching.
A Frantic Call
Adam was hard at work when he first received a frantic call from his wife, asking him to come home immediately. At first, he said that he couldn’t, but that all changed when she told him what was going on.
Adam left work immediately, not even bothering to tell his boss where he was going. He had serious business to attend to.
Driving Home
The drive home felt like it lasted a lifetime. For the entire time, Adam sat quietly, trying to remain calm. But his blood was boiling. He couldn’t believe what had happened.
He asked his neighbor to mind his own business for weeks, but he didn’t listen. Now, everything was destroyed. When he finally reached his street, he noticed the large crowd in front of his lawn.
They Were Staring
When he pulled into his driveway, all eyes were on him. Adam had to take a deep breath before he stepped out of his car. He was furious. Why couldn’t they just mind their own business?
He sighed and removed his keys from the ignition. But just as he opened the door, the smell hit him. He had to stop himself from gagging right then and there.
His Neighbor
Stepping out of his car, he could see his neighbor, John, standing in the middle of his yard. He couldn’t believe the carnage his neighbor had left for him. But things were about to get a lot worse.
The second he stepped out of his car, his wife rushed out of the house to join his side. Neither of them could believe the sight before them.
A Cut
She Stopped Him
“I was in the kitchen when he did it,” His wife told him, “I didn’t notice until it was too late.” John was covered in the substance as he angrily glared at Adam.
If he had listened to him, then none of this would have happened. Adam wanted to storm over there and confront him, but his wife’s words stopped him. “He called the police on us,” She said.
Their Neighborhood
Adam Murphy lived a simple life with his wife, Georgia, in Orlando, Florida. They lived in a beautiful neighborhood and were lucky enough to have great neighbors among them.
But there was one neighbor who Adam couldn’t seem to get along with. His name was John, and he was always involving himself in the couple’s business.
A New Complaint
But in recent weeks, John had found something new to complain about. It was in the middle of fall, and one large tree in Adam’s yard had been causing some trouble. As they ventured deeper into the fall, the tree began to make quite a mess.
Leaves and branches scattered Adam’s yard, and unfortunately, some had even reached John’s yard.
A Mess
As time went on and the situation worsened, John grew tired of sweeping up the mess in his yard. He threatened to cut the tree down more than once, but Adam continuously warned him to stay away.
The truth is that Adam had also grown tired of the maintenance, but he’d discovered something truly strange about the tree. It prevented him from cutting it down immediately.
A Decent Man
It was a Saturday morning, and Adam had just gotten home from a morning run. John was in his yard, staring at the tree with a sour expression on his face. Adam, being a decent man, decided to wave in his direction.
But John’s response wasn’t as kind. “If you don’t get rid of this tree any time soon, I’ll come into your yard and cut it myself,” John called.
A Threat
Adam chuckled and shook his head. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, John. You never know what might be inside,” He said before heading into his home.
Adam had been wanting to get rid of the tree, but he knew that he would have to get professionals in to deal with that problem.
Bluffing
He never thought that his nasty neighbor, John, would go through with his threats. Adam had tried cutting down the tree, but he was horrified to find a strange substance inside.
He knew that this was not one man’s job. He would need professionals in protective gear to handle the job. John was unaware of this fact, but he would soon learn a costly lesson.
An Unexpected Event
But that week, something truly unexpected happened. It was Monday, just before noon when Adam received a call from his wife. He was in the middle of a meeting and ignored the call.
But when Georgia called again and again, he knew he had to answer. Something was seriously wrong, it seemed.
The Call
It was a frantic call from his wife, asking him to come home immediately. At first, he said that he couldn’t, but that all changed when she told him what was going on.
Adam left work immediately, not even bothering to tell his boss where he was going. He had serious business to attend to.
A Lifetime
The drive home felt like it lasted a lifetime. For the entire time, Adam sat quietly, trying to remain calm. But his blood was boiling. He couldn’t believe what had happened.
For weeks, he asked his neighbor to mind his own business, but he didn’t listen. Now, everything was destroyed. When he finally reached his street, he noticed the large crowd in front of his lawn.
Mind Your Business
When he pulled into his driveway, all eyes were on him. Adam had to take a deep breath before he stepped out of his car. He was furious. Why couldn’t they just mind their own business?
He sighed and removed his keys from the ignition. But just as he opened the door, the smell hit him. He had to stop himself from gagging right then and there.
The Smell
The smell was potent and sickening. Adam felt like he was going to pass out as he stepped onto the sidewalk. He looked out over his yard, his heart breaking when he saw the tree.
It had been cut into and now, liquid was pouring from it. His grass was covered by thick, brown slime. He was mortified. Adam could only imagine what this would do to his yard. He was afraid. Surely he wouldn’t be able to get away with this.
Go Home
First, he needed time to think about what he would do next. His eyes drifted to the crowd beside him. Mothers and fathers stood with their children, glaring at Adam. Did they know what he had done? His palms were sweating.
He was furious that this had happened, he couldn’t stand the thought of being watched while he tried to deal with it. “Go home, this has nothing to do with any of you,” He called out to them.
They Refused
But he was ignored. “We’re not going anywhere,” One neighbor, Nathan, shouted back. “It’s stinking up our homes. This has everything to do with us!” He said angrily.
Adam didn’t have the strength to deal with this right now. He was ignoring the elephant in the middle of his yard, pretending that he didn’t even notice the man’s eyes on him. He would deal with him soon.
Hopeless
Adam wanted to chase his nosey neighbors away, but it was hopeless. Even if he got them to back off, he knew they would be watching from their windows.
If only his neighbor had listened to him, he would’ve been able to get away with this for at least a few more weeks. But now, the secret he was very aware of was on full display to his neighbors. He didn’t know what the law around it was, but he was confident that he was in deep trouble.
Solve The Problem
He just hoped they could solve the problem without getting the police involved. He had been hiding a terrible secret, and he worried that the police wouldn’t take too kindly to it.
He tried to avoid the man in the middle of his yard, but he knew that he would have to face him eventually. He took a deep breath and turned his back on the crowd of people.
Carnage
He could see his neighbor, John, standing in the middle of his yard. He couldn’t believe the carnage his neighbor had left for him. But things were about to get a lot worse.
The second he took a step closer to his yard, his wife rushed out of the house to join his side. Neither of them could believe the sight before them.
Unbelievable
His wife, Georgia, tried to swallow back tears as she spoke to her husband in a shaky voice. “I can’t believe this, Adam. I thought we could wait a few more weeks before we’d have to deal with the dirty work.”
He threw a supportive arm over his wife’s shoulders and hugged her closer to him. She was as scared as he was.
Support
“Yeah, I thought he had some more time too,” He sighed. His heart was breaking into more pieces as he stared at the state of his yard. It felt like nothing would ever be the same again.
“Do you think John will call the police on us? Do you think we’ll get into a lot of trouble because of this?” Georgia asked in a hushed tone. She didn’t want to freak her husband out, but she was worried.
I Don’t Know
“Knowing John, I think he’ll get the police involved,” John responded with a sigh, “But I don’t know what the police will do to us. I don’t know how bad this crime is.”
Georgia let out a shaky cry beside her husband. It was supposed to be a good day, but their neighbor had destroyed everything. He found the truth they had been trying to conceal. But what was pouring out of the tree?
It Mattered
As neighbors stared at them, it was obvious that they were being judged. But no one understood the full story.
This was a big deal to Adam and Georgia, and having their entire street staring at them was only making it a thousand times worse. But why did it matter so much?
Substance
Their beloved tree had been cut, and the thick, gooey liquid was pouring from it. Their grass was drowning in the substance. The smell was worse than he ever could’ve imagined.
Adam knew this would happen. He told his neighbor to back off, but for his own, selfish reasons, he went against Adam’s wishes. He couldn’t believe what he had done.
He Hated Him
He resented the man. Adam wasn’t the type to hate people, but John had taken it way too far. They had spoken about this. He asked him to leave the tree alone, but John was selfish.
From the look on his face, it was obvious that he blamed Adam for what had happened, and perhaps he was right. Georgia noticed the way her husband’s shoulders tensed as he looked at the man.
Her Words
“I was in the kitchen when he did it,” His wife told him, “I didn’t notice until it was too late.” John was covered in the disgusting substance as he angrily glared at Adam.
It was still pouring from the tree, and it wouldn’t stop any time soon. Adam noticed that it wasn’t being absorbed into the ground. It was too thick. How would he ever get it off of his yard? He was seconds from having a meltdown.
If Only
If only he had listened to him, then none of this would have happened. Adam wanted to storm over there and confront him, but his wife’s words stopped him in his tracks.
“Stop, maybe if we handle the situation right, he won’t call the police. We could get into a lot of trouble, we have to try and stop him,” She said, and he knew that she was right.
Out Of Time
He had to back down. He tried to keep his distance from John, he knew that if he got any closer, he wouldn’t be able to hold back. He needed time to cool off.
He had no idea that they were already running out of time. “Hey Adam,” John called from the other side of the yard, “Good luck explaining this to the police. I’ve already called them,” John grinned evilly.
Too Late
His heart dropped. There was nothing they could do about this anymore. The damage was done and Adam was going to have to deal with the consequences, whether he wanted to or not.
He feared for what would happen to him and his wife. When he learned the disturbing truth about the tree in his backyard, he was ordered to do something about it immediately, but he didn’t.
The Consequences
Could they arrest him for it? It was a massive safety risk, and all of their neighbors were beyond angry about it. Surly they weren’t going to let Adam and Georgia get away with this, right?
Georgia held onto her husband. By now, tears were rolling down her cheeks and wetting the top of her shirt. “I’m so scared, honey,” She told her husband.
At Risk
Adam wanted to turn to her and comfort her, but he found himself frozen in place. What if he was charged with putting people’s lives in danger?
Whatever was inside the tree smelled terrible, he could only imagine what kinds of deceases the substance carried. He knew about it, and he was too busy to tend to it. If only Adam had minded how business.
An Awful Stench
Neighbors were whispering among themselves, some talking to their sleeves to prevent the awful stench from overwhelming them. When Adam looked at John, he noticed the disgusted look on his face.
He was up to his ankles in the liquid, his shoes completely ruined. He would have to throw them away.
What Could He Say?
Adam couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared out over his yard. A strong smell hung in the air, burning the small crowd of people’s eyes as they stared. He didn’t know what to say.
They were all staring at him, bewildered by the sight before them. Adam felt rage bubbling deep within him, he couldn’t believe what his neighbor had done. Looking into the distance, he saw the red and blue lights approaching.
No Explanation
What was he supposed to tell the police? He didn’t have an explanation for this. He knew that he should’ve handled the situation a long time ago, would he get in trouble for being too busy?
He lowered his head as the officer pulled up behind him. “You’re not getting away with this,” John called as he slowly made his way closer. A man stepped out of the car, dressed in his uniform.
Officer Jones
“Good afternoon, sir. I’m Officer Jones. Someone called in about vandalism to their property,” The man spoke as he approached Adam, but before he could say anything, John walked up to them.
“That would be me,” He spoke in a sour tone as he glared at Adam. “This man’s tree has been messing all over my yard for weeks now,” He said, pointing at his yard.
A Small Mess
On the grass lay a small bundle of leaves and some twigs, but it was nothing too serious. The officer frowned down at the small mess before glancing back at Adam’s yard.
“Well, what happened here?” He asked, confused by the state of Adam’s yard. He took a deep breath, hoping that he wouldn’t get into too much trouble.
He Hasn’t Bothered
“I tried to cut the tree down. For weeks, I have been begging my neighbor here to control his tree, but he hasn’t even bothered to trim it. So, I came over here to cut it down, and all of this disgusting liquid came pouring out of it.”
John was admitting everything to the officer, and Adam was terrified. He knew it was his responsibility to get rid of the problem when he first saw what was inside the tree.
Permission
“Wait, so let me get this right,” The Officer started, confused by what he had just heard, “You went into this man’s yard, cut his tree, and caused this mess. Did you have his permission?” He asked John.
“Well, no, I did not. But I did warn him that I would,” John said, not seeing the flaw in his ways. Suddenly, a smile tugged at Adam’s lips when he realized his neighbor’s mistake. He wasn’t going to get in trouble for this.
You Called
“And let me just get this right, you were the one that called because of vandalism to your yard?” The Officer asked John and he nodded.
“Sir, you are aware that you have vandalized this man’s yard, not the other way around. Right?” John’s eyes grew wide at that. “And what is this anyway? What is seeping out of that tree?” He questioned.
An Explanation
Adam finally spoke up. “I tried trimming it a few weeks ago, Officer. We found that the tree had started dying last winter, and rainwater built up through the top of the tree over the summer. It had been rotting on the inside for the last few months.” Adam explained.
“I have been in contact with some contractors recently. I just haven’t set a date for them to remove the tree yet,” He said.
Problem Solved
The Officer was sympathetic toward Adam’s explanation and turned back to his obnoxious neighbor. John was forced to pay Adam a set amount for the damage he had caused to his property after cutting the tree without his permission.
By the end of that week, the tree had been removed, and in the months that followed, John learned to mind his own business. In the end, Adam and his wife, Georgia, were the real winners.