They come stealthily in the night, slithering over the fence. Under the cover of darkness, their insidious fingers silently snake across the water pipes and reach for the faucet that doesn't belong to them. When they think no one is looking, the tap is skilfully turned and the water, plundered.
In the early dawn, spurred on by some unknown primeval instinct, they rise before any other creature does and stalk the newspaper delivery man. Not quite comprehending that every copy delivered is identical, they follow him and again when no one is looking, extend grasping limbs into gated driveways to pilfer any newspaper that doesn't land beyond reach. The occupants of those houses will still be blissfully asleep.
Large items of trash would magically appear beside other houses' trashcans, left perhaps as gifts for the unsuspecting occupants.
By day, the Hydes revert to Jekylls, behaving impeccably, going about their lives as any self-respecting citizen will--leaving for work, sending their kids to school, doing laundry and exchanging friendly greetings with everyone else. "Hey, good morning, how are you," "Let me show you this great recipe..."
When night falls, the cycle repeats in a dark comedic fashion... with zero traces of irony. What they lack for in their own home, no one knows. Whether or not it is the leftover trauma of some past misfortune, no one knows. I'd like to ask some day, if I feel like starting a fight.
This is the Strange Case of the Neighbors Next Door.
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