South Keys has always had its share of trouble; no neighborhood is entirely immune. In the 35 years J and I have been here, we’ve seen it all, whether at the bus station or the local plazas, on and in the various streets and projects. Though not a crime, even Flesh-Eating Disease; a stranger I’d seen around, but never got to know, then a murder down the street. The killer, a big black dude concealing a gun, also a guy I’d seen before, but didn’t know. Then a drug dealer, plying his product in visitor’s parking; always afraid a gun fight would break out and bullet(s) hit our house, or worse, us. Wasn’t long, the dealer was heavied then busted in his own home, down the way.

Back in the 90s, some teenage boys were breaking into local homes during the day, through basement windows, so we installed a lock on our cellar door. They were caught not long after. Years later, Dawn, my old girlfriend, would playfully lock me in the basement for 5-10 minutes when I’d misbehaved. However, what’s good for the gander is good for the goose; and not long after, I’d do the same thing to her.

Jason was out in the back yard today, cutting the grass, when he noticed that someone had been jimmying the pad lock on the back gate. I really didn’t see the need for extra security a year ago when he installed it. The neighborhood has been fairly quiet for years. Whoever it was, by reaching through a space from the outside, had even tried to drill into the lock to open it, but to no avail.

By now, the back yard’s void of anything valuable, having learned our lesson the hard way. The landlord installed solar panels on everyone’s rooves a couple of years ago. Since then, each spring, all the melting snow accumulated over the winter comes crashing down on whatever’s below; lost one of our barbecues that way.

Too bad, I guess there’s a first time for everything, and as I sometimes like to say, "There’s a lot of hungry people out there, some of them not so nice." We’ll be changing a few of our lighting routines at night, to let whoever it is know we’re home. We’re also looking into installing a CCTV camera, pointed at the back yard, the kind that sends a phone message whenever it detects movement.

Who knows, if we don’t catch the culprit(s), then maybe we’ll see some wildlife...Sasquatch even, or maybe the odd ghost. Paranormal Caught on Camera is always looking for new material, and Lord knows, we’ve had more than our share of spirits here...inside.


© 2026

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06/04/2026

Author's Note: A vignette.

Posted on 06/04/2026
Copyright © 2026 Chris Sorrenti