Recently, I came home after a tough shift and couldn’t open the door – someone had shoved a toothpick deep into the keyhole! I had no idea how to get it out. Luckily, my brother lived nearby. He came over with tools, unlocked the door, and removed the toothpick. I thought that was the end of it – but the same thing happened the very next evening.

That’s when my brother suggested setting up a hidden camera. He took down the one from his own house and discreetly mounted it in a tree in my yard, aimed at the door but completely hidden. The next day, when it happened again, I watched the footage and was stunned to see a small child.

I rewound the video and played it again. There she was: a little girl, maybe seven or eight years old, wearing a bright yellow raincoat even though it wasn’t raining. She tiptoed up to the door like she was trying not to be seen, looked around nervously, and then stuck something into the keyhole before running off.

My first reaction was confusion. Why would a kid do something like this? Was it just mischief? Or was there more to it?

The next day, I waited outside for her. I didn’t want to scare her, so I sat on the porch with a book and a cup of coffee. Around the same time as the previous incidents, I saw her again—same yellow coat, same nervous glances. As soon as she got close, I called out gently.