WHEN MY NEW NEIGHBOURS INSTALLED A CAMERA POINTING AT MY YARD, I REALISED I HAD TO TAKE ACTION.
What started as a harmless lesson about the importance of personal space unexpectedly turned into a real performance that attracted the attention of the police — and had consequences I never expected.
I never imagined I would become an amateur actress to teach my overly curious neighbours a lesson, but life is full of surprises.
It all started when Anastasia and Victor moved in next door. At first, they seemed quite nice, although a little… strange.
‘Welcome to the neighbourhood,’ I said, handing them a basket of tomatoes from my garden. ‘I’m Katya.’
Anastasia looked around nervously.
‘Thank you. We’re very… concerned about safety. You understand, right?’
I didn’t understand, but I nodded. I had no idea where this would lead.
A week later, I returned from my mother’s and discovered something shocking in my yard.
Lying on a deckchair in my swimsuit, I was lovingly tending to my tomatoes when I noticed something small and black under the eaves of their house.
‘Is that a camera?’ I muttered, squinting.
My heart sank when I realised it was pointed directly at my property.
I immediately went to their house, still in my swimsuit, and knocked on the door. Victor opened it, looking annoyed.
‘Why is the camera pointing directly at my yard?’ I demanded an explanation.
He shrugged:
‘It’s for safety reasons. We need to make sure no one climbs over the fence.’
‘That’s absurd!’ I exclaimed. ‘You’re invading my privacy!’
Anastasia appeared behind him.
‘We have the right to protect our property,’ she said coldly.
I left, boiling with anger.
I could have taken them to court, but who has the time and money for that? No, I needed a different approach.
I called my friends.
‘Sveta, I need your help,’ I said. ‘How would you feel about a little… performance?’
She laughed:
‘Intrigued! Tell me more.’
And so the plan was born. We were joined by Sergei, our special effects master, and Olga, who loves costumes.
‘Are we going too far?’ I asked at the final meeting.
Sveta put her hand on my shoulder:
‘Katya, they’ve been spying on you for weeks. They deserve a lesson.’
Sergey nodded:
‘And besides, it’s fun! When was the last time we did something this crazy?’
Olga smiled slyly:
‘I’ve already sewn the costumes. It’s too late to back out!’
I laughed, feeling my doubts disappear.
‘Okay, let’s do it.’
On Saturday, we gathered in my yard wearing the most ridiculous outfits. I wore a neon wig, a tutu, and a wetsuit.
‘Ready for the best party of the season?’ I asked with a smirk.
Sveta adjusted her alien mask.
‘Let’s give those nosy neighbours a show they won’t forget!’
At first, we just had fun: dancing, playing games, pretending to have normal conversations.
‘Katya, how’s your mum?’ Sergey shouted in his pirate costume.
‘She’s fine, still trying to marry me off to her friend’s son,’ I smiled.
Olga laughed:
‘Classic! Does she know about the camera?’
‘No, I didn’t want to upset her. Otherwise, she would have come here herself and told them exactly what she thinks.’
‘That would be fun to watch,’ Svetlana remarked.
We all laughed, imagining my formidable mother knocking on Anastasia and Victor’s door.
And then it was time for the main show.
‘Oh no!’ I cried, pointing at Svetlana. ‘She’s been killed!’
Sergey dramatically raised a plastic knife covered in ketchup.
‘It’s her own fault!’
Sveta collapsed to the ground, her arms outstretched, and ‘blood’ spread around her.
We started to panic and act out the crime scene.
‘Should we call the police?’ Olga shouted.
‘No, we need to hide the body!’ I replied.
Suddenly, everything fell silent.
The curtain in the neighbours’ house twitched slightly.
‘They saw us,’ I whispered.
Somewhere in the distance, a car door slammed. We froze.
Then… sirens.
‘It’s started,’ I exhaled. ‘Everyone inside!’
We rushed inside, cleaned up the ‘crime scene’ in seconds, and changed into our normal clothes. When the police knocked on the door, we were sitting at the table with tea.
‘Is everything okay?’ one of them asked, looking at us puzzled.
I widened my eyes:
‘Of course, what happened?’
The officer explained that a report of violence had been received at this address.
I pretended to be shocked, then ‘realised’:
‘Oh, so it’s because of our acting skills! We were rehearsing a little scene in the garden… I guess it looked too realistic.’
The policeman frowned:
‘How could anyone have seen that? You have a high fence.’
I sighed heavily:
‘That’s the problem! My neighbours have a camera pointed directly at my yard. They film me without my consent.’
His eyebrows shot up.
‘Well… Maybe we should talk to them?’
My friends and I watched from the window as the police went to the neighbours’ house.
An hour later, the officer returned:
‘Katya, I’m afraid your neighbours were conducting illegal surveillance. Their equipment has been confiscated, and they face punishment. Are you ready to make an official statement?’
I pretended to be surprised:
‘Oh, how unpleasant… Of course, if it’s necessary.’
When the police left, we opened the champagne.
‘I can’t believe it worked!’ Svetlana laughed.
Sergey raised his glass:
‘To Katya, the genius of revenge!’
I smiled, but I couldn’t shake a slight feeling of guilt.
‘Did we go too far?’
Olga shook her head:
‘It’s their own fault.’
A couple of days later, I noticed Anastasia and Victor leaving the house with suitcases.
A young couple soon moved in to replace them.
I wondered whether to warn them or not.
But in the end, I just went back to my tomatoes.
Because if anything happens, I can always throw another garden party.
