The New Neighbors

Our town has a bad reputation which, if you ask me, is totally undeserved. Our family has lived here for ages, and we’ve never had any trouble. Sure, things aren’t exactly what they used to be; some of the nearby houses are a bit run down, and the all all-you-can-eat buffet down the street has had to close due to lack of a reliable delivery system. Still, living here has plenty of perks! Despite its long history and rich tradition, it’s a very progressive place, and entirely free of religious influence. Plus, there’s hardly any traffic – which is why it was so easy to spot when the new family moved in.

I was very excited at the prospect of new neighbors, but Papa insisted I wait until the next evening to go and greet them. “Give them some space, will you Mercy? You can’t just close in on them like that, give them some time to settle down.” he hissed, annoyed. Utter rubbish, of course, but I knew better than to argue with him.

The thing about Papa is that he’s a firm believer in “early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." That, and he sleeps like the dead. So, once he retired for the day, I took off and made my way to the old Victorian house the new family had moved into. It was a formidable place, though a bit cliché, even for our neighborhood.

“Hello there! Sorry to be dropping by so late, but I wanted to make sure you felt welcomed from day one.” I said as an elderly couple came to greet me at the door.

“Why, what a lovely young lady. We do so appreciate your coming!” the gentleman started, offering me his hand. “The lack of neighborly kindness was one of the reasons why we chose to leave the city. Everything’s so impersonal these days, isn’t it?”

“We were just about to have supper, dearie!” his wife chimed in. “It isn’t much, we weren’t expecting any visitors so soon.”

“Oh, no, I’d hate to impose!” I said, sensing where this was going.

“Nonsense, we’d love for you join us! Please, won’t you come in?” the gentleman added, beckoning me inside.

“I’m so glad you asked!” I said, stepping past the threshold.

They weren’t exactly fresh blood, but they would do.