While we reviewed the evidence a sudden crash shook the street. Her house had partially collapsed. We pulled her from under a beam just before the rest of the structure fell. Later inspectors confirmed the mice she had released had gnawed through the wooden foundation beams. She had also forgotten to renew her insurance, leaving her with no payout. Sitting on the curb, she admitted that her own actions had destroyed her home.
I offered her temporary shelter. At first she refused, then appeared at my door days later with a pie of her own and a genuine apology. The woman who had tried to drive us out now stood broken by the very cruelty she had unleashed. I told her she could stay until she found her footing. The war between us ended not with victory or revenge, but with the quiet possibility of peace.
