My Annoying Neighbor and I Went to War Over a Lawn Gnome, We Never Saw the Ending Coming

Just after sunrise, I placed a cheerful gnome beneath my rose bushes, hoping to brighten the yard. Moments later, my grumpy neighbor Josh emerged.

“My gnomes made the quiet feel less empty,” I said.

He smiled. “Maybe they’re not unlucky. Just misunderstood.”

That evening, we placed the original gnome back by the roses.

“Dinner?” Josh asked. “You can tell me which gnome is most cursed.”

“Only if you stop burning sticks of doom.”

“Deal.”

Sometimes peace doesn’t come from winning. It comes from laughing, painting, and sharing stories—over dinner, and maybe, a gnome.