I WATCHED MY NEIGHBOR DROP THIS BOX IN THE ALLEY—WHAT I DISCOVERED INSIDE STILL SHAKES ME TO THIS DAY

I wasn’t supposed to be outside that morning. It was one of those slow, sleepy Sunday starts where the couch feels like the best place to be. But I’d forgotten to take out the trash the night before, so I shuffled outside in my slippers, still half-awake. That’s when I noticed her—my neighbor from three…