I Kept Coming Home to a Toothpick in the Lock—Instead of Calling the Police, I Took Revenge on My Own Terms

After a long shift, the narrator discovered someone had jammed a toothpick into their door lock. When it happened again the next day, their brother helped set up a hidden camera. The footage revealed an unexpected culprit—a young girl in a yellow raincoat sneaking up and inserting something into the lock before running away.

Curious, the narrator waited on the porch the next day. When the girl approached again, they gently called out to her. She froze at first but eventually opened up. The girl explained she hadn’t meant to break anything; she was pretending to create jobs her father could fix. Her dad, a handyman, had fallen ill and was no longer around.

Touched by her story, the narrator offered her a chance to help with real repairs instead. They started small—tightening hinges, fixing the porch, and changing lightbulbs. As she helped, she began to share more about her dad and the time they spent fixing things together. This simple act became her way of keeping his memory alive.

One day, the girl brought over a broken toy car her dad had meant to fix. They worked on it together, and the girl said it felt like her father had helped one last time. Eventually, the narrator met her mother, who had been unaware of how her daughter was grieving and trying to reconnect through these acts.

A twist emerged when the narrator found a forgotten toolbox in the garage, marked with handwritten labels from the girl’s father. It had been left behind years earlier. When the girl saw it, she recognized it immediately and felt deeply connected to her dad again.

The girl began calling herself “Little Tomas” and started helping neighbors with repairs. What started as mischief became a beautiful legacy of healing, kindness, and purpose.