I thought I was protecting my home. Instead, I nearly watched my neighbor die.

It all started with an extension cord running from the outdoor electrical outlet beside my garage to the small house next door. Every month my electric bill climbed a little higher, and every month I found the same orange cord stretched across the fence. At first I unplugged it without saying anything. The next morning it was plugged in again. I left a polite note asking whoever was using my electricity to stop. The note disappeared, but the cord returned. Frustrated, I installed a locking cover over the outlet, convinced I was finally putting an end to a petty act of theft. I told myself I was only protecting what I had worked hard to pay for. Two days later, I looked out my window and saw my elderly neighbor, Ron, collapsed beside his back door, and I realized something was terribly wrong.