**Diary Entry 12th March**
Last night, we woke to the sharp, insistent barking of our dog. At first, I couldnt make sense of itthe room was pitch black, my heart hammering in my chest, while Rex stood rigid in the middle of the bedroom, barking as if warning us of something dreadful.
My wife, Emily, fumbled for the lamp. The sudden light revealed Rex fixated on a spot near the ceiling, growling low in his throat.
Ghosts again, is it? she tried to joke, but her voice shook.
This time, though, laughter was the last thing on our minds. Weariness, irritation at being woken, and an eerie tension in the air made the moment unnerving.
I told Rex to quiet down, even reached to guide him out, but he twisted free and bolted back to the same spot, barking wildly.
Whats got into you? I snapped, exhausted.
Then I froze. Following his gaze, I saw itsomething small, dark, nearly hidden in the corner where the wallpaper curled.
Call the police. Now, I said sharply.
Emilys face paled. Why? What is it?
And then she saw it too. A tiny black lens, barely visible, tucked into the shadows. A camera.
The officers arrived within half an hour. They pried the device loose, examined the footagesome faceless intruder had been watching us for weeks. No enemies, nothing worth spying on, yet there it was.
Days later, the detective called back. The camera had been live-streaming to a server in the basement of the house next door. The quiet bloke two doors downthe one who always smiled and stopped for a chathad been collecting recordings of half the street, hiding cameras during neighbourly visits.
Worst of all? A folder with our name. Every private moment, every conversation, all stored away.
They arrested him.
As for Rex? Hes the hero of this bloody mess. Without him, wed still be none the wiser, living under some strangers gaze.
**Lesson learned:** Trust the instincts of those who cant lie. Especially the four-legged ones.
