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The original was posted on /r/AmItheAsshole by /u/Realistic-Wing-7680 on 2023-09-25 12:18:51.
So, I (f20) live in a quiet suburban neighborhood, and my neighbor, let’s call her Lisa (f57), has two llamas as pets, Bono and Bowie. They’re adorable, and I always found them fascinating. Lisa’s a bit eccentric, to say the least, and she lets them roam around her backyard freely.
Now, here’s where things took a wild turn. One day, I woke up to find Bono and Bowie grazing in my VERY well-maintained backyard. It had been happening more and more frequently, and my once-pristine lawn was starting to resemble patchy pubes. I tried talking to Lisa about it, but she just shrugged it off, saying they needed the exercise and my “shrubbery” was more than what her own yard could supply.
I was at my wit’s end, and my backyard was NOT getting any better. So, in a fit of frustration, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I built a makeshift fence around my backyard using old furniture and garden tools, essentially taking the two bandits hostage.
I left a note for Lisa explaining the situation and demanded that she pay for the damages to my lawn if she wanted her llamas back. I even included a photoshopped image of the llamas with little llama-sized handcuffs on their legs for dramatic effect (I thought it was funny but maybe it was a little much, considering that I know that she’s wildly unstable.)
Well, you can imagine the outrage that followed. Lisa stormed over, yelling at me for “kidnapping” her llamas. She threatened to call the police, but I stood my ground, insisting that I’d only release them when she agreed to pay for the lawn repairs.
Now she never called the police, but she sure as shit stood in my yard for HOURS after the incident, looking menacingly in my windows. I shut the blinds because I felt uncomfortable.
The next day everybody and their grandma knew about the heinous crime I had committed. The neighborhood was divided. Some thought I was a hero for standing up to her (this has happened before to her other neighbor), while others thought I’d gone completely insane. Eventually, after a tense standoff that lasted a day, Lisa begrudgingly agreed to pay for the damages, and I let Bono and Bowie go free.
Now, my lawn is back to its former glory, and Bono and Bowie stay firmly in Lisa’s yard. But the neighborhood won’t forget the day I took llamas hostage in the name of my beloved yard. So, AITA for resorting to such extreme measures to protect my property from a llama invasion?
EDIT: If it helps at all, after all was said and done I did contact law enforcement to let them know what happened and not much came of it. They said that if we came to a settlement that there was no intervention needed, but to not engage with her anymore besides that. I agreed and went on my way. Still feel bad though.