Neighbors Thinks Man Is Digging a Pool until They Look at the Bottom of Pit – Story of the Day

When their neighbor, Mr. Carruso, started digging a hole in his backyard, all the neighbors thought he was making a pool. But he wouldn't let anyone nearby until nine-year-old Tommy took a peak and saw a discovery that put Mr. Carruso in the local papers.

"Mom!" Tommy yelled at his mom, Sally, when he entered through the back sliding door of their home.

"What? Lunch is almost ready," she said, not even looking.

"No! I mean, yeah, I'm hungry. But did you see Mr. Carruso building something in his yard?" the nine-year-old continued.

"Oh, that's nice," his mom commented.

"I think it's a pool," Tommy said as he sat at the kitchen table, ready for his lunch sandwich. His mother put the plate down, and he took a quick bit. "Do you think he'll let me swim in there?"

"Maybe, Tommy," his mom responded, shrugging.

There was nothing wrong with Mr. Carruso. He wasn't grumpy or the typical "get off my lawn" neighbor, but he wasn't precisely involved. Additionally, he wasn't a parent, so letting a neighbor kid in his new pool may not be appealing. Still, Sally didn't want to crush her kid.

Over the next few days, Sally and other moms from the neighborhood noticed the digging, which only got bigger and bigger. However, she approached one day only for Mr. Carruso to almost shout at her.

"Get back! Don't come closer!" he warned one hand up. Sally couldn't only see the top of his head. That's how big the hole was already.

"I'm sorry, sir. I just wanted to ask what you're doing with all that digging. Is it a pool?" Sally exclaimed, staying far, so she had to raise her voice.

However, Mr. Carruso didn't answer her question. He just made sure she wasn't getting any closer and continued digging.

"My son is curious," she continued, craning her neck to get a peak.

"Tell him to stay far from here! Curiosity killed the cat!" Mr. Carruso shouted in warning.

"What? Is that a threat?" Sally asked, outraged.

"Go away!" her neighbor yelled and continued digging.

After that exchange, she and some of the members of the HOA started talking. Building your own pool or digging in your yard wasn't against the rules, but Mr. Carruso's secrecy and unpleasant attitude raised some serious alarms among the neighbors.

They all gathered at Sally's house one day and tried peaking as well but to no avail. All they could see was the man digging among all the dirt.

"I think we should call the city. File a complaint. Some kind of code is being broken here. I know it," Mrs. Fields suggested, crossing her arms as she sat on Sally's couch and was joined by others.

"I don't know," Sally wrinkled her nose.

"I wouldn't normally, but honey, those words he said about Tommy getting killed or something. I'm afraid for the rest of the children," Lorena, another neighbor, added, putting her hand on her chest.

The ladies kept talking, not knowing that Tommy was listening to everything. But the boy didn't think Mr. Carruso was doing anything wrong. So when his mom's friends left and the sunset, he sneaked out of his house through his bedroom window.

He climbed the medium-length wooden fence that separated his house from Mr. Carruso's, checked that he wasn't still digging, and got down on his haunches. Tommy tried to be as quiet as possible but wasn't exactly a detective.

But he finally reached the hole's edge, which had gotten bigger and deeper than he had imagined. The problem is that what he saw down there wasn't anything he had imagined. He saw a huge slab of steel covered with a bit of dirt. He couldn't discern what it was or why it was there.

"Hey! Get out of there, Tommy!" the child heard the warning from Mr. Carruso and jumped from the ground. He thought about running back home, but he was already in trouble.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Carruso. Everyone's just been talking about this hole, and Mom's friends said they should call the city. I just came to see what it was," the kid explained nervously, wringing his fingers together.

"Ah, jeez. This neighborhood, I swear. Busybodies, the lot of them," Mr. Carruso sighed. "I'll talk to your mom, kid. It'll be fine."

Mr. Carruso's relaxed attitude emboldened Tommy to ask, "So, what's this? Did you put it here?"

"Well, cat's out of the bag, I guess," the man responded. "I believe now that it's a bomb shelter."

"Bomb shelter? Like for wars?" the boy asked in wonder.

"Exactly. I think this one was built during WWI, but I'm not sure," Mr. Carruso said. "I also believe the previous owners covered the original entrance. I've been digging like crazy, trying to determine the size and locate the door. I finally reached it today."

"That's so cool! But why didn't you let anyone else see?" the kid continued.

"I wasn't sure what it was. I thought it could be dangerous if anyone came in," he answered, smiling a little. "Maybe, I'm a little too paranoid. Anyway, someone could still get hurt, so get away from the edge."

Tommy obeyed readily but kept asking questions. "What are you going to do with it?"

"I've called some city officials to come to inspect now that it's all uncovered," Mr. Carruso nodded. "Other than that, I don't know what else to do. It's an interesting piece of history, though."

"Yes! Can I be here for the inspection?"

"Sure, kid," Mr. Carruso rolled his eyes lightheartedly.

The city officials came, and then, the press. The neighbors were glad to know the truth and that Mr. Carruso wasn't endangering anyone. Sally felt safe letting Tommy hang around since he was interested in the discovery.

A few days later, Mr. Carruso's photo appeared in the local papers, detailing how he discovered some old plans for the house and knew something was down there, but he wasn't sure what. Tommy was right beside him in the picture, with his thumbs up.

The boy became interested in history, read several books about WWI as he grew, and became a History major in college.

What can we learn from this story?

• It's best not to be a busybody. While neighbors who care are excellent, everyone should be allowed privacy at home.
• The people in a neighborhood can inspire your children's future. Tommy became a historian because of Mr. Carruso's discovery, which means that parents must always consider their family before buying a house in a particular area.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who dug in his mother-in-law's backyard and found a videotape.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.