Adam Murphy lived with his wife, Georgia, in Orlando, Florida. The family led a quiet life, if not for one unpleasant neighbor named John. The man constantly interfered in their affairs and never missed an opportunity to express his dissatisfaction.

The primary source of conflict was a tall, spreading oak tree growing on Adam’s property. In the fall, its leaves and branches were blown into the neighboring yard, which irritated John greatly. He repeatedly threatened to cut down the tree without permission, but Adam warned him to stay away.

When the property owner attempted to trim the branches, he noticed a strange substance inside the trunk. Then he realized that it would be impossible to cope without specialists in protective gear. John, however, was unaware of this, and as a result, he brought trouble on himself.

Returning home one day, Adam smelled a pungent odor even before he opened the car door. In his yard, a gaping sawed-off trunk gaped, from which a thick brown liquid was continuously flowing. The grass and ground were covered in a slimy substance.

In the middle of this chaos stood John himself. “You will not escape responsibility!” he shouted as a police car pulled into the yard. The officer inspected the area, and John began to justify himself:

– I got tired of persuading my neighbor to take care of his tree. I had to cut it down myself, and then this nasty stuff started pouring out of it!

The policeman frowned:

– Wait, you went onto someone else’s property and cut down a tree without the owner’s permission?

John nodded in confusion, still not understanding the seriousness of the act.

Adam finally intervened in the conversation:

– A few weeks ago, I tried to trim it. It turned out that the tree had begun to die the previous winter. Rainwater had accumulated inside, causing the trunk to rot.

The officer realized that Adam was not guilty and turned to John. He himself admitted to illegal entry and damage to someone else’s property. Ultimately, he was required to compensate for the damage.

By the end of the week, the tree was entirely removed by specialists. Adam and Georgia finally breathed a sigh of relief. The neighbor, after this incident, concluded and stopped interfering in other people’s affairs.

Thus, the married couple emerged victorious from an unpleasant experience, and John learned a valuable lesson: sometimes it is better to heed warnings than to act presumptuously.