Author’s Note:

My inspiration for “Neighbor” came from stray cats always showing up at my window before Halloween, as well as the work of the great Argentine shortstory writer Jorge Luis Borges. This story reminds me of how surprisingly imaginative improvised writing can be—it’s like a random strike, but worth keeping in mind. Now I always try to make room in my work for improvisation and fun, which may be the most important thing when writing.