Last night I couldn't sleep. I got up from bed to smoke a cigarette on the balcony. I saw two young guys on the street, they were wearing hoodies and face masks, and they seemed to be aimless, walking back and forth the street. I knew they were up to no good as soon as I saw them.
After a while I saw them come close to a truck, and peeked inside. They were pointing the lights of their cellphones while cupping their heads against the window in order to see what was inside. Surely their intention was breaking in if they saw anything interesting inside.
I briefly considered what to do. Should I call the police to get these young delinquents off the street? I can't really explain why this felt wrong, but passively watching them commit a crime felt even more wrong. I put my arms on the rail and whistled. They turned to look at me and casually begun walking away from the vehicle, almost comically pretending to simply be loitering. They looked in my direction, I pointed towards my eye and then towards them, as if saying "I'm seeing you". They walked away at a leisurely place, occasionally looking back to see if I was still there. I was, of course. Finally, they walked off my sight and I went back to bed.
Did they go to different street to find a more secluded car to break into? It's possible. But my role in these events was not to prevent crime, it was to issue a warning from the universe to two young kids who were about to do something stupid.