I CAME TO CLEAN THE HOME OF A HERMIT WOMAN & FOUND BIRTHDAY CARDS THAT REVEALED HER SAD STORY.

My husband and I have been doing deep cleaning jobs for years, so when I got a call from a woman named Margaret asking me to clean her neighbor’s house, I didn’t think much of it. She told me Eleanor had become a recluse—her once-beautiful garden was overgrown, her house reeked. I felt for her and agreed to help.

When I arrived, the place looked abandoned. After knocking several times, the door cracked open, revealing a frail, exhausted woman. She insisted she didn’t need help, but I wasn’t leaving. The words that finally got through to her were, “This will be your fresh start.”

While she stayed at Margaret’s, my husband and I got to work. Filthy dishes, mold, piles of junk. But then I found one room—untouched, covered in dust, frozen in time. A child’s room.

Buried in the clutter, I found a stack of birthday cards. The last one read: would’ve been 13 today.

A chill ran through me. I had to talk to Eleanor immediately.

Here’s my full story: