I Found My Neighbor’s Twin Toddlers Hiding in My Empty Trash Can—Then Their Mother Told Me Why They Had Been Sent to Find Me

I reached for my phone.

Maya slipped off her chair so quickly that I stood to keep her from falling.

“No!”

I stopped.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.”

“No police!”

The word came out with a fear I had not expected from someone her age.

“I’m going to ask for help,” I said.