When a woman’s mother-in-law moved in temporarily, her home was quickly overwhelmed by clutter and chaos. But with a clever plan involving a few surprises, she devised the perfect way to make her mother-in-law regret it.

When my mother-in-law, Laura, decided to renovate her house, my husband and I did what any reasonable couple would do — we offered to let her stay with us for a while.

At first, it seemed like a good idea. A few weeks, tops. How bad could it be? We had a spare room, a big garage, and a pretty solid relationship with Laura. We thought we’d be the hero kids, giving her a place to stay during her renovation. But let me tell you, I had no idea what was coming. If I did, I might have booked her a room at the nearest hotel instead.

It all started pretty innocently. Laura arrived with a few boxes, and we cleared out a section of the garage for her stuff. I’ll admit, I was a little concerned when she showed up with not one but three carloads of “essentials,” but I told myself it was fine.

The garage could handle it. And it wasn’t like we were using that space for anything important. I mean, who really parks their cars in the garage anymore, right?

But then, those few boxes turned into a mountain of boxes. The garage filled up faster than a clearance sale at a department store.

Before I knew it, our once-functional space was overflowing with Laura’s old furniture, dusty knick-knacks, and random odds and ends that looked like they hadn’t seen daylight since the Reagan era.

And don’t even get me started on the smell. Old wood and mothballs have a unique way of making you regret all your life choices.

At first, I tried to be understanding. After all, it was just temporary, right? But things started to get out of hand when the clutter began creeping into the house.

It started with a few stray boxes in the hallway. Then, the guest bedroom, which was supposed to be her sleeping area, transformed into a storage unit. And the final straw? When I found a stack of her old magazines and a chipped ceramic vase in my bathroom. Yes, my bathroom. The one sanctuary I had left in the entire house.

That’s when I decided to have a little chat with Laura.

“Hey, Laura,” I said one morning as we both sipped coffee in the kitchen. “I noticed that some of your things have made their way into the bathroom. Do you think we could maybe, I don’t know, find a better spot for them?”

She gave me this look like I’d just asked her to throw out a family heirloom. “Oh, those? I thought you might like them. They’re vintage, you know. You can’t find things like that anymore.”

I thought about the chipped vase that looked like it had survived a war. “Uh, yeah. It’s just that, with the renovation taking longer than expected, maybe we should sort through some of this stuff. Decide what’s really necessary.”

She waved me off. “Don’t worry, dear. These things are nice. You might find a use for them.”

Nice? Useful? I couldn’t imagine a world where I’d ever need a stack of 1990s tabloids and a rusted lamp that flickered like it was haunted. But Laura was stubborn as a mule, and I knew better than to argue with her. So, the boxes stayed — and multiplied.

It was like watching a bad magic trick where the magician pulled out endless scarves, but instead of scarves, it was junk. So much junk.

Now, clutter is one thing. I could have maybe survived that. But Laura also had this habit of “helping” around the house in ways that drove me up the wall.

She’d rearrange our kitchen cabinets without asking, insisting it was more “efficient” her way. My carefully organized spice rack? Gone. Replaced with a chaotic mess of mismatched jars. My pantry, once a thing of beauty, now looked like a disaster zone.

And don’t get me started on the living room. Laura redecorated it with her old, outdated décor, making it feel like a museum exhibit from the 1970s. I swear, I half-expected to find shag carpeting under my feet one day. But every time I tried to bring it up, she’d just talk over me, smiling like she was doing us a favor.

Finally, one day, I’d had enough.

It was a Tuesday, and I remember it vividly because I found yet another box in the laundry room. I stood there, staring at it, feeling my last thread of patience snapping. I marched over to Laura, who was happily rearranging the kitchen again.

“Laura,” I said, trying to keep my voice even, “are all these things yours?”

She looked up, completely unfazed. “Of course, dear. They’re just too nice to throw away.”

That’s when a brilliant, slightly devious idea popped into my head.

You see, Laura has this irrational fear of clowns. She’s mentioned it a few times, and I knew it was no joke. Clowns really freak her out.

So, I thought, why not give her a little taste of her own medicine? If she could fill my home with her clutter, I could return the favor with something… a bit more colorful.

I went online that night and ordered dozens of small clown figurines. Some were cute, some were downright creepy, and all were designed to make her uncomfortable. I couldn’t wait for them to arrive.

When the package finally showed up, I got to work. I started placing the clowns around the house, just like Laura had done with her junk. I put a few in the bathroom cabinets, some in the kitchen drawers, and even hid one in her purse.

Every time Laura opened a door or drawer, she was met with a clown staring back at her. The first time she found one, she let out a scream that echoed through the house.

“WHAT the HELL is THIS?” she shrieked, holding up a clown with a wild-eyed expression.

“Oh, that?” I said innocently. “I thought you might like it. It’s vintage, you know. You can’t find things like that anymore.”

She glared at me, but I could see the wheels turning in her head. She knew I was messing with her, but didn’t know how to fight back. So, I kept going.

Over the next few weeks, I added more clowns, each one in a more creative spot than the last. Laura became jumpy all the time, and every time she found another clown, she’d shriek and demand to know what was going on.

“I have no idea,” I’d say, feigning surprise. “Maybe they’re multiplying. You know how it is with clowns.”

My husband, bless him, stayed out of it, but I could tell he was amused by the whole situation. He knew better than to interfere when I was on a mission.

Eventually, Laura’s house was ready, and she finally moved out. But I wasn’t done with her yet. Before she left, I made sure to hide a few more clowns in her boxes — just a little parting gift from me.

And when she went back to her freshly renovated home, she found even more clowns scattered around. I’d taken the liberty of visiting her house while she was out, placing clowns in every room. The kitchen, the bathroom, her bedroom — no place was safe.

When Laura called, furious and demanding to know why her home was suddenly filled with clowns, I calmly explained that I had just shared some of my things with her, just like she had done with us. I told her I thought she might find them “nice” and that maybe she’d want to keep them.

The irony, of course, was completely lost on her. But it gave me immense satisfaction.

After Laura moved out, I gathered up all the junk she’d left behind in our house — the boxes, the old furniture, the ugly décor — and donated it all to charity. It was liberating to have my home back to its original state, clutter-free and peaceful once again.

I know it wasn’t the most mature way to handle things, but after months of dealing with Laura’s mess, it felt incredibly satisfying. And honestly? I think she learned a lesson. She hasn’t cluttered up our home since.

Now, every time I see a clown figurine in a store, I can’t help but smile. Because sometimes, a little harmless prank is the perfect way to restore balance to the universe, one creepy clown at a time.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like the one about a woman who comes home to find her house in disarray, her mother-in-law frantically searching for something. What they uncover next is completely unexpected.

Read the full story here.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.