I pushed open the door to find the house just as it always was at this time of the afternoon, silent and empty. Shafts of the waning sunlight illuminated tiny dust particles dancing lazily through the air. Even though I knew no one was home, I tried to suppress the rustling of the bag I was carrying as much as possible. Why did the bags at the bag sale always have to be paper? It felt like it would be taboo to mar the silent spell of isolation that laid upon the house.