A homeowner has taken to social media to ask about a bizarre 'X' he found outside his home -- but the responses were far from reassuring.
Whether it's an apartment or a mansion, whether you buy or rent, whether you live in the US or Australia - your home is your castle and your haven. It's supposed to be a place where you can truly feel safe.
So when one homeowner in Brisbane found a bizarre 'X' made from green leaves attached to his home, he felt something was amiss.
Taking to Reddit to ask for advice, the homeowner wrote: "Probably a long shot but came back home after being out for the morning and someone [has] left an X made out of leaves on our front door.
Credit: Oleksandr P / Pexels
"Neighbors didn't see anything, and most likely it's just some kids messing around, but wanted to ask if anyone else has come across something similar or heard of an [occurrence] like this. Wondering what we might need to be planning for."
The striking image resulted in the post amassing over 170 comments, with social media users sharing their thoughts on what the 'X' could mean.
However, some of the top responses were far from comforting.
"At a guess I'd say it is a burglar, but not in the way people think," one person responded. "They're marking a house to see if you remove it.
"If it's not removed, they'll know that the house the occupants are away. It's easy to see from the street."
A second wrote: "Your house is being targeted by squatters. They leave stuff like this and monitor it for changes. Then once they figure it's uninhabited they move in."
A third person just urged: "Keep your pets safe, doors locked, cameras and flood lights on."
Others pointed out that, in some cultures, it was tradition for loved ones to leave a mark or sign of some sort to show that they had popped over to visit, but that the person was out at the time.
Another common reply was that the 'X' was probably just some local kids messing around.
Some more jokey answers suggested that Elon Musk was still promoting his rebrand of Twitter, that WWE's D-Generation X had paid a visit, or that the homeowner was part of some alien-hunting government force.
Either way, if I found this outside of my home, I'd definitely be installing a Ring Doorbell cam by now.
But what do you think the 'X' means? Let us know in the comments.
(1350x600px)(728x90px)(320x50px)(620x100px).png_PjP4LT?tr=w-620,cr-0.0.620.99&config=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)
.jpg_0qxZnO?tr=h-40)
.jpg_2g8Wly?tr=h-40)
.jpg_FQpLn3?tr=h-40)
.jpg_aL7Pes?tr=h-40)
.jpg_8nauAE?tr=h-40)
.jpg_0qxZnO?tr=h-184)
.jpg_2g8Wly?tr=h-184)
.jpg_FQpLn3?tr=h-184)
.jpg_aL7Pes?tr=h-184)
.jpg_8nauAE?tr=h-184)