When I went on vacation for just one week, I expected to come home to the usual: an overstuffed mailbox, some weeds in the garden… maybe a few missed packages. What I didn’t expect was to pop the hood of my Subaru and discover 558 black walnuts crammed into every inch of the engine compartment.

Yes—five hundred and fifty-eight.

At first, I just stood there, staring. It looked like nature had staged a tiny farmer’s market under my hood. Walnuts were tucked around the battery, wedged behind the air filter, and cascading out of the vents like some kind of squirrel-themed slot machine. And there, on top of it all, was the culprit—a very chubby, very focused squirrel who looked up at me like, “Do you mind?”

I gently shooed them away (after all, they did work hard), and began the painstaking process of un-packing what I could only describe as a walnut warehouse. Hours later, I had counted them. 558. I even gave the squirrel back a pile near the tree as a peace offering.

I felt awful for undoing all that effort. This little creature had likely spent the entire week scurrying back and forth, hauling walnut after walnut, preparing for winter the only way it knew how. My car just happened to be the chosen storage unit.

So let this be a reminder to check under the hood if you live near walnut trees—and to never underestimate the determination of a squirrel on a mission.

Sometimes, the best vacation souvenirs are the stories you never planned to bring home.