Maybe the thief suffered a seriously delayed pang of Christmas conscience or good karma was being visited upon the victims?
No one will really know - after the Wilson family's beloved stone Buddha appeared, as if by magic, on their doorstep after a three-year sabbatical.
Almost three years ago to the day, a specialized stroller for their special needs child was stolen from Elaine and Geoff Wilson's front yard, along with Geoff's prized Buddha.
On Monday, Elaine stepped out the front door of their Brunswick Place home in Steveston around 10 a.m., en route to some last-minute Christmas Eve shopping. Imagine how stunned she was to see their long forgotten Buddha, a special gift from Geoff's brother in Ontario 20 years ago, sitting on a small pile of Chinese language newspapers.
"I guess you could say I was shocked," said Elaine.
"My husband had already left for work, so it couldn't have been there at 8: 30 a.m., someone must have put it there after.
"There's absolutely no doubt it's the same one, it would have been pretty hard to replace. It's the weirdest thing ever."
Elaine is equally bemused by the fact the statue was sitting on a pile of Chinese newspapers.
"No one in this house speaks Chinese. I can't think why they would be there," she added.
"I've no idea at all how this could get back here, none at all."
Elaine also had no idea what to say to the thief with a conscience. "I honestly can't think what to say to this person, it's the weirdest darn thing."
