Someone knocked on the door.
Cherry ran over to open it.
The door was locked tightly, bolted with several locks, which Cherry unlocked one by one, then cracked open—only to find that it was chained shut.
A padlock hung from the chain.
Cherry thought for a moment, then turned and ran to a drawer, stood on tiptoes and searched for the keys inside.
From outside, the village officials joked, "Kid, there sure are a lot of locks on your door."
As Cherry searched for the keys, she replied, "Daddy told me to lock it, to keep the bad people out."
That made sense; when parents weren't home, they always told their children to secure the door and not let strangers in.
While Cherry was looking for the keys, the village officials chatted idly with two police officers outside.
"How many more houses are left to check?"
