It's an object (in Python, this kind of object is called a dictionary, yes), and it says if the string is empty, return an empty object literal. Strings have quotes around them. Always check the sample tests when in doubt.

next time, it s better to mention the return should be a dict, bc first time i just returned as a string

k seems to be a single digit number, and n is only up to a few million (7 digits) long (Python version), so if you're getting timeouts, you should reconsider your approach.

I don't think of how much k can be, bc idk the max values for n or p, so the code freezes on codewars for veeery big iterations of k