As I walked into the police station to report someone who had been stalking me, I felt an unsettling tension in the air. The station seemed unusually quiet, with only a few officers behind desks, shuffling papers. I approached the front desk, but before I could even speak, a man suddenly lunged out from behind the counter. He was holding something in his hand and making strange noises. "CHAHCHAH PAH!!! CHAHCHAH PAH!!! PAPAPA—" he shouted loudly, his arms holding onto a gun as if mimicking a gunfight. The sounds were jarring and completely unexpected, and I froze for a moment, unsure of how to react. The man continued with his bizarre antics, clearly enjoying himself.

Just as my heart began racing, another officer quickly rushed over and pulled him on the back of his collar. The man’s exaggerated actions abruptly stopped, and he looked at me with a grin on his face. His demeanor shifted instantly from chaotic to annoyed, as though the earlier behavior was nothing more than a strange performance. The other man straightened his uniform, adjusted his cap, and with a wide smile said, “Sorry about that! My name is Captain, the idiot that was acting like a madman was my partner, Shotgun man. How may I help?”

I was taken aback, unsure if this was some kind of joke or a misunderstanding. The oddness of the situation left me momentarily speechless. I quickly recovered, however, and began explaining why I was there: to file a report about the persistent stalker who had been terrorising me. But I couldn’t shake the strange encounter with Shotgun man. Despite his unsettling introduction, I kept my focus on the matter at hand, trying to make sense of what had just happened and how I was supposed to feel safe in a station that seemed to have such an unconventional atmosphere. I gave the Captain a nod and told him my reason for coming in.