Have you ever been in a life or death situation?

[H2O Man]

45. Yes, I have.

One time in particular stands out, as it involved a shotgun. I was in college, and living on the third floor of an old hotel. A number of students rented rooms per semester there.

One quiet evening, a friend and I were relaxing over a few beers in my room. We heard a very loud noise, which seemed to come from the alley between our building and the next. Looking out the window, we saw a small crowd gathering, but we couldn't see what the fuss was.

I walked to the door, to go investigate further. But there was a gentleman holding a double-barrel shotgun towards my head. In my opinion, such weapons look even larger than life when pointed at one's head at an approximate 6-inch distance. This fellow accused my neighbor and I of breaking into his room -- something we had not done. We both told him this, and I closed the door.

We could hear him walking away. My friend was smart enough to split immediately. I was barefoot, and for some reason opted to put my sneakers on. Bad choice: the fellow returned to my door, and I could hear him loading the gun.

I began writing a note to my parents & siblings, saying "bye!" Luckily, the police came -- alerted by the fact that this guy had tossed a television at kids walking through the alley. They were able to take him into custody without any shots being fired.

After the incident ended, I immediately went to the closest liquor store, to purchase a large quantity of alcohol for rapid consumption. I recall using the pay phone outside to call a few people. I remember that my hands were shaking. I don't mind admitting that the episode unnerved me, once it had ended,

My neighbor and I found the odd fellow had left his door open. There was a large bag of pot in clear sight. Although the guy had threatened us, we felt that there was no need to call the police, to add additional charges. In a most noble move, we removed that evidence, and burned it for him.

I have had similar experiences, but that was the closest that I've had a gun to my head.