A couple of week back, I had to take the local ferry to get to town for an errand I couldn't reschedule. The ride there was peaceful and uneventful, with calm, sunny views of the riverside communities. Overall, a nice day.

​

On the way back, I ran into a larger group of travelers on the ferry, including kids getting out of school and some office workers heading back home before the rush hour hit. A young-ish female traveling alone, I sat in a couple seat near the front-right corner of the ferry to enjoy the breeze and mind my own business. My stop was all the way at the end of the line, and I just wanted to get home before the rain started.

​

A group of three older (~45-60 years old) people, two men and a woman, hopped on the ferry at one point and sat close to me. They immediately caught my attention because:

1) They spoke very loudly in a language I didn't recognize, loud enough that I could hear them over my music.

2) One of men, I kid you not, was dressed like he just came from a 1970s gang war. White linen collared shirt unbuttoned just above his nipples, dark purple vest, vintage sunglasses and a moustache style that Google tells me is called "Chevron".

​

First, they seemed to sit together a few rows behind me. But a couple of them would get up every 10 minutes or so to walk around in front of me, staring at me and my bag. I kept my bag very close and zipped up, and tried to avoid eye contact with them. They were strangers, and I wasn't interested in dealing with them. But, I didn't realize until they were two seats behind me that they kept moving closer up to where I was seated near the front, eventually cornering me from the back and to my left. I was nervous, hearing their voices get closer and make conversation while one of the men seemed to be looking at me while talking to his peers.

​

Eventually, with only a couple of stops left on my route, I got up to stand at the front deck of the ferry. I figured fresh air might help me feel less paranoid, and I'd be around more people and ferry staff. As you may have guessed, one of the men started following me outside. The other man and woman then stood behind him, and they continued talking to each other while looking straight at me. I wanted to test my suspicions and moved over to the other side of the deck just as we reached the final stop, and the 1970s-costumed man continued to follow me, trying to push past other passengers while moving towards me like some sort of weird magnetized shark seeking blood.

​

I had enough of this weirdness and got off the ferry, speed walking to my ride while trying to lose the guy. Luckily, my ride was ready and waiting, so I jumped in and we drove off. The last thing I see is the guy looking around before making eye contact with me for 10 seconds before the car turned the corner.

​

(PSA: Friends, if you're like me and enjoy listening to music while commuting, try to keep one of your ears free. It really helps you stay aware of your surroundings and could save you a lot of trouble in emergencies.)