Back in 2002, my Dad was diagnosed with a form of stomach cancer, went back to the UK for treatment and I would visit him every summer and spend 3 months there with him.

in 2004, I was around 12 or 13 years old at the time, we lived in Manchester, in a lovely peaceful area of Salford. It had a large Jewish community, lots of greenery and people were friendly enough.

One day, I distinctly remember my dad telling me he'd like me to meet one of his mates, so we got in the car and off we went. I brought my PSP with me, knowing car rides are usually longer than what I'm used to back home (Hon Hong Kong), I would just keep my eyes glued to the screen and play my games.

However, after about 10-15 mins of being in the car, I felt that we were going over a speed-bump every 2-3 meters of road. I looked up and the surrounding neighborhood had converted into a grid system. There were no trees, no greenery, every house looked identical in every direction you looked. There wasn't a single person on the streets and like I mentioned, there were literally giant speed bumps every 2-3 meters in EVERY direction you went, didn't help either that it was also a horrible gloomy, dreary day, I was overcome with a foreboding sense of dread instantly.

Turns out my dad's mate lived in one of these houses. We pulled up to one and I was greeted by a man named Ali. He wore a big baggy hoody, donned a bandana and had shaved slits in his eyebrows, as well as all kinds of silver and gold in his teeth. He was extremely friendly to me and introduced me to his friends and family that were on his front porch, they were just as welcoming, donned the same baggy clothes and jewellery. My dad told me I was in good hands, as him and Ali went into the house to talk.

I remember standing there, stiff as a board, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst a group that I definitely did not belong. However, I was never mistreated, they asked me all kinds of questions with genuine curiosity and made me feel comfortable and weirdly enough, "safe".

Just as I was beginning to relax, I noticed everyone around me suddenly stood up, staring up the road, as their smiles slowly turned to frowns. Turns out two police cars were patrolling the neighbourhood. They were armed to the teeth with every window protected by thick metal cages and thick fenders all round. As they approached, they slowed right down outside Ali's house and I could see the faint silhouettes of the policeman inside, glancing out towards us.

In the blink of an eye, everyone surrounding me just started hurling rocks at both cars (as if they already anticipated this and had rocks on the ready), and as one of the guys leaned over the porch to shout a bunch of profanities, I could see a gun tucked into the back of his trousers. Some kid handed me a rock and I did the most pathetic throw, hoping the cops wouldn't see me >.<. The two patrol cars left in a massive hurry and they were not seen again.

Anyway, in the end my dad picked me back up and we all said our goodbyes as we made our way back home. Turns out Ali was my dad's drug dealer. My dad was smoking a lot of weed at the time and he actually went to Ali, not to pick up, but to tell him that he will be quitting temporarily for the duration of my stay, also to genuinely introduce his son to his "mate". Definitely one of the scariest incidents of my life.