It didn't sound like normal gunfire that I knew but quite alarming to be woken by in the early hours of the morning when we lived in our Balaclava house.
I called 000.
Police, Fire or Ambulance.
Police please.
Police: What are you calling about?
A series of what sound like gunshots.
What area Sir and your name, address and phone number?
I replied.
We will send a patrol car to the area Sir. Thank you for informing us.
I had a cord phone in my bedroom.
About ten minutes later the phone rang. R snored on in his bedroom quite oblivious that I was about to be shot dead in my bed.
Ring, ring.
Hello again Sir, said the honey sweet voice of the female cop.
We believe it was youths setting off gas guns but thank you for your report. Good night Sir.
But, but, but, I stuttered impotently in the phone handset. What is a gas gun? Too late. She had hung up.
In COVID time there are so few people on the street but neither a couple of strollers nor a jogger ducked for cover tonight as 24 years later as I heard the same sound but perhaps louder while sitting on the balcony. Birds were alarmed and all species rose to heights in the sky.
In '96 it was the early days of the internet and I dialled in (insert dial in modem sound) to find out what gas guns are. Early it may have been but I found the answer.
Gas guns are put in orchards to set off loud explosions to scare away birds that may destroy the fruit crop.
The youf of 2020 are not so different to their dad youf of 1996.