Scary Patrons… and no, it’s not Halloween

So, one day last week I got a bit shaken up. The good news, reflecting back, is that at least it was a figurative rather than literal shaking up that I got.

Let me start at the beginning of the story. I saw a tall academic looking man come in, wearing glasses, headed straight for the reference desk – where I was sitting. I remember wondering what he would ask about. He started asking some obscure academic type questions, which at first impressed me, but then quickly made me realize, from his repetition of certain words and phrases over and over again, and from his fixed stare, that he was what one calls “not quite all there.” I did my best to help him however, and at first it seemed that though his inquiry was a bit difficult and obscure, that all would go well.

Then he stopped in the middle of his inquiry and proceeded to tell me that I looked very much like someone who he had a bad experience with…