Story Times Kiddies:
So I was sitting in the drivers seat of the bus at the local school district. (Right where the middle school bus would be in the above picture.) On the right of me was a group of Middle School Students waiting for their late bus under the overhang, maybe 30-40 students. There was a light drizzle in the air, so the group of students was huddled up fairly tightly. I'm looking straight down at the crosswalk as the student on my right were waiting for their bus to arrive .
Instead of parking at the end of the line, the late bus pulled through the guest parking lot to the opposite edge of the crosswalk. That transfer bus was filled with Elementary School students with large black instrument cases in hand, maybe 25-30 of 'em. I watched as the Principal of the Middle School walked to the center of the crosswalk and motioned for the students to hurry up and exit their bus. Only 5 or 6 kids had gotten off the bus, each one clumsily exiting slower than the last, when the Principal turned his head back to the large group of Middle Schoolers.
At this point, I saw the future. I said "uh-oh, looks like the Principal's setting up a Wall of Death." Except I didn't say it in my head, I accidentally said it out loud. Then I heard a quiet female voice from behind me say "Mr. Fred, what's a Wall of Death?"
Just then the Principal waved the Middle Schoolers on to the transfer bus and Middle Schoolers and Elementary School Band Students all converged in a mass of humanity on that crosswalk, right under my nose. He realized his error too late. Those Middle Schoolers, they took no prisoners, and marched right through those little kids. Luckily the Elementary School Kids were smart enough to use their instruments as shields or else the carnage would have been worse.
As the Middle Schoolers left a smattering of Elementary School Kids in their wake, I turned to reply to the young lady behind me that "as an employee of the xxxxxx City Schools, I cannot tell you what a Wall of Death is. Please ask your parent or guardian." But then I decided the best course of action was to plead hearing loss. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."
Luckily she didn't repeat the question.