fire!!!

we had a fire down the hallway today. this is the story:

one of my girls comes back from art class and tells me that the hallway smells like smoke. as my kids gradually come in, i stick my head out into the hallway and see that, in fact, the hallway looks foggy. as i take a step out, i find that the smokiness is not just a smell - but there is a lot of smoke in the hallway. before i know it, there is an entire class of kids that (escaped?) came running out of the room across the hall and, en masse, was running down the hall screaming, "there's a fire! where's the fire? fire! fire! fire!"

(all this time, mind you, we are still *in* the building)

i finally get my kids (who joined the running crowd) back in the classroom with a strict word of advice - if there is ever a fire, you never ever EVER run TOWARDS it. they understood and we shut our door and opened the windows. (and waited, or at least i was waiting, for word to evacuate the building or at least move to another floor)

but no, the security guard in the hallway tells me that something in one of the bathrooms caught on fire. still not sure what. but, no fear, b/c the firemen came. there they were, 3 men, one with a hatchet, in the full garb, walking down our hall like they were in a movie. my kids went CRAZZZZY.

crazy like, ran after them screaming "firemen!!!!!!" then my really truly crazy girl, she threw herself on the ground and spun around in circles in the hallway screaming.

then there was a scream of "the fire trucks outside!" from the window ... and so the class ran back and forth - window - door - window - door ...

eventually the firemen left, the truck pulled away, and the smoke subsided.

and we never went outside.