A bunch of years ago, our family lived in Stuttgart, Germany - a fun and wonderful experience! While we were there, there was a total eclipse of the sun, right at noon! In preparation to experience this phenomenon, our family went downtown to the outdoor shopping area. This allowed us to be with other people who were also experiencing it, have some lunch at a favorite restaurant, and get some shopping done! It was indeed a strange situation - the birds went to sleep, the street lights came on, the air cooled, and the sky darkened - I understand why the ancient people of earth were terrified of an eclipse! We were standing there, in awe of the exciting events, when suddenly, some college-age kids went by - one had a tall walking staff with a bunch of jingle-bells on it that she would bang on the ground to get everyone's attention, another kid had on "sack cloth and ashes" and was crying about the lack of sun, and the third kid was carrying a sign that said, "The end is near!" The three kids would put on their show for a while, then break character & smile & wave at everyone who was taking pictures, pointing them out to their friends, and laughing together!
