shocking

This afternoon, in the quiet pre-schoolage-kids-infestation at the library, a woman came in with her preschooler and toddler, needing to pay a tiny fine. As I proceeded with the transaction, I noticed the preschooler, head-to-toe in pink everything- stocking cap, coat, dress, tights, boots and shoes, is quivering. Her face is blotchy and eyes are red. She looks literally terrified, as if she's just seen a ghost or had some terrific meltdown that exhausted her. She was literally shaken, and I looked at her and asked (cautiously), "Is there anything I can help you find today?"
Her mother looks at me and then at her terrified daughter. She says, "Well, we've just found out something- something not bad, but certainly shocking while at preschool. Honey, do you want to tell her what happened?"

Silence. The girl has lost the ability to speak, and she is now panting. Her eyes well-up with the thought of the shocking news she just learned.

The mother looks at me and says, "Well she's just found her first loose tooth. We thought maybe we could get the Junie B. Jones book..."

"Oh how exciting! Congratulations! Of course I'll find the book for you..."

and we sent her off with a story to hopefully calm the terror in her eyes.