The paramedic who asked the question would repeat the answer for years afterward.

And suddenly none of the costumes matter.

Only character.

The police report later estimated the bus had shifted nearly three feet before the trees finally gave out. One state trooper said if the rescue had started even two minutes later, the angle of the bus would have made entry impossible.

Two minutes.

That was the distance between twenty-three funerals and twenty-three children eating dinner at home that night.