Splashguards

Certain of us reading this will know that sometimes there are splashguards and sometimes there aren't. In either case you just look straight ahead and mind nothing but your own business. But don't mind it too closely or you will raise questions.

A half-hearted little splashguard could serve no purpose besides decoration. Very odd decoration. But a great big wall of a thing is a gift to the shy man. Stand tall and swoop back your frock coat as if those flanking shields are nothing to you! (In truth they are your very spine.)

Here we see a garden frog made leonine by the privacy of his little walls. He holds his pointer confidently out in front, not caring whether others can watch his business. But he knows they can't.

Safe. But he has made an error! Adjacent stations are out of bounds, but only when others are free. So our jungle king has not transgressed, but he has given the next caller no choice but to neighbour. And two landing spots of three are at his side!

Soon, and surely, a nextdoor alpha will expose his timidity, locking him in nervous mental trigonometry of lines of sight. His bravado trickles down the drain.