I'm Being Followed

I've been on this planet for 24 years, 17 of which I have spent in school.

I spent 13 years in the school district of a small, rural town and 4 at the largest university in Missouri.  Now I am going to a community college in the hopes of becoming a nurse.

Every time I've been to the school, I've heard a noise that haunts me.  A noise you hear from way down the hall.  You know what's coming before it even arrives.

The backpack on wheels.

I don't know why, but I've only ever seen them at community colleges.  Their wheels make this terrible, ear-piercing noise.  What's strange is that these bags always look so empty and the driver is always carrying a bunch of stuff in their arms?  What's the point?

Now that I see them at school, I'm seeing them other places.  I was recently browsing the website of my favorite Swedish home furnishings store [the one that rhymes with 'Schm-ikea'] and was greeted by this little gem:

What the heck?  What is going on in the world?.

And look at the name -- 'Upptaka' -- more like 'attacker' to me.  I'm worried someone's going to run over my flip-flop clad toes!