I walked down the long row of pews searching for a place to sit until I finally spotted a small pew up toward the front which looked as if it might hold three people. I also noticed another wing of the church off to my left, likewise filled with people sitting in pews. I sat down in the small pew I had found.

A few instants later a man and a woman walked up and sat down next to me on my right in the same pew. They had to pick up a jacket lying on the pew and hand it back to the people sitting in the pew behind us.

I settled in, trying to make myself comfortable, waiting for the service to begin. I slipped off one of the sandals I was wearing and raised my shoeless foot up under me on the pew. No sooner had I made myself comfortable than a man walked up to me on my side of the pew and told me I must take my foot off the seat. I did so, putting my foot back on the floor. The man had served as a catalyst; he had made me realize I really didn't belong there. What kind of place was this if I couldn't even put my foot on the seat? The church was definitely much too formal for me.

All I wanted to do was leave. Leaving, however, presented problems. The sermon had begun; the preacher, a robust-looking fellow, had started preaching. When I had first sat down, I had thought I was in a good position to see him well; and I was. The problem was that I was right up front and now if I left, I would have to walk back past all the people in the church. I thought quite a few people in the church knew me, so walking out just as the sermon was beginning would be embarrassing. I was also bothered by some things which I was carrying – a large, hard-cover book and a large, pink towel. Both items seemed inappropriate to have in a church, especially the towel, and I didn't want to walk past everybody carrying them.

The idea of sitting through the entire service became unbearable; I just had to leave. Finally I saw a possible solution. It looked as if I might be able to walk into the wing off to the left and exit that way without having to go back past everyone. Plus I saw another diversion – soon everyone would rise to sing a hymn; I would take my leave while they were singing. If everyone was standing, my departure wouldn't be as noticeable.

I sat waiting for the hymn to begin. Soon the preacher, as part of his sermon, used the word "rise." It seemed everyone in the church had been waiting to hear this word and they all stood up at once. I also stood and without hesitation began walking down the aisle, then made a sharp turn into the wing and continued walking.

As I walked past the people, they seemed to be sitting outside in chairs set up on the lawn. I didn't ponder the matter. I simply continued on, trying to hold my folded-up towel and book as close to me as I could so nobody would notice them.

Much of my behavior was dictated by what I thought was appropriate and inappropriate in other people's eyes. I myself saw nothing wrong with carrying a book and a pink towel, but I felt conspicuous because the book and towel seemed inappropriate in the eyes of the people around me. I wished I weren't so concerned about what people thought, but I was.

As I continued walking, fewer and fewer people were around me. I thought I might make better progress if I were to float along off the ground. My floating skills had become rusty as of late as I hadn't been floating much. This looked like a good place to begin again. I quickly lifted up about a foot off the ground and continued my progress in a somewhat jerky fashion. Still, I felt good to be floating again, even if I were a little erratic.

Suddenly, I saw two men talking with each other and standing in my path up ahead. I was headed straight toward them and I couldn't seem to stop. One man with black hair and a black mustache was holding a wooden crutch. He wasn't using the crutch, just holding it standing next to him. Headed straight for the crutch, I was unable to stop; I crashed right into the man and fell to the ground. Nobody was hurt and nothing was broken, but I was terribly embarrassed by my ineptitude and I apologized profusely. The man seemed surprised, but not angry.

I stood up straight and continued walking on, still carrying my towel and book. I could hardly believe I had been so clumsy - I had never run into anyone before. Perhaps I was completely losing my skill at floating; maybe I shouldn't even try again. However, I couldn't simply give up; I should at once try again. If I didn't continue working on flying, I would forget how.

I saw the exit up ahead, a driveway passing through a gate. I could hear people talking near the gate even though I couldn't yet see them. They must be people with the church who were there to say good-bye to people who left. Since I didn't want to talk with anyone, when I saw another path leading out of the place, steps set in the side of a little hill leading down, I decided to take the steps. I thought I might even try to float down the steps. When I reached the steps, however, they looked too steep for flying. I tried anyway to float down a few steps; but they zig-zaged back and forth in such an erratic fashion, I couldn't float down them.

Some of the large white rocks which made up the steps looked particularly old; the church must have been here much longer than I originally had thought.

Two pretty young women in Sunday dresses were walking ahead of me down the steps. They were talking and I heard a fragment of their conversation , ."..turned to Jack and said ..."

I thought if I were trying to write down what I was seeing and hearing, it would be more expressive if I were to say that "someone had turned to the other person and said something," rather than simply say that "someone had said something." More description would better describe the action.

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