Up on the rocks

Eventually we got to the quad, which was filled with people with their phones pointing straight at me. The pictures and videos being taken of me made me squirm, but the breeze that was picking up on the quad provided relief.

"See that rock over there?" Tracy pointed to a moss-covered rock in the center of a clearing in front of the building where I was going to teach my first class a half hour from now.

"Yeah," I shrugged.

"You should take your shoes off and stand on it."

I undid my heels and walked over to the rock with nothing more than the purse slung over my shoulder. The morning dew felt amazing on my feet as the water covered both the tops and soles. I stepped onto the rock and the moss felt like a bathmat as they sponged at the bottom of my feet. I walked over to the center of the rock and set my purse down, closing my eyes and turning my head up as I outstretched my arms to catch a fresh gust of wind. My arms almost felt like sails being blown by the wind, but they stood firm and held fast against being pushed back. I wiggled my toes in the green carpet beneath me, and the total combined feeling was almost worth all the stares that had faced me when I entered the quad.

This lasted a good thirty seconds before the wind died down. I opened my eyes, and saw everyone staring at me in shock, with more phones out. I scanned the crowd and saw no sign of Tracy, my clothes, or my shoes.

Looking down, I was grateful to see my purse was still there. I bent over to pick it up and drew my phone out to see that I had 20 minutes before my first class. Wanting to get this over with, I just walked down off the rock, nudged my way past scores of people (taking my fair share of slaps and pinches in the process) and walked into the building to make my way towards the classroom. It was empty for now, but I knew I'd have to explain myself within a half hour.