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"Abby, I'm so proud of you!" exclaimed Izumi, as both parents took turns hugging their daughter.

"It's not over," Dennis warned them. "Of all the events, the dry fly is the easiest. The hardest is still to come."

"I know," said Abby, soberly.

Jake was the only one who hadn't hugged her yet, and he wasn't likely to. The young man smiled at her proudly, and stepped back to let Dennis prepare her for the next event.

"Trout fly is up next," said Dennis, checking his watch. "We have an hour before you'll be called."

Even though he had gone over the three different rounds of the trout fly event with her before, Dennis worked hard to be sure Abby was ready.

While the two discussed their strategies, Terry took Jake into the large fishing depot to show him around. But Jake had no interest in the vast array of fly patterns available to the consumer, and the overcrowded superstore was beginning to make him feel more and more uncomfortable. He had been able to deal with the open crowds outside, but the packed, confined spaces of the store were another matter.

"I've heard Abby talk about this lure," said Terry, taking a small package from the rack to get a closer look.

People were shoving to get at the displays, and Jake and Terry were just two more bodies getting in the way. Unaware of Jake's difficulty, Terry continued to show him around.

"I think we should leave," said Jake, becoming more agitated by the minute.

"You go ahead," replied Terry. "I see some flies in the next aisle that Abby might be interested in. I'll meet you back with the others, later."

"All right," said Jake, trying find his way to the front doors.

Outside, Abby was ready for the trout fly accuracy event. Dennis hovered nearby, giving any last minute advice he could think of, while John and Izumi watched on. Then it was time.

"You're up," announced Dennis. "Stay focused on what you have to do."

Abby breathed deeply and took her place on the casting platform. She looked into the crowd for Jake and Terry, but was unable to see either of them.

"You have six minutes to complete the three rounds," began the judge. "The dry fly round is first, followed by the wet fly and roll cast rounds. Time will begin after the first fly has touched water. Start when you're ready."

Abby quickly searched the crowd one last time and then tried to focus on the task before her.

"You can do this," she told herself. "I can do all things, through Christ."

Abby adjusted her cap as she always did when preparing to face the water, and then executed her first cast. "Score," said the judge, and she was off to the next target. One by one, Abby found her target. "Score," said the judge, as Abby moved on to the wet fly round. "Score," he called, as Abby advanced to the next ring target. Since she was only allowed one false cast between targets, it required a good deal of concentration on Abby's part to not overshoot or fall short of the next ring. As she neared the roll cast round, (a difficult round for her), Abby heard a slight commotion coming from somewhere in the crowd. The judge leaned over and spoke to a woman who then went and requested that the noisy party please keep silent until the event was completed.

"But," argued Dennis in a whisper, "she's almost done! Abby hasn't made a single mistake, and if she keeps it up, she's going to have another perfect score! It's only a few minutes more!"

"I'll try again," offered Terry, who had just arrived with a store employee. "It was my fault in the first place. I should have taken better care of him."

"I'll go with you," said John. "Little Dove, stay here and tell Abby what happened when she's finished."

John followed Terry and the store employee back to the fishing depot. Confused shoppers stood about the entrance of the store, unsure what the disturbance was, for management was doing their best to keep it from them.

"He's over here," said the employee, leading the two men through the crowd and to the back of the store where several clothing racks were located.

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