“Mind over matter,” he muttered. “Science just hasn’t explained this yet.”
With that, he stepped boldly off the boat—
—and plunged straight into the lake with a tremendous splash.
Water flew everywhere. His hat floated off like a tiny surrender flag.
He surfaced, sputtering and flailing. “What in the world?!”
The priest quickly leaned over and helped pull him back into the boat. The rabbi handed him a towel while trying, unsuccessfully, not to laugh.
The atheist sat there dripping wet, glaring at both of them.
“Why didn’t it work for me?” he demanded. “You both walked across the water like it was a sidewalk!”
The priest looked thoughtfully at the rabbi.
The rabbi looked thoughtfully at the priest.
Then the priest whispered, “Do you think we should have told him where the stepping stones were?”
The rabbi shrugged. “I thought you already had.”
And for the rest of the afternoon, the atheist insisted on inspecting the lake one stone at a time.