Taking a Life.

I took my first life a few years back in Florida.

My family and I decided to go on a family vacation for Christmas to this small island in Florida back in 2010. The island was called San Marco Island, and it's one of my favorite places I've ever been. We stayed in this huge hotel/spa right on the ocean. The place was a maze.

Most of our trip was spent playing bocci ball on the beach, taking those cliche' long walks on the beach. It was the middle of December, so even though it was perfectly nice out, the water was too cold to take a swim in. That was disappointing, but we made due.

Then one sunny day, my dad decided it was time to switch things up--he wanted to go fishing. My brother, sister, and I had never been fishing. We took a nice boat ride over to some secluded beach, and then we set up to start out fish catching.

Being a complete noob, I really didn't know what to expect. I was completely wrapped up in what I'm doing, so I honestly don't remember at all what anybody else was doing. There were only three things in my world--me, that ocean, and that thin line connecting the stick to the ocean. Absolutely nothing was happening, but even so, it was one of the most intense times of my life.
I could have been standing there for hours, but it also could have been mere minutes. I honestly don't know.
What I do know is that all the sudden, things started happening.

First, right out in front of where my line hit the water, I saw a group of dolphins swimming up and down in and out of the water like they're want to do. It was exciting to see them so close to the shore.
Second, right as they passed my line I got a bite. It was one of the most thrilling, yet terrifying feelings I've experienced. All I ever hear from people that are experience fishers is that you never catch something your first time, that you have to sit out there all day to even get a bite, etc.
But I got a bite. My first time.
And then the terror. It's embarrassing, but my mind connected the dots that weren't even there. The dolphins passed my line. Then I got a bite. Had I just accidentally hooked a dolphin? My stomach was in knots.
I yelled for my dad, and he came over and helped me start reeling it in.

Of course, it wasn't a dolphin. I think we found out it was called a sheepshead fish or something.

It was an absolutely beautiful fish. I wanted to put it back so it could continue on with its life. Apparently that wasn't the plan though. I tried to get the hook out without hurting it, but the fish had swallowed to hook entirely, and it wasn't coming back out. My next plan was to just cut the line, put the fish back in the water and hope for the best.
Then, out of nowhere, this scruffy, old fisherman in the usual overalls that you always imagine fisherman wearing walked up. In his incredibly thick accent, he said "Hey, lemme help ya with that." He had this big construction gloves on and grabbed the fish.
Then he proceeded to stick some needle nose pliers down the fish's throat and rip the hook right out from its flesh.
My jaw dropped to the sand. He handed the fish back to me and walked off.
So I was holding a dying fish. It was bleeding everywhere. It was still flopping about, trying to free itself.
I wanted it to live, so I walked back to the shore, and I set the bleeding creature down in the water, hoping it would "get back up" and swim away. I was still hopeful, if not traumatized. It flopped around a little bit, the blood starting to spread through the water. The water was getting deeper. Then, it suddenly stopped flopping and moving. After that, it sank down into the darkness. I don't know how deep it was, but it was deep enough that I could no longer see the being which I had just helped brutally murder.
Eventually we left.
Got back on the boat.
Walked to the car.
Drove back to our hotel.
I didn't really have much of anything to say for the rest of the night. I was too horrified at the murder I had just committed.
For just being my first experience with fishing/murder, I really don't like it very much.
And that's the story of how I took my first life.