My smile crawled across my face as my feet felt the transition of grass to sand and the soft wind whistled through my ears. The sun was barely above the horizon line, but the light from my eyes was all that I needed to see the vast expanse of rolling blue that lay before me. The crashing breakers on the sand bar spit up misty green seawater onto my face. My eyes softly closed as I embraced the familiar taste, scent, and feel. I skipped down the beach, following the smell and sounds of the water. My eyes glimmered against the waves and my pupils danced along with the rising sun. I gleefully put together my travel rod and scoured the depths of my tackle bag for the perfect lure that would complete the moment. As I continued to scan the velvet bag, I selected the perfect bait: the one that my father had given me the first time we surfcasted together. The neon yellow pencil popper reflected beautiful memories as I slung it through the air towards the blue oblivion. My teeth touched together as I smiled before I began to work the lure back towards the shore. The lure coughed and spat up water as it slid through the surface, occasionally breaking through the water. I smirked as I watched the lure take on a life of its own. It was like a little Pinocchio that decided he wanted to take a swim in the great blue ocean. I watched Pinocchio dance and skip in the water until a large, black back finned out of the water and slurped down the little boy. My eyes burst out of their sockets as I came tight to the fish. I laughed as I reminisced about my dad as I reached down and grabbed the hefty striped bass by the mouth. I dragged the fish onto the cool, white sand, stuck my thumbs into my belt loops, and leaned back just admiring the beauty of nature. I pulled out my pliers and wrenched the mangled treble hooks out of the bass’s mouth. My eyes squinted together as I walked the fish back towards the edge of the water. I waited for a wave to pass and plopped the fish down into the water. I moved the voluptuous female back and forth in the water until she kicked off back into the deep blue water beneath the watch of a stargazed lover.
