“What do you mean you never used live bait before?!” exclaimed Riley in shock.

“I don’t know.” Emily responded sheepishly. “I guess when I was younger it just grossed me out.”

“Sigh. You’re hopeless, you know that.” Riley teased.

“Oh, shut up.” replied Emily as she playfully nudged her girlfriend with her elbow.

On a vibrant lakefront stood a young couple in their mid-20s. Though they had only been dating for a few short months, they quickly found that they had a special connection with each other despite their differing backgrounds.

Riley, who was taller with dirty-blonde hair, could best be described as a country girl. She enjoyed the outdoors from having grown up in the countryside. As a kid, she often went camping with her mothers and sister. Her outdoorsy persona was reflected in her attire which consisted of a long-sleeved, flannel shirt and ragged, dark blue jeans that were tucked into her gray socks and brown hiking boots.

Emily, on the other hand, grew up in the suburbs with not much opportunity to experience nature as Riley had. She was often repulsed by the idea of camping or fishing when she was a kid, but now that she was dating Riley, she was willing to partake in her girlfriend’s novel passions. Not being much of an outdoorsy person, she was dressed in a white hoodie with black leggings that were tucked into her chestnut sheepskin boots.

Holding a small bucket in her hands, Riley removed the top lid revealing the contents. Inside the bucket was a pile of squirming men stacked on top of each other.

Peeking over, Emily looked below at the mass of tiny men. “Oooh, you use men?”

“Yeah. They’re easier to handle compared to worms, and fish seem to love them all the same anyways.” explained Riley. “Now, does the little princess need help with her bait?”

“Noooo.” Emily rebutted as she quickly plucked up a man in the bucket with her fingers. She grabbed the sharp hook at the end of her fishing rod and rapidly punctured it through the man’s chest. Streams of blood gushed out as the man’s body instantly went limp.

“There! Like that?” asked Emily, proudly displaying her work in an attempt to impress her girlfriend.

“Mmm, not quite.” answered Riley. “You want to make sure they’re still alive after you hook ‘em. That way they’ll wiggle around and be more likely to attract fish. Like so.”

Riley demonstrated this by picking up a random man from the bucket before proceeding to attach him to the hook of her fishing rod. All the while, the tiny man squirmed around in Riley’s fingers in an attempt to break free as he saw himself descending toward the sharp object. Even though he thought life in the bucket was torture from being crammed together with his fellow brothers, he would take that lifestyle over what was about to happen next.

One simple motion was all it took. Unlike Emily, Riley carefully punctured the hook through the man’s lower abdomen. Years of experience taught her which precise area to hit to ensure the man would survive for an extended period of time. Blood gushed out through the man’s wound, but his screams and flailing movements were evidence that he was still alive.

“Show-off…” muttered Emily as she observed the wounded, but still alive, man on Riley’s fishing hook.

“Hey you’ll learn. Maybeee I’ll help you with the next one.” teased Riley.

“Yeah, you better!” Emily retorted while the duo cast out their fishing rods simultaneously.

Over time, the number of men in the bucket dwindled as the girls constantly replenished their bait. If they weren’t accidentally killed instantly by Emily, the men were left to wither to death in pain while the spiky metal object pierced through their bodies. Gradually, the metal hook became stained with their blood. Once they were cast into the dark, murky water, they became prey for the larger creatures that dwelled within. The lucky ones drowned to death before getting the chance to become another animal’s live meal, while most weren’t so fortunate.

After spending quality time together fishing and having run out of bait, the couple eventually returned back to their cabin. Both of them leaned their fishing rods against the wooden siding of the cabin, and Riley tossed the now-empty bucket on the ground. Even though they had caught many fish that day, they were content with releasing them back into the water. It didn’t feel right to kill a poor innocent animal just for fun.