The Young Boy and the Seagull
Marc Imlay
The morning wind coming off the ocean was bracing. It was the northern tip of the Oregon coast. The sun was up and the chill was leaving with the fog.
It was then I saw him. A young boy, perhaps 8 or 9, but small for his age. He was kneeling down, tying something to the end of the line of his fishing pole. I assumed he was baiting his hook.
I walked up to observe his technique more closely. To my surprise, there was no hook. Instead he was tying a strip of tough bacon rind directly to the line. His head turned only slightly towards me as he noticed my presence, then went back to his work.
"You're not going to catch anything that way," I said.
"Not trying to catch anything," he responded. "I'm in it for the fight."
"Well, no fish is going to hold onto that very long."
He stood up and prepared to cast his line. "Who said anything about fish?" I'd only vaguely become aware of the gathering of seagulls in the air around us. The boy cast his line straight up into the air. One of the circling seagulls veered towards it and grabbed the bacon rind in its mouth and attempted to fly away. Then began the fight.
I've done a lot of deep sea fishing in my life, but I have seldom seen such a fight. The boy ran up and down the beach as the gull swooped and turned, causing the pole to bend wildly in various directions. The bacon rind broke and the gull flew away.
"Wow, that looked like fun!" I exclaimed.
"You a ranger?"
"No.”
“Look there.”
I saw a huge seagull larger than any I'd ever seen. It was almost a freak of nature, easily two or three times the size of a normal gull.
"I think I got his attention."
The lad then combed through his rinds and picked the toughest one, wrapping the line several times around the rind and finished with a double knot. Many gulls gathered in the air near us, attracted by the previous action. As the large gull neared, he cast and the monster grabbed it.
Then began the fight that made the previous contest tame by comparison. On and on it went with the boy running all around following the bird's aerobatics. He must have run 100 yards away from me and back several times, reeling him in and letting him drag the line out as the situation required. At one point the line reached the end and the boy jumped just as a gust of wind hit and the bird soared upward. The boy lifted off the ground and was carried through the air all the while pumping his legs, before landing at a run! On and on this went for 10 minutes or more, though it seemed like hours. Neither were willing to let go of their prize or lose the contest. I could tell both were tiring when the gull headed straight out to sea, dragging the boy into the water. Yet still his grip held. Just then, the line went limp and it was over.
We both gazed out to where the gull disappeared for what seemed an eternity. Suddenly the great gull rose into the air and we cheered. Our eyes met for the first time, mine looking like a child's and his like an adult that's seen more of life than most. I’ve met many people, most of them uninteresting, but this boy I remember.
It was then I saw him. A young boy, perhaps 8 or 9, but small for his age. He was kneeling down, tying something to the end of the line of his fishing pole. I assumed he was baiting his hook.
I walked up to observe his technique more closely. To my surprise, there was no hook. Instead he was tying a strip of tough bacon rind directly to the line. His head turned only slightly towards me as he noticed my presence, then went back to his work.
"You're not going to catch anything that way," I said.
"Not trying to catch anything," he responded. "I'm in it for the fight."
"Well, no fish is going to hold onto that very long."
He stood up and prepared to cast his line. "Who said anything about fish?" I'd only vaguely become aware of the gathering of seagulls in the air around us. The boy cast his line straight up into the air. One of the circling seagulls veered towards it and grabbed the bacon rind in its mouth and attempted to fly away. Then began the fight.
I've done a lot of deep sea fishing in my life, but I have seldom seen such a fight. The boy ran up and down the beach as the gull swooped and turned, causing the pole to bend wildly in various directions. The bacon rind broke and the gull flew away.
"Wow, that looked like fun!" I exclaimed.
"You a ranger?"
"No.”
“Look there.”
I saw a huge seagull larger than any I'd ever seen. It was almost a freak of nature, easily two or three times the size of a normal gull.
"I think I got his attention."
The lad then combed through his rinds and picked the toughest one, wrapping the line several times around the rind and finished with a double knot. Many gulls gathered in the air near us, attracted by the previous action. As the large gull neared, he cast and the monster grabbed it.
Then began the fight that made the previous contest tame by comparison. On and on it went with the boy running all around following the bird's aerobatics. He must have run 100 yards away from me and back several times, reeling him in and letting him drag the line out as the situation required. At one point the line reached the end and the boy jumped just as a gust of wind hit and the bird soared upward. The boy lifted off the ground and was carried through the air all the while pumping his legs, before landing at a run! On and on this went for 10 minutes or more, though it seemed like hours. Neither were willing to let go of their prize or lose the contest. I could tell both were tiring when the gull headed straight out to sea, dragging the boy into the water. Yet still his grip held. Just then, the line went limp and it was over.
We both gazed out to where the gull disappeared for what seemed an eternity. Suddenly the great gull rose into the air and we cheered. Our eyes met for the first time, mine looking like a child's and his like an adult that's seen more of life than most. I’ve met many people, most of them uninteresting, but this boy I remember.