ewancummins wrote:OPEN DECK
Having cast a line over the poop deck, GERTIE enjoys a quiet moment angling in the estuary.
Quiet--until something big bites! BIG!
The thing in the water pulls so hard GERTIE skids against the rail along the stern. She drags her line upward.
It snaps, the sudden release throwing her off balance --- but she recovers her footing in an instant and doesn't fall.
Whatever she had on the line got off the hook. Peering into the foamy patch stirred by the struggle, Gertie cannot make out the fish.
If it was a fish...
The young lady grins, giggling to out loud "Whoaaaa! My favorite fishing rod.... Oh well," she says as she gathers it up "I can always buy another one in town."
Still looking over the side, she wonders aloud "That's not any fish that broke my line. I need a stronger rod."