Looking around the garage for something then it catches my eye. The string and curves of a bow, the feathers and tip of an arrow. I look even more and find something that can be hit multiple times without taking too much damage. I ask my Grandpa if I can use it and what exactly it does. He explains that it’s a bow and arrow and that this specific one is a fishing bow and the others are normal. Sadly the fishing one was broken but one worked well so I could try that one. 

I set up my target on the trunk of the peach tree, stepped back a few feet, placed the arrow in the string, pulled it back as hard as I could, the arrow goes through the air cutting a path, and the arrow landed in the ground. Now my arms feel like jelly from the amount of effort needed to pull back, my fingers are stung and scuffed from the dry string but it was fun and I kept going.

“You're going to a fishing store? Can I come? Can I come?” As we are driving to the store I’m so excited I can barely sit in the seat. I wonder what is there. 

Here we are. After entering the store I look around and we start heading to th-th-the bow section. There are kid compounds, adult compounds, adult longbows, it’s amazing now it wont be as hard to pull back the string. As we continue to walk around everything is super interesting boats on the wall big fishing poles little one as well. There are BB guns and camping equipment, sealed dry food, animal scents.We keep looking and get to the fishing section there is so much to look at, we grab the hooks and line we came for and then leave back home.

Now I know that there are more than just long bows and that others aren’t as hard too pull back. We get back home and I make sure that all the equipment is tidy and organized, arrows here, bows there. Then 4 years later, my birthday, I had mostly forgotten about target practice and bows and arrows altogether. But today I got a child’s bow super easy to pull back, a sight, with 4 practice arrows. Someday when I’m older we will go to hunting grounds and sit in a tree stand from early morning to late evening. 

But for now I practice from corners, while crouching, up close, far away, for when we go. Sometimes in the summer we sit up on his pool deck with our bows in the morning and evening to catch groundhogs and keep them from taking from the garden. And we even go down the street to practice, 2 bows, all our arrows, and a cardboard box. We take turns trying to improve our aim and beat each other by seeing who has better aim. 

I also would like to go fishing using a bow and our boat. But first we need to fix the bow and get a new reel and sharper hunting arrows that aren’t bent. As well as some new finishing line and the bow needs to be restrung.