Fish Guts

The perch squirmed in his hand
Mouth gaping gills spread wide
Slowly dying
Wow that hook was deep
The boy kept the line taut
Following it down as it disappeared into the gullet
Pink with blood
He finally found the sharp number 2 embedded in the flesh
Not wanting to hurt the poor perch
He carefully tried to extract the barbed culprit
Tugging ever so gently
But to no avail
Sweat dripped from his brow as he tugged harder
No give. Nothing.
Damn!
Frustration set in and he pulled again with all his might
Suddenly up and out they all came
A slimy slithering messy mass
The inner guts of that poor fish
Along with the hook
The boy took one look and promptly threw up
Then he buried the fish in the sand on the beach
Wondering all the while
What have I done to that innocent creature?
And why?