Woman Who Bought $200 Lobster To Set It Free Regrets Her Decision

A Good Deed

Harley smiled at the thought of what she had just done. She looked over at the ocean waves and back to the boat she was on. The empty cages that littered the boat reassured her that she had done a good deed.

Sure, her wallet was a little lighter, but their freedom was priceless in her eyes. But she had no idea what events she’d set into motion.

Something Waiting For Her

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The woman waited patiently to return to the shore. She’d be back in the city in no time, but she had no idea that something was waiting for her to get back. Word had spread about her “good” deed

The man curled his lip as he saw the small boat arrive back at the docks. He stamped out his cigarette and approached the woman – he was about to teach her an expensive lesson.

Walking Towards Her

Harley noticed the man in uniform waiting by the dock. The hair on her arms stood up as he glanced in her direction. Was he really looking at her? But all doubts were erased from her mind as she watched him start moving in her direction.

His heavy soles made the dock creak as he made a beeline for her. She stood paralyzed. What did the man want? 

Confrontation

The man stopped inches away from her before saying, “Ma’am, do you know what you’ve just done?” This set Harley’s mind ablaze. Had she done something wrong?

Normally, she wouldn’t let anyone tell her what to do, but the man had an air of authority to him. She wondered what she had stepped into, but the man was about to do the unthinkable.

Detained

The officer didn’t seem to have much patience. Not a minute after he had told her he was in trouble, he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Clearly, he didn’t have the patience to tell her everything.

All he said was, “You need to come with me now!” But she didn’t want to go. He could have taken her anywhere.

Taking Her In

The officer insisted that Harley follow him to his cruiser. Once there, he further insisted that she take a ride with him. Even though she didn’t know where they were going, she had no choice but to comply.

Even though she technically wasn’t being arrested, she knew that for her own sake, she should comply.

Horrors Of What She Did

The police officer took her to a magistrate’s court. She didn’t understand why, but then yet another man was waiting for her. He handed her a document, but once she read it, she understood everything.

Only after reading the document did she understand the real horror behind what she had just done by releasing the crustaceans into the sea.

Harley Wright

Harley Wright was a bright-eyed girl with a lot of ambition in her life. Growing up, she was fascinated by wildlife and everything that Mother Nature had to offer. She grew close to all the animals that she came across.

During high school, she elected to volunteer at animal shelters and even started going to animal rights rallies. She had become an activist.

Staying True To Her Beliefs

Even after graduating from high school, Harley stayed true to her beliefs. She got a degree in biology so that she could understand more about the world that she loved.

But in her young adult life, Harley started taking more and more risks in the name of what she believed in. She’d do radical things just to protect the most important things to her – the animals.

Seeing Something Terrible

In Harley’s mind, catching animals to eat was barbaric. She knew there was nothing she could do about the industry, though. But one day, while walking on the street, she saw something that in her mind was terrible.

She passed a store that sold seafood. All of the fish were already dead, but there was an exception that made her blood run cold.

Crustaceans

She glanced into the store window and saw something she couldn’t believe. There were crustaceans sitting in tanks of water, except they were all alive. She nearly broke down, staring at them, knowing that soon they would be eaten.

She decided at that moment that she’d have to do something, but she had no idea what kind of repercussions her decision would have.

Walking In

Harley waltzed into the store. The clerk could tell that she was uncomfortable. It wasn’t normally a place she’d ever normally find herself in. She walked over to the counter and asked the fateful question.

“Hello. How much for a lobster?” She asked with hesitation. The clerk answered her, but it was nowhere near the amount she had expected.

 $35 Each

She didn’t know if they were just overpriced or if he could tell why she wanted them, but his answer was, “35 dollars.” Harley’s jaw dropped. How was she going to set her plan in motion when she was basically broke?

She walked back out of the store, trying to think of a plan. She’d need a lot of cash to get all of them, but she had no idea what they actually were.

Finding A Means

Thankfully, Harley had a lot of friends with similar ideals. She made a few phone calls, and within a day, she had amassed enough donations to go straight back to the store.

She knew she’d find a means to save the animals. Her plan was shaping together nicely, but there was one thing she didn’t think about.

Going Back

The next morning, Harley made her way back to the store with a smile on her face. The man’s face dropped when she asked him if she could buy every last lobster that he had.

He seemed to think about it for a moment before saying, “Sorry, you can’t buy all of my stock.” But Harley could be persuasive when she wanted to be. She was going to get what she wanted at any cost.

Convincing Him

After a long debate, the store owner finally agreed to let her grab all of his stock. She had to end up paying him extra, but that didn’t matter to her. All that mattered to her was saving countless lives.

She organized to transport them to where she would need them, but she wasn’t going to take them home or to a restaurant like the store clerk thought.

Charting A Boat

With the rest of her money, Harley managed to charter a small boat to take out to the nearby sea. She lived on the west coast of the United States and was never far from the ocean. She had the lobsters transported to the boat where the captain was waiting.

But the captain would have words for her when she explained what she was doing. He didn’t seem happy about it.

Difference Of Ideas

It seemed like a difference of ideals. “You can’t just release them out into the water,” The captain said. But she was ready to fight tooth and nail to get what she wanted. Finally, the boat captain relented.

They hopped on the water with the lobsters and headed out of the bay. But Harley should have listened to the captain. He knew what was to come.

Releasing Them

It was the moment she had been waiting for. They were now in open waters where she could release the crustaceans into the water. She tipped over each cage one by one, watching the lobsters fall into the water.

After it was all said and done, Harley had saved 20 lobster lives. But she had just made a grave mistake that she didn’t know about yet. 

What She’d Done

Harley smiled at the thought of what she had just done. She looked over at the ocean waves and back to the boat she was on. The empty cages that littered the boat reassured her that she had done a good deed.

Sure, her wallet was a little lighter, but their freedom was priceless in her eyes. But she had no idea what events she’d set into motion.

An Expensive Lesson

The woman waited patiently to return to the shore. She’d be back in the city in no time, but she had no idea that something was waiting for her to get back. Word had spread about her “good” deed.

The man curled his lip as he saw the small boat arrive back at the docks. He stamped out his cigarette and approached the woman – he was about to teach her an expensive lesson.

Man In Uniform

Harley noticed the man in uniform waiting by the dock. The hair on her arms stood up as he glanced in her direction. Was he really looking at her? But all doubts were erased from her mind as she watched him start moving in her direction.

His heavy soles made the dock creak as he made a beeline for her. She stood paralyzed. What did the man want? 

Mind Ablaze

The man stopped inches away from her before saying, “Ma’am, do you know what you’ve just done?” This set Harley’s mind ablaze. Had she done something wrong?

Normally, she wouldn’t let anyone tell her what to do, but the man had an air of authority to him. She wondered what she had stepped into, but the man was about to do the unthinkable.

No Patience

The officer didn’t seem to have much patience. Not a minute after he had told her he was in trouble, he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Clearly, he didn’t have the patience to tell her everything.

All he said was, “You need to come with me now!” But she didn’t want to go. He could have taken her anywhere.

Taking A Ride

The officer insisted that Harley follow him to his cruiser. Once there, he further insisted that she take a ride with him. Even though she didn’t know where they were going, she had no choice but to comply.

Even though she technically wasn’t being arrested, she knew that for her own sake, she should comply. 

A Document

The police officer took her to a magistrate’s court. She didn’t understand why, but then yet another man was waiting for her. He handed her a document, but once she read it, she understood everything.

Only after reading the document did she understand the real horror behind what she had just done by releasing the crustaceans into the sea.

A Hearing

The document was for a hearing in court. She was being fined for the amount of $800. She didn’t understand what she had done wrong. But the document explained it all.

Her hair stood up when she read the explanation. Everything all made sense in her mind, but she couldn’t believe what she had unwittingly done. She needed to make things right.

Irreparable Damage

Harley had caused irreparable damage to the local ecosystem by releasing alien lobsters into the ocean. She had no idea that the lobsters were foreign. How could they have been? 

She thought they were caught locally, but the mistake had already been made. All she could do now was make amends. She’d figure out a way to make everything right, even if it did cost a lot.

Appearing In Court

Her day in court finally came, and she made her plea with a judge. She explained that what she had done wasn’t out of malice. She had just wanted to do the right thing and didn’t consider the repercussions.

After a long hearing, the judge was finally ready to give her his final verdict. She just hoped that things wouldn’t end badly.

Learning Her Lesson

The judge ruled that Harley hadn’t released the lobster out of malicious intent. But she had still made the mistake of harming the ecosystem. Because of that, she’d still have to pay the $800 fine.

She had no idea that the lobsters weren’t the local variety. They were foreign monsters. But now she’d learned her lesson and had no regrets.