1
The sun slipped below the horizon, draining color from the skies and darkening the Black Pearl's deck. The crew lit lanterns and sunk below deck to face the usual torment of the ship's leaks and the unbearable stench. All grew quiet after a few hours of rowdy drinking and painful fights. The ship creaked with each crashing wave and in the distance you could hear Mr. Gibbs singing his usual shanties.
Jack sat alone in his cabin, his desk overflowing with maps and empty rum bottles, but he couldn't concentrate on the mess or the neglected maps. His thoughts could only stay with the bewitching presence that now filled his vessel's decks and cabins.
"Idiot!" he said to himself. "Idiot you are, Captain, letting that lass take you over like a mutiny! Don't let your heart do that, mate!"
Jack walked about his cabin, shaking his head in confusion; he walked over to his desk, reaching for a half full bottle of rum, then snatched his hand away quickly.
"What was it she had said just this morning?" he scratched his head, stepping to the window, gazing out over the moonlit sea.
"A time will come, Jack, when you will be faced with the bittersweet realization that your life as you know it will not be enough."
Had it opened his eyes? Had she changed his heart somehow?
"I'm going crazy!" he shook his head, grabbing for the bottle of glistening liquid with a twitch of his lips. He swallowed it down, emptying the whole bottle. "She just can't stop lecturing, can she?" he laughed as he sat in his oversized desk chair, drifting into fretful sleep.