Found At Sea
Author's Note: Saw Dead Man's Chest again last night and I had a wonderful idea for a fic. Sorry if the French is a problem, there's full translations at the end. I bet you all know who it is too.
Chapter One: Found at Sea
Océane walked through the surf, her dog Elan running happily ahead of her. The house came into view and she turned up the beach, crabs scuttling out of her path. She set the wild fruit she had picked down on the table and went to find her father. She found her little brother playing with sea shells instead.
"Henri, où est Papa?" she asked him.
He looked at her, thinking a moment. "Il est derrière la maison," he said slowly, still learning.
"Très bien Henri, merci."
She found her father out back mending the shed where they smoked fish; a recent storm had blown a palm tree over, right through the east wall.
"Papa, je trouve beaucoup des fruits après la tempête, mais qui va aller récupérer les filets?"
"Je suis très occupé aujourd'hui. Est-ce que tu veux prendre le bateau?"
Océane's face lit up. "Oui Papa, merci beaucoup."
"N'oublie pas étudier ton anglais, Océane."
"Yes Papa," she said, her accent heavy and her English shaky.
"Good girl. You remember where we put the nets?" he asked, his accent also heavy but his English much sounder.
"Yes. I remember. Can I, uh visit the…l'île?"
"The word is island."
"Island," she repeated.
"Yes, bring back many new words to learn. And anything interesting of course. Bon voyage."
"Thank you Papa."
Océane went back through the house, grabbing extra nets, a jug of water, her hat and coat and a battered old book of English words. Henri was still playing with his shells. She bent over him.
"Voila une autre coquille pour tu Henri. Aider ton père quand je suis sort."
"D'accord Océane."
"Ciao," she said, walking out the door. "Elan, venez à moi."
Elan came running to her and they raced down the dock to the family's fishing boat. Elan could tell when they were going out and she easily beat Océane down the dock and into boat, barking happily.
"Silly dog," she said, climbing in herself and hoisting the small sail.
Soon the small boat was sailing through the water towards the shoals where the nets were. Elan stood at the bow barking at the waves and the fish in the water. Océane practiced her English by naming everything she could see.
"Sea, sky, dog, boat, fish, wave, sail, nets, me," she said proudly. "Did you listen Elan?" Elan just barked. She saw a dolphin jump out of the sea in the distance. "Un dauphin. Elan I do not know that word." Elan wagged her tail and barked again.
The nets were full after the recent storm and Océane was happy that she had brought in so many fish. Of course, some of the nets were damaged and she would have to mend them. Elan ran happily through the shallow water amongst the shoals, barking at crabs. Océane climbed the highest rock and looked out over the water with the boat's telescope. The island was a short distance from the shoals and she could see its shore clearly.
"Elan!" she called. "Time to go," she said, pointing to the boat.
The storm had washed a lot of debris up on the shore of the little island. Océane walked the entire circumference throwing the driftwood bits that Elan brought her and looking for anything new or interesting. She found many pieces of what appeared to be the hull of a ship; it wasn't unusual for storms at sea to claim the ships that were foolish enough to go out in them.
"Sand, shell, crab, tree, driftwood…oar," she said, picking it up and dragging it back. She also found a perfect conch shell that she pocketed for Henri.
Océane walked back to the boat carrying a stick on which she had speared three large crabs. She put everything back into the boat and pushed it towards the water.
"Elan! Venez à moi," she called. But Elan did not come. "Elan!" she called again, this time adding a sharp whistle. In the distance she heard Elan barking. "Foolish dog," she said, pulling the boat back onto the shore and heading in the direction of the barks.
Océane rounded a curve in the beach and saw Elan barking and tugging at something lying in the sand. She gathered up her skirts and ran, calling to her dog as she went. Elan would not leave the thing she had found and when her mistress finally arrived she jumped up on her, whining in confusion.
"What have you found Elan?" Océane asked her. The thing which bothered her curious dog was rather large and partially embedded in the sand. It was surrounded by crabs and other little beach scavengers. And it smelled horrible.
"Mon Dieu Elan, qu'est-ce que c'est?" she said in disgust.
Picking up a piece of driftwood she pushed at it until it came free of the sand. It was a chunk of something big and something dead. What wasn't charred was grayish green or fleshy pink. There were brittle orangish bits that broke off under the touch of the wood and as she pushed it over more she saw what looked like a giant sucker the size of her face. Océane stepped back. She had heard tales of the monstrous leviathan that could pull a man's face clean off, not to mention reduce his ship to splinters. It was then she remembered the bits of hull washed up all over the island. So the fearsome beast was real and it had been bested. God rest the poor soul whose ship lay on the beach around her.
"Elan, venez à moi maintenant," she said harshly, getting her attention. Elan gave the hulking piece of flesh one last glance before obediently trotting after her mistress.
Océane got Elan into the boat and pushed it into the water with swift determination. The idea of the legendary sea beast being near was terrifying, even if it was missing a tentacle or two. She sailed around the island, looking for any more remnants of wreckage. She saw shapes floating in the distance but did not investigate. It was getting later and though she did not fear the sea she didn't want to have a reason to. The fishing boat reached the other side of the island where Océane saw the comforting lights of home beckoning her in the coming dark. She lit the three lanterns kept onboard and called Elan away from the bow. But again Elan would not come.
"Elan! What has gotten into you today? Venez maintenant!"
But Elan still did not come. She barked frantically at something unseen. Océane took rope, lantern and telescope to the front of the boat. When she had Elan secured, but not quieted, she took out the telescope and scanned the water. There were more dark shapes in the water ahead. Océane quickly pulled in the sail, slowing the boat almost to a stop. Even with the loss of momentum they reached the floating debris, for that is what it was, quickly. Mostly she saw many larger pieces of wood, lacquered and painted: the hull of a ship, or ships. Another object caught her eye: a beat up hat.
"Chapeau, hat," she whispered, fishing it out with a boat hook.
Elan strained at her rope as the new object landed amongst the fish and nets. Océane leaned out over the water, lantern held high. The light glinted off metal parts embedded in the wood. But there was one area where no metal glinted.
She rowed the boat towards it, maybe it was just water. It could also be canvas, though, she thought. And canvas was very valuable. As the boat and the lantern light moved closer to that dark space Océane stepped back in alarm: it was a body! A body lying on a piece of hull.
She immediately threw the boat hook and caught the floating wood, dragging it and the body towards her. The body belonged to a man, a well seasoned sailor by the looks of him. It was relatively difficult to get the man into the fishing boat, him being unconscious, soaked through and larger than her, but she managed. The rest of the voyage home seemed to last forever. Elan was thoroughly distraught but Océane paid her no attention. She could barely tie the mooring line to the dock and came bursting into the house speaking rapidly in French.
Her father stared at her in astonishment.
"Répétez s'il vous plait," he said dumbly.
Océane just ran back out into the quickly descending night. Her father followed after. He could see the outline of the white beach and the lanterns on the boat but nothing else. Above the noise of the waves he heard Elan's distressed barks. He was halfway down the dock when he ran into his daughter, just as distressed as her faithful dog.
"Papa venez vit," she pleaded, pulling on his arm.
Her father followed her to the boat where she thrust a lantern into his hand and motioned wildly at the body of a man lying among the fish.
FRENCH TRANSLATIONS (God this took forever)
Henri, où est Papa?...Henry, where is Papa?
Il est derrière la maison …He's behind the house.
Très bien Henri, merci…Very good Henry, thanks.
Papa, je trouve beaucoup des fruits après la tempête, mais qui va aller récupérer les filets?...Papa, I found a lot of fruit after the storm but who is going to get the nets?
Je suis très occupé aujourd'hui. Est-ce que tu veux prendre le bateau?...I am very busy today. Do you want to take the boat?
Oui Papa, merci beaucoup…Yes Papa, thank you so much.
N'oublie pas étudier ton anglais, Océane …Don't forget to study your English, Océane.
Voila une autre coquille pour tu Henri. Aider ton père quand je suis sort …Here is another shell for you Henry. Help your father while I'm out.
D'accord Océane…Okay Océane.
Elan, venez à moi…Elan, come to me.
Mon Dieu Elan, qu'est-ce que c'est?...My God Elan, what is this?
Elan, venez à moi maintenant…Elan, come to me now.
Venez maintenant...Come now.
Répétez s'il vous plait… Again please.
Papa, venez vit…Papa come quick.
Elan means spirited and confident. Océane, well you can guess right? Yes this will be a JackOC, don't know why I didn't put this at the top. Hope you liked. I for one love writing in French so please give me a reason to continue. Not like you can stop me. :D