The One Day.
By: Jecir
The day was coming to a close. Jack looked out at the setting sun with a deep longing his dark eyes. From the window of his shop, he could see the ocean. After all this time, it still called to him. And his heart still yearned to be lost in her embrace. He had never thought that being immortal would one day demand that he give up the one thing he truly loved. But, without his consent, the Age of Pirates had ended and civilization took its place. He had been forced against his will to change and adapt least his immortal life become more of a hell.
Now, in the year 2009, he worked as a semi-honest business man selling Pirate paraphernalia to tourists in the Caribbean. How the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow had fallen.
The bell over his shop door rang. Jack called a half-hearted greeting to the customers he knew did not care if he was there or not. He just wanted to close shop and go to the tavern, where his one constant remained. Time may change civilization, but time could never change rum. And rum was what he wanted now. Counting the money in his cash register, he did his best to drown out the loud whining that was coming from the small group.
"I'm telling you, man, I saw it!"
"Yeah right!" laughed a sweaty teenage boy.
They perused the toy swords as his friend babbled on. "It's true! Devin was there! You saw it, right, Dev?"
Devin, the slightest of the three, sunk back as the eyes of his two friends turned on him. "Well," he stuttered, "I wasn't really paying attention. And the sun was in my eyes, so…"
"Oh come on!" the first cried in exasperation.
"Jed," the second admonished, patting Jed's shoulder in a condescending manner. "It's ok. You were drunk last night. Of course you thought you saw green lights and pirate ships."
That got Jack's attention. He paused in his counting to listen.
"But I did! I swear I did!" Jed insisted. "I was on the beach last night with Devin! Just minding my own business, when suddenly, whoosh! There was this burst of green light and a pirate ship appeared out of no where! I turned to tell Devin, and when I turned back, it was gone!"
The cynic among them just laughed.
"It's true!" Jed repeated.
"Sounds like you saw a ghost ship," Jack said from behind the counter.
The three boys turned; Devin with his eyes wide with fear; Jed with surprise; and the cynic with skepticism.
"To be more precise," Jack continued, looking up at the three with a secretive grin that usually accompanied him saying "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" and then pulling off a stunt that no other could pull. Oh, those were the days. Coming back to the moment, he said, "The Flying Dutchman."
"The flying…what?" Devin whispered, voice trembling.
"The Flying Dutchman," Jack repeated. "The ghost ship crewed by lost souls and captained by Davey Jones himself." Technically, not true, but the legends had not remembered William Turner, thus he stopped trying to right the tale.
"Cool…" Jed breathed out. "Tell me," the college boy begged eagerly. "There has to be a good story behind it, right? Is it a cursed ship?"
"Cursed?" Jack reiterated. "Once, long ago, perhaps. Yes, it was cursed by the goddess Calypso."
The cynic rolled his eyes, and the slight one backed up, uneasy, as if the very mention of her name would summon Tia Dalma to his shop that very moment.
Jack grinned and lowered his voice. "Davey Jones sails the seas gathering the souls of those who die at sea and escorting them into death. Those who die but do not wish to die serve on his crew as damned souls. And those who die who have offended him are dragged into his locker, there to suffer for all eternity." He paused for effect before he finished. "The green flash you saw was his ship passing between the world of the living and the world of the dead."
"That is so awesome!" Jed cried in excitement. Turning to his friends, he said, "See? See? I told you it was true!"
The cynic just barked a laugh. "Whatever, old man."
"Old man?" Jack blanched. He glanced at the mirror hanging on the wall by the door. He may be over five hundred years old, but he did not look a day over thirty. He had changed, true; he had to change in order to blend in. His dread locks were replaced with short spikes. The coal under his eyes was replaced with bags from lack of sleep. At one point, he had finally given in and gotten dental work done so that his teeth stopped frightening away customers. But he was most certainly not an old man! Where was his pistol? Had this been the Black Pearl, that scurvy little codpiece would be dead!
"Come on, guys," the cynic commanded. "Let's bail. There's nothing in here but wives tales and cheap trinkets."
"Yeah," Devin too quickly agreed. He followed his much taller and tougher friend out the door.
Jed lingered for a moment, looking at the door, as if uncertain if he should follow. Turning back to Jack, he said, "I really did see it."
Jack nodded. "I believe ya, mate. Trust me, I do."
The boy brightened at that.
Jack smiled. "Now off with ya. It's closing time, and your mates won't wait forever."
"Thanks," Jed said before he, to, disappeared through the door.
Jack heaved a deep sigh. Kids these days. They wouldn't believe anything anymore. Humans were no longer afraid of the pagan magic that used to scare away lesser men. Technology tamed the sea long ago, making sailing something for the lazy instead of for the adventurous. There truly was less in the world now.
He finished counting the money, pocketed his earning for the day, and closed up shop. The sun was still not set. He watched it inch it's way to the horizon, the boy's story running through his mind. Had it truly been ten years already? He pondered that as his feet began to move on their own, leading him to the familiar sands of the shore.
The beach was deserted, a rarity for this time of year. Usually lovers crowded the sands, watching the sun set and cuddling and doing who knew what else in front of others. Not that he minded on most days. There were still many a salty wench to be found in this supposedly civilized time, but today, he wanted to be alone.
He sat down where the tide met the sand and watched as the waves rolled in. How long had it been since he last saw the Black Pearl? He could still remember stealing it back from Barbosa one final time. He sailed his beloved ship until it sank beneath him. He had fought the change of time with all of his might. He had truly become Captain Jack Sparrow, the last great Pirate Captain.
Then, the Revolution happened. And the British Empire fell. And industry replaced the sweat of a man's brow and the strength of his back with the mundane hum of machinery. He had tried to remain on the sea during those days, but sailing became too easy and too smooth. There was no adventure to be had anymore. Thus, he had moved onto land to see what he could find. But all that was left to discover had been discovered. What was left was war. So much war for what others had. It made him miss the honor of piracy. The Code had at least kept the pirates bound to some form of conduct, even if it was something more like guidelines. He longed for those guidelines when he was drafted into the United States army time and gain. For the better half of one hundred years, he had been a soldier. He technically died on several battlefields, each time having the come up with a new identity just so he could return home.
Now, he was a simple shop keeper, trying to keep alive the memory of what had once been his love, his passion, and his very identity. Captain Jack Sparrow was nothing more than a myth, now. What remained was Jack Sparrow, shop keeper. He sighed heavily. How he missed the sea.
Sand crunched behind him.
So, it had been ten years.
Jack turned to face the only two people who could intrude on the magic of this moment. It was no coincidence that this beach was deserted now. Though the world had forgotten it, pagan magic still held sway. It is what drove people away so that The Dutchman could deliver its Captain to his one day at shore without causing too much trouble. Only those who had a true heart for the sea would not be affected. People like that boy. He had seen. He had believed. He would have been a great pirate.
"Hello Jack."
Jack smiled. "Hello, Captain Turner."
William Turner looked no different than the day he became captain of the Flying Dutchman. And Elizabeth…Jack could not help but smile at her as she clung to her husband's arm. She looked no different than the day he gave her the elixir of life.
Yes, he had found the Fountain of Youth, and with one drink, he became immortal. And the only other person he shared this gift with was Elizabeth. After all, it was his fault that she lost her husband the day of their marriage. As much as he hated it, he was, as Will had said, a good man and could not consciously keep immortality away from her, the one who needed it most.
Elizabeth had sworn nonetheless not to tell anyone what he had done.
And since then, she had enjoyed many a one day with her husband.
And Jack had had many a run in with their multiple offspring. But that was another story for another time. Jack looked back at the setting sun. "It doesn't get easier, does it?" he asked.
Will looked out over the horizon. Somewhere beyond the glare was the Dutchman calling him back. "No," he sighed. "It doesn't."
"Have you ever thought of giving it up?" Jack asked. "No one remembers us any more. Why do you still do it?"
"Why haven't you allowed yourself to die?" Will asked in return. "The water's effects last only if the drinker has the will to live on. Why live on if you can't be a pirate?"
"I am still a pirate," Jack protested. "It is in my blood. Just you wait, Captain Turner, one day, we will rise again. The world still has a need for pirates."
"And it still has a need for me," Will said as he hugged Elizabeth and kissed the top of her head.
"Indeed," Elizabeth whispered. She reluctantly pulled away. "You had better go now. Give Bootstrap my love."
"I will." William kissed his wife one final time. "Until next time."
"I will be here," Elizabeth promised.
Jack stood up and watched as William Turner walked out into the tide. Together with Elizabeth, he watched the immortal captain disappear under the water, not to be seen from again for another ten years. As the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, a flash of green illuminated the night.
Another ten years had passed him by. It was becoming far to easy to let it go without a thought. He looked at Elizabeth. She was glowing. Unlike him, the ten years could not end fast enough for her. She lived each day for that one day. He envied her. And, suddenly, he did not want to be alone. Reaching out his hand to the only one left who could understand what he felt, he asked, "Care to join an old pirate for a drink?"
Elizabeth laughed. "Of course." She took his hand and together, the two immortals walked back into the embrace of the modern day.
As they left the beach, Jack had to ask, "So…how was your day?"
The End