A Visit to Tia Dalma's
Will Turner stepped out of the tiny boat that held him and two others. He reached dry land and reached down to help Elizabeth out. Captain Jack Sparrow was the last of the party to reach the shore, although by the way he continued to sway as he stood on level ground, no one would have thought that he wasn't still on a lurching ship.
Captain Jack swaggered up to the door of a nearby shack and knocked on it three times. He waited rather impatiently for a moment, leaning from side to side anxiously before he was met by a dark figure in long, flowing robes.
"Tia Dalma!" Jack exclaimed, greeting his friend with a brief hug. "Long time no see!" He stepped inside and scanned her shack eagerly and whispered, "Have you got any rum?"
Tia smiled, revealing several yellowed and browned teeth, and pointed him to a cupboard in the corner. "What be the purpose of this visit?" she inquired, waving Will and Elizabeth inside.
Will and Elizabeth strode inside and took seats around a small table in the middle of the room. Having been there twice before, they were slightly familiar with the place. Captain Jack joined them a few moments later, clutching a bottle of rum and rocking back and forth happily.
Tia Dalma came in the room soon after and stared at the trio expectantly. "So… What be the purpose of this visit?" she asked again.
Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Tia Dalma, would it be possible for you to…maybe…predict the future?" She waited for her reply.
Tia Dalma stared down at her. "What do I look like to you, a fortune teller?" Upon seeing the disappointed expression on Elizabeth's face, she rethought her answer. "I may not be able to tell you the future, but I can take you there."
Will looked unbelievingly at the strange lady in front of him. "You can?"
Tia Dalma looked a little taken aback at Will's answer. "Don't be doubtin' me boy. I said I could do it and I will. Now hush up and let me work this." Tia walked over to a chest of drawers and began sorting through it, searching for a bag of dried herbs. Finally she pulled out a small satchel with a gold drawstring and set it on the table.
Will sniffed the air. "That smells like spices. What is it?" Jack hiccupped slightly behind him.
"Those are spices. But they're spices with magical properties, so be quiet and let Tia Dalma work her magic, okay?" Tia leaned forward so that her mouth was only inches from Will's as she spoke, giving him goosebumps and making the hair on the back of his neck stand up."
Will nodded, and Tia Dalma retreated and closed her eyes. She dipped her hand into the satchel and pulled out a fistful of green powder. Upon sprinkling it into the air, a giant hole was ripped in front of them. It expanded and grew until it was big enough to fit a man through.
Tia Dalma opened one eye. "I should be telling you though, I have no control of where in the future you end up, but I can pretty much assure you that almost everyone you have met will end up somewhere or another. It may not be what you expect; take precautions, do ya hear me?"
Elizabeth nodded excitedly and gripped Jack's hand in her right and Will's in her left as she listened to the mystic woman speak. Elizabeth released both of their hands and leaped through the portal.
She felt as though the whole world was pushing up against her. She couldn't breath and her eyes watered uncontrollably. It was similar to wearing a corset on her whole body. Suddenly she was thrown out of this strange wormhole and onto grass. She gasped for air and wiped her eyes on her arm. Her arm…she could have sworn she's worn a long sleeved shirt to Tia Dalma's house.
Elizabeth stood up. She was no longer in her pirate-like duds but instead decked out in jeans and a bright blue t-shirt. Her long brown hair, which had been hanging down her back, was now pulled up in a ponytail in the back of her head. She gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Will arrived next to her a few moments later, wheezing and clutching his throat. His hair was no longer long and pulled back in a ponytail, but instead cut short to the back of his neck. He, too, was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and high tops.
"Will…"Elizabeth started, but then broke off; Captain Jack Sparrow had landed on the ground next to them. He was wearing khaki shorts and a long-sleeved shirt that he rolled up to expose his forearms. She gaped at him for a moment; he was positively dashing. His long dark hair was cut just below the shoulders and hung in his face, covering one brown eye seductively.
Jack stood up, still swaying as if he were on a boat. He closed his right hand around air, expecting it to close around a bottle of rum. When he saw that there was nothing there, he became flustered. "What happened to my rum-" He trailed off as he saw his companions. Elizabeth and Will looked to be about 14 years old, while Jack himself looked to be about 16.
Jack opened and closed his mouth for a few moments without making any sound, trying to take in his surroundings. Finally he managed to gasp out,"I guess Tia Dalma meant business."