Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and you know it.
A/N: This is my first story, so be nice, please? I'm not English, so please forgive all the spelling errors.
Better far if thou hadst sent me
Far below the salt-sea surges,
To become the whiting's sister,
And the friend of perch and salmon;
Better far to ride the billows,
Swim the sea-foam as a mermaid,
And the friend of nimble fishes,
Than to be an old man's solace.
Kalevala: Rune IV. The Fate of Aino
It had been an ordinary school day. No matter how I had always dreamed of an unordinary day, it hadnever come. So, there I was, waiting for the bus to come and take me back home. I looked up in the sky and shuddered at the sight of big, black clouds separating me and the nice blue sky that had been glowing so happily in the morning. Mom had told me that it would rain later, but, being the stupid stubborn me, I had just waved it off.
"I never trust the meteorologists" I had said. Oh well, perhaps I'll just be lucky enough to get home before the storm would attack the whole town with it's raging power. The bus came, and I stepped in, paid and answered the driver's grunt-of-a-hello with one of my own. I walked to an empty place and leaned my head on the window, wishing I was somewhere else, where the excitement of life would not be born from police car's speeding every other minute to help a damsel in distress, a.k.a. to save a woman from a violent husband.
The bus stopped and a bum came in. I saw how people turned their heads away when he walked in search of an empty seat. The smell reached me, too and I gave myself a little beating in my head for being like the other people in the bus, because I, too, turned my head away. I saw from the reflection of the mirror how the man stopped next to my bench and looked at my bag questioningly. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. It didn't work.
"May I sit here, ma'am?" My eyes fluttered open and I turned to look at the man. I hadn't met a smooth-talking bum too many times. His voice was old, as was his face, covered with wrinkles, but he still seemed to have an aura of power around him. I nodded and moved my bag before focusing my eyes on the horizon again. The smell was awful at first, but my nose got used to it and I lost track of time. The journey to my home village lasted two hours. My mom and dad had divorced, so during the weeks I would stay with mom in the town and the weekend in the countryside with dad.
I reached for my bag and drew my lunchbox. I hated school food. It's just horrible. I started munching the grapes, thanking mom inside my head for once remembering to buy the one's which had no seeds inside. But my happy, careless munching was disturbed by the bum, who quite clearly was trying not to look at my food. I rolled my eyes and offered him the grapes. To my surprise, he didn't take the grapes, he took the sandwich I had made at mom's. I watched in amazement as he calmly brought it to his mouth and slowly took a big bite from it. I was going to say something about the little misunderstanding, but seeing the happy look for getting actually food, I couldn't bear to do it. To tell the truth, I lost my own appetite. I've always been too naïve and good natured, and by God I was cursing it when I offered him the lunch box.
He nodded as thanks and kept eating. The quiet moment lasted as long as he ate, which meant about ten minutes.
"Thank you, m'lady. Ye gave me more than I had in me wildest dreams expected." And he didn't even crack a smile. I raised my eyebrows and gave him a half-smile.
"You're welcome. Um, where did you learn that accent? I don't quite recognize it." I'm curious so sue me. This time he actually chuckled and smiled. I was starting liking this man.
"I got it from a world full of adventure and freedom" he said and smiled, his crystal blue eyes looking forward, as if living his memories again. "Aye, those wore good times, lass."
"And how can one find that place?" I asked, half-jokingly, but his eyes turned serious as he searched mine for something. My smile faded away and I became once again aware that I was talking to a man who could be madman. I didn't know anything about him.
"Ye think I'm daft, don't ye?"
"How did you…?" My face must've reflected a question mark, for he laughed kind of all-knowingly, you know? Just like old people do, when they read peoples thoughts from their faces with the help of their life-experience.
"Luv, that's for me to know and ye to find out… If you want to, that is." Yes, of course! Who wouldn't?
"And how'd that happed?" I asked nevertheless carefully, not wanting to step into a trap of some sort, though I didn't exactly know how he'd manage to do one in the middle of a bus.
"I asked first."
"I don't know…" I started, but was interrupted by the old man.
"If ye don't get a life now, then when will ye? Ye won't stay young forever!" I couldn't believe my ears! A bum was telling me that I had no life!
"You are soooo wrong! I do have a life: I go to school, meet my friends and occasionally go to the movies, I feed the dog, I keep my mom and dad still talking and remember my brothers birthday! What else would one want for a life?" Okay, I admitted in my head. That's not a life, that's a routine. And a boring one, too.
"Ye don't believe that even for yourself. So, do ye or do ye not want to find what real life is like?" He stared sternly into my eyes and I to his. A long moment passed and I vaguely realized that the storm was raging outside.
"…yes." I finally told him. He smiled and pulled his head backwards and let me go from his intense gaze. He reached inside his many shirts and drew a necklace. I gasped at the sight of it. I was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The thin chain was made of platinum and it was attached to an eight armed silver star with diamond sittings. The star was glittering beautifully in the bus's light. Hanging from the star was the most beautiful dark green emerald that I had ever seen. I stared at it in wonderment, spell-bound by the pendant and confused.
"It is beautiful.. but it's also worth thousands ofdollars. Why haven't you sold it?" I tore my eyes off the jewel and looked to the poor man's face.
"Aye, it is beautiful and I could have sold it for a good amount of money, but this darling here never was made for selling. I've been carrying it with me to find the right person that wouldn't be shadowed by the beauty of it but who wouldn't shadow it either." So he had been looking for a girl, who wasn't a living Barbie but a normal looking girl.
"So you're just going to give it to her? And then what?" he smiled mysteriously and pushed the stop button.
"You'll see." I gaped at his retreating back as he walked to the dark evening storm. I opened my hand and saw the pendant lying there, in all it's glory. I quickly looked up, but the bus was already moving and the bum was nowhere in sight. I slowly lifted it up and locked it around my neck. If something special was supposed to happen… Well, nothing did.
The bus door screeched sorely as it closed behind my back. I waited in the pouring rain until the bus had left and ran across the road. I slowed down and started to walk the familiar path to my dad's farm. It really was a wonder how my mom, a successful lawyer and my dad, a farmer had ended up anyways. My brother, who was a year older than I, stayed with dad and I stayed with mom, and then we switched during the weekends. My dull walk in the rain was interrupted by the feeling of someone watching me. I glanced over my shoulder but saw nothing. The streetlights had a long distance between them and the surrounding world was quickly darkened when you stepped under their light.
I turned around and took a few steps before the feeling made me uneasy again and I saw something moving from the corner of my eyes. I spun around, my wet hair flying through the air and sticking to my face.
"Whose there!" I shouted demandingly to the air, but got no answer. I hesitated before I turned to continue a little faster. This time it wasn't just a glimpse, but I actually saw a black figure run just a little way off the road.
"Hey! Whose there? Come out!" The wind carried sounds of whisper to me and I turned to run. This wasn't funny at all. I didn't get too many steps before I fell to the ground and landed painfully on my arm. I pushed myself upwards and turned to sit on my ass. I looked around me but saw no one. Then I saw a tall, dark figure approaching me from the shadows. I felt utter horror wrapping me up in it's soft arms as I tried to back away from the person that was walking in a slow, steady pace. The lamps started to flicker and finally gave out without too much of a fight.
I didn't see a thing but the voices that had left were back again, whispering things to me in languages I could not understand. The pitch black air prevented me from seeing a thing but the occasional lightning showed how the figure was getting closer all the time. I was frozen in panic, only able to watch as what I thought was the Death himself stopped at my feet. He was dressed in a black cloak with a deep hood to cover it's head. I felt insensibility creeping up my legs and arms as and Death lifted it's head, as if there was a flow of life force going from me to him, and looked like he enjoyed it.
I had always been intrigued by death. It fascinating to think what happened after the body died. Despite my former thoughts I could only stare in utter horror, and praying in my mind for someone up there to save my life. My hands lost their power and gave out. My breathing became harder and harder, as I found it difficult to even use my lungs. As my vision blurred, I saw Death bending it's body and bringing it's face closer to mine. The last view I saw from between my half-closed eyelids was that the inside of the hood was empty. My head fell to my side and I saw the tree branches reaching for me. Then, there suddenly was a bright light, and then nothing.
I woke up to the sound of water splashing and to the bitter smell of tar. I closed my eyes and relaxed. I felt oddly comfortable, though I didn't know where I was. My eyes opened again at that thought. Where am I…? I thought unsure. I heard shouting and feet thumping on the floor somewhere above me. On a deck, I corrected myself as I looked around the little room and recognized it as a cabin. But the question of how I had come here was still open. I sat up and clenched the hem of my skirt in my hands.
To my surprise it was wet. Not wet enough to be see-through, even though it was white, but more like moist. The thought of water raised up the memories of Death in the rain and I felt a small panic rise in me. Am I dead? my head repeated time after time after time. The memento of the walk home, the bus, the bum… The necklace! My hand flew to my throat and searched rapidly until they found the chain. I let out a relieved sigh and turned it around, like it was supposed to be. It calmed me down, and since I could feel myself and my hand didn't go through any wooden objects of the cabin, I couldn't be a ghost either.
As I was putting my shoes back on the door swung open. I lifted my head quickly, startled, and managed to hurt my neck at the same time. I found myself looking in the eyes of a man who had apparently seen Pirates of the Caribbean one time too much. I closed my eyes and shook my head a bit, hoping to get the clone of Jack Sparrow disappear. I think it's kind of needless to say, that the vision didn't go away. I looked at him again, but found his gaze somewhat unfocused on my head, seemed like he was looking a bit more downwards. I bent my head, to see what he was looking, and found out, that I was wearing a t-shirt with a wide cut neckline. Not deep or anything, but being bent while sitting does make it kind of… loose. I felt blood rushing to my cheeks as I calmly draw my shoulders back and straightened my back.
I found the wannabe-Sparrow leaning on the door frame with an amused look on his face. At least his gaze isn't wondering anymore, I thought, not even half as amused. We had a bit of a staring contest with neither of us saying anything. I finally got bored and rolled my eyes at him.
"You do know that it is kind of rude just to barge in and then stare." He chuckled and swiftly moved into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Just as it's rude to snap at yer savior." I raised my eyebrows at this and crossed my legs self-confidently. I don't mean to brag or anything, but my legs are just great. The part of me that I like the most and thus a good reason to wear skirts that end on either side of the knee.
"And exactly what was I saved from?"
"Ye don't remember?" he answered, surprised.
"Remember what?" I was starting to get annoyed. I mean, if you wake up in a strange place with your clothes wet and then a person, whose apparently a bit loose in the head, waltzes in and claims to have saved you from something, wouldn't you be a bit annoyed? While my thoughts had running down different paths the Captain had leaned back on his chair and I found myself being once more observed by him. "What!" I angrily asked, hoping to break his stare. He snapped out of his stare and leant forward, as if to share a secret with me.
"Who are ye?" he finally asked, choosing – perhaps wisely – not to answer my question.
"The name's Elle." I answered after a bit hesitation. "And who're you?" At this the man's eyes widened in shock.
"Haven't ye heard of me? Well, ye do seem like a strange lass by your clothing. I am Jack Sparrow, Captain of the infamous Black Pearl." I looked sceptically at him.
"Yes, well, if you're Jack Sparrow, than I'm the Queen of England." I said sarcastically, totally forgetting the rule number one when you're forced to hang out with crazy people: Don't ever ruin their fantasies. To my surprise he didn't start shouting or crying or anything else weird.
"Good day to yer majesty then" he answered with a charming grin. I swear, the guy was the spitting image of the "true" Jack Sparrow. I just raised my eyebrows and decided to let it pass.
"So, where exactly am I and what was I saved from?" I asked, returning the question he had skillfully evaded. I stood up and stretched my legs and from the corner of my eyes I could see his eyes traveling them up and down.
"Yer on the Pearl and ye were saved from the horrible faith of drowning in the sea." I stopped my restless walk around the cabin. I turned to look at him, to see if he was just joking. He met my gaze steadily and didn't seem too shocked.
"From drowning? But- Why- How did I end up in water?" I stuttered, puzzled by the mysterious change of scene. A true mystery, or more like a one more. Apparently I had somehow "magically" moved a couple of hundred kilometers to the sea, if I really was there and this wasn't just a weird dream.
"Well," he started, getting up too and stopping in front of me. "I was hoping that you'd tell me that. And why that blasted thing around your neck won't come off." he muttered the last part quietly while staring intensively at my pendant. He had clearly not meant for me to hear it, but forgot to lower his voice enough I wrapped my fingers around it protectively and poked his chest accusingly.
"You tried to steal it!"
"Nay, I was just going to look at it closer. Such a pretty pendant" he said, giving me the puppy-eyes. My eyes narrowed, the frustration and anger reawakened.
"Whatever! I'm getting off this mad ship!" And with that I stomped to the door and out of the room, right into the beautiful Caribbean day. I froze on my step and felt my eyes get bigger. Mouth hanging, I took in the black sails, the working crew and the voice of Anamaria shouting somewhere. I turned around to look at Jack who had soundlessly sneaked behind me.
"You weren't kidding. This is the Black Pearl and you are Jack Sparrow." He flashed me a proud grin.
"Captain Jack Sparrow, love" he corrected me, which I answered in a rather typical way of 17th century women: by fainting.
I'd like to continue, so hopefully you didn't hate itJust push the little button down there and review :)
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