CHAPTER ONE: RETELLING A LIFETIME OF STORIES
The mansion that rose at the end of the cobblestone drive threw the young man with a notebook into awe. He gulped and straightened his tie before continuing up toward the porch. There was an old woman, back straight and eyes clear, sitting on a rocking chair studying him as he approached.
"Mrs. Mason?" he asked, sticking out a hand for her to shake. The old woman studied it before finally accepting. She had an unusually strong grip for an elderly woman. "I'm Peter O'Malley, we spoke earlier?"
She nodded. "I remember."
Peter nodded awkwardly and took a seat across from her on the porch.
"Who told you to come to me?" she asked after a moment of silence. She was studying something in the distance.
"My professor at the university," he swallowed. "Professor John Turner, Jr."
A faint smile appeared on Mrs. Mason's lips and she turned her full attention to the young man. "Is that so? And you trust his judgment?"
"His grandparents, William and Elizabeth Turner, were actually associated with pirates. They lived in Port Royal before it disappeared. I have great faith that he knows what he is talking about."
Mrs. Mason inclined her head, agreeing. "Did he tell you how he knows me?"
Peter shook his head. "He said I should find out for myself. It will help my research skills for this thesis on pirates."
"John Jr. is my great nephew," she told him. "His grandmother, Elizabeth and my mother were sisters."
Peter knitted his eyebrows and thought hard for a moment. Soon after, his eyes widened. "Then that would make you- you're, you're Jack Sparrow's daughter."
Mrs. Mason extended her hand toward him again and introduced herself, "Madelyn Marie Jacquelyn Sparrow Mason."
It took Peter O'Malley near a full minute to recover. He sputtered around before finally opening his notebook and pulling out a pen. "Mrs.-Mrs. Sparro- I mean, Mrs. Mason. Do you mind telling me about your life?"
Maddy smiled. "Not at all young man, not at all."