It was a warm Caribbean night. The moon was not out this night; for it was shielded by thick clouds andfog as far as the eye could manage to see.But in itself, the Black Pearl almost seemed to glow as it gently soared through the waters. It began to slow down as it neared a small island. "Jack," Gibbs said, approaching the Captain.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..."
Jack gave him an amused look. "You've got a bad feeling about everything, Mr. Gibbs. Besides, look at that small town there." he said, pointing to a small village on the shores, torches on sticks lining the beach. The entire island itself was heavily wooded; save the settlement on the small stretch of shore.
"But Capp'n-"
"We're docking," Jack said shortly, holding his hand up. "Prepare the boards." Gibbs muttered in agreeance, and walked away mumbling about luck. "HEAVE TO!" Jack shouted to his faithful crew. "We're pulling in."
They arrived in the small port for the quaint village. People had gathered just outside to witness the magnificent Pearl's arrival. Soon, it was steadied; Jack, Anamaria and Gibbs crossed the plank onto the sandy shore. "Welcome strangers, to Bête Maudite Island!" a man said, stepping forth; he wore a creamy brown top hat, with a velvet purple coat, his short brown hair sticking out from under his hat. He carried an ornate sort of cane/staff thing with a glass orb on the top; with a black and white marbly pattern in it. "And on behalf of its citizens, Welcome." he continued, shaking Jack's hand. "And who might you be?" Jack asked him. "Jacob Vincent. The people look to me as friend and mayor." He released his hand. "And landlord, and banker..." a man shouted from the crowd jokingly; they all laughed with him.
"Right," Mayor Vincent continued, laughing himself. "How may we help you? As you could probably guess, we do not get many visitors."
Jack squared his shoulders back, walking closer to the mayor. "We are simply in need of a few supplies, and we shall take our leave." He finished with a graceful bow, and stepped back between his crew. "Capp'n-" Gibbs whispered to Jack. Jack barely turned his head and whispered through his teeth, keeping a slight smile towards the crowd. "I know what you're thinking. Take what you wish, but don't make a scene. Probably nothing of real value here, anyway. I, however, have to relieve myself. Go into town and get what we need, and I will meet you back on the ship in a minute." Gibbs and Anamaria nodded. "Aye captain," they said in unison, and walked toward the crowd. Jacob Vincent put his arms around each of their shoulders and led them into town. Jack waited until everyone had gone to turn and head for the woods. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," a child's voice said.
Jack spun on his heels. A small girl, no more than 5 or 6 stood a small distance away; where the crowd had been standing behind their mayor earlier. She wore a pretty white floor-length nightgown. Her light blonde hair hung down to her middle back and nearly matched her gown as it shone in the torchlight. Jack smiled at her. "Pardon me?" She shuffled a little. "...It lives there," she said quietly. Jack looked over his shoulder briefly, then back at the child. "What is...IT, exactly?" he said, trying to keep a straight face. The little girl's expression went from timid to very serious. "We do not speak of it," she said, staring Jack straight in the eyes. A little shocked by the intimidation and passion in her eyes, Jack looked away. "Lily-Rose!!" a woman's voice cried from somewhere in the village. "Where are you? Come here!" As soft wind blew; the little girl stared Jack deeply in the eyes once more, finding himself unable to look away this time. "LILY-ROSE!" the still unseen woman shouted. The little girl tore away and ran back to the village and behind the wall of a building.
Jack continued on his journey. By now he had to go quite bad.. "It," Jack laughed to himself. "Oooh, I'm scared." he raised and swayed his arms a little to mock the...It. He got out of sight behind a few trees. The glow of the town could still be seen the trees. Jack lowered his trousers and began to relieve himself. "Ahhh..." he sighed with relief and a goofy smile. As he finished, he pulled his trousers up. A twig snapped behind him. "Gibbs?" he said, looking around. "Anamaria?" Jack called again. A low growling could be heard. Suddenly, he found himself on the ground, with snapping jaws in his face.
Jack did his best to hold the beast off. Easier said, than accomplished, however, since it was very dark, and his assailant was extremely strong. Jack reached for his pistol, but the animal swiped several razor-sharp claws across Jack's cheek. Jack kicked it off; and reached and locked his pistol. Now a little stunned from the stinging of his cheek, Jack wearily spun in a circle, gun pointed out. Nothing moved. Suddenly, it sprung on Jack again from seemingly nowhere, this time clamping onto his shoulder with its massive jaws. Jack cried out in pain. He punched the creature to the ground, and without missing another heart-stopping second, he squeezed the trigger. In the small bit of light available, Jack saw the creature's silhouette fall to the ground and move no more.
Inside the town, Gibbs sat enjoying himself at the local pub with Mayor Vincent while Anamaria was out getting rations and other supplies. He heard the sound of a gunshot briskly rasp across the air. He dropped his cup and ran outside. Anamaria had already rushed to the street, leaving behind a few sacks of flour and several planks of wood laying in the road. To their horror, Jack shortly stumbled out of the woods holding his pistol; covered in blood, parts of his shirt ripped away. 3 large scratches went across his left cheek. Several townspeople gasped and murmured as Gibbs and Anamaria rushed to him. They grabbed his arms and supported him with their shoulders. "What happened?" Anamaria gasped, staring in horror at the large bleeding gash on his shoulder. Jack looked at her, wide-eyed. "I....." he began. He looked at the shocked townspeople. The little girl stood at the front of the crowd, giving him that same soul-piercing look. "I...ran into a tree," Jack finished. Gibbs and Anamaria gave each other a strange look. "No tree I ever saw did this to a man," Gibbs said. "'S probably delirious...better get him on the ship." Mayor Vincent broke through the crowd, which by now had nearly doubled in size; everyone wanting to get a look. He rushed past the little girl as if she was not there at all, but stopped quickly when he saw the pirates. Jack moaned softly, and lost consciousness. Gibbs and Anamaria laid him down gently and stepped forth to collect the things they'd dropped as several people came out of the crowd to hand it to them. They loaded the ship, and came back out for Jack with a makeshift stretcher. They lifted him onto the stretcher, and began to carry it gingerly back across the wooden plank to the Black Pearl, where his crew awaited in shock. Jack awoke and lifted his head a little back at the island crowd. Mayor Vincent was trying to usher the crowd back into the town; arms raised. The little girl was so short, he barely seemed to notice her. She stood well under his arms, staring at Jack. He passed out again. The crew helped Gibbs and Anamaria sit Jack's stretcher on a table near the edge of the ship, until they could prepare his bedchamber. Anamaria bode farewell to the people of Bête Maudite Island, and the Black Pearl began to set sail again. For a short time, Jack regained consciousness. His head had been propped up now; he slowly turned back to the island again. The crowd was gone, but the little girl remained; much closer to the shore now. They met eyes. Suddenly, a great wind began to blow and the little girl's hair blew wildly along with it. The sails filled with air, and the Pearl started to move. Jack looked up at the cloudy sky; and once again his world slowly filled with darkness, until it consumed him.