Journey
There is always time, Silver says. There is time to improve, to show what you are made of. He promises it, in spite of anything else he tells Jim – and the contrast is rough, especially when the work on board is hardest. Whole days of voyage drift just like that, falling and rising at the rhythm of their sails. Even here, even now and with this tomorrow, there is time.
It takes long to truly grow. It does sound unnatural, coming from him – one of the many who shared the fate of pirates, bound to show the face of an adult many years too soon. And yet, of this lad, Silver knows enough to forget he knows too little. He seeks him, his nature, in the strain that efforts carve in any soul.
But this lad, hell, he is not easy to break. Something in him is colder than the breath of winter, harsh, hardened by memories. If the impatience of his young age betrays him often, there is something way older in him, and full of the rage of a warrior. Silver seeks - wishes for - enough time to crack the code, whenever he can. He watches, patient.
There are those nights, full of unspoken words, when Jim stays up for hours. He cleans the deck in solitude while most are sleeping, wrapped in the dark built by their curtains. He pours a veil of water on the boards – the perfect amount, with no waste, just as he taught him – and lets it mirror the sky for a while, pensive, eyes full of wonder. Silver smiles rarely, but he always does in those moments. All young men, every now and then, need a brief hour of childhood. He leaves him to watch the stars. There is some time for that, too.
There is still time, he swears, even when Jim finally breaks under the weight of responsibility. There is all the space to prove yourself worthy, to redeem the loss of a human life. There is a whole universe out there, ready to look at you – when your fire truly burns from inside, nothing will ever be enough to put it out. It takes Jim too much to believe. He might never get to it, no matter how long. Silver is worried.
Their ship keeps sailing at the same pace, with less and less days to part them from the end. They still have enough time to gaze at the skies together, though – and Silver finds himself hoping it will last a little longer.
At Jim's first glance, he knows there is no time left. He knew the price from the start – but his pain, that look of betrayal, he could not keep in count. There is no choice, there is no hesitation. Silver keeps going.
It is too late to turn back. But all he can think of, in truth, is that it happened too soon.
I told you I would write more for Treasure Planet!
Here they are, my poor, dear characters. Heh. The title is a carefully chosen homage to one of my top video games, with a deep and important meaning.
By the way. If you are fans of Stevenson's work and would like to read my comparison with TP, let me know! I'll link you to the post.