This is a new idea that was inspired by an amazing writer, mypiratecat1, and her story, The Sign above the Door, which was a spin-off from her absolutely amazing story, Thicker than Water. Which I think you should all go read.

During Pirates of the Caribbean, you don't learn much about the crew. You know that they are pirates, and that's about it. This explains each man's story of what pushed him into the fate of becoming a part of the Black Pearl. Please enjoy!

"Give nothin' back!" I exclaimed, Jack and I slamming our mugs against each others'. I swallowed the rum in about one gulp, and wished there was more. There really was never enough for me these days.

"Excuse me, mate." Jack said, his drink finished. "The whelp and I need to find a place to stay for the night." He stood up and walked toward the kid standing in the doorway. He seemed like a bit of a stick to me, but there's always more to every person you meet. Every riff-raff has their own story. After Jack left, I began to set up a table that was widely known in Taverns like this- A recruting table. Within a few minutes of my sitting there, a line had formed in front of the table. Good ole Tortuga. The man in the front of the line stood tall, with a Parrot sitting on his shoulder.

"Why would you like to join the crew?" I asked. The parrot answered my question.

"Raarrwwrgg! Sail the seas! Sail the seas!" It squawked.

I wasn't always unable to speak. Years ago, I had my own life and my own family. I beautiful wife, Susan, and a son, Jack, they were my pride and joy. I was a shoekeeper on an island just south of Tortuga. It wasn't very large, but it was very beautiful. Less than a decade before my time, natives were prominent on the island. I had heard stories that they were brutally forced from their land, but I'd never believed them. They had their own side of the island...they didn't bother us, and we didn't bother them. We thought there was nothing to worry about. As a shoekeeper, I made enough money to get by. It wasn't the best job or pay, but I loved working with the other people that worked there- they were the best people they could be. I didn't live a fairytale life, but there wasn't anything I'd want to change about it.

I still remember the night when everything changed. There's no possible way to forget it. Nothing during the day would have suggested that my world would end. It seemed perfect- perfect weather, a good amount of sales, I never felt like anything was going to happen. When I headed back home, once, only once did I feel any sort of negative feeling. I thought I'd heard a rustle in the leaves. But of course, the wind blew right afterward, so I pushed the idea out of my mind. How I wish I hadn't done so.

"Hullo!" I chimed walking into the door my my house.

"Well, hello yourself." Susan greeted me with a kiss. Jack appeared out of nowhere, or so it seemed, and gave me a hug.

"How'd sales do t'day?" He asked. Bless his heart, he was only seven back then and he'd cared about the sales. I remember my wife and I laughing.

"Good today." I said. "How's dinner comming?" I asked.

"All ready." The answer came. After dinner when Jack was in bed, I myself was starting to get tired. I started to get ready for bed when I heard someone yelling outside. I walked toward the window and looked out. The natives were screaming and running through our streets, weapons in hand. I backed away from the window and ran into Susan.

"Whats going on?" She asked, fear penetrating through her voice.

"Go get Jack and both of you stay in the house." I said running toward the front door. I grabbed whatever I could get my hands on, tables, chairs, furniture, all of it baracading the door. I wasn't fast enough. The door bust down as I was stuggling to keep them out. They brutally pushed me out of the way and tied my hands behind my back. "NO!" I screamed as they began to search the house for anything they could get their hands on. I didn't care about my things; I didn't have many anyway. Susan and Jack were still here! A few minutes after their scavanging, They appeared with both of them, Jack thrown over their shoulder and Susan dragged behind. They threw my little son down on the dirt. He was covered in blood and not moving. He was dead. Tears began to fall from my eyes as I saw Susan. She was crying histerically and a lot of blood was comming from her as well.

"What have you done?!" I yelled at the men. They turned to me.

"It was done to our people when you came." They glared at me. "We are doing it to you." I had never expected them to be able to speak english.

"You can't do this!" I screamed again.

"We can and we will!" They retorted triumphantly. "Silence from you. Or you'll never speak again." I opened my mouth to yell at them, when a loud sob came from Susan. They glared down at her with a look of superiorty and then did the worst thing I could imagine. They began to beat her. Her body was already weak enough, and she began to bleed more from their work.

"STOP!" I yelled as they held me back. They ignored me and didn't stop until she stopped moving. She was gone...

"We told you not to talk." They spat at me. "You'll pay." One of them pulled out a knife, and those were my last words spoken.

That was twenty years ago. I'd tried so many ways to turn my life around and nothing had worked. Maybe pirate was the way to go...only one way to find out. Looking down at the paper I was about to sign, I noticed the captain's name. Captain Jack Sparrow. Jack. I missed my son. But there was nothing to do but go forward. I picked up the pen and slowly wrote my name. George L. Cotton.
"Thank-You." I said, staring at the parrot sitting on the man's shoulder. 'I wonder what his story is.' I couldn't help but think. 'It couldn't be worse than mine.' I thought sadly. Shaking my head, I brought myself back to the task at hand. "Who's next?" I asked.