First off, I'd like to say that originally this was a one-shot but Genevieve05 put the idea of continuing into my head. So, here goes the next chapter!

Thanks so much to Ditte3, Genevieve05, and Telcontar Rulz for reviewing! You guys made my day!

Chapter 2: Black Sails and Whelps

Yesterday was a horror.

Mum says that sometimes. I think it means that she didn't like the people she saw 'cause she never says that when it's just me and her and Bettie…well, 'cept when I played pirates with her best jewelry.

I don't think she understood very well that pirates need treasure and shiny things to hide. I tried to tell her but she told me in her angry voice that, 'little boys don't steal."

Then she sent me outside. She does that when I've been naughty.

I didn't mind much though 'cause I went down to the beach. That's my most favorite place to play. Sometimes when I get there are little fishies stuck on the sand and I help them get back into the water.

Mum doesn't like fish very much. I showed her one once and her face went all green. I didn't understand that very much.

But today went I got to my beach, the one Mum and I play at, I saw something. And do you know what it was?

I saw a ship.

It was big, with even bigger black sails, which is funny 'cause I've only ever seen white sails on a ship in my picture books. I was gonna run back and tell Mum but I heard something behind me.

When I turned, I saw the most strangest man. He had those black smudges around his eyes, like the bad women Mum doesn't like me to be around, wear. When he moved he jingled like he had a string of bells tied to him. He had big wide eyes that made my tummy go all nasty and I didn't want supper anymore.

"An' you are?" he wrinkled his nose at me. I didn't understand that though. Mum made me take a bath the night before.

I didn't answer at first but I didn't want to be disrespectful so I told him what Mum is always telling me. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

The man grinned all big and wide at me. I didn't understand that either. I hadn't said anything funny. "I'm not 'xactly wot you'd call a stranger to your 'Mum', savvy?"

"What would she call you?"

"An old friend."

"Oh." I paused and bit at my lip. "Then I think I can talk to you."

The man dipped his squashed hat at me and moved past me in his tippy walk.

Since I could talk to him, seeing as he wasn't a stranger anymore, I trotted after him. "Is that your ship?"

The man stopped so fast that I bumped into his back which wasn't very nice of him and I think Mum would have told him to 'pay more attention to where his feet were going'. He spun and put his face real close to mine. "The Pearl isn't just any ole ship. It's freedom, aye?"

"Why does it have black sails? The ship Mum used to own had red sails but she says that everybody else's has white sails."

The man's big black eyes got all squinty. "What's your name, whelp?"

"Willie."

"Is that so…"

"Yes sir, that's what my mother named me." A thought struck me. "Don't you have a name?" Maybe that's why he looked so strange. His mother had never named him.

"'course I have a name. Ever'body has a name."

"Nu-uh."

"Yes-huh."

"Nu-uh."

"Yes-huh."

This had to be the most weirdest grown up person I'd ever talked to. Most grown up people get mad and red-faced when you argue but this person didn't. "Nu-uh. My Mum said that some people can't sign their names so they put an 'x'. I think that means that they have no name."

The man's mouth was open but no sound came out. It snapped shut with a popping sound. "Go home."

"I can't. Mum sent me outside to think about what I did."

He started to walk away and I followed. Mum always makes me stay behind her when we go to market so I don't get lost. Maybe he was doing the same thing.

"Do you know what I did?"

He jumped a little, like I'd scared him, and stopped walking. He turned back around and, with the same tone that all big people use when they don't really want to know, asked, "Wot did you do?"

"I played pirates."

The man snorted.

"Have you played pirates before?"

The man looked like he got ants in his pants for a minute. "Not 'xactly."

He started to walk again and so I followed again. This time he wasn't very scared when I followed.

"Mum says that I should stay away from pirates 'cause most of them do mean things."

He didn't say anything for a little while after that and I thought it was boring just sitting and thinking. Something came to mind that I bet that man couldn't do and so I told him. "I can spell my name. Can you?"

"Oi, whelp, I've gotta get back to me ship."

"Why?"

"I've got lots of things to be doin', None of which involve the likes of you, savvy?"

"What's that mean?"

"Wot?"

"Savii. What's that mean?"

"It's savvy."

"That's what I said." Couldn't this big person hear right?

"Nah, it's pronounced, savvy, savvy?"

"Savii."

The man huffed.

"What it's in that?" I pointed to the tall bottle in his hand. I'd seen them before in Bettie's kitchen but she said that it was 'a sin of the flesh'. I don't know what that means though and Mum made a funny choking sound when I asked her about it.

"This 'ere is what keeps the world from turning sour."

"Like milk?"

"Wot?"

"Milk goes sour. I've had it before." I told him seriously. "I spitted it out and Mum had to clean it all up."

"Well, you soun' like just a bundle of fun."

"Mum says that sometimes."

"Hmm." He started swaggering down the beach and when I followed him he stopped. I was getting tired of him doing that and I was about to tell him that but he spoke before I did.

"Shoo." He made the motion Bettie does when she wants me to leave.

"Why?"

"I'm going that way." He pointed to the ocean where the ship was. "You're going that way." He pointed back to my house.

"But Mum-"

"You tell your Mum that ole Captain Jack says that the whelp says 'ello and sends his love and all that carbuncle."

I didn't know what to say to that so I just watched as he took two steps down the beach. He suddenly turned and looked at me with those wide eyes. I think he wanted to know if I'd follow. But he stopped faster than Mum and my nose hurt from running into his back.

"Hmph." And then he sauntered off.

When Mum called me back into the house I told her what the strange man had said, even the hard 'c' word. Her hand went over her mouth and her eyes looked out at the ocean.

"Are you sure, Willie? He said that?"

I nodded.

"The whelp?"

I nodded again.

Then she smiled real bright and disappeared into her bedroom.

I still don't understand why that made her so happy. But if she's happy then I guess I'm happy too.

TBC...