Chapter four
Tia Dalma stood overlooking the open ocean as we left the port of Singapore.
"There is no place for Sao Feng to tremura. Do you think he will honor the call?" I ask her as I joined her.
"I cannot say," she says. Her reply sounding full of knowledge and foreboding. "There's an evil on dese seas that even the most staunch and bloodthirsty pirate 'ave come to fear."
I frowned and turned away. "But is there hope?"
"What do you think, Parvati?" she rebuked. "What do you see?"
"That just it," I sigh, "I can't see."
As the snow fell around us, I was brought back to some bittersweet memories of my short childhood in Romania.
"Mami! Come play!" I called over my shoulder to my mother. It was snowing again and I wanted to spend some time with my mother before she was enveloped in her shopping in the market.
"Not now, fiică. I've some important things to attend to." She smiled sweetly. "Go run along and catch up to Miranda."
"Yes, mami." But clever me hid in the shadows and watched.
The man she met with didn't speak Romanian well, and he spoke with an English accent. "Are you certain, Estrella?" he wondered in clipped Romanian.
My mother nodded. "Yes, Edward. She needs to be away from this life. Take her to her father."
"I have not seen Hector for three years now."
"Then find him, but take her with you."
The man sighed heavily. "Fine. I leave in one week's time. Do not forget."
I ran off to find my friend Miranda, not sure what to think of the conversation.
As I blinked back into reality, I snatched up my freezing monkey friend and sat down next to Pintel.
"Nobody said anything about cold," he complained.
"I'm sure there must be a good reason for our suffering," Ragetti assured.
"Why don't that obeah woman bring Jack back the same way she brought back Barbossa?" Pintel questioned.
"Because Barbossa was only dead," Tia scorned. "Jack sparrow is taken, body and soul, to a place not of death, but punishment. The worst fate a person can bring upon himself…stretching on forever. That's what awaits at Davy Jones' Locker." She walked away, fuming.
"Yeah. I knew there was a good reason," Ragetti said. After a moment he looked over to me. "How come you aren't freezing?"
I looked down at my attire, a tiny top that exposed my midriff and a thin flowing gypsy skirt. "One; I spent many winters in Romania dress more scantily than this. And two; I've given up hope for ever feeling again."
"Ah…"
I smiled and walked over to where Will stood as he looked at the charts.
"Nothing is set," I observed.
Will nodded. "These can't be as accurate as modern charts."
"No. But it leads to more places," Sao Feng's man said.
Will turned the circles to line up some writing.
"Over the edge. Over again," I read. "Sunrise sets. Flash of green." I looked to my father. "Care to interprete?"
"Ever a-gazed upon the green flash, Master Gibbs?" he asked.
"I reckon I seen my fair share," answered Gibbs. "Happens on a rare occasion. The last glimpse of sunset, a green flash shoots up into the sky. Some go their whole lives without ever seeing it. Some claim to have seen it who ain't. And some say…"
"It signals when a soul comes back to this world from the dead," Pintel interrupted.
Gibbs glared at him, upset he stole the story.
"Sorry," Pintel apologized.
"Trust me, Will," I say. "It's not getting to the land of the dead that's the problem. It's getting back."
Night is so pretty. It has to be my favorite time of day, when the crystal clear starry sky is reflected on to the smooth water. I briefly wondered at what would feel like if I could swim in the sky. Would you, could you, drown in the peacefulness of it? Or would it be like flying? Tia's locket way playing softly only adding to the mystery.
I was once told that the stars in the sky were held up by people of our past and that they were always watching over us, answering our prayers and keeping us from harm. I don't recall where I was at the time but the man that said it seemed to say a lot of knowledgeable things.
"For what we want most…" Tia said appearing next to me suddenly, "…there is a cost must be paid in the end."
I followed Will as took off towards the helm. "Barbossa, ahead!" he warned.
Father nodded. "Aye, we're good and lost now."
"Lost?" Elizabeth wondered.
"For certain you have to be lost to find a place as can't be found. Else ways everyone would know where it was."
"We're gaining speed," Gibbs announced.
"Aye," I said as chipper as I have ever been since the wedding.
"To stations!" Will ordered. "All hand to stations."
Within a minute every crew member was up and working to whatever Will was planning.
"Nay!" I called out, excitement clearly evident. "Belay that! Let her run straight and true!"
We were close, I could feel it. I was close to getting my Jack back.
Everyone ran to the bow to see the waterfall that marked world's end.
"You've doomed us all," Elizabeth blamed.
"Don't be so unkind," I snapped.
My father took her face in his hand. "You may not survive to pass this way again, and these be the last friendly words you hear."
Will managed to cause us to topple backwards over the edge.
Over my father's maniacal laugh, over the terrified screams of the falling men, over Tia Dalma's mutterings, one sound rang strong and true; the excited giggle that came from my smiling mouth.
A/n: Sooo, I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas! I know I did! I got a crap load of paint, a few pieces of 1D merch. and The Dark Night since I totally have developed an uncanny, unhealthy obsession with Heath Ledger's Joker. Such a shame he died filming the third movie. He was one of my favorite actors.
I've started just a little project with that... not too into it but it's in the whole pre-whatever stage. My brother likes it so far.
Anyways! I hope you remember that Fiica and Mami are Daughter and Mother, respectively.
Love you guys!
Lyra Raine Sparrow