In Jail
That evening, Jack sat in a prison cell. Marana shared the cell with him, because she had technically been helping a pirate. They sat opposite each other, refusing to make eye contact. Over in the next cell, the other prisoners held a bone through the bars. A dog stood in front of the cell, holding the keys in his mouth. They whistled and snapped and persuaded, but the dog stood his ground and refused to budge.
"You can keep doing that forever. The dog is never going to move." remarked Jack, pulling his hat down over his eyes.
"Oh, excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet." they went back to pursuing the dog. Marana shifted across the bench so she was next to Jack. She said quietly, "I'm sorry I got you into this, Jack." He lifted her chin so her eyes met his.
"It's not your fault, love. Actually, it's mine. I never should have let you stay with me. Look where it's landed you." He gestured around the cell. He took off the hat and set it down beside him. "We're set to be hanged at dawn, Miss Lark." She removed his hand from her chin and touched his cheek.
"Jack, please just call me Marana."
"Marana…that's such a lovely name." He gazed admiringly into her eyes. She smiled sweetly, bringing her hand back.
Then there was a booming sound coming from the bay. It sounded like cannon fire. Jack jumped up onto the bench. "I know those guns." Marana jumped up next to him. She gazed out at the black ship firing on the town. "It's the Pearl." he smiled.
"The Black Pearl?" one of the prisoners in the next cell leaned against the bars that separated them. "I've heard stories. She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years…never leaves any survivors." Jack turned to face him.
"No survivors? Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?" The other man looked confused.
For a while, all of them just stared out at the bay, watching various buildings get destroyed or at least damaged. Then a cannonball crashed right into the cell. Jack grabbed Marana and jumped back. They were showered with bits of stone. Unfortunately, the hole made by the canon was in the other cell, so they could escape but not Jack or Marana.
"My sympathies, friend, you've no manner of luck at all." the prisoners said to them as they climbed through the hole. Jack sadly looked out at the bay again. The cannons continued firing, as well as the ones from the fort.
Jack knelt against the bars and grabbed the bone, which was lying in the other cell. He stuck it through the bars and whistled. The dog got up and slowly stepped towards the cell. Just as Jack was about to grab the keys from him, there was a crashing sound from the stairs. The dog ran off, and two redcoat bodies crashed to the landing, followed by two armed pirates. One of them, called Twigg, said disappointedly, "This ain't the armory!"
The other pirate, Koehler, sheathed his sword and walked up to the cell. "Well, well, well, look what we have here, Twigg: Captain Jack Sparrow." He spat in the dust.
Twigg grinned. "Last time I saw you, you were all alone, on a godforsaken island, shrinking into the distance." He added to his companion, "His fortunes aren't improved much."
Jack just smiled and replied, "Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen. The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers…and mutineers." Suddenly Koehler reached into the cell and closed his hand around Jack's throat. The part of his arm that was in the moonlight had turned to rags and bones. Jack stared at it. "So there is a curse…that's interesting."
"You know nothing of Hell." said Koehler with clenched teeth. He released Jack and went back up the stairs, followed by Twigg. When they were gone, Jack looked at the bone and mumbled, "That's very interesting.