Chapter 10

"Maggie! Maggie... Fine, Magdalena!" Jack called his sister to him. She had refused to move when he called her Maggie, it's was only when he said her full name that she reacted. She bounded over to him, she didn't need or think about asking him where they were going, there were limited places they could go on the ship, and she trusted her older brother to protect her.

He led her into the cabin. Their mother was there sewing up a tear that Magdalena had created in one of her 'nice' dresses. Little Leo was asleep in his cradle.

"Jack, play!" Magdalena tugged on his sleeve, pulling him towards her makeshift toys. (They had grown accustom to making their own toys out of bits and piece that they found or were given, they were never given new toys and had always had to improvise.) She picked up the several broken tankards and started to pile them on top of each other in a pyramid shape. Jack joined her piling the tankards on top of each other. They were stilling doing this when their father walked in.

Immediately Jack stopped playing.

If his father caught him playing he would be punished and he didn't want to feel the wrath of his father, not only would it hurt him but also Magdalena, who hadn't deserved such treatment.

Captain John (Johnny to most) was drunk. This wasn't unusual and everyone had learnt, especially Jack and Magdalena, to steer away from him when he was in this state. He walked into the room, steering round the cradle with centimetres to spare; he slammed his hands on the table and hung his head. He closed his eyes for a brief second. Eleanor looked up at her husband, she quickly realized that he was in a foul mood and decided it was better to leave him be.

Johnny Sparrow, despite being a good Captain and leader, was not a very pleasant man. The only person to be able to get along with him personally was Eleanor, and even then she found he would keep himself to himself and share nothing with her. His children cowered from him and so did the crew. For this reason he had become a successful captain, no one dared to question him.

Jack picked up a book from the shelf and tried on vain to read it. His mother had insisted on keeping a small library on the ship to satisfy her reading habits. Johnny had been sceptical about keeping books on the ship, but he had eventually given in and let her. Eleanor was the only Sparrow who could and enjoyed reading, Johnny couldn't read a letter and Jack had limited knowledge only stopped because he had no interest in it. Magdalena was too young to want to learn or to be taught, she liked looking at the pictures in the books and so it was figured that she would take after her mother with reading and of course little Leo could barely talk let alone read.

Magdalena continued to play with the tankards, she had been aware that her brother had left her to it and assumed that was something to do with him being 'too old' to play games. She pushed them all down, making a loud racket as she did so. She laughed as most of them managed to keep upright yet one rolled over and landed on Jack's foot. Jack picked it up and gave it back to her, out of the corner of his eye he peered at his father. The sound was starting to get to him, Jack could sense it.

Even Eleanor stirred when her husband moved towards the gun. Unlike her son, she hadn't made the connection between that and the noise of her daughter as she continued playing noisily with the tankards. She returned to her sewing with a little more attentiveness then she had been.

"Maggie, be quiet." Jack ordered his sister, she didn't respond to this and it didn't cross his mind that it was for the simple reason that she had been addressed by her full name.

"Maggie!" Jack tried to get her attention, keeping his voice hushed. After failing for the second time, Jack decided to do something that would make sure she was listening, take away what she was distracted by.

"Hey! Jack! Give it back!" Magdalena didn't use the hushed voice that her brother had used; she hadn't seen the need for it. She wanted her playthings back.

"SHUT THAT BLOODY CHILD UP!" Johnny Sparrow yelled. "OR I'LL DO IT MYSELF!" Johnny swivelled round and pointed his gun at Magdalena.

The six year old child, not knowing that her life was being threatened, carried on playing with her toys. She had managed to slide it out of her brother's hand while he was captivated by something that was over her shoulder. At first she took no notice of this and was happy to be able to get her playthings back, but she began to wonder what her brother was so interested in.

Curious she turned her small torso around so she too could see the interesting thing that Jack was looking at. She wasn't prepared for it to be a gun, pointing directly at her. Even at the tender age of three she knew what devastating effects a gun could have, especially when aimed in point blank range.

"NO!" Jack blurted out, standing up and pushing himself in front of his father and sister.

"Get out my way Jack!" Johnny yelled at his son.

Jack didn't move he stared straight into his father's eyes, refusing to obey.

"You might as well shoot me, it's the same thing." The eleven year old boy sounded all of a sudden much older. Having to live with the possibilities of these sorts of situations often make children grow up faster than they should. Jack had learnt quickly that he had to protect his sister, learning that both their lives depended on his ability to avert danger.

"Johnny, come away," Eleanor saw that she had to intervene, her husband was drunk and so goodness knows if he would have actually shot his own son, but she couldn't let the opportunity arise. She walked over to Johnny, putting her hand gently on his outstretched arm, lowering it slowly. Then calming sliding her arm around his shoulders, she led him away from their children.

Watching his parents walk off, Jack, knowing it was safe now, relaxed. He sighed, turning to his sister; he smiled and bent down to her level. The poor child looked terrified and he didn't blame her. He had been too. Hugging her tight, Jack lifted Magdalena in his arms and carried her out the room.

Outside, Jack plonked Magdalena down on a barrel. He was glad they were out of that environment, his mother could sort out his father and there was no risk to them.

"What'd yer wanna do?" Jack tried sounding cheerful, but his mind was still set on the previous few minutes.

"D'yer wanna go annoy Gibbs?" Jack suggested, Magdalena nodded, the colour returning to her cheeks. She smiled, the thought of annoying Gibbs having completely rewritten over the event. Jack wished he could do the same, but he was older, old enough to remember, old enough to never forget the happenings of that particular day.

Magdalena might forget, but Jack would never forget.

Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I was wondering whether anyone would like to see more of these flashback chapters?