A PIRATES TREASURE

Disclaimer:- POTC belongs to the Disney Corporation along with it's characters. I have no claim to any of their work and make no money out of my stories. I have introduced some characters that belong to me to fit with the story.

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A Pirates Treasure

Chapter 10

After an afternoon of lovemaking and promises from Jack that he would be back soon, although he really didn't want to leave her, he had reluctantly left and returned to The Pearl in readiness of her sailing on the evenings high tide.

Elizabeth was hastily dressing, her heart thumping in trepidation at Jack's reaction to what she was about to do. Grabbing the few remaining items that she needed to take with her, she hastened from the house, locking it securely behind her, and made her own way to the port. There were several ships finishing their preparations to make way and the area was bustling. Dressed as she was, in breeches, boots, shirt and jacket, with her hair secured under her tricorn hat, Elizabeth blended in perfectly and was confident that, as a result of the fight, with so many replacements on Jack's crew, she would be able to set her plan in place without being discovered, especially as it was rapidly growing dark. She took a deep breath to steady her shaking hands, grabbed a couple of stacked baskets from the small pile of items still to be loaded to obscure her face, hid her affects in one and boldly walked up the gangplank. Gaining the deck she peeped around them, and was relieved to see no-one who might recognise her. As far as she could see there was no sign of either Jack or Mr Gibbs, who, she surmised, must be in Jack's cabin making their final preparations.

She bolted across the deck to the stairs, plonked the baskets down, grabbed her possessions and descended into the sleeping quarters, which seemed to be empty, the men busy up on deck readying the ship. She knew that she would have to conceal herself well and stay hidden until they were far out to sea so that it was unlikely that Jack would turn around and bring her back. Being as quiet as she could, she continued her descent into the bowels of the ship, her passage being made extremely difficult by the darkness that closed in around her. Suddenly, she saw a light coming towards her and the sound of someone mumbling to themselves. She looked around, but in the clear companionway there was no hiding place. Quickly, she shot across into the large sleeping area and threw herself down in a tangle of filthy blankets, burying herself in them whilst attempting to hold her breath against the putrid smell that arose from them. She felt her stomach contract against the foul-smelling stench that rose up to engulf her. She lay as still as she could, willing the unknown crewmember to return to deck. She heard the man hesitate as he reached the open crew deck and stand still for long seconds. Finally, her heart racing, she heard him mutter, "Must've been rats." Before he continued to make his way up onto the deck above.

Elizabeth shook off the festering blankets and made her way, with more caution than before, into the deepest, darkest bowels of the ship, recognising all too well the scurrying and squeaking that she heard about her. Rats! It sounded like hundreds of them and her stomach turned, once again, at the thought of them. She had slipped aboard the ship the previous day, when she had told Jack that she would be at the market and had hidden some essentials to her plan in the hold, but she had seen no rats. Of course, she thought, it was daytime, they came out mostly at night so she wouldn't have been so aware of them. Her determination to succeed was now the only thing keeping her going and, as she reached the lowest point in the ship, she quickly made her way to where she had hidden her meagre supplies. Reaching around in the dark, she found a candle and lit it.

Her eyes widened in horror at the multitude of scurrying creatures that moved stealthily around the area. The candle was keeping them at bay for the present, but she knew that she couldn't keep it lit for fear of discovery. She noticed that they had already attacked the supplies she had brought down the previous day and not a crumb remained of the food she had stored away. Even the candles had been gnawed before being rejected. Plucking up her courage, she seated herself on the floor behind some barrels, shooing the creatures away as she did so, before blowing out the candle to conserve her only light and avoid detection.

Immediately, she sensed the animals close in, and shuddered as their squeaking recommenced and she felt the pressing of their hot bodies around her. Trying to ignore them, she complimented herself on her bravery and the fact that she had successfully carried out the first part of her plan. All that she had to do now was sit tight for a couple of days and she would be with Jack and, together, they could follow the map and discover the treasure. Pirates Treasure! She allowed her mind to wander, seeing again, the map and trying once more to make sense out of it. Slowly, though, her earlier exertions with Jack caught up with her and the darkness, along with the gentle rocking of The Pearl, eased her into a deep sleep.

When she woke, the ship rocked with a violence completely unlike the gentle sway that had lulled her to sleep. The hold was pitch black. Suddenly aware of the scampering creatures that roamed freely across her prostrate form, she quickly stood, dropping them to the deck as she did so and kicking out at them in a desperate attempt to rid herself of them. She felt around for her candle and the provisions she had brought with her. Gone! Everything was gone. She searched the area desperately, feeling her way in the blackness to no avail. The wretched beasts had taken everything. It was all probably inside their stomachs!

Frustrated and overwhelmed, she retreated back into her space behind the barrels and curled up into a ball, wondering why on earth she had hatched her plan in the first place before retreating back into the world of dreams.

As the hours passed, she became desperately thirsty, her parched throat burning with a need for water. Perversely, she thought, the barrels she was hiding behind probably held more water than she could drink in a month, but she had no way of opening them, no way of getting to the clear, fresh water within. Her mind started to wander, imagining herself drinking the pure, life giving liquid, bathing in it, watching it fall between her fingers. Idly, she scratched at her legs and arms, which burned where she had been bitten whilst sleeping and were now a source of irritation, aching and throbbing, demanding attention.

Over the following hours, Elizabeth became unaware of the passage of time, in her airless, rat infested hiding place, with no food or water; she started to slip in and out of consciousness, succumbing to the infected bites and the poison that was beginning to course through her body, imagining herself to be at home waiting for Jack to return.

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Oh…not such a well thought out plan after all!

What will happen next?

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