Shipwreck or The chances a Commodore and a Pirate can survive a deserted spit of land and each other Chapter 12

Shipwreck or The chances a Commodore and a Pirate can survive a deserted spit of land and each other

Chapter 12

"Commodore, I'm gonna go rrr…rekerrr……racker…..rrrr…" Jack stumbled over the word and was interrupted with a snort, a rolling of eyes, and an oh please look as James said, "Reconnoiter I believe is the word you are so helplessly struggling to find Captain."

Jack looked at James with a smile and a flutter of fingers in his face, "Aye, that's the one! I'm gonna go do some of that very thing what you just said." He stood up and started off, then paused and turned, "Commodore, while I'm gone you'll not be doing anything….." Again he was interrupted by a huffy James, "Stupid? I hardly think I am the one we have to be concerned with doing anything that would in any way remotely qualify as that Captain."

"Be back before ya know it Commodore." Jack said as he turned once again to leave. As he walked away he smiled when he heard James mutter, "I can hardly wait."

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James sat patiently, for a while, waiting for Sparrow to return. After going through six or eight sea faring songs several times in a low tone and tiring of that, he spent the time looking up at the sky. In his head he went through the constellations several times along with the myths attached to each, and then went over the names of each of the stars that were visible. As he named the last one he raised his hand to point, as if to emphasize he had gone through them all. It took him a moment to realize there was something rather big and long crawling up his arm and that it was not just a shadow. He jumped up, bumping his injured leg in the process, let out a curse as the pain shot through him, and began trying to shake the thing off his person, unsuccessfully. The thing was clinging to him as if it had every right to be there and had no intention of leaving. He was up out of the depression now swatting at the thing and still not being able to remove it, in fact he thought there were sharp little pin prick like feelings where the thing's legs were attached, as if it had made up it's mind to hold on for the duration. He tried to grab it and pull and it held on tighter as it waved some ominous looking spine coming off what was apparently its aft end around at his hand. He gave up on that strategy and started to look around him for some manner of stick or the like to pry it from his arm. That's when the second shock of the past few minutes struck him. As he watched the ghostly apparition float towards him he forgot all about the thing on his arm. He stood there mesmerized, unable to move, his mind fighting with it's self as to whether he was actually seeing what he though he was seeing, or perhaps had been bitten by the thing on his arm and was under some hallucinating effect from the venom. Then the ghostly apparition reached out for him and James was sure his heart had beaten its last.

"Oye! Here Commodore, allow me ta assist ya in removin that direly dreadful creepy crawlin cringer from yer arm." Jack deftly grabbed the thing by the head, peeled it off James' arm and gave it a toss.

James stood there, still unable to move, still trying to process the fact that it was that bloody pirate standing in front of him and not some incorporeal being from the grave. When his senses did return he punched Jack in the nose, or where he supposed his nose would be if it wasn't covered, as was the man's whole body, by what James now recognized as sailcloth.

"What'd ya do that for?" Jack said in a high pitched nasally pouty whine as he grabbed his nose through the sailcloth. "I just saved yer life no doubt."

"Indeed! That was for causing me to almost suffer a cardiac arrest." James said as he straightened to as much of his normal Commodore-ly stance as he could and glared at Jack.

"Well Commodore, if you have any more of them little buggers on you, which as you more n likely do seein as ya coulda been sittin in a whole nest of 'em, don't be countin on me ta be gettin 'em off ya afor they bite ya. It won't kill ya but dependin on the area they was ta be bitin it will surely more 'n get yer attention if ya get me meaning here." Jack said still sounding nasally and pouty as he waved his sailcloth covered hands about in agitation.

James did get his meaning and suddenly felt like there were hundreds of the things crawling about on his body. He started to pat himself down just to make sure there weren't. Luckily for Jack he hadn't removed his ghost costume and his smile went unnoticed by the intently patting Commodore.

When James was pretty much satisfied there were none of the creatures lurking on or in any nook or cranny or other part of his person he turned to Jack, who had now discarded the sail, and asked in a rather still perturbed tone, "Just what is it you are doing traipsing around in that….sail?"

"All part of me plan Commodore." Jack replied with a smile and a wave at the sailcloth lying on the ground beside him.

"You will of course explain." James said with a raised eyebrow.

"Though you'd never ask mate….er Commodore." Jack said as he leaned over and fluttered his fingers in James' face, and then stood there smiling.

"Well?" James said after a moment or two.

Jack looked at him a bit puzzled and then with an expression on his face that said it just dawned on him what the Commodore was waiting for he started in with much fluttering of fingers and flopping of hands, and rocking back and forth on his heels, "Oh aye, the explainin. Well ya see Commodore, I've had the fortuitous fortunes ta have traveled about the world, or a goodly part of it, a bit in me life, and seein as we are without blade or pistol, or any other manner of weapon that might be the least helpful in our present circumstances I was havin ta ponder on just what we could use ta alleviate our mutual problem as it were. Now in those aforementioned travels, with the open mind I always try ta carry with me, unlike certain others that may be present here at this very time who don't do likewise, it came to my attention that most places have their myths and legends and such attached to them, course some are of the much more interesting variety than others but no accountin for taste or what yer ancestors may have come about and upon that impressed…or menaced 'em enough ta be passin on down the line concernin such ya see. Now the knowin of this little tidbit is most helpful in our present circumstance seein as we know they are here and they, at least till they stumble upon our camp, which by the way they haven't yet, or at least when I gathered me stuff from the camp and made a little reee…rek…er that thing I was doin around ta see, and headed back here they hadn't yet, seein as they stopped where they beached their canoes and last I saw of 'em they was all gathered around in a circle chantin and dancin and such. So ya see Commodore it's all good." He ended with a flourish of his hands towards James.

James stared at him. He was seriously thinking about punching the man again. It must have shown on his face because Jack took a couple of steps back, ready to duck if necessary, and said as innocently as possible, "What?"

"In all that babbling you just inflicted upon me you explained nothing."

"I'm sure I did Commodore, if you'd been listening." Jack said cocking his head to the side, an innocent look still on his countenance.

"It amazes me that you would expect anyone with any sense at all to listen to that amalgamation of drivel you just spewed out." James snipped.

"Can't help it if ya didn't appreciate me explanation Commodore. After all it's me what came up with the plan." Jack said poutily.

"I doubt it's a very good plan at all if you can not explain it any better than that Captain, in fact I doubt you came up with a plan at all." James said sarcastically.

"Did too." Jack said still pouting.

"Indeed!" James replied sourly.

To Be Continued

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