Chapter Twenty Eight – Dead Man's Soul
The sunset found Will and Elizabeth on the pier, saying goodbye to the Black Pearl and its occupants. Both hug Sarah tight, the uncomfortable threat of not seeing her again hanging in the air, even if not a single word had been said about it.
"Take care of her, Jack!" Will cried, watching the black ship go smaller in the horizon.
"She's with Captain Jack Sparrow, lad, no need ter worry!" came the answer through the wind.
888
It was very late in the night and everyone was already asleep in the Pearl. Everyone but Jack and Sarah, the later standing on the deck, glaring at the dark, peaceful waters. Jack walked towards her, hugging her from behind. He bit her neck softly.
"Aren't yeh sleepy?" he whispered, making her shudder.
"Nay…"
Jack smirked maliciously.
"Why don' we go to me quarters? I'm sure we coul' enjoy this lack of sleep…"
Sarah smiled. It did not matter how heavy her heart was, Jack could always make it lighter.
"What time's it?" she asked.
Jack produced a golden chain watch from one of his inner pockets.
"Midnight. Why?"
"It's bein' a month since I came…"
"Oh, that's true! Come, let's celebrate, I have some rum in me quarters." He exclaimed, pulling Sarah by the hand.
Sarah laughed and pulled Jack back to herself. She looked into his eyes, the words 'I love you' almost leaving her lips. She did not say it, though. She did not think he was ready for it, or if he would ever be. Instead, she kissed him deeply.
Suddenly, their kiss was interrupted by a blinding light, which made them instinctively cover their eyes with their hands.
"But what the hell…" Jack could not complete his sentence.
When he was able to open his eyes, he wished he had not done it. Standing before them, or rather, floating in midair, was no one less than Davy Jones! Or rather, his ghost.
"Been missin' me, Sparrow?" he spat the name.
Jack could regain his speech.
"W- what are yeh doin' here, yeh bastard? Yeh shoul' be dead!"
"Are yeh seein' me body, kiddo? O' course I'm dead, an' why? Because o' yeh, if yeh can remember. But o' course yeh can, yeh're very proud o' it, aren't yeh?"
"Why are yeh back, Jones, yeh don' wan' revenge, d'yeh?" Jack was not the bravest of all people…
"Nay, yeh bloody coward, me business's with the lady."
"Sarah?"
"Me?" Sarah looked puzzled.
"Aye, girl. I've helped yeh, now I came ter get me payment."
"Yeh haven' helped me!" cried Sarah.
"Oh, really? An' how's it that yeh suppose yeh got those pretty legs? It's me magic, lass."
Jack and Sarah looked at each other, their eyes widened.
"But she didn' promise anythin'!" Jack cried.
"So what? Everyone knows that if yeh get somethin' from Davy Jones, yeh've got ter pay back with yer soul. An' I've given this lass one whole cycle o' four moons fer her to enjoy bein' human. An' I must say she's really enjoyed it…" he smirked maliciously at Jack and Sarah.
"Yeh can't take her!" Jack's voice was desperate, as if all the rum in the ship was gone.
"Face it, Sparrow, the girl's mine. Or I should say… mermaid."
Davy Jones snapped his fingers, and the pain in Sarah's lower body came back, overwhelming. She fell on the floor, gasping and moaning in agony.
"What are yeh doin', Jones? Stop it!" Jack kneeled next to Sarah, trying to find the reason of her pain.
Unable to bear the pain, Sarah went unconscious.
"Sarah!" Jack took the inanimate body in his arms. "What have yeh done, yer bloody ghost? Have yeh killed her?"
Davy Jones laughed raspy.
"Nay, look again, Sparrow."
And to Jack's horror, Sarah's slender legs were being transformed into a big, blue fishtail.
"Yeh know, Sparrow, in the place where yeh sent me, her body'll have no use. So…"
Jones held his open hand in front of his chest and Jack watched terrified as something bright, pearly white started to leave Sarah's body. Then he realized, it was…
"Her soul! Stop it, bastard, or I'll kill yeh again!" Jack tried to hold the fluid energy in his hands, but he could not. It was like trying to hold water. The soul completed its way to Jones' hand, where it turned into a glittering, spinning apple-sized sphere.
"Give it back, Jones, right now!" Jack was standing, his face livid with fury.
Jones' eyes narrowed.
"What's happenin' here?" he murmured. "Is it possible that Captain Jack Sparrow is… in love?"
Jack did not answer. Jones laughed madly.
"For Black Beard's beard! This soul's much more valuable than I thought! I coul' never have imagined that by givin' that silly mermaid what she wanted I woul' have the chance to separate my murderer from his sweetheart. What a bargain!" He looked at Jack, an evil smile in his vaporous face. "Yeh can keep her body, Romeo."
Jones' ghost started to fade.
"Stop, Jones!" Jack cried. "Take…" Jack went mute, the words 'me instead' stuck in his throat.
Jones shook his fading head.
"Accept it, Sparrow. You'll never be able ter love someone more than yerself."
And then he was gone.
