Sparrow's Sorrow
Prologue

The broken shard cut deep into his finger. Looking down at the injury, Jack Sparrow winced at the pain. He bent over in the hot sun and picked up the discarded rum bottle. The opening was jagged and sharp. He blinked. The sun was so hot. Waves crashed around Jack. It was so loud. Blood slid down tanned skin, making the flesh even darker.
"Why is this bottle important?"
Whispered words drifted through air thick with salt. Messy accent. It wasn't always like that. Was it?
"I can't remember."
Wind jostled long, black hair. Never brushed, never washed.
Jack could feel smooth, deathly white hands glide across his oily face. He blinked. He was back on the sandy beach. No milky hands in sight. Jack twisted the green bottle around in his hands. He remembered taking the bottle with him. Away from the island. Jack didn't know why at the time, and he still didn't know. It seemed important.
"But why?"
Jack Sparrow knew he had a drinking problem, but why would he bring an empty bottle with him? What was it for? One drop of alcohol was left, nearly crusted at the bottom of the glass. Swirling it around, Jack turned the bottle upside-down and let the last of the alcohol drop into his dry mouth. It tasted bitter. It was good.
Blinking again, he shook his head. Gone were the days of the Black Pearl. Sunk to the bottom of the ocean, resting peacefully along with his mate, William Turner. The British dogs finally caught up with the captain and his crew. And that was that.
"And that was that."
Sitting under a palm tree, air seeped into his lungs. It made him sad. Thinking it was all over. Captain Jack Sparrow without his ship. Unheard of.
"But why the bloody hell do I have this bottle?!"
The glass landed ten feet away from where Jack sat, cracking against the impact. What is the point? No point in thinking about the stupid bottle. About the stupid rum. About Kath.
"About what? What did I say?"
The bottle reflected the ocean in its glistening sheen. The sun flashed a blinded spark against the curve of the glass.

And Jack blinked.