Gold Chains
By: Melanie
The Annoying Little Evil Writer Girl
Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean belongs to Disney, Inc. and whoever else has movie claims to the story. Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, and Johnny Depp are not mine - unfortunately - so don't come 'round my house looking for them.
Reason for this: The first time I saw this movie, I had one burning question: Why don't they acknowledge the fact that when the curse is lifted, Bootstrap Bill drowns? I asked my best friend this and she, having seen it once already, exclaimed that that had also irked her. I mean, I know there wasn't much time to fit but don't you think someone would have mentioned it? So now we have this. It's not exactly what I had had in mind, but it came out just nicely.
~*~
The moment I saw Elizabeth Swann, I knew she was definitely not the owner of the Aztec gold amulet she once wore. I had recognized it immediately. The coin was nothing special, just one of hundreds identical to it, but the chain I knew - knew very well indeed. It used to have a gold bead with a black sparrow on it; I had had it specially made.
I had worn the chain for sixteen years, never taking it off, before I finally gave it away. Years ago, a young man joined my crew on the Black Pearl with out even a pirate name for himself. He was fair and slim and smiled in a way no pirate ever had. The man, a full ten years my junior, was new to a ship; that much had been obvious. He had fathered a son, he told me, but did not care for women, least of all the mother.
I took no notice of his words; many a man has told me of his dislike for women one moment and then bought himself a whore's services the next. As the weeks wore on, however, I began to realize that his statement should have been taken at face value. He never took on whores at port, always taking the first lookout when we docked. The man was no more interested in women than a bartender was in a poor man.
I, myself, was known to bed my share of young men, though my count of women was at least twice as high. I had always tried to keep a distance from my men, but I could not ignore the man for long. In less than a month, he found his way into my bed and onto my list of unpaid conquests.
He soon frequented my chambers as many nights as possible. Each time we came to port in a town, he would be gone longest of my men. I later found that he was sending home valuables and money to his son and the mother to live on. He was a good man indeed.
It had been only four months that I sailed the Pearl as captain with that crew. I had been in bed alone one night when he came in and submitted to me. Before he left my chambers, I gave to him the chain. A week later I saw my ship sail away from me. I was left standing on a beach with a pistol, my effects, and a gold trinket with the initials 'WT' inscribed on it. That trinket still hangs in my hair to this day. It took young William Turner - or Bootstrap Bill, as the others called him - mere weeks to get into my bed and a mere two months to get into my heart. Though I hated to admit it, I loved him.
After a decade, I can still remember the look in his eyes as I was left stranded; he had loved me, as well. I had never before, nor ever after, felt the same way about another human being. I had always believed that a pirate like myself gets one heart, and once it is stolen or given or broken, that's it. Nothing more.
Now, as I sail to my death - my hanging upon arrival - I realize that I was wrong. I had given my heart to William - he stole it, rather - years ago, but still I can feel it breaking into pieces as the younger Will tells me of his father's fate. I can only imagine what my William felt, lying at the bottom of Davy Jones' Locker, when the curse was lifted. Such pressure is enough to kill him, as if his lack of air wouldn't have done it first. I look at Will with Elizabeth and I am glad that I never told him about his father and me. Considering how hard it was for him to come to terms with his father being Ol' Bootstrap Bill the pirate, I can only imagine his reaction to this. After all my adventures, maybe dying won't be so bad; at least my William is waiting for me.
~fini~
By: Melanie
The Annoying Little Evil Writer Girl
Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean belongs to Disney, Inc. and whoever else has movie claims to the story. Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, and Johnny Depp are not mine - unfortunately - so don't come 'round my house looking for them.
Reason for this: The first time I saw this movie, I had one burning question: Why don't they acknowledge the fact that when the curse is lifted, Bootstrap Bill drowns? I asked my best friend this and she, having seen it once already, exclaimed that that had also irked her. I mean, I know there wasn't much time to fit but don't you think someone would have mentioned it? So now we have this. It's not exactly what I had had in mind, but it came out just nicely.
~*~
The moment I saw Elizabeth Swann, I knew she was definitely not the owner of the Aztec gold amulet she once wore. I had recognized it immediately. The coin was nothing special, just one of hundreds identical to it, but the chain I knew - knew very well indeed. It used to have a gold bead with a black sparrow on it; I had had it specially made.
I had worn the chain for sixteen years, never taking it off, before I finally gave it away. Years ago, a young man joined my crew on the Black Pearl with out even a pirate name for himself. He was fair and slim and smiled in a way no pirate ever had. The man, a full ten years my junior, was new to a ship; that much had been obvious. He had fathered a son, he told me, but did not care for women, least of all the mother.
I took no notice of his words; many a man has told me of his dislike for women one moment and then bought himself a whore's services the next. As the weeks wore on, however, I began to realize that his statement should have been taken at face value. He never took on whores at port, always taking the first lookout when we docked. The man was no more interested in women than a bartender was in a poor man.
I, myself, was known to bed my share of young men, though my count of women was at least twice as high. I had always tried to keep a distance from my men, but I could not ignore the man for long. In less than a month, he found his way into my bed and onto my list of unpaid conquests.
He soon frequented my chambers as many nights as possible. Each time we came to port in a town, he would be gone longest of my men. I later found that he was sending home valuables and money to his son and the mother to live on. He was a good man indeed.
It had been only four months that I sailed the Pearl as captain with that crew. I had been in bed alone one night when he came in and submitted to me. Before he left my chambers, I gave to him the chain. A week later I saw my ship sail away from me. I was left standing on a beach with a pistol, my effects, and a gold trinket with the initials 'WT' inscribed on it. That trinket still hangs in my hair to this day. It took young William Turner - or Bootstrap Bill, as the others called him - mere weeks to get into my bed and a mere two months to get into my heart. Though I hated to admit it, I loved him.
After a decade, I can still remember the look in his eyes as I was left stranded; he had loved me, as well. I had never before, nor ever after, felt the same way about another human being. I had always believed that a pirate like myself gets one heart, and once it is stolen or given or broken, that's it. Nothing more.
Now, as I sail to my death - my hanging upon arrival - I realize that I was wrong. I had given my heart to William - he stole it, rather - years ago, but still I can feel it breaking into pieces as the younger Will tells me of his father's fate. I can only imagine what my William felt, lying at the bottom of Davy Jones' Locker, when the curse was lifted. Such pressure is enough to kill him, as if his lack of air wouldn't have done it first. I look at Will with Elizabeth and I am glad that I never told him about his father and me. Considering how hard it was for him to come to terms with his father being Ol' Bootstrap Bill the pirate, I can only imagine his reaction to this. After all my adventures, maybe dying won't be so bad; at least my William is waiting for me.
~fini~