Violet rowed a few more metres and then stopped. She set down her oars and
looked around with a sigh. Blue green water slapped the sides of the small
rowing boat, and salty spray covered her face and body. The water was as
flat as it ever got around this part of the ocean, and the horizon was
empty. There was but one boat that she could see, and that ship was hardly
worth bothering about. Tattered and falling apart, she was past her better
days. It's sails hung limply, the flag was torn and barely fluttered in the
gust. Violet imagined briefly that it was a pirate ship abandoned by her
crew in a storm that took them to their graves. She smiled, briefly. She
hated pirates.
Snapping out of her reverie, she looked to the task at hand. She took one end of the strip of grey sheeting and began to tie it tightly around the heavy rock balanced on the other bench. When the sheeting was firmly secured around the rock and there were only a few feet of it left, she tied a knot in it and turned her attention elsewhere. Holding her clothes between her legs to prevent them whipping around in the rough sea wind, she took a crude knife and stabbed it through the very lowest point of the boat, where mildew had begun to eat through the wood. The timber was soft and crumbled easily, and it took little energy to enlarge the hole until she could fit her fist through it easily. When she was satisfied, she paused to watch the water flow in for a few seconds, before standing up.
"Woah." She gasped softly; bringing her arms up to keep her balance on the rocking vessel. She took the remaining three feet of material and began looping it around her wrists, tying it tightly in place. Shaking her dress down so it hung properly, she picked up the rock and cradled it in her arms. Head stuck up in the air; she took a deep breath and one last look around her. She gazed at the tree's on the island behind her, at the water, still slapping away at the rowing boat, at the cloudless blue sky, it's bright sun heating up the Caribbean waters, water that hungrily lapped up the sun-bleached sand. Everything here orbited around the water and the sun. Sighing again she took one more shuffling step towards the edge of the boat.
"If I die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take, and if I wake before I die. I shall be annoyed." With one last upward look she stepped off the edge of the boat, plunging into the warm water. She sank quickly, letting go of the rock and allowing it to drag her down. She kept her eyes shut, trying to keep out the sting of the salty water. When the rock thudded down, she shuddered and breathed out all her air, happily letting her mouth fill up with cold liquid. Violet kicked her legs a few times and manoeuvred herself so she wasn't bobbing upside down. With her last bit of energy she picked up the rock and sat on the seabed, putting it between her legs so she was firmly anchored down, soft blonde hair floating around her face. She finally opened her eyes, looking up through the blue sea at the fractured sun. The last thing she saw before she slipped into darkness was her boat drifting into her line of sight and blocking out the sun, as glass tinkled in her ears and the strong grip of seaweed surrounded her.
*****
"Did you just see that?" the first mate narrowed his eyes and scanned the horizon.
"What Capt'n? I didn't see nought."
"That!" Captain Sparrow pointed wildly at a point on the water. There was a small boat, rocking on the waves caused by a large ripple. "Something just fell in the water, I think someone just plunged off that boat!" Jack narrowed his eyes and leant dangerously far over the railings of the ship.
"I think you'll find that was a fish jumping outta t' water, Capt'n." the man said, quietly and rather pompously, as though he thought Captain Sparrow had forgotten the basic rules of the sea, like the fact that it held fish.
"No you fool!" roared Jack, franticly pulling off his shoes and taking his guns out of his belt. "It was a woman! A woman just fell off the boat! And if we don't get her, she'll drown!"
The first mate grabbed Jack's arm, stopping him undressing. "Mebbe," he started, choosing his words carefully. "Mebbe, she didn't fall. Maybe she jumped. And if there's a woman jumping out t' boat, then mebbe, she doesn't want to be brought back up. Savvy?" the mate took his hand away and lowered his head, clasping his fingers in a prayer. "Sometimes is better to let these creatures drown, like the runt of a litter."
Jack seemed to consider this for a moment before slapping the first mate around the back of the head and diving off the side of the ship.
He swam out until he was near the boat and then took a deep breath, turning over and plunging down into the cold Caribbean under-waters.
He swam down for a while, and suddenly, out of the murky waters, a large white object loomed. Her body lay sprawled on the seabed, a rock lay on top of her, anchoring her to the floor. Her eyes were closed and her hair floated eerily around her face. In the water-dark, she seemed ethereal, her hands bound with grey cloth, her features blue and asleep. Jack searched his mind quickly, trying to remember if he had a knife to cut her binding with. He had a small blade in his waistcoat, and used his to cut the cloth near to the rock. Then he grabbed her waist and pulled, using his natural buoyancy to assist the climb. The rock slowly rolled off her dress, settling on the seabed in a cloud of rising dust. Jack put her arms around his neck and kicked upwards, striving towards the light of the surface.
Breaking the water with a grunt and a gasp, he swam further towards the little boat, cutting clumsily through the water while striving to keep her head above the sea. He grasped the wood only to feel it sink beneath his hand. A quick inspection showed a large hole in the bottom, letting in water fast.
"Ho! Captain!" Anamaria was rowing towards him in one of the Black Pearls small dinghies. "We saw her little craft letting in water and though you might need a hand." When Anamaria had the boat near to them, she hauled the unconscious body of the other woman over the edge and to safety.
Jack climbed in after her, spitting out a mouthful of salty water and wiping his hand across his eyes. They stung from the salt, and his hair hung heavy on his head. Lowering his head and rubbing his eyes again he picked up her body and bent her over the edge of the boat, slapping her back to try and get water out of her lungs.
"Captain, do you want we should fetch her things from her boat?" Anamaria queried, the oars lying across her lap.
"What things?"
"Well, there looks to be some personal effects in the boat, captain."
Jack looked towards the woman's boat, and sure enough, a small amount of debris littered the bottom of the waterlogged craft. A bundle of letters, a small cloth bag, and a large wooden box, all bearing the same emblem; a gold sword and silver sickle.
Snapping out of her reverie, she looked to the task at hand. She took one end of the strip of grey sheeting and began to tie it tightly around the heavy rock balanced on the other bench. When the sheeting was firmly secured around the rock and there were only a few feet of it left, she tied a knot in it and turned her attention elsewhere. Holding her clothes between her legs to prevent them whipping around in the rough sea wind, she took a crude knife and stabbed it through the very lowest point of the boat, where mildew had begun to eat through the wood. The timber was soft and crumbled easily, and it took little energy to enlarge the hole until she could fit her fist through it easily. When she was satisfied, she paused to watch the water flow in for a few seconds, before standing up.
"Woah." She gasped softly; bringing her arms up to keep her balance on the rocking vessel. She took the remaining three feet of material and began looping it around her wrists, tying it tightly in place. Shaking her dress down so it hung properly, she picked up the rock and cradled it in her arms. Head stuck up in the air; she took a deep breath and one last look around her. She gazed at the tree's on the island behind her, at the water, still slapping away at the rowing boat, at the cloudless blue sky, it's bright sun heating up the Caribbean waters, water that hungrily lapped up the sun-bleached sand. Everything here orbited around the water and the sun. Sighing again she took one more shuffling step towards the edge of the boat.
"If I die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take, and if I wake before I die. I shall be annoyed." With one last upward look she stepped off the edge of the boat, plunging into the warm water. She sank quickly, letting go of the rock and allowing it to drag her down. She kept her eyes shut, trying to keep out the sting of the salty water. When the rock thudded down, she shuddered and breathed out all her air, happily letting her mouth fill up with cold liquid. Violet kicked her legs a few times and manoeuvred herself so she wasn't bobbing upside down. With her last bit of energy she picked up the rock and sat on the seabed, putting it between her legs so she was firmly anchored down, soft blonde hair floating around her face. She finally opened her eyes, looking up through the blue sea at the fractured sun. The last thing she saw before she slipped into darkness was her boat drifting into her line of sight and blocking out the sun, as glass tinkled in her ears and the strong grip of seaweed surrounded her.
*****
"Did you just see that?" the first mate narrowed his eyes and scanned the horizon.
"What Capt'n? I didn't see nought."
"That!" Captain Sparrow pointed wildly at a point on the water. There was a small boat, rocking on the waves caused by a large ripple. "Something just fell in the water, I think someone just plunged off that boat!" Jack narrowed his eyes and leant dangerously far over the railings of the ship.
"I think you'll find that was a fish jumping outta t' water, Capt'n." the man said, quietly and rather pompously, as though he thought Captain Sparrow had forgotten the basic rules of the sea, like the fact that it held fish.
"No you fool!" roared Jack, franticly pulling off his shoes and taking his guns out of his belt. "It was a woman! A woman just fell off the boat! And if we don't get her, she'll drown!"
The first mate grabbed Jack's arm, stopping him undressing. "Mebbe," he started, choosing his words carefully. "Mebbe, she didn't fall. Maybe she jumped. And if there's a woman jumping out t' boat, then mebbe, she doesn't want to be brought back up. Savvy?" the mate took his hand away and lowered his head, clasping his fingers in a prayer. "Sometimes is better to let these creatures drown, like the runt of a litter."
Jack seemed to consider this for a moment before slapping the first mate around the back of the head and diving off the side of the ship.
He swam out until he was near the boat and then took a deep breath, turning over and plunging down into the cold Caribbean under-waters.
He swam down for a while, and suddenly, out of the murky waters, a large white object loomed. Her body lay sprawled on the seabed, a rock lay on top of her, anchoring her to the floor. Her eyes were closed and her hair floated eerily around her face. In the water-dark, she seemed ethereal, her hands bound with grey cloth, her features blue and asleep. Jack searched his mind quickly, trying to remember if he had a knife to cut her binding with. He had a small blade in his waistcoat, and used his to cut the cloth near to the rock. Then he grabbed her waist and pulled, using his natural buoyancy to assist the climb. The rock slowly rolled off her dress, settling on the seabed in a cloud of rising dust. Jack put her arms around his neck and kicked upwards, striving towards the light of the surface.
Breaking the water with a grunt and a gasp, he swam further towards the little boat, cutting clumsily through the water while striving to keep her head above the sea. He grasped the wood only to feel it sink beneath his hand. A quick inspection showed a large hole in the bottom, letting in water fast.
"Ho! Captain!" Anamaria was rowing towards him in one of the Black Pearls small dinghies. "We saw her little craft letting in water and though you might need a hand." When Anamaria had the boat near to them, she hauled the unconscious body of the other woman over the edge and to safety.
Jack climbed in after her, spitting out a mouthful of salty water and wiping his hand across his eyes. They stung from the salt, and his hair hung heavy on his head. Lowering his head and rubbing his eyes again he picked up her body and bent her over the edge of the boat, slapping her back to try and get water out of her lungs.
"Captain, do you want we should fetch her things from her boat?" Anamaria queried, the oars lying across her lap.
"What things?"
"Well, there looks to be some personal effects in the boat, captain."
Jack looked towards the woman's boat, and sure enough, a small amount of debris littered the bottom of the waterlogged craft. A bundle of letters, a small cloth bag, and a large wooden box, all bearing the same emblem; a gold sword and silver sickle.