Finally, 15th chapter! SOOOOO sorry it's been so long, and that this chapter's a bit short! But we're well on our way, so enjoy now!
***
THE TREASURE
I looked away. I didn't want to see Jack's expression, though I could easily imagine how it appeared.
A thought came to my mind at that point: Why do I care about what Sparrow thinks? After all, I'd never liked the man particularly, even though, sure enough, he'd saved me and taken care of me, he was still only after one thing - my father's "treasure". Why shouldn't I lie to Jack if it meant protection for my father?
Another movement caught my eye: It was father, he was moving closer to us. His body language hadn't changed much since the last time I'd seen him. He was still walking like a hunchback, almost crawling, with his hands holding tightly on to each other, as if it was dangerous to let go. The same hopeful, though slightly suspicious look in his eyes was so familiar I almost wanted to weep. He'd always had those eyes, although so much else of him had changed.
But the last thing I wanted was to get sentimental and cry in front of Jack. That would reveal so much more, and I was still hoping to get away, not even having to tell the story of daddy and his little treasure.
"Treasure?" Father's voice spoke again, and his gaze was fixed on Jack.
The pirate seemed unease, as if not certain where to look and how to act. It wasn't too surprising. Jack had to notice my father's strange behaviour, even if he was furious as hell, and maybe he found it difficult to response to it. That would have been understandable.
"No," my father whispered as he was less than three meters away from us, still looking hopefully towards Jack. "No, my little boy? Not my little boy any longer, but still my little boy...? Isn't it? Boy?"
Jack could do nothing but stare.
I had to do something. I knew dad's talk would make Jack understand. Understand what my father had become, why he was in hiding, why he called Jack "my little boy"...
I quickly got up from the floor and ran across the space to my father. I gently grabbed his arm and tried to calm him down. "Daddy?" I whispered.
His face slowly turned away from Jack to look at me. It was a look of amusement, and perhaps slight curiousity. "...Anne?" he whispered.
"No, daddy, not her," I said. "Me. Sally, do you remember?"
I felt Jack's gaze burn, he was clearly studying the situation, still without a word. I knew he was suspecting it by now, he had to be. He was smart, after all, I had to admit that.
"Anne?" my father said again with wide eyes. "Anne has changed, changed so much... She looks nothing like Anne, my little boy, and neither does he, oh no..."
"Daddy, calm down," I practically begged, tugging his arm. "There's nothing to worry about, really. Not Anne, and not the little boy. It's Jack, daddy. This is Jack Sparrow."
Father turned to look at Jack again, then shook his head. "Not a little boy any longer, and not mine... No treasure, no boy, just... Jack?" He tasted the word, as if it sounded impossible that this man's name was Jack. Or that Jack was even a word or a name at all.
"Yes, father, he is Jack, not the boy," I whispered, hoping Jack wouldn't pay too much attention to this conversation. "There is no boy no more."
"Why does Anne speak so sadly?" father whispered, staring about in the cave, as if longing for something to appear. "She has not come, has she? Oh no, it is all a lie, and I have no treasure! No treasure!" he screamed.
"Daddy, calm down!" I begged.
He looked at me. "Daddy?" he repeated, shocked. "You are no little boy."
I sighed, trying hard to fight the lust to break down and give up on the situation. "I know, daddy, I'm your little girl. Do you remember, Sally? Little Golden Sally?"
My father slowly sat down, leaving me standing as he hit the stone ground staring about in the cave, not particularly noticing neither me nor Jack anymore.
I hid my face in my hands for a second, trying to calm down. As I removed them, Jack had approached me and stood about an inch from my face. "THIS is your father?" he said.
"Yes," I simply replied.
Jack hesitated for a moment, glancing down at daddy for a second or two, then shaking his head as if he didn't believe it. Finally he said: "What's wrong with him?"
"He's not well."
"Not well? And what's that supposed to mean?"
"That he's not well! Lost his head! Off the hooks!" I cried, not caring whether or not my father heard what I said of him - he wouldn't understand it even if he did.
Jack hesitated again. "You mean he's... Not well?"
"Yes, exactly."
"How bad is not well is this case, Sal?" he said, speaking with a voice that sounded almost like a warning: If daddy wasn't capable of helping Jack find his long lost treasure, Jack wouldn't be merciful no more.
"Very bad," I replied, looking down at my father, who was now rubbing his hands together frantically and whispering a name and something I couldn't make out followed by a constant repeat of "my little boy".
"What you're sayin', is this," Jack said. "Yer old man is too mad to talk sense, and ya've dragged me through half the Caribbean for absolutely nothin'. Am I right?!"
"I didn't drag you no where!" I yelled. "I TOLD you it wasn't a good idea for ya to search out my father! Now you know why, Sparrow! Daddy's off the hooks, there's nothin' you can do about that! And I warned you!"
"Not about ol' George bein' completely beyond reason!" Jack cried, waving his hands in the air, which seemed to be something he did to control himself from waving them at me or my father in stead.
"I told you not to go lookin' for him!"
"But he is... mad!" Jack beamed, talking a few frantical steps about in the cave. "You could have told me that!" he added, pointing a threatening finger in my face.
"I didn't want to," I sighed. "Do you think I want the world to know my father's mad?!"
Jack calmed down for a second. "All right, wait. He's still babling on about the treasure. Maybe I CAN get some sense out of him, I think this Goldee family owe me that much."
I wanted to stop him, but before I could do anything Jack had gotten down on the floor next to my father and was talking to him, staring into his eyes eagerly. "Listen, Georgie. I know you're upset and not too well, and that's... too bad. But seeing as how this IS the case, you won't be needin' that treasure of yers now, do ya? So if you could just tell me where to find it -"
"Anne does not know!" daddy sighed, with tears in his eyes. "Anne does not know!"
"But if you tell me, I can tell Anne!" Jack insisted.
"Do you even know who Anne is?" I asked annoyed.
"Shut up," he whispered to me, and turned back to my father. "Let me tell Anne for you where this treasure is hidden! Where is it, Georgie? Go on, say it now!"
"Anne wanted to know, oh yes, she did," father went on. "But I could not tell her! She said yes to me, she really did! Agreed on everything, let me take such a nice treasure away! And I could not tell her anything!"
"I know where you get the fancy part of your talk, Sal," Jack commented to me. "Your father must have been a topping man once."
I sighed. "He was."
"Now Mister Goldee," Jack continued, "where's my treasure?"
Father's face turned and focused on Jack's. "YOUR treasure? No, he is only mine! My treasure! Only mine!"
That's when Jack noticed: "'HE is only mine'?" he quoted. "The treasure is a 'he'? Or is this possibly another one of yer father's imaginative little ideas?"
I sat down on the nearest chair, deciding to give up. I couldn't hide the secret now, Jack would never stop asking questions. It all traced back to the 'treasure', and Jack wouldn't rest until he knew that which there was to know about it. "Daddy's right on that, Jack. The treasure is a 'he'..."
"What are you talkin' about? It is then? Who is he? A wealthy man?"
"No," I replied. "It's all daddy has to hang on to. It's not a wealthy man or anything like that, it's simply his treasure. His son."
Jack stared at me for a second, then finally spoke definite: "You'd best better tell me about that, little Golden Sally."
I sighed.
Fine.
***
Right... Sorry it's so short, it's been a while! And I just needed to start a conversation and clear up what's wrong with Georgie-boy... But the next chapter will be a great one, so stay tuned!!! Please review!
***
THE TREASURE
I looked away. I didn't want to see Jack's expression, though I could easily imagine how it appeared.
A thought came to my mind at that point: Why do I care about what Sparrow thinks? After all, I'd never liked the man particularly, even though, sure enough, he'd saved me and taken care of me, he was still only after one thing - my father's "treasure". Why shouldn't I lie to Jack if it meant protection for my father?
Another movement caught my eye: It was father, he was moving closer to us. His body language hadn't changed much since the last time I'd seen him. He was still walking like a hunchback, almost crawling, with his hands holding tightly on to each other, as if it was dangerous to let go. The same hopeful, though slightly suspicious look in his eyes was so familiar I almost wanted to weep. He'd always had those eyes, although so much else of him had changed.
But the last thing I wanted was to get sentimental and cry in front of Jack. That would reveal so much more, and I was still hoping to get away, not even having to tell the story of daddy and his little treasure.
"Treasure?" Father's voice spoke again, and his gaze was fixed on Jack.
The pirate seemed unease, as if not certain where to look and how to act. It wasn't too surprising. Jack had to notice my father's strange behaviour, even if he was furious as hell, and maybe he found it difficult to response to it. That would have been understandable.
"No," my father whispered as he was less than three meters away from us, still looking hopefully towards Jack. "No, my little boy? Not my little boy any longer, but still my little boy...? Isn't it? Boy?"
Jack could do nothing but stare.
I had to do something. I knew dad's talk would make Jack understand. Understand what my father had become, why he was in hiding, why he called Jack "my little boy"...
I quickly got up from the floor and ran across the space to my father. I gently grabbed his arm and tried to calm him down. "Daddy?" I whispered.
His face slowly turned away from Jack to look at me. It was a look of amusement, and perhaps slight curiousity. "...Anne?" he whispered.
"No, daddy, not her," I said. "Me. Sally, do you remember?"
I felt Jack's gaze burn, he was clearly studying the situation, still without a word. I knew he was suspecting it by now, he had to be. He was smart, after all, I had to admit that.
"Anne?" my father said again with wide eyes. "Anne has changed, changed so much... She looks nothing like Anne, my little boy, and neither does he, oh no..."
"Daddy, calm down," I practically begged, tugging his arm. "There's nothing to worry about, really. Not Anne, and not the little boy. It's Jack, daddy. This is Jack Sparrow."
Father turned to look at Jack again, then shook his head. "Not a little boy any longer, and not mine... No treasure, no boy, just... Jack?" He tasted the word, as if it sounded impossible that this man's name was Jack. Or that Jack was even a word or a name at all.
"Yes, father, he is Jack, not the boy," I whispered, hoping Jack wouldn't pay too much attention to this conversation. "There is no boy no more."
"Why does Anne speak so sadly?" father whispered, staring about in the cave, as if longing for something to appear. "She has not come, has she? Oh no, it is all a lie, and I have no treasure! No treasure!" he screamed.
"Daddy, calm down!" I begged.
He looked at me. "Daddy?" he repeated, shocked. "You are no little boy."
I sighed, trying hard to fight the lust to break down and give up on the situation. "I know, daddy, I'm your little girl. Do you remember, Sally? Little Golden Sally?"
My father slowly sat down, leaving me standing as he hit the stone ground staring about in the cave, not particularly noticing neither me nor Jack anymore.
I hid my face in my hands for a second, trying to calm down. As I removed them, Jack had approached me and stood about an inch from my face. "THIS is your father?" he said.
"Yes," I simply replied.
Jack hesitated for a moment, glancing down at daddy for a second or two, then shaking his head as if he didn't believe it. Finally he said: "What's wrong with him?"
"He's not well."
"Not well? And what's that supposed to mean?"
"That he's not well! Lost his head! Off the hooks!" I cried, not caring whether or not my father heard what I said of him - he wouldn't understand it even if he did.
Jack hesitated again. "You mean he's... Not well?"
"Yes, exactly."
"How bad is not well is this case, Sal?" he said, speaking with a voice that sounded almost like a warning: If daddy wasn't capable of helping Jack find his long lost treasure, Jack wouldn't be merciful no more.
"Very bad," I replied, looking down at my father, who was now rubbing his hands together frantically and whispering a name and something I couldn't make out followed by a constant repeat of "my little boy".
"What you're sayin', is this," Jack said. "Yer old man is too mad to talk sense, and ya've dragged me through half the Caribbean for absolutely nothin'. Am I right?!"
"I didn't drag you no where!" I yelled. "I TOLD you it wasn't a good idea for ya to search out my father! Now you know why, Sparrow! Daddy's off the hooks, there's nothin' you can do about that! And I warned you!"
"Not about ol' George bein' completely beyond reason!" Jack cried, waving his hands in the air, which seemed to be something he did to control himself from waving them at me or my father in stead.
"I told you not to go lookin' for him!"
"But he is... mad!" Jack beamed, talking a few frantical steps about in the cave. "You could have told me that!" he added, pointing a threatening finger in my face.
"I didn't want to," I sighed. "Do you think I want the world to know my father's mad?!"
Jack calmed down for a second. "All right, wait. He's still babling on about the treasure. Maybe I CAN get some sense out of him, I think this Goldee family owe me that much."
I wanted to stop him, but before I could do anything Jack had gotten down on the floor next to my father and was talking to him, staring into his eyes eagerly. "Listen, Georgie. I know you're upset and not too well, and that's... too bad. But seeing as how this IS the case, you won't be needin' that treasure of yers now, do ya? So if you could just tell me where to find it -"
"Anne does not know!" daddy sighed, with tears in his eyes. "Anne does not know!"
"But if you tell me, I can tell Anne!" Jack insisted.
"Do you even know who Anne is?" I asked annoyed.
"Shut up," he whispered to me, and turned back to my father. "Let me tell Anne for you where this treasure is hidden! Where is it, Georgie? Go on, say it now!"
"Anne wanted to know, oh yes, she did," father went on. "But I could not tell her! She said yes to me, she really did! Agreed on everything, let me take such a nice treasure away! And I could not tell her anything!"
"I know where you get the fancy part of your talk, Sal," Jack commented to me. "Your father must have been a topping man once."
I sighed. "He was."
"Now Mister Goldee," Jack continued, "where's my treasure?"
Father's face turned and focused on Jack's. "YOUR treasure? No, he is only mine! My treasure! Only mine!"
That's when Jack noticed: "'HE is only mine'?" he quoted. "The treasure is a 'he'? Or is this possibly another one of yer father's imaginative little ideas?"
I sat down on the nearest chair, deciding to give up. I couldn't hide the secret now, Jack would never stop asking questions. It all traced back to the 'treasure', and Jack wouldn't rest until he knew that which there was to know about it. "Daddy's right on that, Jack. The treasure is a 'he'..."
"What are you talkin' about? It is then? Who is he? A wealthy man?"
"No," I replied. "It's all daddy has to hang on to. It's not a wealthy man or anything like that, it's simply his treasure. His son."
Jack stared at me for a second, then finally spoke definite: "You'd best better tell me about that, little Golden Sally."
I sighed.
Fine.
***
Right... Sorry it's so short, it's been a while! And I just needed to start a conversation and clear up what's wrong with Georgie-boy... But the next chapter will be a great one, so stay tuned!!! Please review!