Right! We've got yet another one, I felt a bit guilty for it taking so long on the last chapter I decided to make it happen a lot faster this time...
A comment to jenny: Yes, I've been inspired by "From Hell"... It's a great film, isn't it? ;)
***
BRINGING GEORGE OUT OF REACH
Jack scratched his head and took a glance over at my father. Dad was sitting calmly on the stone floor, rubbing his hands anxiously together, clearly in deep thought.
"He doesn't seem all that mad," Jack concluded.
"He isn't," I said. "Not really. He's just... changed."
"Well, one thing's for sure," Jack commented, "this explains the ridiculous way of speak you have about you. You get the fancy talk from yer father, and the scallywag-like talk from your mother." He stopped and looked at me. "Who was yer mother then? I take it it wasn't Anne?" he smiled.
"Of course it wasn't," I replied. "My mother was the nurse. The lady daddy hired to take care of his son. She'd just born a dead child, and was more than willing to take care of my half brother. She felt sorry for father. After all, he claimed to her he'd lost his wife while she was giving birth, and now he was all alone, just coming from England to raise his son in the Caribbean... Mum really liked him, and they formed a sort of relationship. I never got close to daddy though, not as close as Esteban did."
"Esteban? That's an unusual name."
"Daddy liked it. Esteban Goldee, he thought it sounded so... majestic. But it didn't matter, because Esteban changed his name when he was eighteen to avoid the Tinys, when they first came to the Caribbean. Father was never willing to do that, though."
"So let's see if I've got this straight," Jack said, standing up. "It's all been a total waste."
"I told you it would be."
"Fine, yeah. Now that's all right," he said, waving his hand assuringly to me. "But what's NOT all right, is the company we've got on the outside of this little cave here. Watson and his little crew of Tinys are probably running all over the island as we speak. Which is the real problem: I'm stuck here for who knows how long with you and your insane father."
I glanced over at dad. He was rubbing his head now, frantically, and his gaze seemed fixed on something that wasn't even there. I knew I'd never fully get used to his behaviour. I remembered how he'd been when I was younger, so strong and reliable and, well, sane. But I think the insanity developed when he lost contact with Esteban.
My brother had gone off out at sea while I was still working in Tortuga. Father was always travelling, trying ot avoid any confrontation with the Tinys. But he'd still always return to Tortuga to try and meet up with Esteban whenever he could. However, after Esteban started sailing out frequently, they rarely ever saw each other. And slowly father began to believe his son - his treasure - had abandoned him.
The fact that he had me, his daughter, always present in Tortuga, didn't seem to matter... At some point he stopped coming as often as before - he'd only show up every sixth month or so to inform if he'd moved to another island, in case Esteban came and asked for him. I guess it was the way things had to be. My father wasn't as depended on me as he was on Esteban, it would always be like that. I'd accepted it.
Still, the fact that I was the one who was chased all over Caribbean, the one who had to take care of father AND face the trying Jack Sparrow, wasn't what I thought of as fair.
Jack dug through a few maps and books on my father's desk, but seemingly, he found nothing of interest. Finally he turned back to me and said: "What will you do now then, Sally?"
"I don't know," I finally said. "Stay here, I guess, and take care of daddy. I can't be no where else, Watson'll be searchin' the Caribbean for me forever. He know me by apperance now, same goes for Hearst. They'll never stop looking, I'm sure."
"Ssh!" Jack suddenly said, freezing his movements and staring about in the cave.
"What?" I whispered, standing up.
"Ssh," he said again.
We were silent for a while, then I heard it too. It was the sound of boots hitting rock. Then a few, silent voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
"It's Watson," I whispered. "It has to be."
Jack nodded. "They've found the cave..."
I took a deep breath. I knew this cave well enough to know there was only one way out - and no chance to remain unseen in it if they decided to search the whole place.
I looked at my father again. They would find him. But how much they ever tried, they'd never get any sense out of him, and they'd never learn any information on my brother. They'd torture my father for sure, practically kill him, and still learn nothing. They would make his last few living months hell, I knew it. There was no avoiding that.
"We've got an advantage," I whispered. "Because we're in the middle of the forest, most likely there won't be more than two or three Tinys to deal with - I doubt they sent a lot of them through the trees."
"That's true," Jack said. "But they'll still know where your father's hiding, won't they?"
That was true. And at that point, a solution came to my mind, a horrible one. But it was possibly also the only one...
Could I be considering this? It was horrible! Inhuman! But the best thing to do, everything considered, I decided. But I would be needing Jack's help. At this point, I wasn't sure if he would provide it. It would be a crazy thing to ask for, especially after he'd learned he'd gone through all this trouble only to learn that the 'treasure' is a twenty-one year old man named Esteban.
I turned to Jack and caught his eye.
"What?" he finally said.
"I've got a favour to ask," I whispered.
He frowned, curiously. "What?"
"I want you to shoot my father," I said.
Jack's look stayed upon me, and he didn't speak for a short while. Finally he managed to produce a slight smile, followed by two words: "Why, exactly?"
"Because I don't want them Tinys getting' their hands on him," I said angrily. "They know where he's hiding now. And he's too off the hooks to be able to find a new hiding place even if we do get away from them, something which I highly doubt. They'll bring his life to ruins, the last part of his life. Now, he's sad, but he'd got happy memories and he's, well, free. If they get to him... I think it's better for him to die than to face the duke. Do you see what I'm sayin'?"
Jack stroke his beard, considering. "Why, yes, I do," he said. "And it's a fine idea. But why would you ask me to shoot the old man?"
"Because I couldn't stand to do it myself," I said. "That's obvious... If you kill him - that'll be all right. You're a pirate, Jack, you practically kill for a living!"
"Hm."
"And it would all seem better if you did it than I, I mean, his own daughter can't kill him now, can she?"
Jack glanced over at my father, who was still playing with his own hands. "George," Jack said. "Would you prefer it if I didn't kill you?"
"Anne is laughing now, isn't she?" my father replied, staring dreamingly back at Jack. "She is happy, is she not. With George, but not with George! And the treasure is lost, to her and to George... To me!"
"He doesn't seem to mind," Jack commented, turning to me. "But I'd hate for a fine lass to dislike me for shooting her father."
"I wouldn't dislike you, I'm ASKING you to do it!" I said angrily, hearing the sounds of the Tinys approaching closer for every moment. "Please, it would be like freeing him, wouldn't it?"
"You say you won't hate me for it, so I believe ya," Jack said, and pulled his pistol out of his belt. "You'd better not see this, love, so turn away."
I turned my back to him before I had a chance to regret my awful decition. Had it been the right one? What if we'd managed to escape upon the Tinys, and get father away to some safe refuge? What if I'd given up on him and his hope to easily?
A bang silenced my thought.
I could hear my father's body his the hard stone floor, and Jack put away his pistol.
He'd shot my father.
He'd shot my father.
Jack Sparrow had shot my father.
Had I asked him to do something to terrible? Something so awful and mean, had I asked the pirate to kill my own father? It was impossible.
My head was spinning. I couldn't focus. I think Jack was talking to me, but I had no idea what he said. It was all as in a mist, and I turned around only to realize the one thing that was clear and visuable in it was my father's dead body. My feet were about to fail me.
But then I heard a very familiar voice: "At last, we found you once again. The party has finally come together now, has it not, Sally?"
The duke Watson.
***
Right... A bit short, but hey, that happens... Reviews, please?
A comment to jenny: Yes, I've been inspired by "From Hell"... It's a great film, isn't it? ;)
***
BRINGING GEORGE OUT OF REACH
Jack scratched his head and took a glance over at my father. Dad was sitting calmly on the stone floor, rubbing his hands anxiously together, clearly in deep thought.
"He doesn't seem all that mad," Jack concluded.
"He isn't," I said. "Not really. He's just... changed."
"Well, one thing's for sure," Jack commented, "this explains the ridiculous way of speak you have about you. You get the fancy talk from yer father, and the scallywag-like talk from your mother." He stopped and looked at me. "Who was yer mother then? I take it it wasn't Anne?" he smiled.
"Of course it wasn't," I replied. "My mother was the nurse. The lady daddy hired to take care of his son. She'd just born a dead child, and was more than willing to take care of my half brother. She felt sorry for father. After all, he claimed to her he'd lost his wife while she was giving birth, and now he was all alone, just coming from England to raise his son in the Caribbean... Mum really liked him, and they formed a sort of relationship. I never got close to daddy though, not as close as Esteban did."
"Esteban? That's an unusual name."
"Daddy liked it. Esteban Goldee, he thought it sounded so... majestic. But it didn't matter, because Esteban changed his name when he was eighteen to avoid the Tinys, when they first came to the Caribbean. Father was never willing to do that, though."
"So let's see if I've got this straight," Jack said, standing up. "It's all been a total waste."
"I told you it would be."
"Fine, yeah. Now that's all right," he said, waving his hand assuringly to me. "But what's NOT all right, is the company we've got on the outside of this little cave here. Watson and his little crew of Tinys are probably running all over the island as we speak. Which is the real problem: I'm stuck here for who knows how long with you and your insane father."
I glanced over at dad. He was rubbing his head now, frantically, and his gaze seemed fixed on something that wasn't even there. I knew I'd never fully get used to his behaviour. I remembered how he'd been when I was younger, so strong and reliable and, well, sane. But I think the insanity developed when he lost contact with Esteban.
My brother had gone off out at sea while I was still working in Tortuga. Father was always travelling, trying ot avoid any confrontation with the Tinys. But he'd still always return to Tortuga to try and meet up with Esteban whenever he could. However, after Esteban started sailing out frequently, they rarely ever saw each other. And slowly father began to believe his son - his treasure - had abandoned him.
The fact that he had me, his daughter, always present in Tortuga, didn't seem to matter... At some point he stopped coming as often as before - he'd only show up every sixth month or so to inform if he'd moved to another island, in case Esteban came and asked for him. I guess it was the way things had to be. My father wasn't as depended on me as he was on Esteban, it would always be like that. I'd accepted it.
Still, the fact that I was the one who was chased all over Caribbean, the one who had to take care of father AND face the trying Jack Sparrow, wasn't what I thought of as fair.
Jack dug through a few maps and books on my father's desk, but seemingly, he found nothing of interest. Finally he turned back to me and said: "What will you do now then, Sally?"
"I don't know," I finally said. "Stay here, I guess, and take care of daddy. I can't be no where else, Watson'll be searchin' the Caribbean for me forever. He know me by apperance now, same goes for Hearst. They'll never stop looking, I'm sure."
"Ssh!" Jack suddenly said, freezing his movements and staring about in the cave.
"What?" I whispered, standing up.
"Ssh," he said again.
We were silent for a while, then I heard it too. It was the sound of boots hitting rock. Then a few, silent voices, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
"It's Watson," I whispered. "It has to be."
Jack nodded. "They've found the cave..."
I took a deep breath. I knew this cave well enough to know there was only one way out - and no chance to remain unseen in it if they decided to search the whole place.
I looked at my father again. They would find him. But how much they ever tried, they'd never get any sense out of him, and they'd never learn any information on my brother. They'd torture my father for sure, practically kill him, and still learn nothing. They would make his last few living months hell, I knew it. There was no avoiding that.
"We've got an advantage," I whispered. "Because we're in the middle of the forest, most likely there won't be more than two or three Tinys to deal with - I doubt they sent a lot of them through the trees."
"That's true," Jack said. "But they'll still know where your father's hiding, won't they?"
That was true. And at that point, a solution came to my mind, a horrible one. But it was possibly also the only one...
Could I be considering this? It was horrible! Inhuman! But the best thing to do, everything considered, I decided. But I would be needing Jack's help. At this point, I wasn't sure if he would provide it. It would be a crazy thing to ask for, especially after he'd learned he'd gone through all this trouble only to learn that the 'treasure' is a twenty-one year old man named Esteban.
I turned to Jack and caught his eye.
"What?" he finally said.
"I've got a favour to ask," I whispered.
He frowned, curiously. "What?"
"I want you to shoot my father," I said.
Jack's look stayed upon me, and he didn't speak for a short while. Finally he managed to produce a slight smile, followed by two words: "Why, exactly?"
"Because I don't want them Tinys getting' their hands on him," I said angrily. "They know where he's hiding now. And he's too off the hooks to be able to find a new hiding place even if we do get away from them, something which I highly doubt. They'll bring his life to ruins, the last part of his life. Now, he's sad, but he'd got happy memories and he's, well, free. If they get to him... I think it's better for him to die than to face the duke. Do you see what I'm sayin'?"
Jack stroke his beard, considering. "Why, yes, I do," he said. "And it's a fine idea. But why would you ask me to shoot the old man?"
"Because I couldn't stand to do it myself," I said. "That's obvious... If you kill him - that'll be all right. You're a pirate, Jack, you practically kill for a living!"
"Hm."
"And it would all seem better if you did it than I, I mean, his own daughter can't kill him now, can she?"
Jack glanced over at my father, who was still playing with his own hands. "George," Jack said. "Would you prefer it if I didn't kill you?"
"Anne is laughing now, isn't she?" my father replied, staring dreamingly back at Jack. "She is happy, is she not. With George, but not with George! And the treasure is lost, to her and to George... To me!"
"He doesn't seem to mind," Jack commented, turning to me. "But I'd hate for a fine lass to dislike me for shooting her father."
"I wouldn't dislike you, I'm ASKING you to do it!" I said angrily, hearing the sounds of the Tinys approaching closer for every moment. "Please, it would be like freeing him, wouldn't it?"
"You say you won't hate me for it, so I believe ya," Jack said, and pulled his pistol out of his belt. "You'd better not see this, love, so turn away."
I turned my back to him before I had a chance to regret my awful decition. Had it been the right one? What if we'd managed to escape upon the Tinys, and get father away to some safe refuge? What if I'd given up on him and his hope to easily?
A bang silenced my thought.
I could hear my father's body his the hard stone floor, and Jack put away his pistol.
He'd shot my father.
He'd shot my father.
Jack Sparrow had shot my father.
Had I asked him to do something to terrible? Something so awful and mean, had I asked the pirate to kill my own father? It was impossible.
My head was spinning. I couldn't focus. I think Jack was talking to me, but I had no idea what he said. It was all as in a mist, and I turned around only to realize the one thing that was clear and visuable in it was my father's dead body. My feet were about to fail me.
But then I heard a very familiar voice: "At last, we found you once again. The party has finally come together now, has it not, Sally?"
The duke Watson.
***
Right... A bit short, but hey, that happens... Reviews, please?