Author's Notes: Just a very, very short piece I did after thinking about the umbrella in the water. If you can't guess what happens after, most of it involving Will, a chunk of deck, and an exploding ship; you're not too bright. This probably has many errors and is beyond pointless, but I'm posting it anyway. Probably complete, as it could stand alone. If I get all OC-ish I might make it a story later. Have fun.
The Umbrella In The Water
"Funny, I thought most people came to the Caribbean to be rid of fog!" Alice jested and smiled down at the young boy beside her. He didn't seem to find it so funny as he just stared up at her and then, a moment later, walked away to the other side of the ship. "Got to love long boat trips," Alice grumbled as she spun her parasol in her fingers. She opened it up on a whim and put it over her shoulder only to find, much to her dismay, that the light covering of the white, lacy object did nothing to keep the fog away from her fine and now rather puffy hair.
Alice peered out into the white expanse before her and curled up her nose slightly as she heard the faint patter of waves as they lapped up against a slow moving vessel. True the patter of waves against a hull wasn't something to strange to hear when one was on a boat, but it was something considerably odd to hear them so loud when one was on an anchored boat. Alice blinked and furrowed her brow slightly as she stared at the intangible but decidedly opaque fog. She let out a small gasp as she saw a fleeting shadow in the fog.
"It can't be…" Alice whispered and took a step back—her high-heeled shoe clacking lightly against the wood of the deck. "Pirates." She paled, dropped her umbrella, and ran with all the speed she could towards the ladders that led down into the ship. She stepped on the hem of her dress and tumbled forward before she got to the grate and in her fall she tripped the young boy—she'd not been able, for the life of her, to get his name out of him.
"Quickly." She very nearly picked the boy up as she scrambled to her feet. She ignored the ripped hem of her dress and took the boy—her hand wrapped around his head and holding him to her side in a most protective manner—below deck. Not a moment had passed since the two had been down below and the bell on deck rang as shots from muskets were fired. Alice gave a small yelp and pulled the boy, with her, towards the aft of the ship. Threw open a door and quickly found herself in the Captain's Cabin, a level or so below the deck of the merchant frigate they were traveling on.
"In here." Alice turned as they entered the room and found something resembling a closet that they could hide in. She pushed the boy in first and moved in second herself, before closing the door.
The ship shook as it was struck by cannonballs and troops of pirates stomped aboard. Gunfire clapped through the air and the stern windows shook so hard that a few of them cracked and shattered making the rest of the noise all too clear. Very quickly the voices of the pirates became louder. Alice clutched the boy to herself and looked down to see her hands shaking. He made a small noise and she could hear the voices getting louder. She knelt down in front of him and held her finger over his lips. He stared back at her with wide eyes and nodded. The sounds of the pirates were just outside the doors.
Alice was a female and, perhaps, that was the only reason that compelled her to do what she did. She wasn't brave, heaven's no—not around beastly things such as pirates—and she by no means knew how to fight. But, perhaps if the boy stayed silent and hidden behind the captain's spare coats and dingy linen then he wouldn't be found.
The doors crashed in and took in a sharp breath as the voices of several angry men filled the air. She groped blindly at the ground around her and found an old rusted telescope. The men stomped around the room and got just close enough that Alice had to shut her eyes. She looked at the boy and mouthed something to him—'Stay silent, stay safe.' Though he nodded she got the distinct feeling that he'd not understood at all.
The creaking of the floor was not just outside the door to the small closet and Alice was forced into action. She threw the door open as hard as she could and it struck the pirate that had been standing there hard enough to knock him back. She then dashed into the room and made for the door. She could hear the sounds of boots and lewd comments behind her as the three pirates that had been in the room followed her out the door. She'd just made it halfway down the hall when a shot rang out and she found herself falling.
Alice stumbled forward and, for some reason, her left arm from the shoulder down felt numb. It felt cold. She tried to run but her feet wouldn't obey her orders. She stepped on her right foot wrong and it crumpled beneath her sending her down on her face right in front of the stairs that led down to the powder magazine. The telescope she'd been holding flew from her fingers as they fell limp on impact and fell down the expanse above the stairs. Alice exhaled a shallow breath and watched, with clouded vision, as the telescope hit a table and knocked over a lamp. Alice's eyes went wide as she saw the lamp fall onto the floor. It shattered and sent both oil and fire all across the wood—towards the powder kegs.
"You men, back to the Pearl!"
Alice could only make out the voice of the pirate nearest to her. He stuck his pistol back into his wide belt and quickly moved back on deck with his friends. Alice tried to get up, but she couldn't manage to make any part of her move the way she wanted. She coughed and gritted her teeth together as her mind became aware of the pain in her arm. She screamed and pulled herself into a ball, but she couldn't get her right arm to reach her left shoulder—her motor skills were failing her in her shock.
The last things Alice saw before she blacked out from the pain of it were the blood on her dress, the purple color of her right leg, and the shocked face of the young dark haired boy she'd been trying, desperately, to protect. How her mind screamed warnings to him, but her mouth would not comply.
Then all was dark, and Alice knew no more for some great time.