Chapter Six: Come To Us, Stay With Us
Jack closed the door behind him softly, hoping that she would finally get some rest. He stood outside the door for a moment, his hand remaining on the wood as if to go back inside. Sighing, he eventually walked away and went to begin the day.
The wind had apparently been strange last night, for the course of the ship had to be slightly corrected, but other than that the day was fairly uneventful. He went to check on Arianne a few times during the day, and was glad to find that she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. When he stroked hair back from her face and kissed her forehead she didn't even twitch an eyelash. A sure sign that she was far away from here, he thought with a smile.
He didn't know how right he was.
When the day began to wane and evening approached, Jack discovered that many of his crew were lagging in their assigned tasks. When asked why, they simply said that the heat must be getting to them, for indeed it was much hotter than usual on this near-autumn day. Many of the men were shirtless, their pants rolled up to their knees, and even Anna Maria had stripped to a shift--a dangerous thing indeed when on a crew of nearly all men. They were all gleaming with sweat.
Jack was still fully clothed, but the heat was beginning to get to him too, as though it was getting hotter instead of cooler with the coming dark.
He tried to rouse everyone with a hearty chorus of "A Pirate's Life For Me," but the normally cheering song seemed to drag on as if it were a dirge, and he gave up. Feeling the weariness seeping into his bones, he decided that it was time to stop for the day. No one was getting much of anything done, and everyone's feet were visibly dragging, their hands barely able to lift the slightest weight.
The anchor was released and everyone retired for the night--something Jack usually didn't allow, but this day he didn't have the heart to make anyone stay awake in the heat. There couldn't possibly be a ship--hostile or not--with a crew in any better shape than his.
When he entered the cabin, Arianne was still sleeping in the position he had last left her in. Barely able to move enough to slide out of his shirt, he flopped onto the bed, his arm around her, and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
For a while he was simply drifting in and out of a fitful doze. He was sweating with the intense heat and it was hard to get comfortable. When he finally wrapped his arms around Arianne, he found her to be not only dry, but slightly cool to the touch. Hardly able to process a thought with the haze of heat and weariness clouding his soul, he simply hugged her tighter to him. He vaguely felt that she twined her fingers with his--the only voluntary movement she had yet made--and then he was asleep.
When he woke--or thought he did, at any rate--he found himself to be sitting in the stern of a small boat. He realized that he must be in a dream. Clearing the haze that still seemed to surround him, he saw Arianne sitting in front of him, leaning forward in the boat as they approached the maw of a dark cave.
Fear took over him suddenly, and a strange sound escaped his lips. She turned to look at him, then, annoyance written over her features. As soon as she recognized him, however, annoyance turned to confusion, which then turned into what he guessed was supposed to be comfort.
"Nothing bad is going to happen to us, Jack," she said, but he heard another voice whispering into his ear.
Nothing will happen to you, the voice said, because she has chosen to keep you by her side. When she chooses otherwise, then will you suffer the fate so many before you have suffered.
He knew somehow that the voice was deadly serious, and this was no dream. This was dreadfully real. He reached out and pulled Arianne into his arms, as much for his own comfort as anything else. He needed to feel her, make sure she was real. He knew that to lose her would be to suffer a fate worse than death.
They drew nearer to the cave.
************************
Throughout the ship, the crew shared the same dream.
They were alone in absolute darkness, voices speaking around them, ethereal fingers touching them, stroking them as if in joy.
You have come to join us! they whispered. Come to us, stay with us.
As hard as they struggled, they could not break free of the frightening dream that held them. Though their bodies lay still, their spirits writhed in the terrifying grip of the monster that Arianne had been lucky enough to escape all these nights.
************************
She broke free of his arms to lean forward, taking one of his hands in her own. They were finally inside the cave. It was darker than pitch in here, but she strained forward anyway, trying to see the wonders that would surely come.
She felt a pang of irritation as Jack's fear grew to an almost tangible thing behind her. She turned to smile reassuringly at him and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back and smiled weakly, but she could tell it had done little to help him. She didn't understand why he was so afraid of a dream (albeit this one was more realistic in its odd way than most), but she kept holding his hand anyway.
Only when she turned to face forward again did she realize that she had been able to see his face. Looking about her, she saw that the walls around her seemed to be glowing a slightly bluish color. Looking down into the water, she breathed in astonishment and pulled on Jack's hand, pointing down into the waters with her free hand.
************************
When he looked over the edge, he saw sleeping faces that appeared to be lit from within by a luminescent blue light. He swallowed nervously, and Arianne shot him an odd glance. The voice whispered to him, telling him that this would be his fate when she let him go--and she would, the malevolent voice whispered joyfully. He shuddered and she looked at him again, her face wreathed in confusion at his reaction.
************************
She looked back to the gorgeous luminescent flowers beneath the water and was confused at Jack's horrified reaction. She had never seen flowers so beautiful, and when she reached over the side to pick one Jack grabbed her hand.
"What is the matter with you?" she asked with disbelief.
"Don't you see them?!" he exclaimed.
************************************************************************
Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehe, it has come to my attention that everyone hates the cliffhangers...I just can't help it! They're so damn fun! ;) I love you all!
Jack closed the door behind him softly, hoping that she would finally get some rest. He stood outside the door for a moment, his hand remaining on the wood as if to go back inside. Sighing, he eventually walked away and went to begin the day.
The wind had apparently been strange last night, for the course of the ship had to be slightly corrected, but other than that the day was fairly uneventful. He went to check on Arianne a few times during the day, and was glad to find that she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. When he stroked hair back from her face and kissed her forehead she didn't even twitch an eyelash. A sure sign that she was far away from here, he thought with a smile.
He didn't know how right he was.
When the day began to wane and evening approached, Jack discovered that many of his crew were lagging in their assigned tasks. When asked why, they simply said that the heat must be getting to them, for indeed it was much hotter than usual on this near-autumn day. Many of the men were shirtless, their pants rolled up to their knees, and even Anna Maria had stripped to a shift--a dangerous thing indeed when on a crew of nearly all men. They were all gleaming with sweat.
Jack was still fully clothed, but the heat was beginning to get to him too, as though it was getting hotter instead of cooler with the coming dark.
He tried to rouse everyone with a hearty chorus of "A Pirate's Life For Me," but the normally cheering song seemed to drag on as if it were a dirge, and he gave up. Feeling the weariness seeping into his bones, he decided that it was time to stop for the day. No one was getting much of anything done, and everyone's feet were visibly dragging, their hands barely able to lift the slightest weight.
The anchor was released and everyone retired for the night--something Jack usually didn't allow, but this day he didn't have the heart to make anyone stay awake in the heat. There couldn't possibly be a ship--hostile or not--with a crew in any better shape than his.
When he entered the cabin, Arianne was still sleeping in the position he had last left her in. Barely able to move enough to slide out of his shirt, he flopped onto the bed, his arm around her, and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
For a while he was simply drifting in and out of a fitful doze. He was sweating with the intense heat and it was hard to get comfortable. When he finally wrapped his arms around Arianne, he found her to be not only dry, but slightly cool to the touch. Hardly able to process a thought with the haze of heat and weariness clouding his soul, he simply hugged her tighter to him. He vaguely felt that she twined her fingers with his--the only voluntary movement she had yet made--and then he was asleep.
When he woke--or thought he did, at any rate--he found himself to be sitting in the stern of a small boat. He realized that he must be in a dream. Clearing the haze that still seemed to surround him, he saw Arianne sitting in front of him, leaning forward in the boat as they approached the maw of a dark cave.
Fear took over him suddenly, and a strange sound escaped his lips. She turned to look at him, then, annoyance written over her features. As soon as she recognized him, however, annoyance turned to confusion, which then turned into what he guessed was supposed to be comfort.
"Nothing bad is going to happen to us, Jack," she said, but he heard another voice whispering into his ear.
Nothing will happen to you, the voice said, because she has chosen to keep you by her side. When she chooses otherwise, then will you suffer the fate so many before you have suffered.
He knew somehow that the voice was deadly serious, and this was no dream. This was dreadfully real. He reached out and pulled Arianne into his arms, as much for his own comfort as anything else. He needed to feel her, make sure she was real. He knew that to lose her would be to suffer a fate worse than death.
They drew nearer to the cave.
************************
Throughout the ship, the crew shared the same dream.
They were alone in absolute darkness, voices speaking around them, ethereal fingers touching them, stroking them as if in joy.
You have come to join us! they whispered. Come to us, stay with us.
As hard as they struggled, they could not break free of the frightening dream that held them. Though their bodies lay still, their spirits writhed in the terrifying grip of the monster that Arianne had been lucky enough to escape all these nights.
************************
She broke free of his arms to lean forward, taking one of his hands in her own. They were finally inside the cave. It was darker than pitch in here, but she strained forward anyway, trying to see the wonders that would surely come.
She felt a pang of irritation as Jack's fear grew to an almost tangible thing behind her. She turned to smile reassuringly at him and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back and smiled weakly, but she could tell it had done little to help him. She didn't understand why he was so afraid of a dream (albeit this one was more realistic in its odd way than most), but she kept holding his hand anyway.
Only when she turned to face forward again did she realize that she had been able to see his face. Looking about her, she saw that the walls around her seemed to be glowing a slightly bluish color. Looking down into the water, she breathed in astonishment and pulled on Jack's hand, pointing down into the waters with her free hand.
************************
When he looked over the edge, he saw sleeping faces that appeared to be lit from within by a luminescent blue light. He swallowed nervously, and Arianne shot him an odd glance. The voice whispered to him, telling him that this would be his fate when she let him go--and she would, the malevolent voice whispered joyfully. He shuddered and she looked at him again, her face wreathed in confusion at his reaction.
************************
She looked back to the gorgeous luminescent flowers beneath the water and was confused at Jack's horrified reaction. She had never seen flowers so beautiful, and when she reached over the side to pick one Jack grabbed her hand.
"What is the matter with you?" she asked with disbelief.
"Don't you see them?!" he exclaimed.
************************************************************************
Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehe, it has come to my attention that everyone hates the cliffhangers...I just can't help it! They're so damn fun! ;) I love you all!
