Disclaimer: I don't own any of the PotC characters, only the ones that I make up.
Notes For The Reader: This is set in England so if some of the details don't make sense to you, do some research or something ;o)
-
Pirate Dreams
Chapter 1
A tall black haired girl in her late teens threw down her bag on her bed, and then followed suit, flopping her arms over the sides and nuzzling her soft pillow sleepily. It had been the hardest day of her life – two essays, a practical and many lessons comprised of her furiously trying to scribble down what the teachers were saying. She wiggled to pull the bag out from where it was poking her in the hip.
The problem was, Caris was smart and had decided to take as many science subjects as she could whilst at college. Now she was in her final term and found herself doing Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths as A levels. Work had never dragged her down, she had never let it, so all she could complain about was how tired she was. Occasionally she found herself longing for the weekend on a Monday afternoon, but scolded herself for being lazy. Now, however, it was Friday, and Caris wasn't going to let anything get between her and her local, the Pipe and Compass.
Well, maybe she'd have a quick nap first.
No sooner had she closed her eyes was she dreaming. She was in a dimly lit tavern full of old men and women. As she looked around she saw one or two young faces, but they were covered in dirt and grease. Not a single person was dressed in normal clothes, but looking down at her own attire, Caris realised that she must be the only one that didn't fit in there. It was a noisy place. Somewhere beyond Caris' field of vision a band was playing what sounded like folk music, but it was smothered by the sounds of laughing and shrieking.
She was sitting at a table in the darkest corner of the tavern. No one was paying her any attention, and to a certain extent, Caris was glad. The small amount of light came from candles and torches in wrought iron holders dotted around the tavern walls. A thick layer of smoke hung around the low ceiling, but through it Caris could make out a few pictures. Apart from that the walls were bare plaster that at one time would have been described as white. However, smoke, liquor and bodily fluids had long since stained it a mottled dark grey/tan colour.
All of the furniture was made of wood and looked like it was centuries old. Around the walls were long benches and the centre of the room was full of tatty, three-legged stools. The table at which she sat was empty except for a small pile of wax left from a burnt out candle.
"Well, well. Now where did you come from?" a slightly slurred, slightly husky mans voice said from next to her.
She turned to face a young man with long black dreadlocks and a thin but well-defined face. Holding back his hair was a red bandana and in his hand was a tankard of what Caris presumed to be beer, however her nose disagreed – the mans whole presence stank of ale.
"I didn't see you come in." He said after a swig of whatever was in the tankard. The man had a southern accent that Caris couldn't place, but it could have just been the effects of too much booze.
"So." Caris replied calmly.
"So... what's a strangely dressed beauty such as yourself doing here, eh?"
Caris smiled at the stranger, "I came for a drink."
"Now that..." the man swayed back on his stool, as if about to fall off, but landed against the wall behind him, "...I find hard to believe. Are you in the navy?"
Caris looked down at her clothes. All she was wearing was jeans and a plain black t-shirt. She sniggered, then laughed out loud at the suggestion. She decided to play along since it was only a dream.
"As a matter of fact, I just quit." She said. The man swayed forwards and leaned his elbows on the table, raised his eyebrows and nodded at what she was saying, wanting her to continue. "Too many chauvinists with more money than brains, thinking they are gods gift because they have a big sword and a fancy hat."
The stranger threw his head back, laughing, and swayed back to rest against the wall again.
"So, where are you from, my dear?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow, his head lolling from side to side slightly.
"Buy me a drink," Caris said boldly, "and I may just tell you."
The man turned to the bar and shouted something loud and slurred at the man serving there. The man ignored him, he obviously hadn't heard. Frowning, the dreadlocked man stood, bracing himself against the table with one hand, and the wall with the other.
"Hey!!" he shouted as loud as he could. The bar keeper looked up and nodded in his direction, so he swayed back to the table and sat down, almost missing the chair.
He looked across to where the strange girl had been, but she was gone.
-
"Caris, Caris..."
Someone called to her as they shook her shoulder. Caris lifted her head off the pillow and half opened her eyes. Her mum was shaking her gently with one hand, and in her other hand she held the phone. "It's Sarah." she said handing the phone to her.
"Hello?" Caris said, trying to wake herself up.
"Aren't you coming?" her friends voice said. There were voices and music in the background. Caris looked at the clock. 6:45
"Shit, sorry. I fell asleep." she explained.
"No excuses!" Sarah yelled back at her and cheering followed from, who Caris knew were all of her other friends, waiting for her at the Pipe and Compass.
"Ok, ok. I'll be there in 10 minutes." Caris said, hung up, pulled her shoes on, grabbed a jumper and left for the pub, which was a 5 minute walk away.
-
"Your punishment for almost standing us up is to get the next round." Sarah exclaimed as Caris arrived at the pub to find them sitting at their usual table in the corner farthest from the door. Caris noticed how similar it was to the dark corner of the pub she had dreamed about. The lights were dotted around the place in clusters of two or three, there were candles on every table, many of which had burnt out, and the walls were void of any decoration except a few pictures of ships and the sea. The ceiling was low and was supported by black beams of old driftwood.
Caris and her friends always sat in the back room where the darts board and bar billiards table were. It was never as crowded as the main room. Caris reckoned this was because all the younger punters wanted to be by the juke box and all the older punters wanted to be closer to the bar. All the regulars had their own places where they always sat, and most of the non- regular customers only stopped by for a short time.
Caris and her friends visited the Pipe and Compass at least once a week. They were all friends with the landlord, who overlooked the fact that they were all 17 when they first started visiting the pub. Now they were in their second year at college and were all old enough to drink there legally. Although they all agreed it wasn't as much fun as when they had been underage, but that didn't stop them meeting in their usual spot every week to get completely ratted.
They all laughed as loudly as they could. John had just tipped his glass up too far and had splashed it over his face and shirt. Caris looked at her watch. 11:28.
"Almost last orders, guys."
"I'll have another then, cheers Caris."
"Hey! No way, I've already got a round in. It's your turn, Sarah."
"What, no way."
The rest of the group started giving Sarah their orders. Caris looked around the back room. In the corner opposite them sat a man, shadows covered his face but by the light coming from their table, she could see long black dreadlocks draped over his shoulder.
"You're closest, Caris." Sarah thrust a 20 into her hand and pushed her out towards the bar.
"What does everyone want?"
They all shouted their orders at her again. She waved her hand at them and turned towards the bar again. The corner where the man had been seemed darker than before. She stopped mid step and stared at it.
"What are you doing?" Kim yelled at her.
Caris turned back to the table. "I thought I saw someone there"
Kim picked up an empty packet of crisps and threw it into the corner where Caris had been looking. It bounced on the wall and landed on the seat where Caris had been looking. The darkness seemed to become lighter and Caris could see that the corner was now empty, whether it had been empty before or not.
Some of her friends started singing the x-files theme. Caris rolled her eyes, shook her head and went to the bar.
-
by Astramina
Notes For The Reader: This is set in England so if some of the details don't make sense to you, do some research or something ;o)
-
Pirate Dreams
Chapter 1
A tall black haired girl in her late teens threw down her bag on her bed, and then followed suit, flopping her arms over the sides and nuzzling her soft pillow sleepily. It had been the hardest day of her life – two essays, a practical and many lessons comprised of her furiously trying to scribble down what the teachers were saying. She wiggled to pull the bag out from where it was poking her in the hip.
The problem was, Caris was smart and had decided to take as many science subjects as she could whilst at college. Now she was in her final term and found herself doing Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths as A levels. Work had never dragged her down, she had never let it, so all she could complain about was how tired she was. Occasionally she found herself longing for the weekend on a Monday afternoon, but scolded herself for being lazy. Now, however, it was Friday, and Caris wasn't going to let anything get between her and her local, the Pipe and Compass.
Well, maybe she'd have a quick nap first.
No sooner had she closed her eyes was she dreaming. She was in a dimly lit tavern full of old men and women. As she looked around she saw one or two young faces, but they were covered in dirt and grease. Not a single person was dressed in normal clothes, but looking down at her own attire, Caris realised that she must be the only one that didn't fit in there. It was a noisy place. Somewhere beyond Caris' field of vision a band was playing what sounded like folk music, but it was smothered by the sounds of laughing and shrieking.
She was sitting at a table in the darkest corner of the tavern. No one was paying her any attention, and to a certain extent, Caris was glad. The small amount of light came from candles and torches in wrought iron holders dotted around the tavern walls. A thick layer of smoke hung around the low ceiling, but through it Caris could make out a few pictures. Apart from that the walls were bare plaster that at one time would have been described as white. However, smoke, liquor and bodily fluids had long since stained it a mottled dark grey/tan colour.
All of the furniture was made of wood and looked like it was centuries old. Around the walls were long benches and the centre of the room was full of tatty, three-legged stools. The table at which she sat was empty except for a small pile of wax left from a burnt out candle.
"Well, well. Now where did you come from?" a slightly slurred, slightly husky mans voice said from next to her.
She turned to face a young man with long black dreadlocks and a thin but well-defined face. Holding back his hair was a red bandana and in his hand was a tankard of what Caris presumed to be beer, however her nose disagreed – the mans whole presence stank of ale.
"I didn't see you come in." He said after a swig of whatever was in the tankard. The man had a southern accent that Caris couldn't place, but it could have just been the effects of too much booze.
"So." Caris replied calmly.
"So... what's a strangely dressed beauty such as yourself doing here, eh?"
Caris smiled at the stranger, "I came for a drink."
"Now that..." the man swayed back on his stool, as if about to fall off, but landed against the wall behind him, "...I find hard to believe. Are you in the navy?"
Caris looked down at her clothes. All she was wearing was jeans and a plain black t-shirt. She sniggered, then laughed out loud at the suggestion. She decided to play along since it was only a dream.
"As a matter of fact, I just quit." She said. The man swayed forwards and leaned his elbows on the table, raised his eyebrows and nodded at what she was saying, wanting her to continue. "Too many chauvinists with more money than brains, thinking they are gods gift because they have a big sword and a fancy hat."
The stranger threw his head back, laughing, and swayed back to rest against the wall again.
"So, where are you from, my dear?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow, his head lolling from side to side slightly.
"Buy me a drink," Caris said boldly, "and I may just tell you."
The man turned to the bar and shouted something loud and slurred at the man serving there. The man ignored him, he obviously hadn't heard. Frowning, the dreadlocked man stood, bracing himself against the table with one hand, and the wall with the other.
"Hey!!" he shouted as loud as he could. The bar keeper looked up and nodded in his direction, so he swayed back to the table and sat down, almost missing the chair.
He looked across to where the strange girl had been, but she was gone.
-
"Caris, Caris..."
Someone called to her as they shook her shoulder. Caris lifted her head off the pillow and half opened her eyes. Her mum was shaking her gently with one hand, and in her other hand she held the phone. "It's Sarah." she said handing the phone to her.
"Hello?" Caris said, trying to wake herself up.
"Aren't you coming?" her friends voice said. There were voices and music in the background. Caris looked at the clock. 6:45
"Shit, sorry. I fell asleep." she explained.
"No excuses!" Sarah yelled back at her and cheering followed from, who Caris knew were all of her other friends, waiting for her at the Pipe and Compass.
"Ok, ok. I'll be there in 10 minutes." Caris said, hung up, pulled her shoes on, grabbed a jumper and left for the pub, which was a 5 minute walk away.
-
"Your punishment for almost standing us up is to get the next round." Sarah exclaimed as Caris arrived at the pub to find them sitting at their usual table in the corner farthest from the door. Caris noticed how similar it was to the dark corner of the pub she had dreamed about. The lights were dotted around the place in clusters of two or three, there were candles on every table, many of which had burnt out, and the walls were void of any decoration except a few pictures of ships and the sea. The ceiling was low and was supported by black beams of old driftwood.
Caris and her friends always sat in the back room where the darts board and bar billiards table were. It was never as crowded as the main room. Caris reckoned this was because all the younger punters wanted to be by the juke box and all the older punters wanted to be closer to the bar. All the regulars had their own places where they always sat, and most of the non- regular customers only stopped by for a short time.
Caris and her friends visited the Pipe and Compass at least once a week. They were all friends with the landlord, who overlooked the fact that they were all 17 when they first started visiting the pub. Now they were in their second year at college and were all old enough to drink there legally. Although they all agreed it wasn't as much fun as when they had been underage, but that didn't stop them meeting in their usual spot every week to get completely ratted.
They all laughed as loudly as they could. John had just tipped his glass up too far and had splashed it over his face and shirt. Caris looked at her watch. 11:28.
"Almost last orders, guys."
"I'll have another then, cheers Caris."
"Hey! No way, I've already got a round in. It's your turn, Sarah."
"What, no way."
The rest of the group started giving Sarah their orders. Caris looked around the back room. In the corner opposite them sat a man, shadows covered his face but by the light coming from their table, she could see long black dreadlocks draped over his shoulder.
"You're closest, Caris." Sarah thrust a 20 into her hand and pushed her out towards the bar.
"What does everyone want?"
They all shouted their orders at her again. She waved her hand at them and turned towards the bar again. The corner where the man had been seemed darker than before. She stopped mid step and stared at it.
"What are you doing?" Kim yelled at her.
Caris turned back to the table. "I thought I saw someone there"
Kim picked up an empty packet of crisps and threw it into the corner where Caris had been looking. It bounced on the wall and landed on the seat where Caris had been looking. The darkness seemed to become lighter and Caris could see that the corner was now empty, whether it had been empty before or not.
Some of her friends started singing the x-files theme. Caris rolled her eyes, shook her head and went to the bar.
-
by Astramina