Ch.23 Meetings
Josephine suddenly awoke. She sat up groggily and looked around her. "Where...oh," she said. She looked sourly out at the sea. "Thank you Captain Sparrow for the brief but informative field trip into a pirate's life," she murmured sarcastically.
She stood up. "I don't remember falling asleep." She stretched and yawned. She felt something heavy in her invisible dress pocket. She pulled it out. It was the bag Sparrow had given to her. She eyed it with distaste. She recalled Sparrow's comment the past night, "If you want company, go to the governor's house. There's a friend of mine there whom you could seek charity from. And while you're at it, return that bag I gave you to them." Josephine snorted. "Not likely I'll want a friend of a pirate for company, and as for the charity, I think Sparrow, that I can get along just fine on my own." The last part of the thought passed through her mind, "And while you're at it, return that bag I gave you." "Well, better do it and get it done," Josephine said sighing. She looked down to put the bag back in her pocket and then looked up sourly. "The dress," she said, "Will be remembered." She paused. "But where to get another one," she said as she turned, "I have..." she stopped. Behind her on the sand were all her things in their trunks from the Black Pearl. She opened one trunk and pulled out a white dress that had designs in and was trimmed in silver and gold. "Perfect," she said. She went into the bushes and changed. Then she placed the costume dress in her trunk. She hauled her things to the road and hitched a ride to town. There she rented a carriage and had the driver put her trunks in it. She got in the carriage. "Please take me to the governor's house," she told the driver. He nodded and started the carriage. He stopped it at the governor's gate. The gate opened and he drove it to the front. Josephine got out. She turned to the driver. "Please wait here," she said. Then she went up to the front door and knocked. The door opened and a butler answered. He led her to the parlor. "Who may I say is calling?" he asked. She thought. "Sparrow might have told my 'name' to the friend, so I'd better say..." "...Jaclyn Madelin," she said aloud. The butler disappeared up the stairs to his left. Josephine pulled at her dress; it was unbearably hot and scratchy. Why had she chosen it? She patted her hair: still up in her securely pinned bun, but possibly it was too secure, or too tight. She had a massive headache coming on.
***** As the butler went up the stairs, strains of conversation could be heard. "So I was in the middle of the street and these horses were..." one man said. The butler entered and cleared his throat. "Excuse me for the interruption, Governor Swann, but you have a visitor, a Miss Jaclyn Madelin," he announced. "A visitor?" Governor Swann replied. "I don't remember the name, but possibly I forgot..." "I'll go, father," a voice said. A man stood up and walked towards the door. "Ah! Thank you, dear boy," Governor Swann said. The man nodded and continued out the door. Governor Swann turned. "So as I was saying..." The man walked down the stairs and reached the bottom. There was a woman waiting. She looked familiar somehow, thought he didn't recognize the name either. "How may I be of service to you, Miss Madelin?" the man asked as he approached her.
***** Josephine looked around. "Rich house...and rich friends?" she thought. "Sparrow probably meant victim, though I've seen more people with less money with more stolen." She looked at the bag resting in her hand. A noise alerted her to a person's presence. She slipped the bag back into her pocket. She turned. There was a man at the bottom of the stairs. He looked familiar somehow. He had dark curly hair, brown eyes and medium colored skin. He walked towards her. "How may I be of service to you, Miss Madelin?" he asked her. Surely this could not be the man. So hesitantly she asked, "Are you a friend of Captain Sparrow?" He looked at her in some shock. "Well, yes, I suppose," he replied. "How does she know him?" he asked himself. Josephine pulled the bag out of her dress. "He instructed me to return this to you," she said handing it to him. He opened it. In it were all the jewels that had been stolen from the house a few days before. He was amazed, or astonished more like. He opened his mouth and shut it. "Thank you," he managed. Josephine smiled slightly, ruefully. "My pleasure, Mr..." she trailed off and looked expectantly at him. "Turner," he said. She nodded. "Turner," she finished and then turned to walk out, but then did a double take. She turned back. "Did you say turner?" she said emphasizing turner. "Yes," he said looking at her strangely. "Will...Turner?" she asked hesitantly. He gaped at her. "How did you know? Have we met before?" he asked her. "My God," she said. She walked over to him and stared incredulously at his face. "I don't believe it," she said gazing at him suspiciously. "What? Why? How..." Will trailed off. "I can assure you, my name is Will Turner." "No. Will Turner died eight years ago in a ship explosion," Josephine said looking at him. "My God," he said amazed. He walked over to her. "But you said your name was Jaclyn," he said. "That's not my real name," Josephine said slowly. "It's..." "Josephine," Will finished for her. They stared at each other in shock, then they had a massive embrace. "Josephine," Will murmured over and over. He looked down at her. "I thought I lost you." Josephine smiled faintly. "How did you get off the ship?" he asked her. "When no one was around, I got out and was about to climb in a row boat on the side. Then a pirate saw me and I fought him," Josephine said. "With what?" Will asked. "A sword. What else?" Josephine replied. "I knocked him out with the hilt and climbed into a boat and rowed away. Then the ship exploded and I...I thought I lost you," Josephine finished. "Josephine," Will said, as he stroked her hair. He released her. "What's with the Jaclyn Madelin thing? And how do you know Jack?" he asked. Josephine laughed. Her headache was gone. "It's a long story..."
Josephine suddenly awoke. She sat up groggily and looked around her. "Where...oh," she said. She looked sourly out at the sea. "Thank you Captain Sparrow for the brief but informative field trip into a pirate's life," she murmured sarcastically.
She stood up. "I don't remember falling asleep." She stretched and yawned. She felt something heavy in her invisible dress pocket. She pulled it out. It was the bag Sparrow had given to her. She eyed it with distaste. She recalled Sparrow's comment the past night, "If you want company, go to the governor's house. There's a friend of mine there whom you could seek charity from. And while you're at it, return that bag I gave you to them." Josephine snorted. "Not likely I'll want a friend of a pirate for company, and as for the charity, I think Sparrow, that I can get along just fine on my own." The last part of the thought passed through her mind, "And while you're at it, return that bag I gave you." "Well, better do it and get it done," Josephine said sighing. She looked down to put the bag back in her pocket and then looked up sourly. "The dress," she said, "Will be remembered." She paused. "But where to get another one," she said as she turned, "I have..." she stopped. Behind her on the sand were all her things in their trunks from the Black Pearl. She opened one trunk and pulled out a white dress that had designs in and was trimmed in silver and gold. "Perfect," she said. She went into the bushes and changed. Then she placed the costume dress in her trunk. She hauled her things to the road and hitched a ride to town. There she rented a carriage and had the driver put her trunks in it. She got in the carriage. "Please take me to the governor's house," she told the driver. He nodded and started the carriage. He stopped it at the governor's gate. The gate opened and he drove it to the front. Josephine got out. She turned to the driver. "Please wait here," she said. Then she went up to the front door and knocked. The door opened and a butler answered. He led her to the parlor. "Who may I say is calling?" he asked. She thought. "Sparrow might have told my 'name' to the friend, so I'd better say..." "...Jaclyn Madelin," she said aloud. The butler disappeared up the stairs to his left. Josephine pulled at her dress; it was unbearably hot and scratchy. Why had she chosen it? She patted her hair: still up in her securely pinned bun, but possibly it was too secure, or too tight. She had a massive headache coming on.
***** As the butler went up the stairs, strains of conversation could be heard. "So I was in the middle of the street and these horses were..." one man said. The butler entered and cleared his throat. "Excuse me for the interruption, Governor Swann, but you have a visitor, a Miss Jaclyn Madelin," he announced. "A visitor?" Governor Swann replied. "I don't remember the name, but possibly I forgot..." "I'll go, father," a voice said. A man stood up and walked towards the door. "Ah! Thank you, dear boy," Governor Swann said. The man nodded and continued out the door. Governor Swann turned. "So as I was saying..." The man walked down the stairs and reached the bottom. There was a woman waiting. She looked familiar somehow, thought he didn't recognize the name either. "How may I be of service to you, Miss Madelin?" the man asked as he approached her.
***** Josephine looked around. "Rich house...and rich friends?" she thought. "Sparrow probably meant victim, though I've seen more people with less money with more stolen." She looked at the bag resting in her hand. A noise alerted her to a person's presence. She slipped the bag back into her pocket. She turned. There was a man at the bottom of the stairs. He looked familiar somehow. He had dark curly hair, brown eyes and medium colored skin. He walked towards her. "How may I be of service to you, Miss Madelin?" he asked her. Surely this could not be the man. So hesitantly she asked, "Are you a friend of Captain Sparrow?" He looked at her in some shock. "Well, yes, I suppose," he replied. "How does she know him?" he asked himself. Josephine pulled the bag out of her dress. "He instructed me to return this to you," she said handing it to him. He opened it. In it were all the jewels that had been stolen from the house a few days before. He was amazed, or astonished more like. He opened his mouth and shut it. "Thank you," he managed. Josephine smiled slightly, ruefully. "My pleasure, Mr..." she trailed off and looked expectantly at him. "Turner," he said. She nodded. "Turner," she finished and then turned to walk out, but then did a double take. She turned back. "Did you say turner?" she said emphasizing turner. "Yes," he said looking at her strangely. "Will...Turner?" she asked hesitantly. He gaped at her. "How did you know? Have we met before?" he asked her. "My God," she said. She walked over to him and stared incredulously at his face. "I don't believe it," she said gazing at him suspiciously. "What? Why? How..." Will trailed off. "I can assure you, my name is Will Turner." "No. Will Turner died eight years ago in a ship explosion," Josephine said looking at him. "My God," he said amazed. He walked over to her. "But you said your name was Jaclyn," he said. "That's not my real name," Josephine said slowly. "It's..." "Josephine," Will finished for her. They stared at each other in shock, then they had a massive embrace. "Josephine," Will murmured over and over. He looked down at her. "I thought I lost you." Josephine smiled faintly. "How did you get off the ship?" he asked her. "When no one was around, I got out and was about to climb in a row boat on the side. Then a pirate saw me and I fought him," Josephine said. "With what?" Will asked. "A sword. What else?" Josephine replied. "I knocked him out with the hilt and climbed into a boat and rowed away. Then the ship exploded and I...I thought I lost you," Josephine finished. "Josephine," Will said, as he stroked her hair. He released her. "What's with the Jaclyn Madelin thing? And how do you know Jack?" he asked. Josephine laughed. Her headache was gone. "It's a long story..."