Jack the Action Figure
Chapter Four – Plush Blue Ocean
Frigid the Beanie Baby penguin startled Jack very badly when The Girl strolled into the room, and so our pirate really can't be blamed for what happened next. As stout and as steel-sinewed as pirates generally are, particularly the one in question, there inevitably comes a time when certain situations invoke more stress than an individual has resources to deal with. Results can vary when this happens – some people burst into tears, some people become inconsolably angry, and some people freeze up completely. Looking back on what happened, it probably would have been a much better idea for Jack to do the latter.
As it was, all Jack Sparrow did was momentarily lose his center of gravity.
And so, when Frigid stifled a surprised squeal by clapping both soft flippers over his plush beak and then hissed for Jack to do like him, Jack thought that he was going to do all right. However, after observing Frigid's orange-ringed eyes go glassy and the penguin's body stiffen and fall backwards with an inaudible plop onto the shelf, his own attempt didn't turn out that way. Instead, Jack – straight of body and glassy of eye – tumbled forward and off of the top of the bookcase.
He landed in the ocean.
Or what he thought was the ocean, anyway. In reality, it was the deep blue plush carpeting of The Girl's room, but Jack had had precious little experience with deep blue plush carpeting until this moment, and for the first long seconds after he landed in it he felt as though he were drowning in dark, warm waters. Before he could cry out, however – a feat not possible in true warm dark waters but all too possible in deep blue plush carpeting – he was seized about the middle and hauled into the air.
"A draft," said The Girl, "is the bane of the interior decorator." Jack was perfectly still, though whether that was due to shock or wisdom is entirely debatable. He was rotated in a gentle, warm hand, and brought up to her eye level. Parts and pieces of an unreal dream returned to him then, particularly the image of smudged blue eyes, but the eyes with which he was regarded were merry and clear. They, and The Girl, were smiling. There may then have been another explanation for the pirate's paralysis – Jack, lover of women, found himself all-encompassed by one.
"Well, if you're going to tumble out of your stand whenever a breeze comes through the window, I'm going to have to put you somewhere else." At the edges of his vision, the entirety of the room was still – the leopard piggy-bank that he could almost see was frozen with its snout in the air, and the iridescent yellow eyes of the bookend owls were unblinking. The Girl continued. "But that's going to have to wait, sweetheart. It's home from school and I've got to go to the 'loo – be patient a second."
She carefully placed him on the shelf, standing up against an owl bookend. Her brow furrowed momentarily – "Dusty!" she remarked, running a finger over the owl's etched feathers before she went. Jack, leaning so close to the owl, fancied that he heard a rapturous, soft sigh, and as The Girl made her way out of the room, both owls tilted their heads to watch her.
"No hate for the overlord, eh?" said Jack when she was gone. The owl turned its head back towards him. Its yellow eyes were slightly narrowed, and Jack remembered his previous brash comment.
"Listen, friend, I'd like to apologize for the whole vulture thing. I admit my mistakes. I spoke out of fear." He glanced back up at the top of the bookcase he had been standing on with Frigid. "But I really can't be blamed, can I? I mean – way up there … perception's a little different, ain't it?" The opposite owl poked its head around the mass of books to regard Jack. It hooted, a trifle dryly.
"Both of you are impressive examples of the avian form, truly!" His eyes flicked momentarily to the owl's great talons. "And – and I certainly hope that my silly outburst doesn't prevent us from becoming excellent acquaintances. Honestly, my bones feel perfectly safe around you. Perfectly." Both owls shrugged their great, folded wings, then:
"Jack! Are you all right?" Jack turned and saw Frigid peering at him from up at the top of the bookcase.
"I'm fine mate – er, penguin," he called back. He looked around. "But what am I supposed to do now?"
"Just stay there, darlin'," Frigid returned. "The Girl'll be back soon and she'll put you somewhere nice, no worries there." The Beanie Baby's comment gave Jack pause. He was to wait? He was to be tucked away somewhere? His hands slapped his hips. One cutlass. One pistol. Excellent.
He shouted back to Frigid. "Why? Why've I got to sit and be put on display?" Frigid, slightly taken aback, did not respond immediately, and before he could, The Girl had returned. This took Jack by surprise – he had been turned away from her and had not heard her footfalls in the thick carpet. He realized that he was neither in the place, nor position, that she had left him in.
She, however, did not seem to notice. She walked easily by and absent-mindedly withdrew some coins form her pocket. She dropped them, one by one, into an evidently extremely pleased porcelain piggy bank, but Jack noticed that the boar made no move at all, and the owls had fallen silent behind him. Frigid, too, was gone.
To hold such dominion over such formidable creatures! Jack was almost impressed. He studied her back and took in the simple blue coat she was wearing. He also took in her youth. To keep us all here and quiet, he mused, must take an extraordinary amount of power. There came a tinkling, and Jack looked over to see the old white dog – Buster – amble into the room. His brown eyes lifted to meet Jack's, but he too remained silent. Jack was amazed. He turned to an owl bookend as The Girl removed her coat, her back to him.
"That dog," he said softly, making the owl's enormous eyes further widen with surprise at the audacity of his speech, "is easily half of her size! And her back is turned! That she's a beauty makes no difference when it comes to being kept prisoner, does it?"
The owl was speechless – and an owl – and did not know what to say. Its eyes flicked from Jack to The Girl, and Jack smiled at its clear panic. He was talking – he was moving – while she was in the room! That wasn't all he could do. No, that wasn't all he would do when his freedom was an issue. Not by far. With the same roguish smile on his face, Jack cupped his ringed fingers around his mouth in the silence of the room. And shouted. "Have you got the time of day by any chance, love?"
Startled, The Girl whirled around.
Author's Note -
Muchas gracias to:
I can never express the gratitude I have towards continually returning readers – such as CaptainTish, The Hobbit Lass and AaidenKae – readers like you guys make the fanfic writing process worthwhile to continue, no foolies. Sweetlilbee, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I'm especially glad you liked the little story I wrote (and coughPOSTEDcough) before I wrote this new chapter and I'm glad you weren't all that mad about how distracted I can get. Sorry to keep you so long in suspense Greenleaf, but I just write down ideas as they come to me (and my summer job is being less than awesome right now, grrr) and Sereture, extra points for the name recognition – it means 'mystery' or 'secret' in German, and I'm a German gal, too, though I live in Canada! I always thought that the word looked very pretty.
As always and always, more to come! Please review! It is the ranch dip to the chicken wing that is my ego!
