And now the conclusion of our story…
I don't own any Disney characters… or stock. That's why I'm poor.
This is the border...
"Land ho!" Grapple yelled from atop the crow's nest. Sure enough, they came across land two days later as Jack had said.
"Ahoy!" Jack shouted as he burst on deck. "Heave to you scabrous dogs! Make ready the sails! We're going ashore!" Pausing for a second, Jack swayed seemingly losing balance. "Weigh the anchor too." He said whipping around in that direction.
"Aye!" Shouted the crew, followed by a round of whooping and excited yelling.
Groups of six men filed into the rowboats and headed for the beach. Jack was in the lead boat followed by each rank. A hearty bit of pirate laughter grew as they pulled the boats on the sand. This particular island had one small town and plenty of beaches. This place was chosen because the crew could sack the town, lie on the beach, go to the pub, get real food, and stay at the Inn. Plus, the island was so small; the townspeople were pretty much helpless from a surprise attack.
"Pick what you like men!" Ordered the captain. "There's plenty to choose from. Meet back here in three days."
Every last pirate took a weapon and headed straight for the town. A disappointed look washed over Jack's face. He was left standing on the beach alone. He hoped the crew would relax for a little while. There had been high tension on the ship for the last few weeks and he wished to cure it with this leisurely stop.
Taking this opportunity, he took off everything he had on except his breeches and waded out into the clear, cool water. With every step that was taken, more and more sediment was kicked up in the waist high water. Jack went out further and lifted his feet while laying back. He floated there in the warm sun for a while, closing his eyes and clearing his mind. He slowly drifted off… realizing that sleep had almost overtaken him, the captain flinched and waded upright once more. 'Blime! I could have been swept out too far to swim back!' Flew through his mind.
The sudden movement of the realization caught the eye of something deep on the ocean's floor. Unaware of any danger, Jack waded there recovering from the scare of what he'd almost done. Suddenly he felt a tug on his left arm, followed by sharp, nerve pinching pain. He let out a horrified yell as the wave of agony and panic hit him all at once. The shark attack, being in the middle of the ocean with no help, and the possibility of imminent and unseen death kept whirling in his head. 'Ye've got to hold it together!' Jack coached himself. ' I can't panic or I'll drown!' He kept telling himself. The hot mouth of the beast wasn't making it easy.
The shark started jerking back and forth using its tale as a means for this horrible motion. Taking his free hand, Jack struck the watery demon as hard as he could until it let go. It freed its vice-like grip long enough for an escape. The captain swam as hard as he could to shore. Weak and exhausted, he collapsed once he'd reached his goal.
Farther up the beach, Bill, Grapple, Barbosa and Mallot were just coming into the clearing with arms full of swag. They all slowed their pace as they noticed a figure lying face down in the sand. Bill was the first to see that it was their captain and ran as fast as he could to his side.
"Captain!" Bill yelled as he turned him over. There was blood everywhere and sand coating his whole front side. The jagged wound from the shark was pumping spurts of crimson into the air and onto the sand and Bill. Mr. Turner had seen these kinds of wounds before and aided in the treatment thereof. He searched for something to cut off the blood flow to the arm. Frantically looking around, he remembered his boots. A pair from a fancy leatherworks shop in the last port. The adjustable straps were perfect. Pulling out the straps and carefully lifting Jack's mangled arm, he tied a tourniquet just above the elbow. He tightened it as much as he could, and then ripped a strip of fabric from his shirtsleeve. As he tied the cloth around the wound, he looked up and noticed the others had caught up and were watching. Barbosa, however, chimed in sarcastically:
"Old Bootstrap Bill Turner."
Jack had come to in time to hear the newly dubbed Bill. Even in pain, and weak, he smiled at the name.
This is the border...
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C.J.R.