In Search of Dreams
Disclaimer: Allow me this moment to list all the things I do not own. I own nothing from Pirates of the Carribean, The Lord of the Rings, or Star Trek. I do not own a ship, the sea, the wind, the stars, the world, the rain, etc. . Nor do I own this computer; it is my parents'. I do, however, own the words that emerge from my mind and come through my fingers onto the page through the miracle of a keyboard. It is my wish that you to enjoy these words.
"It was many years ago when I was very young. I lived in England back then. In my village there was a storyteller who enchanted all who heard her, young and old alike. She couldn't have been more than eighteen, but she was as gorgeous as any gold I have ever laid eyes upon. Her name was Fiagalad and her hair was brighter than the sun, her eyes a luscious green. She used to speak of many things with that lustful tongue of hers. Magic was in her very words and her every breath made my young heart skip a beat. She could sing like the voice of the sea, sometimes in a foreign tongue that none present could understand, but, o, those were the songs that left us completely in wonder. It seemed as if her voice came from somewhere off past the distance, almost from a legend. She also told the best stories in all the world, stories of adventure death, battle, and glory. She told us of King Arthur and his knights, and then there were stories we had never heard before, of kingdoms foreign to us."
"She was a beauty," Jack remembered. "One day, when I was about twelve, she told us a story about a wondrous place. 'The sea is the only way,' she said, 'the only way to reach Valinor, the lands beyond.' 'What does it look like?' I asked. She laughed and said 'You will see it when you die, Jack. Then you will not need to rely on me, and you will know yourself.' I looked at her the way any child does when he is confused. I thought that nothing followed death, only nothingness. 'As you die, you pass over this world and you see things in a whole new light,' Fiagalad explained. 'You see things mortals can't. First you are amongst the clouds and then you see the grey ships, and the white shores of Valinor. You hear the gulls cry, not as they do here, but in a beautiful alien way that captivates the heart. The sweet smell of the sea and the salty breeze engulf you and you feel things that you never thought you could. And then . . . ' Fiagalad trailed off, but her spell on me remained and I said no more."
"A few days later, she was telling us about Arthur and how he pulled Excalibur from the stone when a man rushed by. 'Stop that man!' shouted a general. Everything happened so fast. One of the militia fired at the man and Fiagalad collapsed. I was at her side in a heartbeat. 'Fiagalad,' I called her name. 'Jack,' she whispered, painfully forcing her eyes open to comfort me. 'The sea . . . Valinor . . . silver light . . . in the . . . West . . . Andune."Her eyes closed and tears came to mine as I realized the only woman I would ever love was dead. You know what love is, Will, and I hope you never have to go through what I did."
Up until now, Will had stood silent, caught up in Jack's tale. At the sound of his name, he rose and his eyes met his friend's dark ones.
"Was that when you turned pirate?"
"It was my commission to the sea," Captain Sparrow replied nobly. Now Will knew the pirate was up to something, but he hadn't a clue what it was.
"What are you proposing, Jack?" The pirate's answer was simple.
"Come with me."