Chapter 8: Spinning Wheel
Revolving. Turning. Spinning. Rotating. All things start, and all things end. Life starts at birth, and ends at death. The time in between really means nothing in the end. Space is endless, but can be measured. Time is nothing; but means everything.
The spinning wheel that guides everything will never stop; it will go on forever. Spinning into the roaring future, holding onto the whispers of the past, the mighty wheel makes everything right again.
- - -
Circling down to meet the darkness, spiralling into death, the white shark twisted slowly in the endless waters of the deep ocean, faintly hearing the cry of it's master through the distance the separated them.
"Sha-Sha, hear my plea. The majestic island that once was devoted to you is now defiled; and only the worthy are left. Take our power into you; let us join with the great legend of the seas!" As the life faded from it's body, the giant shark suddenly felt renewed, as if a great amount of energy was being poured into it. Eyes glowing red, the monster whirled around and let out a soundless roar, the wounds the human had inflicted healing over, covered with a stone-like substance. This time, it's prey would not escape!
- - -
Rose woke up slowly once again, feeling the morning sun shining on her. Sitting up, she brushed some wayward strands of hair out of her eyes and blinked sleepily. Remembering the argument, the girl sighed and flopped back down onto the pillow. Why did he always get so upset when she did something on her own? She knew that he cared about her and felt like he had to protect her, but still! Captain Sparrow had stayed true to his word, even though he was a pirate. Why did the Doctor always not trust any man she met?
"That's a mighty big sigh for a girl like you." Jerking upright, Rose stared at the figure sitting across from her. Jack Sparrow was sitting on a barrel, peeling strips of an apple with a dagger and grinning. Gaping at him for a minute, she managed to stammer, "W-what do you mean by that?"
Waving the dagger in an offhand manner, he explained. "Well, it seems to me that you have no reason to be unhappy…unless I missed something…." Trailing off the pirate blinked thoughtfully then shrugged. "Oh well. Say, you hungry?" Cutting another chuck out of the apple, the man twirled the dagger while he ate.
"Oh…um…yeah, I guess I am." Rose replied, smiling back at Captain Sparrow. Despite what the Doctor may think, she thought the pirate was quite nice. Strange, but friendly at the same time. Slipping out from underneath the warm covers, she then realized that she had fallen asleep in her dress. From the rocking motion of the floor, Rose guessed that they were probably out at sea. The Doctor wouldn't have risked bringing the TARDIS on board a ship, so she had no change of clothes. Just great.
Seeing her expression, Sparrow jumped down from the barrel and grinned. Kneeling down, he flung open a battered chest and started digging through it. As various articles of clothing were tossed over his shoulder, he called, "Want a dress, or something more practical?"
Dodging a belt, she replied, "Something practical please." In the past, dresses usually got in her way, and she wasn't the type for frilly things. The only reason that she had worn one to this time was to try and fit in. But now that she was in a confined area, something easier to move around in made more sense.
"Here ya go." Standing up, he handed her a pile of clothes and headed for the door. "I'll be at the helm. Come see me when you're done." Nodding, Rose waited until the pirate had shut the door firmly behind him before examining the clothes further. The pirate had handed her a pair of dark brown trousers, a white shirt, a belt, and a pair of black boots. This was practical.
- - -
A few minutes later, Rose stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck of the Black Pearl. Crewman scurried around, finishing up their various tasks, eating, or napping in the warm morning sun. Taking a plate filled with food that one of them offered, Rose smiled in thanks and looked around for Captain Sparrow. She didn't know a lot about ships of this time period, but had read enough to know that the helm was at the back of the ship. Since the cabin was near the end of the ship, that would mean the helm was nearby. Smiling slightly, she took a bite of the roasted meat and turned around, angling her gaze upwards.
Leaning against the railing was Jack Sparrow, hair blowing gently in the light breeze. His hat was planted firmly on his head, and despite the heat was wearing the brown overcoat she had first seem him in. Rose was suddenly struck at just how handsome he was. Mickey would be mad if he had heard Rose think that….Brushing the thought from her mind, the teen made her way up the short flight of stairs to stand beside the pirate.
"So…you said that you could help us find Jack. How are you going to do that?" She asked, digging into her newly acquired breakfast. Chuckling at her appetite, the captain waited until she had eaten enough so that she could listen to what her had to say.
"Well, first of all, you'll be the one finding him. I'm just providing the means to get you there." Sparrow said, wagging a finger at her and grinning.
Swallowing, she replied, "Oh? And how am I supposed to do that?"
His grin grew wider as the pirate unclipped something from his belt. "With this!" Chuckling, he handed the item to Rose, allowing her to examine it. Setting her empty plate aside, she took the object from his tanned hand and inspected it.
It looked like a small box of some sort. Flipping the lid open, Rose stared down at a compass, it's needle spinning wildly. Raising a blonde eyebrow, she looked up at Jack Sparrow in disbelief. "How can a broken compass help me find Jack?"
"You see, that is no ordinary compass, lass. Instead of finding north, it finds whatever you most desire. In this case, you want to find your friend. Now concentrate and think about finding Jack!"
Rose sighed and closed her eyes, concentrating on an image of Jack. She also repeated Where is Jack Harkness? over and over in her mind. Ignoring Sparrow as he slipped an arm around her shoulder and leaned closer, she kept up the silent chant, images of Jack flashing through her mind.
She kept it up for a few more minutes, finally hearing a small hiss of approval from the pirate. "Good job, Rose! We'll definitely find him now." Opening her eyes, the girl gazed down at the compass, watching as the needle pointed slightly to the northwest. The ship lurched slightly as Captain Sparrow made the course change, arm still slung over her shoulder.
"Er…where's the Doctor?" she asked, blue eyes gazing up at him.
"Sulking somewhere below decks, I reckon. Probably still upset about that fight." the pirate replied, solemnly, knowing better than to press the matter too much. Although he had ignored most of the fight, the man had caught the last bit.
"Probably." Rose sighed, remember the anger he had showed the night before. She had not made the smartest decision by following Captain Sparrow, but it had turned out alright in the end. At least, the teen prayed that it would.
- - -
Several hours later, Rose sat on the stairs leading up to the wheel, letting the sea breeze blow through her blonde hair. The Doctor still hasn't made an appearance, but she wasn't worried. She knew from experience that he would show up only when he was good and ready to, and not a second before.
Sparrow was still at the helm, but was only using one hand to steer, the other one grasping his trusty compass.
"Man overboard!" hearing the sudden call, Rose jerked her head up and focused on the pirate that was leaning over the railing, pointing at something in the water. Hoping that they had found Jack, she ran from her seat down to the growing group of men at the railing, pushing her way through to the front. Gazing over the wooden bar, Rose distantly heard the order from Captain Sparrow to lower a rowboat.
- - -
Gyrating. Whirling. Circling. Orbiting. All things must start, and everything that is started must eventually end. Life is nothing more than a giant circle, each death making room for a fresh life to begin, the cycle repeated endlessly throughout the ages.
The spinning wheel into which we are born guides us throughout our lives, and we follow it's path until our last breath. As the planets circle the sun, we will forever go around on the mighty wheel; spinning throughout time, leaving only whispers to mark our path.