Chapter 6
"So this is de child?" Tia Dalma asked Captain James Porter, who tried to persuade his young daughter out from behind his legs.
"My one and only…" he answered distractedly, trying to clutch Ruth's little wrist, "Come on now, darling, Tia Dalma just wants to meet you."
He turned around and dropped to his knee, finally grasping her hand, and shook his free finger at her, "What did I tell you about being rude?"
Five-year-old Ruth looked fearfully up at the woman, finding her painted lips and strange layers of dress quite intimidating as her eerie room. She pouted, and turned back to her father, shaking her head as if turning down a choice of food...
The captain sighed, and turned back to Tia Dalma, "I'm sorry…" he said, "You know how children are..."
Nevertheless, Tia Dalma grinned, "Wait here," she said, putting both of her palms up to signal them to stay.
She shortly returned, carrying a small bag, and approached Ruth. She too got down on bended knee. The young girl stood motionless, and gazed at her with wide, apprehensive eyes, tightening her grip on her father's hand.
"Put out your hand," she said gently.
Ruth looked to her father as if for permission, and he nodded. She obeyed.
"Do you like chocolates?" she said, lightly shaking the bag in her hand.
Ruth smiled, and nodded.
"Then I'm quite sure you'll like these," she replied to this, and poured a small pile of the sweets into Ruth's hands. The young girl then excitedly picked up one of these perfectly round chocolates, and placed it in her mouth. For a short second, only the familiar taste of the chocolate could be tasted, but the, another taste could be detected, and it was wonderful, distinct, and unlike anything she had ever tasted.
"You like them?" Tia Dalma asked, her grin spreading into a wide smile at her obvious enjoyment of them.
Ruth nodded again.
"They're chocolate covered berries," she continued, "But the berries are only found here, so it's something new for you to try, eh?" she finished with a chuckle.
James gave Tia Dalma a grateful smile, and turned his eyes back to Ruth, "What do we say?" he asked her expectantly.
"Thank you," Ruth said bashfully.
"You're quite welcome, child."
As Ruth quietly ate the rest of her sweets, the two others conducted the business necessary to validate her certificate, and when Tia Dalma finally confirmed the end with a stamp of her seal, James took Ruth by her hand, and led her to table.
"Today, Ruthy, you're going to receive something quite special," he said, even as he knew that she wouldn't be aware of the significance until later in her life.
Ruth noticed the small slip of paper Tia Dalma held, "What is it?" she asked, eyeing the paper, but with not as much interest as she would one of her toys.
Tia Dalma slowly returned to balancing on bended knees, and handed her the certificate, "It might not come in much use to you now, child," she said as Ruth held the paper, "but don't you worry, Ruth…"
She glanced up at James before returning her gaze to the young girl; "You'll thank me later for this."
Ruth opened her eyes, which were gently closed as she savored the soft breeze of the early morning, and gazed into the sea, which was now starting to be illuminated by the birth of the sunlight. The world around her seem to celebrate the return of the sun and the glorious sea brightened and the sky's soft, though powerful coloring. She looked away as the sun's rays became stronger.
As the excitement that simmered within her seemed to boil over as she lay in Jack's bed some time ago, which he still greatly insisted she take, even the late night hours weren't potent enough to sedate her. Jack also seemed excited to reveal the contents of Ruth's letter, but because he was is fact captain, and obligated to more duties than Ruth, it was much easier for him to drift off to sleep.
Finally, she fell into an unstable sleep after about forty minutes of laying awake and musing over what her father could have possibly left her with. Anyone with a general knowledge of pirates could have reasoned a map, but Ruth knew better than this. Ruth's father always encouraged her to take longer routes, and to carve her own path with what was given to her. It was possible that the item in the letter was a map, but a map seemed too simple.
When she awoke from what seemed like a catnap, and it was actually was a short period of rest, for the dawn had only broken the darkness slightly within the cabin. She sat up in the bed, and she wondered what she could possibly do at this hour. She looked over to Jack's bunk upon the sofa, but he unfortunately didn't seem even close to being ready to wake. She couldn't help but smile as Jack gently snored, his boots on a sloppy pile on the floor and his hair thrown wildly around his pillow.
She sighed, decided that she now wasn't capable of another round of sleep, and slowly slid off her bed, exerting extra care as to not wake her sleeping captain.
Once outside, she immediately made her way over to the railing, and wrapped her hands around it, gently leaning forward to get a better view of the surrounding ocean. The sun was now rising, first as a timid source of light, like a tentative child peeking over to see if the coast was clear, and then as a great powerful ring of energy. She had also brought along the gift that Tia Dalma had given her, and she opened it, only to reveal the chocolates she had given her when they had first met.
Now, after finding another strange flashback, she closed up the bag after savoring several of these small delights, and turned as more and more of the ship's crew began their duties.
"Well, well, I certainly don't see much of you during the day."
The voice, which obviously didn't belong to Jack, startled her, and she spun around, only to face a young man, seemingly in his early twenties, slightly jumping back at her reaction.
Laughing quite nervously, she placed a hand over her chest, "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, you just gave me a bit of a fright there."
He joined in on her small bout of laughter, "Well, I must apologize for stepping in on an inappropriate time, Miss…Ruth, is it?"
"Yes, it is, and don't worry, you didn't pose as any kind of disturbance, Mister…?"
"Ben," he completed, "Names' Ben."
"Ben, " she said with a curt nod, "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Ben."
After their introduction, Ben commented on the loveliness of the sunrise, and Ruth agreed. This was followed by a moment of silence.
"If…" he paused and awkwardly looked down before bring his eyes up to hers, "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly does Jack, I mean, the captain plan on doing with you?"
This took Ruth aback. There was option one: "Well, Ben, the captain and I are planning to solve the secret to the location to my' father's large store of opals, which he generously left for me in his spoken will. From there, I suppose I could return to my mother, who believes me to be perhaps dead, but then again, my certificate, which grants me the right to Femina Sententia, may give her a bit of hope…"
Then there was option two, which Ruth quickly turned to: "He'll probably take me back to Port Royal, where the last living person of my family lives."
Ben nodded, squinting in the stronger sunlight, "Your…"
"My mother," she said, fidgeting with a loose string on her shirt, "I was visiting my father during his last days."
"Oh…" Ben said, "Ruth…I'm so sorry for your loss."
Ruth looked into his eyes, and was about to reply, when a rough voice startled the two. They turned. There stood Jack at somewhat of a distance.
"Hey there lad! Your duties are currently waiting for ye and all ye do is kick up small talk? I know it's tempting to talk to the only lass aboard, but I'm afraid it'll have to wait!"
The rest of the crew snickered, while Ben gave Ruth an apologetic glance.
"It was nice to make your acquaintance, Ruth," he said, and jogged off to the other side of the ship, where he began to attend to his duties. Jack replaced Ben at Ruth's side.
"I'm sorry, Jack," Ruth said nervously, "I didn't think that-"
"Oh, don't worry about it, love," Jack replied, waving his hand as if swatting away a bothersome fly, "The lad knows better than that. Besides, I'm a bit used to his slightly…rebellious behavior."
A crewman suddenly approached Jack and inquired something about the fashion in which the ropes were tied, and during this short period, Ruth looked out into the sea, watching intently as a small school of fish darted like a cloud of dust under the ship. When it was clear that he had left, Ruth looked to Jack again, and saw that the excitement for her letter began to play with his features.
"So," Jack said, "I see that you decided to be a early bird today. I can't tell you how surprised I was to see that ye had gotten up before me."
Ruth chuckled, "I can imagine, though, that you would know why."
Jack nodded, " I suppose so," he leaned against the railing upon folded arms, "Are ye ready to open the letter?"
"Yes," she said, "I've been ready since last night, really," she said with a somewhat edgy laugh.
"Alright then," Jack replied, "I'll have me first mate order the ship's preparations to begin sail. After we take a look at the letter, we can decide where to direct the ship."
Ruth nodded, and once Jack had left her side to give orders to Gibbs, she slowly stuck her hand within her pocket, and immediately felt the sharp welcome of the envelope's pointed edge. After she had gotten a good grip upon it, she closed her eyes, and strived to chase away any thoughts of anxiety, doubt, or fear.
She took a deep breath. She was ready.
………………..
Jack tapped his fingers rapidly upon his desk, while Ruth sat across from him, gazing, as if in a trance, at the letter.
"Well," Jack said, "The moment's finally arrived," he then sent his signature cheeky grin in Ruth's direction, and nods his head curtly toward the letter.
Ruth squirmed in her seat, "I'm sorry, Jack, I'm just a bit nervous, that's all."
"Ye want me to open it?"
"NO, " she exclaimed, shooting out her hand, "…I mean, it's quite fine, Jack, I'll open it."
She then gently grasped the letter, and at arm's length, as if opening something that smelled horribly, opened it at a painstakingly slow pace. First, the mouth of the envelope, which she was careful not to rip, then the letter itself, which she then quickly withdrew. It felt strange in her hand. It's secrets made it feel like more than an ordinary piece of paper, like something about to come alive in her hand.
She unfolded it. It's words came into sudden view. She began to read.
My Dearest Daughter,
I did not wish to leave you with such a large task, being that my ship is now gone, but I truly have faith in you Ruth. I have always known better to believe that women should only be subject to pretty dresses and their so-called "obligated duties" as a wife and a mother. I have always sensed a longing to see something outside of the ordinary within you, Ruth, and all I wanted to do in my will was to give you that opportunity.
I felt that perhaps you should open this when a sense of readiness and sturdy fortitude was clear, for it takes not only strength and courage to begin these explorations, but also a ship, along with those that know of the waters of the Caribbean. Do not try and follow the path I have left for you alone. You are an intelligent young woman, Ruth, but you must understand that even the smartest man can't venture into the Caribbean seas alone.
The following page in this letter will be your first instructions for unlocking the location of my treasure. I want you to work for this treasure, Ruth, so I didn't leave you a map. Instead, I have given a set of clues leading to each piece of the map, which are all scattered throughout the Caribbean. The first several clues, I hope, will be rather easy for you, but as the journey progresses, I will give clues to areas that may be unfamiliar to you.
I wish you the best of luck, Ruth. Do not be discouraged, Ruth, when the path becomes fainter, and harder to find. It's there, Ruth, but sometimes it can take more than a pair of eyes to see it.
With all my love,
Father
There was a deep silence within the room for a moment, as Ruth reread this letter, and Jack simply bore his eyes into the back of it, which was the only part of it that he could see, digesting this new bit of information.
Ruth finally looked up, a strange fearfulness making her distant, "Jack, can you read the first clue with me?"
Jack nodded eagerly, "Yes, love, of course."
Ruth stood, and moved the chair ext to Jack's. She sat, and pulled the next letter from behind it. The back was facing them. Ruth took in a shuddering breath.
"This is it," she said, almost more to herself than Jack. She then looked to Jack, "are you ready?"
"Whenever ye are."
"Alright then."
She turned it around.
They then both took turns reading the clue.
"This turtle floats, and upon its shell there thrives
The foulest side of fallen lives
Come here firstly but not alone,
And find the man with the cluttered home.
Look for him in a drunken daydream where he works up a sweat
Making sure his bills are met.
He might not see you,
But try and use,
The enclosed in which I left for you."
"Ah-HA!" declared Jack, practically jumping up from his chair, "It's lucky that you're traveling with me, love! I know the first location!"
"Tortuga," Ruth replied to this, "The Spanish word for turtle is Tortuga. I remember my father telling me stories about the corruption that occurs there."
"Well, that wasn't too bad, now was it?"
"My father didn't exaggerate. This clue was rather easy," Ruth said, setting the letter on the desk.
Excitedly, Jack reached for his coat, but Ruth's hand shot up, "But wait! The rest of the clue…"
Jack gave Ruth an expectant look.
"Oh, well…we can solve the remainder of it when we arrive, can't we?" Ruth said.
"Of course, cross that bridge when we get to it, eh?" he replied, a grin tugging a side of his mouth.
…………………
After Jack had ascended to the helm, and had barked orders to his crew to prepare to make way for Tortuga, Ruth decided that because she had gotten past the awaited excitement of the day, she now needed to catch up on her rest.
As she slept, strange, erratic dreams came and went, and she seemed to float smoothly through each one, until one strange dream, some hours later, in which she was walking on the floor of the ocean, came to a sudden halt as something tore her from her sleep. Her eyes snapped open, and she screamed.
She didn't feel something or someone shake her from her slumber, but a sound. It couldn't have been a sound that her dream produced, for it was so strong that it seemed to have an air of tangibility. It was an explosion.
Panic washed over her, and she leapt from the bed, dashing to the door. Another explosion filled the air with a terrifying sound. She screamed once again. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, and the door of the cabin was thrown open.
"Ruth, please, stay in the cabin!" shouted Jack, trying to overpower the commotion from upstairs.
"What's happening?" Ruth shouted, her voice shrill and tense with dread.
The captain looked toward the deck, and then to Ruth, appearing almost fearful of the answer itself.
"We're being attacked by an enemy pirate ship!" he finally shouted, and the ship lurched, almost sending Jack and Ruth to the floor. Jack regained his stance, "STAY HERE!" he ordered, and with that, he gave Ruth one last glance before closing the door, leaving her to tremble in fright as she leaned against the desk.
Author's Note: Oh no! What will become of the attack? Find out in Chapter 7!
Author's Second Note: How was the chapter? I'm so sorry that I had to leave another cliff- hanger, but I want to try and update as much as I can! Anyway, please review for this chapter, and not only for this one, but for previous chapters as well if you want. Thanks!