Silence…
You know what they say about light. I've heard it too, pretty often if you ask me. Always the same thing: don't go towards light which is easier to say than to do especially when you're flowing in never ending darkness, you're cold and scared. So what you do when you see bright light at the end of tunnel? Of course that you go towards it and so did I. If you can call it by going, flowing, flying...
After I've felt very comforting warmness coming from it I leapt to it even faster, I simply wanted this nightmare to end. I wanted to die and disappear like a gust of mist. Was it too much? Yes, it was too much and I got it when light became bigger and I almost couldn't look at it anymore. It's odd that fate love to muddle people lives. Especially mine.
The light was getting warmer and warmer, soon enough I could say that wherever I was – was scalding hot and extremely dry. And I heard something. At first not too clearly but with passing seconds sound became louder and reminded me of waves hitting shore. I must've dreamed that or maybe I was just getting sentimental. However believe me or not I prayed they were real.
Oh I almost felt how they soaked me from waist down. No, wait they were real. They had to be! How I want it to be real, to be alive. Then there's that light still blinding me, should I open my eyes and see for myself if I'm not dreaming things? That'd be the best way to find out where I am.
My eyelids still don't want to cooperate with me, staying close no matter how much I try to open them. After awhile I try again and this time behind my lids I feel that awful griding sensation made by dried now sand. Limply my left hand makes contact with my face and I try clean myself best I can for now.
I'm breathing slowly, I live and I smile even not knowing where I am or how's possible that I'm alive. Looking through my shaded eyelids at sun shining high above me I remember the pain and paralyzing fear I've felt when I got shot. But strangest thing it was I didn't feel anything now as if that never happened. Could I dream it?
My track of running thoughts was cut by a loud groan from somewhere beside me. Not too close but not far either and it was getting louder, that meant I wasn't alone. Hope arisen within me and few seconds later I was trying to get a look at the person.
"Bloody buggerin' hell! Me head…"
I know that voice.
"Now 'tis be truly distressin'. "
I have to see him. I need to know he's real. Slowly with all my strength I push myself to look towards him, my neck hurts by doing so and my arms neither want to help me but I'm stubborn person that gets whatever she wants. Three next breaths and I catch a glimpse of his silhouette from the corner of my eye. It's him! It's really him!
He stands up with his hands stretched out on bit quivering legs (which is normal) and then screws up his face. I see as one of his hands comes up to stroke his beard. He's thinking hard about something that troubles him. I'm not in my best shape so I sit slowly on the sand not sparing him a look. He doesn't mind and I know it, he's probably thinking about a way out of this situation already anyway.
"Ye'now, luv… I think we might have a little déjà vu sorts of…" Jack spoke in his always deep, rough voice. He didn't look at me when he said that, his eyes were glued to the sea. "Which I'm not really sure we'd be happy fer. Now. In said situation" he finished thought, gesturing around himself.
I've found him looking straight at me then and I sighed loudly glazing at the sea myself.
"I think you might be right on this one, Jack."
"Aye" he murmured, making a face. In a matter of seconds he stepped fast towards me and bended a little too close so I could smell his rum-soaked breath on my face. "And ye'now what's worst in it? Lizzie, dearie?"
I furrowed my brows trying not to make a face. "What?" I asked.
Right then I could swear on my own life I saw all range of emotions on his face but mostly anger and fatigue. Some disappointment too.
"That we don't have a bloody ship! Not even a single dinghy! Nothing! All is gone! The Black Pearl is gone! Again!"
"Now, watch your tone, Sparrow!" I shot back at him, however I was in lower position that he. "I am still your King!"
"I'm still your King" he mocked me, making funny face. "Well you might bloody be now! You can be even the empress of this island!"
"This is childish!" I fumed. Somehow I used the newfound strength to get up, standing face to face with him. "You are accusing me of something I even don't know! You better get the story out or else…"
"Or else..?" he mocked me again. Ah, the nerve of that man!
"Else…" I snapped angrily. Okay so now he got me riled up. "You don't have to know."
"There's no else, Miss Swann" he said knowing-it-all. "Because if there was an else ye'd probably used that said else by now. So tis' mean there's no else and won't be any other else!"
"Ugh! And it's Mrs. Turner to you!"
I think I might explode any second now, better to go as far away from him as I can. Without warning I started to step along shore. I'm getting hotter with every second but I refuse to take my coat off. Coat, I gazed at it and saw red. A lot of red and even more of it under, not to mention a bullet hole in shirt and round bluish scar in the place where said bullet made contact. And that meant…
"Ye bloody woman… Where ye goin'?" Jack shrieked. "Fine, go! I don't need you anyway! Oh and ye'now what… I'm sorry I saved yer sorry life!"
That hit me. I stopped in my tracks looking closer at wound now all healed. There was something that didn't click and the only way to get some answers was to go ask Jack. As much as I didn't want to speak with him right now, I needed answers. So making up my mind I started to go back. Slowly. I made two steps and Jack turned his back at me and went straight forward resentful.
"Jack..!" I called after him so he pretended that he doesn't hear me. "Jack! Jack…"
He stopped and then turned around so fast I saw all his dreads spinning right with him. "What's that ye Highness want from me?"
I shook my head, he was being silly. "Jack…" I said shortly to cut the game.
"I still doesn't hear what ye want from me, Lizzie."
Should I say it? "I'm sorry, Jack."
He gazed at sand and made a funny face. "Doesn't matter. A life for a life. We're square."
Oddity of our situation hit me hard right then. Just what he said, it was true. A life for a life. I took his and he took mine. Somehow both of us give it back to ourselves in some way. I couldn't stop myself from smiling.
"We're square" I repeated slowly holding my hand to him.
Jack seemed to reconsider all cons and pros and to whatever conclusion he got, he accepted my friendly gesture with broad smile.
"Now, luv do ye have any idea how to get the hell out of here? Without ship it might be a lil' bit tricky and difficult but I believe ye got some ace in a pocket, aye?"
I blinked fast at this change of topic. "Jack…" I warned him and he shrugged, smiling.
"It worked perfectly last time" he said gesturing little.
"You don't mean…" Can he? "You still remember THAT after all those years?"
"Hm…" he furrowed his brows in thought. "Nah" he let go of some idea. "Ye don't think here might be a certain place with a certain beverage…"
"No" I answered and really hoped that I am right. That's when I thought about Will, I don't know why now but I knew something was missing. I checked my pockets (Jack's looking at me curiously) and then I tried to feel my necklace. Not good! "Jack! Key!"
"Key? What key? I've seen a lot of different keys in me life, luv. Ye might be more specific?"
"My key!" I cried and got a sinking feeling in stomach.
"Now…" he cleared his throat. "Lizzie… I've told ye once was enough didn't I? Besides with ye havin' a lil' whelp the key's been used already."
"What?" I asked him. I didn't understand a word he said!
"What?" he repeated in high-pitched voice after me. He looked clearly confused.
"Will's key! To the chest!"
Understanding dawned on him. "With the thump-thump?" he asked.
"Yes! We need to find it! Dammit! How I could lose it?" I wondered aloud.
"Ye need to find it." Jack corrected me.
"Pardon?"
"I said… Ye need to find it, luv. There's no profit whatsoever in finding dear whelp's key fer me. That'd change if a certain person were a bit nicer to me though. I wouldn't mind some treasure too… Hm, maybe we could find The Pearl first and then go look for…"
I mock glared at him, hard. "Jack. Give me your compass."
"No!" he said but gave me lopsided smile. "What's mine, stays mine."
…
Tis' be the end fer ye mates, howe'er it seems that tis' be new beginnin' fer them! New adventure, old friends and tis' all awaits them. As a word fer me, author of tis' ff, I thank ye for readin'. Long sail Sparrabeth yer be unsinkable!
