A/N: First off, I have to apologize for the length. I got a vomiting illness and that impeded writing of any kind. So, it's touch shorter than usual. Next week I'll be on vacation with my family so I'll probably be unable to update. I'm terribly sorry to do that to you all! But I'll be back in two weeks with a killer chapter, okay?

Thanks to Jennifer Lynn Weston, LostWitch5, Up-in-the-clouds, Starling Rising, grecianxpiratex07, and Genevieve05 for your stupendous reviews!

Chapter 8: Bill-ge...Bigle Rats

Jack had long legs but he walked all crooked and dizzy-like. I wonder if his Mum had spun him around in circles too many times when he was a little boy and that was why he couldn't walk normal.

I know he didn't walk like Mum or Bettie or even my Father probably 'cause I followed him and walked 'xactly like he did. I even put my arms out and spun my fingers in little circles.

"Wot is that?"

I turned real fast to see a skinny man staring at me. The funny thing was though, he didn't have two eyes. He only had one and the other was covered with a strange black piece of cloth. He must have been the one that talked.

"That…" Jack swung a hand in my direction, "is the newest bilge rat to join me crew."

"I'm not a bill-gey…bigle…I'm not a rat!" I put my hands on my hips and gave him my nasty glare.

"Did I say rat? 'meant rodent."

"Cap'n, I thought we wasn't taking any poppets on the ship no more." The skinny man asked. I think he was a little bit scared.

"Are you the captain, Mister Ragetti? Is this your ship? Hmm?"

"No, Cap'n. I jus' thought with-"

"Stop thinkin'. It's bloody irritating." Jack looked like he would walk away but then he stopped. "Where's the other one of you?"

"Pintel?"

"Tha's the one!"

"Up top, Cap'n, in the aft rigging."

"Ah, thought I'd finally rid meself of him." Jack started walking again but I didn't follow him this time. I wanted to talk to the skinny man.

"Who are you?"

"Ragetti."

"I'm William Turner III." I told him, pointing at myself. "Mum calls me Willie though."

Ragetti gave me that same funny face that Jack made after hearing my name.

"You can call me Willie, too, if you like."

He still didn't say anything.

I huffed but Mum and Bettie would want me to be polite. I tried another question. "Are you a pirate?"

"Suppose so."

I got excited at that. "Mum says that I should stay away from pirates but I think my Father was a pirate. Did you ever meet my Father?"

He just stared at me.

"Why do you only have one eye?" These people weren't very soicable or some long word like that. 'Cause I had to keep asking questions and I didn't get any answers for them. And that was very tedious. At least, that's what Bettie says when she's talking to me 'bout being a good boy.

But Mr. Ragetti never did answer. That Gibbs was back. He yelled something awful loud, at least it was loud to me, and Ragetti ran off.

I ran off, too.

Someday I'd be a big, brave boy but I just wanted the Gibbs to go away for now. So, I runned behind a tall barrel and stayed there.

I peeked over the rim and saw him walking over to talk with Jack. Maybe it was safe to back to the cabin where there was all the sour stuff that Jack drank. I could at least draw there. I turned to leave and I heard a squeaky sounding voice talk to me.

"Oi! You! Get out of dere!"

I looked at the person and do you know what?

He was as tall as me!

TBC...