Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed last chapter! Up-in-the-clouds, grecianxpiratex07, Jennifer Lynn Weston, Starling Rising, AKA Parfait, and Genevieve05, you guys are simply amazing! You've all been so patient!
Well, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint anyone. Life has been insane lately so I didn't get as much time or creative juices as I would have liked to write this one. I also thought that more would happen in it but it just didn't work out. Anyway, I hope every gets a laugh or at least a smile out of it.
Chapter 9: Speaking Birds!
I liked that Marty person.
My neck hurted from looking up at all those big people. But Marty was just my size. I tolded him that we could be friends. He didn't say 'no' so that must mean 'yes'.
He went all over that ship. I followed him real good, even when he walked fast. I don't know what he was doing 'xactly but he was a busy bee. He kept looking over his shoulder at me, I think to make sure that I didn't get left behind.
I tolded him about my house and all my toys. I tolded him about Bettie and her kitchen full of things to eat. I tolded him about my Father and my Mum.
He never did answer me but I think he was thinking real hard. Mum does that sometimes. 'Specially when she's writing in the book for my Father to read when he gets back from the place that he is at.
I once drawed in that book. Mum let me do a picture of her and me at our beach. Sometimes she'll let me write to my Father in that book, too. I couldn't quite read Mum's writing yet 'cause her letter's have swirl-y lines around them. I asked her once if my Father could read them if they had those loopy things on them. She said 'yes'. Then do you know what she did?
She showed me a letter that my Father wrote to her before they got marriage-d. And my Father wrote with those loopy lines too! He didn't use as many and his paper didn't smell like roses like Mum's did but I still couldn't read it. His letters were sort of squished, too. Mum's are pretty-like and even. Someday, she said that she'd teach me to make the loops too.
I had just finished telling Marty about all that when I saw Jack again. "Hey, Mister Jack!" I ran up and tugged on his coat. "Can you make loops on your letters?"
"Course I can."
"Show me?"
Jack's hair on his face twitched, like somebody who was being naughty had attached an invisible string to it. "'m…too busy right now…Cotton! Where is that mangy geezer?"
"Mum says it's not nice to call people names."
"Listen 'ere, whelp, I don't see your Mum nowhere. 'sides, this is my ship. I can say whatever I bloody well please. See? Ninnyhammer! Rum saturated, vertically challenged, recalcitrant imbecile! 'cause I'm Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Jack Sparrow is the most feared pirate in the whole Spanish Main…no, the whole world!"
"Why?"
"Why? Wot do you mean why? I'm a pirate. Hasn't your Mum told you 'bout pirates?"
"Yes. She's says that they are n'uneducated bunch of lazy sots." She used a couple more big words that I couldn't pronounce but I don't think that Jack would mind if I didn't tell him those. He was already staring at me with his wide eyes. Maybe he was confused like me. I didn't know what all those fancy words meant either. "I think that means they're bad."
"Is that what you think?"
"Uhuh, and Mum had her unhappy face on." I looked up at that Mr. Jack. "Did you ever see my Mum's unhappy face?"
"Far too many times." Jack's forehead pinched and he walked away.
This time, I went with him 'cause I couldn't find my friend Marty anymore. Jack went up to an old man with a pretty bird on his shoulder. "I've heard of those before!" I pointed to the bird. "Mum told me 'bout them!"
"What doesn't your Mum tell you?"
"She hasn't ever told me why I can't have a brother or sister. She only says that she has to talk to Father first. I don't know why."
Jack grinned, showing all his glittery gold teeth.
"Why are your teeth all shiny like that?" I cocked my head to the side and watched as the sun sparkled off his teeth.
"'m Captain Jack Sparrow." But his voice didn't sound very excited and it was all mumble-y. "D'you ever stop askin' ques'ions?"
"Do you?"
Jack wrinkled his nose and shoved that old man away from the wheel, flapping a hand at him. "Go roast your bird or somethin'."
Then I heard the squeakiest voice ever, probably. What was most amazing was that the bird on that old man's shoulder was the one that spoke!
"Shiver me timbers!"
"That bird is a speaking bird! Mr. Jack!" I tugged on his coat. "Mr. Jack! You've got a speaking bird!"
Jack leaned down and with two fingers pulled my hand from his coat. "The thing is not having a parrot, it's getting the bloody thing to stow it."
"I'd like having a parrot, I think."
"I's yours."
"Really?" I got excited. I had my very own speaking bird! That was better than any present anybody had ever gived to me!
"Mr. Cotton! Give the whelp some rations." Jack's eyes squinted as he looked out over the ocean where the sun was setting. "'e's makin' me head ache."
"Wind in the sails!" The parrot squawked. "Wind in the sails!"
The old man took me by the shoulder and led me back to the captain's cabin. I tried to touch the pretty parrot but it screeched whenever I got close.
"Why doesn't it like me?" I asked Mr. Cotton.
Mr. Cotton didn't answer. That stupid parrot did. "Shiver me timbers. Shiver me timbers."
"Why does he say everything in twice?"
Mr. Cotton didn't look like I'd said anything at all.
"Why don't you answer me?" I huffed.
He only opened the door to the cabin and sat me down at a table. But when I tried to get his attention he smiled nice at me. I figured he couldn't be too bad then. Even if his bird was a meanie-pants.
Mr. Cotton gave me a mug of water and a hard biscuit for supper before he went back outside. I tried to eat them but it hurt my teeth to bite very hard. That must be why some of Jack's teeth were all metal.
I decided to tell Bettie that she cooked good when I got home. Her biscuits were soft and fluffy. They smelled good, too. They were the bestest with honey spread over the top.
After I tried to eat, I felt tired. I didn't want to be. I wanted to go play on the pirate ship again. But my eyes were all droopy. There was a cot in the corner and so I plopped down on that.
I waited for someone to come tuck me in cause that's what Mum always did after supper. Sometimes she'd tell me stories or play pirates with me for a little while. Then, after I'd said my prayers, she always pulled the covers up to my chin even if it was very hot outside, kissed my forehead, turned down the lights, and said 'goodnight'.
But nobody came.
TBC...
There should be about four more chapters or so...I hope you all can stick with me!