Innocence Was Bliss

8: My Ship

It had him rattled to say the least. Will had long forgotten Jack's supposed encounter with a girl and, upon seeing this, Jack made it his mission to do this. But her voice seemed to always be at the back of his head.

Bury it, Jack would tell himself.

Then the parrot would caw, "Dead men tell no lies!"

Whatever that meant.

Jack stood at the wheel thoughtfully. He watched the sea carefully. He checked himself to see if he saw things again, but it seemed to have been a one time thing. That made it all the harder to let go of.

Eventually, as he observed Jack, Will asked Mr.Gibbs, "How is it that Jack came by that compass?"

"Not a lot is known about Jack Sparrow before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Island de Muerta. That was before I met him, back when he was captain of the Black Pearl," Mr. Gibbs answered.

"What?" Will turned to him sharply. Mr.Gibbs drank some rum nervously. "He failed to mention that."

"He holds things close to the vest now, and a hard learned lesson it was," said Mr.Gibbs. "Three days out in the venture, the first mate comes to him and says that everythings in equal share, that should mean the location of the treasure too. So Jack gives up the bearings. That night, there was a mutiny. They marooned Jack on an Island and left him to die. But not before he'd gone mad with the heat."

"Ah," said Will, "so that's the reason for all the-" he did his own impression of Jack. Basically that Jack was nuts.

But Mr. Gibbs said, "Reasons got nothing to do with it. Now Will, when a pirates marooned, he's given a pistol with a single shot. One shot. Well that won't do much good hunting or to be rescued. But after three weeks with a starving belly and thirst, that pistol's starting to get real friendly." Mr. Gibbs held a finger gun to his head. "But Jack, he escaped the island and he still has that single shot. Oh, he won't use it, save for one man. His mutinous first mate."

"Barbossa."

"Aye."

"How did Jack get off the Island?" questioned Will.

"Well, I'll tell ye. He waited out into the shallows, and he waited there three days till all manner of sea creatures got accustomed to his presence. But on the fourth morning he roped himself a couple of sea turtles and made a raft."

"He roped a couple of sea turtles?"

"Aye, sea turtles."

"What did he use for rope?"

Mr. Gibbs couldn't find an answer when he looked up and saw that Jack had walked over.

"Human hair. From my back," Jack said nonchalantly. Then he turned. "Let go the anchor!" He looked back at Mr. Gibbs. "Young Mr. Turner and I are to go ashore."

"Captain, what if the worst should happen?" asked Mr. Gibbs

"Keep to the code," answered Jack.

"Aye. The code."

Jack and Will boarded the boat and rowed towards the cave, into the island. As the talking aboard the Interceptor faded, Jack felt his thoughts drifting again. It occurred to him that someone must have saved him. The odds that he would've made it ashore the way he did were near impossible. Near. Leaving just enough room for Jack to doubt.

It was not helpful that all he remembered was red. Red hair, he thought. Red like his bandana. He frowned as he reached up to his forehead and remember the missing cloth. That was when he realized that the beads he always wore were also missing. He grimaced. Those were important. As soon as he could, he would look for it, hoping it wasn't lost in the ocean.