Jeff the Accountant Escapes the Wretched Burning Depths of Hades

There It Is Again, Present Tense

Doug and Mary heard a noise from the guest room. A loud thud.

"Still finding my land legs" Edward said, getting up from the floor, next to the bed he'd fallen asleep in, eleven hours ago.

Mary tilted her head, remembering Stede saying those same words, months earlier, when he showed up unexpectedly, before Mary and a few of her friends conspired with him to fake his death.

She looked up at her husband. Doug nodded slightly. "Ed, we asked the cook to come up with some things we hope you'll like. Kept it light, we didn't know what you might be able to...handle? Whether your stomach..." he looked at Mary.

"And tea. There's good, strong tea." she said.

"No, no, it smells great. I feel like I could eat a horse, truthfully." "I'd like to clean up a bit first, if I could."

"Of course, of course, Ed." Mary said.

"The door at the end of the hall, on the left" Doug said. "I could lend you some clothes if you'd like."

He and Mary looked Ed up and down, wondering how one cleans leather garments.

Blackbeard realized they were...fixated...on what he was wearing. "No, no, I'll just keep these on. Wash up a bit, change back at the ship." "The ship! Is it possible to get a message to my crew? No - I'm not thinking. You've already been generous with your time. Opening your home to me, feeding me."

"Ed, it's not a problem" Doug said. "I can go. The two of you can... reminisce, about Stede."

"You'd do that, mate?"

"Ship?" Mary said. "You have a ship?"

"Yeah. The Revenge." He wasn't accustomed to having to fill people in on details like that. "It, it was Stede's ship, before..."

"Ed, we can get a message to your ship." She looked at Doug. "Melvin,you think?"

There was a knock at the door. Mary left for a moment to answer it. It was Evelyn. Mary explained the situation. Evie agreed to ask her son to come pick up a message to deliver to the crew of The Revenge.

"Providence is intervening, it seems, Doug said.

"The things fancy men say," thought Blackbeard.

"If I could just get a bit of paper? Something to write with?"

"Ah. I have that, right here." Mary motioned for Ed to have a seat at her desk.

"Just a note to say I'm okay. Be back soon. Ed" Blackbeard happily put the writing lessons he'd gotten from Lucius to work, adding more flourishes than were strictly necessary.

When Melvin arrived and saw Blackbeard, he was...awestruck. He was pretty sure he knew who the man standing before him, dressed in black leather, was. Why he was there, asking that a message be delivered to The Revenge, though? He couldn't make sense of that. Wasn't that Stede Bonnett's old ship?

"Ask for Lucius, yeah? There's a good lad." Ed reached into his coin purse, but Melvin held his hand up.

"No, sir. That's not necessary. I'm honored to help." "Doug. Missus." He nodded to them and left to deliver the message.

"I want to tell him, Doug." Mary and Doug were at the table, while Blackbeard was cleaning up.

"It does seem like the right thing to do. I have to wonder, though, why doesn't he know already? Why didn't Stede find him? Wasn't that the plan?" 

"...maybe Stede's...ineptitude?" Mary suggested.

"Ineptitude. Yep, Stede had his share of that." Blackbeard laughed. He'd walked in, in time to hear Mary's comment. "This is lovely. Let me say again, you're very kind. Very generous. Is there sugar for the tea?"

Doug and Mary patiently waited while Ed added one, two...seven sugar cubes. They raised their eyebrows simultaneously.

"Your sweet tooth rivals Stede's, it seems." Mary said. "He uses so much sugar in his tea, I swear it's like drinking syrup." Mary laughed.

"Uses?" Blackbeard thought. "I guess Mary just speaks in the present tense out of habit."

"And cake! I don't think I told you, Doug, but Stede had a standing order for a glazed orange cake, delivered once a week, from Ferguson's Bakery. Ed..."

Blackbeard looked at her.

"No, no, different Ed. Ed Ferguson, the baker," she continued with what she was saying to Doug, "Ed came by the house, to personally deliver one 'final cake' for Stede, after the service." They laughed together.

Blackbeard questioned how appropriate that was, but he kept his thoughts quiet. He was actually enjoying the talk of Stede and his syrupy sweet tea, his ineptitude. It felt good to be with someone who knew Stede like he did.
"You like the marmalade Stede likes, too." Mary said, when Blackbeard chose that over the honey or strawberry jam for his toast.

There it is again. Present tense.

Mary saw the question in Edward's eyes. "Ed?"she said.

"It's just that you're, you're talking like he's still..." Blackbeard sighed with effort, deciding not to finish what he was saying. He pushed his plate away, grabbing the toast and marmalade. He examined it, smiled, took a bite, put it back on his plate. He closed his eyes, the memories flooding over him.

Doug put his hand on Mary's. He nodded his head.

Mary put her hand on Blackbeard's arm. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Ed, can we, can we..."

"Let's go to the parlor. We'll be more comfortable there, I think." Doug said.

Once they were all seated, it turned out that "telling him" wasn't as simple as all that. Blackbeard sensed their discomfort, mistook it for discomfort with him. "They're having second thoughts, about hosting the likes of someone like me, in their fine home," he thought.

"No need to squirm on my account." Blackbeard said. "It seems I've overstayed my welcome. I just thought we were all getting along." He looked around. "It felt good, though, being in Stede's house."

"You know, I asked you, Mary, what Stede told you about me. You never answered. Will you answer that for me, before I go?"

"We're not asking you to leave" Doug said.

"Ed, Stede and I were talking about being in love. He asked me what it feels like. When I told him what it feels like to me, I also told him I hope he finds that."

"Do you know what he said? He said 'I think I have.' " Mary paused. " He said 'His name is Ed.' "

She shifted in her seat. Looked at Doug. Doug nodded his head again, squeezing Mary's hand.

"He's alive, Ed. Stede didn't die here. We helped him fake his death. So he'd be free. Free to find you and have the life he wanted.