Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 130: Morph's Job

Chapter 130: Morph's Job

"No! NO!" Jim tore across the deck. He threw off his jacket, preparing to dive after Wendy, but just as Morph shaped into a snorkel, Sinbad hauled Jim from the rail.

"Get off!" Jim ground his heels. He wrenched Sinbad's hands. He twisted for the scimitar, but Sinbad dodged his every swipe. "Get the hell off me you son of a – "

"Give up, she's gone!" Sinbad shoved Jim against the mast. "Pitch wanted you and a shadow worker in exchange for Mom! Well now Pitch has his shadow worker and we have NO leverage! Well Pitch also wants you, BUT I am NOT giving you up Jim, so we are going to need a damn good plan to save Mom!"

Jim thrashed. "Get off me! Wendy -- "

"Jim forget it, she's gone! It's just us!"

"Us? US?" Jim screamed. "You don't know the meaning of US! You don't know what it's like to break and have every piece put back together by someone that doesn't care if she gets cut! You don't know how it feels to die inside when someone else cries! You have NO IDEA what it means to be US! But Wen and I – we have NO IDEA how NOT to be US!"

Sinbad could have compared Jim to a hundred horrible things: a storm, a volcano, a knife to the gut. But none touched his anger. None captured his hate.

But Sinbad was incensed.

"How dare you. How dare you say that to me! Everything I've done, I've done for your mom! You want to talk about sacrifice? You want to talk about faith?" Sinbad wrung his enchanted seashell necklace. "I've been on the run my entire life, keeping the monsters away from you and Mom!"

Jim spit. "You've been on the run because you don't give a damn!"

"You're the one that doesn't give a damn!" Sinbad fired testimonials. "You're the one with the police record, high as the sky! You're the one that calls me son of a bitch! You're the one that brags about some other father, and throws him in my face! You're the one that hasn't proposed to the girl of your dreams! You're the one that can't forgive! You're the one that can't forget! You're the only Hawkins that does not want me back!"

Sinbad pointed viciously over Jim's shoulder, to Avalon.

"Well if you can't stand me, then go! GO! Beat it! Join your sister! She's that important? More important than Mom? Fine! Go save her! She was our last chance for saving Mom!"

"Wrong." Jim backed bitterly from his father. "I am. Pitch still wants me. Wen's in trouble. And when I say forever..." Jim hearkened to the night he became Wendy's best friend. "I make that promise for ever."

With no more farewell, Jim disappeared. He stole a longboat, crashed into the ocean, and rowed to Avalon. Sinbad pretended not to care. He pretended to scoff as Jim was seized by the Jolly Roger. He pretended not to notice that Jim scraped an eye into his shoulder, kneading a god damn tear.

As his son would say: whatever. Separate it and you got Sinbad's two favorite words: what ever.

Sinbad just barked a command, set his ship to the wind, and pretended not to knead a tear of his own.

The Princess sailed away. Completely dry eyed.

But Morph...Morph cried.  In fact, Morph sobbed his unhappy little self through the shadows, through the dragons, through the snow...

...and into outer space.

Everyone was captured. Everyone was mad. They needed help. And not long ago, Morph had been charged with a very important job, should they ever need help.

Morph had vowed to keep his promise. And, like Jim, Morph always kept his promises.

Forever.

And forever is an awfully long time.