Captain Jack Sparow and I: A Pirates of the Caribbean Fanfiction

Chapter 10: Striking Treasure

Chapter 10: Striking Treasure



"Over here!" Jack calls out. His fingers gesture a swift command to Gibbs and another crew member, who immediately rush to the place. They descend to their knees and start to claw out the ground with their bare hands, seeing as how their equipment got destroyed in the fall.

I stand by Jack's side as we watch them dig. Captain Turner watches as well.

After about forty minutes of shifting sand, Gibbs moves out if the way, revealing a wooden chest deep inside the hole. Jack peers into the hole and orders them to hoist the chest out.

As the crew members lift the chest into the light, I get a better glimpse of it. It's a small box covered in a thin layer of water, causing the surface to reflect the light of the sun. The planks of wood that make up the chest appear to be rotting, and barnacles cling to the cold wood.

They set the chest down to the sand and Jack, Captain Turner and I squat down to take a closer look.

"Aye, first time the chest has been unearthed in hundreds of years" Gibbs states.

"Then how do the mussels survive?" Captain Turner asks, his head leaning to the side.

"The Semper Stone, of course" Gibbs replies as If it is common knowledge.

Jack reaches his hand in his coat and pulls out his sword. I move out of the way as he wedges the blade between the gap of the chest which should be the opening. Once it is firmly wedged in, he jerks at the handle of the sword. After a few strong shakes, the blade of the sword lifts the chest open.

The three of us scan the bottom of the chest. Lying in the middle is what appears to be a blood red stone. The surface looks smooth and glassy, reflecting the glare of the sun. But there is something odd about its shape. The stone is spherical with what looks like few tubes protruding from from one end. It's almost as if it's a- no, it can't be. A heart.

I reach out my hand and pick it up. The stone fits in my hand perfectly, and the surface is dry and warm. Not knowing what to do at this moment, I look at Jack.

"I think it's best if you give it to me. You know, for safe keeping." Jack says.

I hand the stone to Jack and he carefully places it in an inside pocket of his coat.

"What now, Jack?" I ask him. We're at the Land of the Dead. We've got the stone. but what now? Our ship is gone. There is no way we can go back without a ship.

He doesn't answer. Instead, he stands up and slides his sword back in its sheath and walks closer to the shore. Once he reaches water, he waits.

Then something happens that completely astounds me. The crew watches as if it is a normal thing. But how? The vessel of the Flying Dutchman rises from the surface of the water and into the light. The torn sails blow in the wind as water flows out of the cannons and deck of the ship. Parts of the vessel seem more damaged then before, which is no doubt the result of the fall.

"No way..." I say under my breath.

Jack turns his head to look at my reaction and grins. "Once again, the sea doesn't fail to surprise you" he says to me. I laugh. He's right.

Gibbs rushes over to Jack and they talk to each other too quietly for me to hear. No doubt it's plans on how to get to the ship.

I stare at The Flying Dutchman in the distance. Soon enough, we'll all be out of here. Out of the Land of the Dead. Captain Turner would be reunited with his wife. His father would captain the Flying Dutchman and his crew. And Jack, Gibbs and I would find a ship of our own. Then, we'll be free to sail the seas for as long as we want.

But wait. What makes me certain that Jack will stay with me after this? He only needed me to locate the Semper Stone. What use am I to him after that? I certainly can't return to Port Royal. I'll be hanged for affiliating with pirates. I'll admit that I've gotten attached to him. I just don't know if he feels the same towards me.

"Hey" I hear Captain Turner's voice behind me and I turn to face him.

"Hey" I respond awkwardly. I try my best to avoid him ever since the time he caught me in the Captain's cabin.

"I just want to say thanks for helping us. You have no idea how much this means to me." He says to me. I actually do, but I don't tell him that. I simply smile in response.

"You remind me of someone. Your thirst for adventure, your determination, are much like someone I knew."

I look up at his face and I see his eyes fighting to hold back tears. He doesn't have to tell me who it is. I can already tell.

"Thank you" I tell him, not knowing what else to say.

There's a short moment of silence between the both of us, and I look back at Jack who seems to still be talking to Gibbs.

"I see the way you look at him" Captain Turner says. I quickly pull my sight away from Jack and look at the ship.

"At who?" I ask.

"At Jack. Who else?" He replies. A smile forms on his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about" I say.

"Your not fooling me, Catherine."

"The way I look at him is of friendship and of nothing else" I say in my defense. At this point, I turn and start to walk away.

"You can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel. I see the way he looks at you too. You're just not looking when he does."

I stop in my tracks and think about what Captain Turner has said, and try to forget.