She Called Him Henry

Chapter 2

Henry had a relatively normal childhood. He learned to read and write with the children his mother taught. He loved to play games with them and explore the island. At bed time, his mother would tell him tales of pirates, and ships so big they could house dozens of men. She told him of the sea and all the beauty it had to behold; she even told him of a cave full of so much gold that it spilled into the water! He loved to hear these tales, but most importantly he loved to hear of one specific pirate, William Turner.

Elizabeth found it difficult to explain to such a young boy why his father was not around as all the other children's were. But the easiest way, she found, was to tell him stories of the adventures they had gone on. This, for a while anyways, always kept his questions at bay. She too loved the stories, she could think of simpler days where she would see Will all the time.

Her favorite story by far was of the Pirate Lords gathering and becoming Pirate King. Henry, however, could not imagine picking just one! He loved them all! The one about the ghost pirates, or the sea monster ruled by Davy Jones, tales of the Dutchman, of the Pearl, of Captain Jack! The list goes on. No, he could never pick a favorite.

He loved the idea of being a pirate. He wanted to sail the seas just as his mother and father did. He wanted to fight off bad guys and rescue his friends and discover hidden treasure. He wanted to visit all the places they had gone, even the Isla de Pelegostos. Elizabeth even got him a wooden sword and a captain's hat, since that day they were never too far from him at all times. Just as Will had taught her, she taught Henry how to handle a sword. He knew where to step and how to turn his wrist at the proper moments. While she was very proud of his academic achievements, she couldn't help but smile the brightest when he held that sword.

He was incredibly smart for being five years old and so aware of their world. She began to explain the curse of Davy Jones to Henry. He, of course, had many questions that required difficult answers. As he grew in age, these answers started to make more sense to him. He began to understand the burden his father had to bare and though he missed Will immensely, he was proud of his father.

Around the age of six, Elizabeth took Henry out to sea for the first time. They went out in the summer months when the children's lessons were on hold and the weather was at its warmest. She was able to join her crew on the Empress to show Henry was a pirate's life was like. Along the way Henry met the great Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew. They spent the rest of the summer sailing around with the notorious pirate. Henry loved to hear the stories from Jack and listen to him and his mother argue over the details. Henry made her promise that they could sail with Captain Jack every summer, and they did.

As the months went by, Henry started a calendar to mark down the days until they were reunited with his father. It hung on its own wall in the kitchen and each morning before they sat down for breakfast he would mark off another day. His days were filled with lessons and games but he never stopped thinking of his father and the day he would get to meet him.

Around the age of eight, Henry started to piece more things together. One day at breakfast it struck him, "Mama, does Father know I'm here?" he asked.

"Well, no, he doesn't Henry. You started growing in my tummy after he left," she replied. Henry wasn't sure how to reply so he just nodded his head and finished his eggs.

If he doesn't know about me, will he like me? What if he gets here and leaves because of me? He wondered.

These questions echoed in his head for a long time. He kept telling himself that this was his father, how could he not love him? But, there was still a small part of him that always wondered, what if?

Another year had passed and there were six months until his father's return. Elizabeth and Henry could hardly contain themselves. Slowly they began preparing for his arrival. Elizabeth had gone to the local tailor and requested a few trousers and pants to be made and purchased a new pair of boots for William. Henry set about making the house look the best that he could, making sure his room was clean every day, tending to the garden with his mother and the like. The day was fast approaching though it seemed ages away.

Henry no longer wanted to hear the stories just at bed time but throughout the day, especially at, or as Elizabeth suspected, instead of, lessons. The other children loved to hear these stories as well, of course for them they were merely fiction. Elizabeth loved to look at Henry's eyes when she would speak of his father and all the amazing things he had done, they would glowing with a sense of awe that she rarely saw.

In the week leading up to his arrival, neither Elizabeth nor Henry could sleep very well. Every crash of the waves against the shore made their stomachs just with anticipation. Every morning that week she woke and went into the kitchen only to find that Henry was up and dressed before her, waiting to cross another day off the calendar.

Finally the day had arrived, or rather the night before. As soon as the sun would rise on the horizon there would be a flash of green. That night there was no sleep to be found at all. It took all of her strength to keep her son in the house until the early morning at least. Henry wanted nothing more than to sit on the edge of that cliff and wait for Will's arrival. Then, the tell-tale, pale blue sky of the early morning surrounded them and Henry took off out the front door. Elizabeth followed closely behind him as the sun began to fully rise. She could hear him sing the pirate song as he made his way.

As she caught up with Henry and placed her arm around his shoulders the sky flashed green and off in the distance they could see a weathered ship with a figure hanging off a rope ladder. Henry looked up to his mother and smiled as if asking if it was his father. She nodded yes, that's Will.