The Attainment of Evangeline

Chapter 36

She could not decide which had woken her; the feeling of morning dew on her skin or the sound of the waves bashing against the rocks and hills. Whichever it had been, she was wide awake now, shaking sand from her hair and body. Evangeline had fallen asleep not very far from where Jack had sat and talked with her about the stars, and she hardly remembered drifting to sleep in the first place. Smiling as she thought of the night before, she recalled dancing with the captain, being held in his strong arms. Jack had never been so...she could not choose the right word for his behavior, perhaps loving was fitting. He had been so very loving towards her, it had given her a small hope that maybe, just maybe, he fancied her to some degree. But she pushed the thought away, knowing she could not afford to think that way.

As she stood up, more sand fell from her and she sighed, wishing she had not slept on the beach, but rather on the grassy part of the island. Looking around her, she could see men everywhere, all passed out from the night's activities. They were enclosed in early morning mist, as if it were a blanket to keep them warm. The whole island, as far as she could see, was covered in the thick fog and it gave off an ethereal feeling. She thought of tracking Jack down, but decided against it, he was probably very busy conferring with Captain Turner, and she didn't want to interrupt that. He could be sleeping, another thing with which she didn't wish to interfere.

Turning towards the hills on the far side of the crescent shaped island, she pondered on what laid beyond. She had the time, she figured, to roam a bit and take in the isle for all its beauty. It didn't take much for her to make up her mind before she started to walk off into the distance. Walking past the fire pit, she almost stepped on someone's head due to the dense fog. Upon further investigation, she discovered that the head belonged to Mr. Gibbs. He was asleep, lying across the lap of Barbossa. Where had that man been all night? She couldn't remember seeing him. Nevertheless, quietly giggling, she started off again, trying not to crush any drunken, sleeping men beneath her feet.

The grass under her boots made the most delightful sound, something she hadn't heard in a while. It was a soft sound, one that she could barely hear unless she focused all her energy onto it. The sound took her back to the days when she was just starting to explore her feelings for her beloved captain, when it had viciously poured rain, and the two of them played together; not a care in the world. When she had taken him to her favorite place; the little hill above the shoreline, where they took off their clothing and swam. How she desired, with all her heart, that she could go back to that time and prevent him from leaving. More than anything, she wished she had the courage that she had that night, before he left, the courage that made her chase after him to tell him that she loved him. Why had that courage run from her? Where had it gone? Evangeline desperately craved for that courage to return to her, so that she could turn from the very spot she stood in and run to him and say it out loud and to his face, over and over.

Unfortunately, God had not blessed her with such nerves of steel. Not that it would make much of a difference anyway, she knew he would simply look at her with that adorable, inquisitive look and laugh. Geline already knew the ending to this unrequited love affair with Jack Sparrow; there was no ending. She would continue to love him, even after he left her for Annie, even after she no longer heard from him, after she was old and alone, she would love him. And Jack, he would forget her, forget about any moments that they had shared, and forget their friendship....

Her thoughts flew from her as she found herself in an impenetrable, mossy area of the island. At first, it startled her, not knowing where she was or how she had found herself there, but the anxiety passed as she heard the sound of water. It wasn't like the sounds of waves upon rock or shore, but the sound of falling water. Tilting her head slightly to the left, Evangeline's heart skipped as she beheld a waterfall above a moss covered arch. Smiling, she carefully stepped over the slick rocks to be closer. The sound of the water was marvelous, and she couldn't help but stretch out her hand to feel it on her skin. As quickly as she had reached for it, she pulled her hand back due to the sheer cold, but it didn't stop her from trying again and again until she was used to the temperature.