Jack was uncharacteristically quiet and tense as we made our way through the thick and unyielding swamp. We were split into two longboats, slowly paddling upriver. Jack, Pintel, Ragetti and myself were split into the first boat, with Mr Gibbs, Will, Marty, Mr Cotton and Mr Cotton's parrot in the second boat.
The deeper we travelled through the swamp, the darker the skies became. The air was thick and humid, trapped by dense foliage that seemed to spread for miles each side of the river. Strange sights and fixtures adorned the swap, with life-size voodoo dolls and totems appearing to gaze at whoever entered. The whole scene gave me an awful sense of foreboding, the unusual items seemed as if they were intended to scare off intruders and people passing.
Jack must have sensed my unease and placed his hand over my back, lightly touching my waist as we sat beside each other in the front of the boat, both looking out at the scenery in front.
We approached a dimly lit shack in the distance, nestled amongst the trees and supported high above the river on thick stilts. Pulling up at the raised platform in front of the shack, Jack quickly stepped out and turned to me, offering his hand as I climbed out of the boat.
We stood there a moment, waiting for the other party to join us on the landing as they tied down the boats.
"Tia Dalma and I go way back," Jack said turning to Will. "Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are- were- have been, before." The more he spoke, the less confident he became, his eyes glazing over slightly.
"I'll watch your back," Mr Gibbs said in reply.
"It's me front I'm worried about," Jack said, giving me a quick glance before climbing up the ladder that lead to the door.
Behind me I heard a string of 'mind the boats' as I stepped into the shack behind Jack, who opened the door slowly, careful not to make any noise.
The smell of the shack hit me first. It smelt almost like a strong herb had been burnt, something plant based definitely, although I couldn't place it. It was a mixture of the strong herb and the salty, stagnant water. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, just different.
The decorative aspects of the shack hit me then, almost literally, as I nearly walked into one of the many jars that hung from the ceiling, along with many other strange artefacts. When I looked closer at the jar it seemed to contain eyeballs. I did a double take at seeing this and couldn't stop my face from scrunching up in disgust. A large yellow snake of some kind seemed to hang off one of the trees that accounted for the beams within the shack and I hesitated slightly, trying to keep my distance.
"Jack Sparrow," a voice called out from the table. In my amazement at the surroundings, I had seemingly overlooked the woman sat at the table. When she spoke, she grinned widely, showing a display of black coloured teeth. I tried my hardest not to react to them, having never seen anything so off-putting in my life.
"Tia Dalma," Jack greeted swaggering further into the room. The woman stood now, walking towards Jack.
"I always knew the wind was going to blow you back to me one day," she said cryptically.
Myself and the rest of the men followed in behind Jack but hesitated moving further towards them.
Suddenly, she turned to look directly at Will in an almost frightening twist of events, ignoring the rest of us completely.
"You," she said ominously, pointing her finger towards him, walking past Jack and towards Will with a sway. "You have a touch o' destiny about you... William Turner." Will frowned at this.
"You know me?" Will asked curiously.
"You want to know me?" she flirted as she leaned in closer to Will.
YOU ARE READING
Fathoms Below: Captain Jack Sparrow
Fanfiction"Jack was like a Chinese finger trap most of the time, you had to carry on playing, delve a little further and accept your fate before you were able to pry yourself away." Jack/ OC reader pairing, following the course of the movies with mini-inserts...
