White and Black Pearls 2 - One Remaining Pearl

Chapter Seven

“We’re going to find Jack with this,” Will said with obvious doubt in his voice as he dumped water and a hermit crab out of Jack’s boot, onto the deck of the Dutchman with a splash. The crab skittered away and Will was left holding a boot that smelled about as pleasant as Jack’s breath first thing in the morning after a night of rum.

“That and other things,” Celeste agreed. “But you said so yourself, the Dutchman can’t fly for you alone, you need your crew to agree to this. What do you profess to do in order to get them on your side? Your father wisely distrusts me and anything to do with me, and it’ll be your word against his before the members of this ship.”

The man’s expression became troubled then. That was right; he could certainly ask them to, but likely they’d refuse… and he could order them to, but that was suicide as a captain or leader of any kind… and then there was begging, which Will would never stoop to, not for Jack.

“You’re right, we don’t trust you,” a voice said gruffly behind them. “But we will follow our captain anywhere.”

Will and Celeste turned to look at Bootstrap Bill as he stood at the front of the flood of crewmen coming above deck behind him.

“He’s been good to us, and kept us on the honest and proper path. If he thinks we should point our sails towards Jack Sparrow’s heading then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Aye,” the men behind Bootstrap agreed.

“He’s our captain.”

“Our leader.”

“Aye, aye!”

The Flying Dutchman’s captain was left speechless as he stared at the men, his lips parted and a very slight colour to his cheeks. He turned to look at his father again, confusion and disbelief still written on his face.

Bootstrap Bill lifted a hand and placed it firmly on his son’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “I don’t trust her and I don’t like her presence here,” he said privately to Will. “But I trust you with my life. Whatever course you choose in life and on this ship, I stand by it, Will.”

Will nodded slowly, before the fires of passion and conviction flared in his eyes. “Then we sail!” he announced to his men.

The crew threw their fists in the air with a unified cheer before heading quickly to their stations. They rumbled with excitement and anticipation as they talked amongst themselves and called out orders and guidance among the ranks to change the ship’s direction, but one by one they fell silent again, and stopped moving, turning to look at Will.

“What?” the man asked blankly. “Why have you stopped?”

“We can’t sail,” one of the men croaked from the mizzenmast.

“Well why not?” the captain pressed.

“No water,” another man murmured.

Will looked over the edge of the ship and again saw the sea of clouds they were suspended upon. Right, he’d forgotten about that. He glanced Celeste’s way with a silent request for a little help in this regard.

A smile broke out on Celeste’s face. “You let me take care of that,” she cooed. “Hold on tight!”

The cries of the men aboard the Dutchman were lost in the roaring wind.

On a small sandy island, two young men with dark skin and white streaks painted across their bodies fought over the last coconut left on the beach. Something caught their attention during the fight however, and they paused, one sitting on the other’s stomach and ready to smash his head open with their coconut-cracking rock. The two young men froze on the spot, their eyes wide as they looked up. A ship fell from the clouds in the sky, skimming along the arms of two funnel clouds, and the ship hit the waves with a huge splash that sent a spray of water high in the air.

The young men remained stuck in their position, unable to move and unable to even close their gaping mouths as the ship finally stopped rocking, put its sails up, and began to sail away as though nothing had happened, unharmed. When the vessel was finally out of sight, the fighting lads turned their heads and looked down at each other. Dropping their weapons and forgetting about the coconut, they got up and made a mad dash into the trees, each wanting to be the first to tell the others on the island about what they’d seen.


____________________________________________________________
More to come...