Song of the Sea: Sunsets and Black Sails

Chapter 9: Silver and Gold

Jack

"Feast yer eyes, Cap'n!" Gibbs declared proudly, showing off the potential crew members he had managed to scrounge up. None of them looked particularly seaworthy in Jack's opinion, but they would have to do.

"All of 'em, faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt... And crazy to boot," he added as an afterthought.

Jack walked further down the line. This was all Fate had given him to work with to save Aria? The Turner boy soon voiced what Jack was thinking.

"So this is your able-bodied crew?" he asked incredulously.

Jack said nothing, walking further down the line of recruits. He came to a stop in front of a man with a brightly colored bird on his shoulder.

I rather like birds...

"You, sailor!" he barked. It was time to test out some of the first mate's choices.

"Cotton, sir," Gibbs supplied.

"Mister Cotton," Jack repeated. Not a bad name. "Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?"

When the man did not reply immediately, Jack snapped, "Mister Cotton! Answer, man!"

Gibbs quickly stepped in to explain. "Ah, he's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out."

Jack recoiled when the man in question showed him his missing tongue.

"So 'e trained the parrot to talk for him," Gibbs continued. "No one's yet figured how..."

Moving on...

Hesitantly, Jack drew himself up, glancing at the bird.

"Mister Cotton's... parrot..." He really did feel ridiculous talking to the thing. "Same question."

The parrot squawked loudly, then screeched, "Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!"

Both Jack and the Turner boy stared at it. Even Gibbs was giving it a funny look.

"Mostly we figure that means 'yes'..." he said.

"Of course it does." Jack found that rarely anything surprised him anymore. "Satisfied?" he asked the boy, more than ready to set sail now.

Turner, however, was not to eager. "Well, you've proved they're mad," he muttered.

Just before Jack could reply, a strange, demanding voice rang out, "And what's the benefit for us?"

Oh dear... That voice was all too familiar to Jack. He stalked down the line until he saw the sailor with an unnecessarily large hat. Reluctantly, while hoping against all hope that he was wrong, Jack pulled the hat up and off.

"Anamaria."

Without hesitation, the woman slapped him.

Young William seemed to have no sympathy whatsoever. "I suppose you didn't deserve that one either?" he quipped annoyingly.

"No, that one I deserved..." Jack admitted.

"You stole. My. Boat!" Anamaria snapped.

"Actually--" But before he could get a word in edgewise to defend himself she had slapped him again.

"Borrowed!" he tried again. "Borrowed... without permission. But, with every intention of bringing it back."

"But you didn't!" she spat.

"You'll get another one!" Jack offered when he saw her raising her hand again.

This time, rather than slapping him, she pointed right at his nose.