The lost pearl (Pirates of the Caribbean)

The lost Pearl

The shadows formed by the moonlight casts an eerie figurine on the gravel road she stands on, leading up to the abandoned dock used only by smugglers and in some cases just like this, pirates who would rather not catch the attention of others. It was a mild night in Tortuga and if these were ordinary circumstances she would have taken a moment to enjoy the breeze while maybe visiting a brothel or two with a bottle in hand. She doesn't have the opportunity to go on land except for once in a couple of years so these moments are hard to come by. But time was of the essence if she wanted to be able to save the child she had been looking out for for 17 years. If not, the child would probably be found dead or be taken captive soon.

Her pace quickens by the sight of him standing on the gravel road beside the dock, staring deeply into the dark ocean that seemed to be calling out his name. By the sound of her sudden footsteps his head rises quickly in suspicion of a wandering stranger but the grip on the sword loosens when he sees a familiar stern face emerging through the shadows.

"Miss Black, I came as soon as I could", his voice is steady, raw with emotion and a bit of rum. His whole body shakes from the effort of standing still on a soft surface on only one leg and that rusted steel peg he had stolen from a salesman in Port Royal 34 days ago.

"How the hell did they find her"? Her voice chills him to the core and the shame that doesn't belong on his shoulders tickles down his neck in fright.

"I don't know miss. One of our own, Rose, was being friendly to one drunken lad down at the pub. He told her miss, he told her that his capt'n was searching for an Eliana Sparrow and that the money he offered in reward for her alive was at least 15 gold coins. Only 5 if she would be brought to him dead. And this poor lad was just a normal sailor following an order among with the rest of the crew. I'd hate to know who his captain is and what he intends to do with the poor child".

Her anger rises by each word, all the efforts she had put into hiding away the girl and her mother in a safe place washing down the drain before her eyes. She could just imagine the the pure joy and smirks of the pirate lords who would hear a tale of a young girl with relations to one of the most hated human beings in the Caribbean. And the girls life would be ruined, just because her father is a lying, cheating, drunken bastard.

"Summon all our crew as fast as you can, we leave shore this instant".

Miss Black gives the boy a pat on the back before stepping off the dock into one of the small rowing boats her crew had used to get off her ship that floated a mile out of the cove. The moon stood guard above them and the light shone down on the water, dancing on the surface as she drifted away from dry land.

"Aye captain, but what about the girl"? He asks confused whilst trying to scratch an itch on his prosthetic leg.

"There is nothing else I can do for her. I've stood the guard for 17 years and kept her existence secret in order to save her life. Now it's Jack's turn to take care of his own".

"Does he know Miss Black, does he know he has a daughter on land who will soon become the target of every pirate in these waters"?

The drunken cries of men and women followed by the sound of an euphoric laughter echoes through the silence that stays between them for a moment. As she floats away, she tries to imagine that she's able to reach Port Royal in time, before the child she had grown fond of over the years is taken to be used as a bargain against Jack, being then unprotected from all sorts of vile treatment pirates are known for. Then after she and her mother are safely that they are able to track down the Black Pearl and Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Not yet, but he will".