Hooked

7. Something in the Water

'This is getting ridiculous.'

Ben gripped the map in his hands, his eyes glued on the messy 'X' Harry had written on the delicate paper. Ben was there. He was in the exact spot that the 'X' was marked on the map.

Yet there was no pirate in sight.

Ben couldn't stop staring at the 'X'. Double. Triple. Quadruple-checking it to make sure this was the right spot. Over and over again, his verification became as obsessive as his need to resolve this curse issue. He was exactly where Harry told him to be and the sun was already high in the air. Dawn passed long ago and Ben was just about sick of waiting. His right heel tapped relentlessly on the forest ground and he shoved his face into his hands, slouching forward on the rock he was sitting on.

'Can't trust a damn pirate, I guess.' 

Ben was already giving up on Harry showing his face. There was no resolving this issue. Ben would live the rest of his life suffering under a spell. Although Ben internally gave up on the hope that Harry would show, he still refused to stand up from the rock and return to the castle. He wanted to stay right here and die. He would lie down on the dirt ground, go to sleep, and never wake up.

That sounded perfect.

"Well good morning, Your Majesty."

The familiar sneering voice had Ben throwing himself up off the rock and spinning to face the approacher.

"Harry, what the FUCK? Where the hell have you been?"

"Aye, whaddaya mean? I've been heading over to meet ya here."

"I told you to meet me here at dawn. Fucking dawn. Its been two fucking hours since then, Harry!"

"Oh well I was polishin' me hook," Harry proudly held up his sparkling hook, analyzing every centimeter of it. Meanwhile, Ben was fuming. His entire body was rigid with disbelief and hot with rage.

"For. Two. Fucking. Hours?"

"Aye, me pocket watch broke and I was just so focused I must've lost track of time."

Ben's mouth hung wide open, unable to form an appropriate reaction to the pirate's account.

"Is this a fucking joke? I've been sitting here waiting-... you know what... never mind," Ben pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt his anxiety racing up his stomach to his chest, "Lets just... get this over with. I don't have all day. Spill everything."

"Okay well first, you should follow me," Harry gestured off down the path in a direction that would take them further into the forest.

"No, are you kidding?" Ben's impatience was well above breaking point, "You can tell me right here."

"I actually can't... Just trust me Ben." Harry gave him pleading eyes and folded his hands to beg.

"Trust you? I couldn't even trust you to tell the time and you expect me to trust-"

"Ben, just shut up and follow me. All of this will be over very shortly."

"That sounds like you're going to kill me," Ben frowned at Harry and Harry raised an eyebrow and pondered that.

"Oh well I guess that is an enticing option..." He sang as he began walking off in the direction he gestured toward.

"Christ, Harry... Just-..." Ben was going to argue further, but Harry ignored him and kept walking. Ben's desperation left him with only the ability to hold it in and follow.

He made sure to maintain a solid distance of a couple paces behind Harry throughout the trek. Yes, they were on a well known pathway, but being so far away from the castle with no one around but a pirate who has proven himself many times over to be villainous, it only made sense to be on extra alert.