Precious cargo

As Jack came scurrying around the corner like a hen chased by a fox, he didn’t know what hit him when he came crashing to the ground. Confusion spread as he looked up, dizzy from hitting his head.

   “What in the name of all the seven seas are ye doin’ young lad!?” someone asked.

Jack turned his head to find a man staring at him. His appearance was that of a man who seemingly had sailed all the seven seas and while doing so, lost most of his teeth.

    “My apologies good sir, you see I was in quite the hurry. I should have minded my surroundings,” Jack replied. “Have my actions caused you any harm, good sir?”

    “It’s not I you need worry for, son. It’s the capt’n you damn near killed with your haste!”

Apparently he was addressing the wrong person. Unaware there was another man standing nearby, he quickly turned round to apologize. But he didn’t see anyone. There was only the old man and he.

    “What is it that would cause a fine young man like you to be in such great haste that it would cause him to collide with me?” Frightened by the dak voice, Jack jumped up. Suddenly he saw a shadow moving towards him.

    “Speak up, boy!” the shadow commanded.

Not knowing what to do, Jack apologized once more and tried to make a run for it. But to no avail. Toothless grabbed him by the arm and swung him to the ground with unforeseen strength. Expecting a hard impact once more, he braced himself. It never came; instead he landed softly. 

    “I do believe Mr. Chess here, would like you to stay with us,” the shadowy figure said. “And seeing as he obeys my every command, he will either kindly escort you to my ship, or he will do so forcefully. Either way, I assure you, he will do it with ease and great pleasure.”

    “Ai cap’n, I will” Mr. Chess replied. It was the smirk on his tarnished face that persuaded Jack. Not the captain.

    “Who are you folk? And what busines could you possibly have with me?” Jack asked.

    “That, my young friend, will be divulged in due time. For now, my wish is that you join me on my ship.” The captain looked at Chess and nodded. Chess, or toothless as Jack saw him, allowed him to stand up. The look in his eyes made it clear that it would please him if he tried to make a run for it again. They found their way to the harbour. As they boarded the ship, Jack saw a name on the vessel. 

    “What kind of name is ‘the Angel’?” he asked, as Chess escorted him on board.

    “Ne’er mind the name lad, mind the owner!” He ignored Jack as he spoke, almost as if he had done his job, and was now home.

    “Who is he?” Jack inquired.

    “Look lad, I’d have a lot a questions too if I was you, but I ain’t. You’d better keep quiet for now, the cap’n is not one to mess with. You understand?” Chess turned to jack, looked at his necklace and said “all’s I know is it must be somthin’ to do with that ‘round ya neck.”

    “What do you mean? This is just a small token of affection. It’s not worth the string it’s tied up with.” Jack tried to defend himself. Maybe these people were out for money, he should let them know that he is not well off, not at all.

    “Boy!” The captain had stepped out of his quarters and on to the main deck of his ship. His stride left no doubt about it: this was his ship. Jack felt fear as the imposing figure marched up to him with ill intent, or so it seemed.

    “Do you know who I am?” the captain asked.

    “No sir, I’m afraid I do not. But maybe you would be so kind as to explain it to me, and also why I am here, good sir.” He tried to sound polite to hide his fear, he failed.

    “You don’t have to be afraid, boy. Not yet,” the captain said.

    As he looked at toothless, the captain said “Chester benedict, my first mate, as he has been for the better part of ten years.” He looked at Chess with pride, as if looking at his son. Jack did not know what to make of the situation.

    “Happy to make your acquaintance,” Jack said, as he made a light bow towards Chess.

    “Can’t imagine why. For all you know, we’re ‘bout to feed you to the sharks,” Chess responded.

    “Don’t mind him. Make nothing of it, young jack. You should get some rest. We may have quite the journey ahead of us.”

He must’ve hit his head harder than he thought. The captain’s demeanour had changed completely. He even knew Jack’s name. There was definitely more going on. But for now, he would play along. Still afraid of what Chess could do to him if he disobeyed.

    “Follow me, son. Your bunk’s ready made for ya.”

    “My bunk? You took me of the street against my will, and now you expect me to stay here?” Jack trembled as he spoke, he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against the old man. He also knew he had somewhere else to be, so for now he accepted his fate.

    As he lay on his hard bunk contemplating his escape from this unusual situation, he thought of the name of the ship. He could have sworn it had some kind of special meaning. But before he could remember anything the door swung open.

   “Time to tell the truth boy!” Chess stood in the doorway, casting a shadow across the entire cabin. It made Jack feel small, but he decided to take a stand anyway.

   “How about you tell me the truth instead. Why have you brought me aboard this vessel?”

   “Why were you in such a hurry, Jacky?”

Only his father had ever called him that. Jack ascribed it to Chess’s demeanour. He seemed like the kind of person only willing to serve his master, with no regard for others.

   “Was someone chasing you? Do you think the cap’n and I were there by accident?”

Chess clearly had the upper hand, but Jack was cunning. He had already figured out that the men chasing him did so only because they were told too. They disappeared the moment the captain and Chess made their appearance.

   “I’m sure you sent those men after me. They came out of nowhere, yelling I had stolen something. The whole thing just seemed like a case of mistaken identity, at first. But soon I realised, I might have been in danger. Then there were the two of you,” jack replied.

   “Does the name Ainsley Quin Leclerc ring a bell with ya, boy?” Chess asked. The lack of teeth made him sound like a savage, even when uttering a fancy name like that. Yet, there was a sense of sophistication about him, a learnt form of sophistication. Almost like Jack’s.

   “I must admit, it does not …” Jack definitely knew the name, but was afraid of what his acknowledgement could mean.

    “What of cap’n Quindread?

    “The pirate? Who hasn’t! Although, I don’t think anyone has ever seen him. Nor would I wish to do so,” Jack answered. He was beginning to fear he was in the wrong place, now more than before. 

    “Ai, boy. The pirate! They’re the same man ya know. Cap’n Quindred was once known by the name of Ainsley Quin Leclerc, a rich merchant. That is, until he lost ‘iz most prised possession.”

    Jack didn’t know what to make of it, he wasn’t sure what Chess was aiming at. All he wanted was to get of the ship before it left the harbour. Though, if they wanted to hurt him, he thought, they would have already. So he let his curiosity take over.

    “What happened to mister Leclerc that he is now known as one of the most feared pirates?” Jack inquired. But before Chess could open his mouth to answer, captain Quindread himself walked in.

   “Follow me, boy,” he said. He didn’t even look at Jack. Chess dropped his head; Jack wasn’t sure what this gesture meant. He followed the captain down a small staircase, ending up in the hull of the ship. The room was badly lit by some oil lamps that shed light on old maps that had been put up on the walls. Jack tried to piece together what was going on. It seemed like the Captain had been searching for something.

    “Ten years, it’s been, Jacky. Ten years. Do you know how long that is?” The captain turned round the room as he spoke before he ended up staring at Jack, waiting for an answer. The sea must be rough at the moment, even in the safety of the harbour Jack could feel a small swell. He’d never liked the sea. It made him feel nauseous. It also made the situation more confusing.

    “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean sir. Ten years is just that. But it does seem like an awful long time to spend searching for something.” Jack tried to work with the captain, for fear of what he might do to him when he would realise he had the wrong person.

    I hope you don’t mind my asking, sir … but, how is it that you know my name? he asked.

The captain took a step in his direction.

    “I’ve been keeping an eye on you, son. You see, these past ten years I have built a reputation of being a dreaded pirate. People think of me as a ruthless killer, looking for some mystical treasure. And they are right!” The captain stood directly in front of Jack now, intimidating. But Jack could also see something else, something he thought resembled pain.

     “Are you trying to tell me something, sir? Because I would appreciate it if you did. You see, I don’t think I can help you. In fact, I think you have the wrong person.”

    “Haha! The wrong person he says. No my boy, you are exactly who I need. You see, you are going to help me find my precious treasure.” The captain seemed sincere, he genuinely seemed to believe Jack was the one to help him accomplish something he himself had not been able to do in ten years.

    “Let me tell you something, Jack. Sit down for a moment. I assure you, no harm will come to you if you obey.” The severity in his voice made Jack do as he was told. For now, he was in the hands of one of the most dangerous pirates in the world. And all this man wanted to do was tell him a story.

    “As I said before, I have been a pirate for around ten years now. I know you’re a clever boy, I also know Chess told you I haven’t always been who I am now.” The captain had taken a seat in front of Jack, he seemed to let his guard down. Jack thought of escape again, but the captain’s words had grabbed his attention. Besides, Chess would be on him like stink on a dead fish if he tried anything.

   “A long time ago, I sailed one of my ships on some dangerous seas. I should have known better than to defy the ocean. But I had become stubborn, cocky almost. Thought I could go against the waves. And maybe I could have. Maybe I could have defeated the beast.” He slammed his fist on the small table between them. Jack flinched, revealing his fear.

   “Good, you’re afraid. That’s what I should have been, but I wasn’t. You see I was carrying the most precious cargo I had ever sailed with. But I was stupid and proud. I gave the order to go against the waves when we got hit, hard. When I woke up, I didn’t know how long I had been in the water for. I simply remember waking up on a beach. A fool hanging over me, trying to see if I was still alive. This fool has been with me ever since.”

    “Chester Benedict” Jack said. “I’m sorry, it was not my intent to interrupt you, sir.”

The captain looked right through him, or so he thought.

    “I’ve been searching for that ship and it’s crew ever since. But not once did I ever find any clue that they had survived. That is, until I saw you.”

    “But I never worked on a ship captain. I was only a boy ten years ago.”

    “It’s not you that gave me hope, my son. It’s the thing you wear around your neck.”

Jack didn’t understand. It was merely a trinket, worthless to most. Precious to him because it was given to him by someone he had loved since he had first lain eyes on her. He noticed the captain’s tone of voice change, almost like he cared.

    “Now, tell me where you got that necklace, please.”

Jack took the trinket between his fingers.

    “This is nothing, not worth anything to anyone but me.”

The captain could hear the desperation in Jack’s voice. He was as much afraid to lose it, as he had once been to lose his treasure.

    “Jacky, my boy. I do not wish to take it from you. I wish to know where you got it from. You see, it was part of the precious cargo I thought was lost to the sea forever. When I first saw you wearing it, I knew I had to be careful to approach you. I had Chess keep an eye on you until I was sure we could speak to you in private. I have many enemies, you see. I do not wish to see any harm befall you.”

At this moment the captain seemed less and less like a dangerous pirate and more like a worried human being. Jack seemed to contemplate his next words carefully until he simply decided to tell the truth.

    “My wife gave it to me, to always remind me of her, no matter where I am,” he said.

    “And, where might I ask did your wife get it?

    “I believe her father gave it to her when she was a little girl.”

    “Then I would like to meet her father; you are going to take me to him.” Captain Quindread reared his head again. His voice sounded fearful, but still. Jack could sense a hint of politeness in there. Maybe he truly was a noble man once; right now, he was scared by what ever past haunted him. That much was obvious.

    “That will be quite impossible.” Jack replied. He saw an opportunity, it meant he would have to lie and mislead the captain, but he would do no such thing. He heard the pain the captain was hiding and decided to help him instead.

    “Her father is dead; he died when she was young. But maybe, if you let me go I could ask my wife.” Jack was not yet ready to risk getting her involved, but he had to do something. Because, although the captain’s intentions seemed honest, he did not fully trust him just yet.

    “No, no more gameplay. You will take me to your wife, I know where you live, so do not try to escape. You will help me with this, whether you like it or not,” the captain said. He stood up and called for Chess.

    “Escort the young man outside, we are going for a walk.”

    “Ai cap’n, understood.” Chess grabbed Jack by the arm and led him onto the main deck, and off the ship. The captain was not far behind.

As the unusual company of three walked the narrow street towards the quaint little house Jack had recently come to call his own, he heard someone yell his name.

    “Jack? Jack, where are you?” the voice cried.

    “Ivy! I am here!” He wanted to run towards her, but Chess made a move.

    “You stay right here boy, let the young lady come to us.”

It didn’t take more than two seconds for the young lady to arrive on the scene.

    “Jack, you’re alright. I was worried when you didn’t come home, so I started looking for you.”

    “It’s alright my love, I ran into some trouble earlier on. These fine gentle men were kind enough to lend me a hand …”

Jack turned to look at the captain. But he saw he was on his knees. A tear rolling down his cheek.

   “Ivy, Yvette … Your name,” he uttered slowly. “You are alive!”

The tear rolled down the captain’s face and found it’s way to his chest. He felt his broken heart start to heal as he realised he had found what he had been looking for, for so long.

   “My precious, you are alive …”

   “Father …?” the young woman replied. “I thought you were dead. I saw you fall off the ship.”

The captain could not believe his eyes. Right here before him stood the only thing that had ever been dear to him, the one thing he thought he had lost for ever, his own flesh and blood: Yvette Toinette Leclerc, his daughter.