Captain Jack Sparrow (capnjacksparrow) wrote in off_the_map, @ 2008-01-31 23:03:00 |
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Current location: | Open sea, somewhere among the bahamian islands |
Current mood: | quixotic |
Duldrums
Jack can't remember how long ago he lost the wind, but the sail on his small ship has been hanging slack for some time now. He's thankful each time the sun goes down, and mourns each rising. It's far too hot now, so it must be midday. There was a bit of breeze in the night, but he was passed out and missed the best of it. He ran out of his meager ration of salt-pork and is down to a small crust of damp and moldy bread. Though his water ran out quickly as well, he brought far more rum than anything else. So Jack drinks. Some part of him knows it's only making things worse, but that voice is getting more faint by the minute and soon the liquor will have killed it entirely.
He drains the last from his current bottle as he lays splayed across the inside of the small boat, an arm and a leg hanging over the sides. Jack stares at the sun through the empty glass and tosses the bottle overboard, letting it bob along away from him.
"Bugger. This won' do at all. ... Because we 'ave t'ave something in us, tha's why. Hardly see where it's much good."
Jack flips open his compass and watches the needle move, humoring himself and his own curiosities to satisfy an argument he's having. The needle settles in a direction and he shifts the till a bit where his shoulder rests on it to aim the almost motionless vessel more in the proper direction. The pirate then blows on the lifeless sail, which continues to hang there.
"See? No good. Nothin' t'be done but wait. ... We could ask favour of Calypso... Of course we could, were she still bound t'give so much as an inkling of attention, but she's not so we can't, so I won't. Anything's worth the trying. Not that 'anything'. I doubt she's much pleased with us, mate. 'Ave a drink, eh?"
He shifts to his side and hunts down another bottle with rum still in it. He uncorks it, holds it in toast to nothing at all.
"I do hope you're enjoying your freedom, love. Lord knows it's doing me not a bit of good."
Jack pulls his hat down over his eyes, tips the bottle up, and prepares to drink himself unconscious.