Jack of Scurvy Bay

Part 4

Booming filled the air as the cannonballs whizzed through the empty space and crashed into the sides of the enormous ship. The Commodore tilted alarmingly but stayed upright. With a flash of alarm, Jack saw the Commodore's own cannons prepare to return fire. He saw the number of men on the ship, all of them seasoned soldiers in bright uniforms, and knew that if they were to subdue the pirate's ship and board it would be over for all of them.

There was a man standing on the prow of the Commodore shouting orders to his fellow soldiers. He looked vaguely familiar to Jack, but the other ship was too far away to clearly see his face. Jack squinted in curiosity, but the distance, heavy sea spray, and the confusion of the battle made the man's face impossible to make out.

Then, the Commodore was returning fire. Cannonballs whistled through the air towards them and Jack only had a split second to grip the guardrail.

“Cannons! Brace yourselves!” He shouted to the crew.

The ammunition hit them with the force of a hundred horses, renting the air with their thunderous booms as they struck the ship. The deck vibrated under Jack's feet and the ship lurched to the side. Pieces of the ship's sides went flying into the water with a hollow splash.

Jack glanced over the side and was alarmed to see the holes in the ship that the cannons had made. One or two more attacks like that, and the ship would sink.

“Emma! Danny!” He shouted. His two comrades raced to his side, jumping over barrels and debris littering the deck.

“What is it?” Danny asked. He looked excited, but at the same time worry filled his eyes.

“Look at that.” Jack said as he pointed down towards the damaged ship.

“s**t,” Emma cursed, “If we don't end this battle soon, this ship is going to sink. We're too far from shore. We'll drown!”

“Order the crew to return fire.” She as she turned to Jack, her lovely face filled with determination.

“Don't tell me what to do.” Jack said sullenly. It was a reflex to talk back to Emma; although, he knew that this was hardly the time or place to argue with her.

“Do you want to die, Jack? Do it!”

He sighed but made the order. The crew hastened to obey, but before they could the Commodore's cannons turned towards the pirate ship again. Jack saw men loading the cannons and preparing to fire. There was no way that the pirate's own cannons could fire before the Commodore's. Jack's heart sank. The pirate ship couldn’t withstand another attack.

It was all over. If the soldiers didn't kill them, they would drown in the harsh, unforgiving sea.

He'd failed. All he had wanted was excitement, adventure, and freedom. He'd found those things, but he was facing certain death in these chilly waters. He had let his crew down, his friends, even his brother. All he'd wanted was for Andy to love and respect him, and maybe—just maybe—if Andy could've seen the man that Jack had become, his brother would have been proud of him. But Andy was never going to get the chance. It was all going to end here.

As the certainty of his own death washed over him, a strange thing happened.

Everything stopped.

The pirates stopped running around. They stood in place as if they'd been frozen. The ship stopped mid-lurch and the Commodore froze in place: the sea, the wind, even the seagulls flapping and screeching overhead—everything stood still.

Time had stopped.

Jack gasped, unable to believe what he was seeing. He seemed to be the only thing around that could move, but he was afraid to. What on earth was going on?

Finally, there was movement. It was coming from the sea. An enormous whirlpool appeared. In the middle of the roaring water stood a glowing figure. It was huge and vaguely man-shaped. Jack squinted, but he couldn't make out the details of the thing's face.

“Jack.” The figure said in a deep, booming voice that echoed around the unnaturally still sea.

Jack swallowed. He gripped the guardrail. He suddenly felt dizzy.

“Who are you?” He called back.

“I have been called many names . . . Ruler of the Seas, the One and . . . Poseidon.” The figure chuckled and he wore a smile on his face.

Jack's eyes widened in shock. “Poseidon?”

“Yes.” Poseidon said, irritated.

“What's going on?”

“I have stopped time itself Jack; just in order to speak to you.”

“What do you want to talk to me for?” Jack asked. His courage was coming back little by little.

“I have seen the thirst you have for adventure and I was intrigued. Look around you Jack, enemies surround you from every angle. You will perish should you not act. Thus, I come to offer you a choice.” The sea god said.

“What sort of offer?”

“It seems you are bent on accomplishing your dreams of becoming a great pirate,” Poseidon said, “If you accept my offer, you'll go down in history as one of the most powerful men in the world.”

“What's your offer?” Jack asked liking the sound of that.

“What if you could control the very seas?” Poseidon raised his arms changing Jack's focus to the nearby seas.

“The power of a god?” He cried.

“Yes.” Said Poseidon.

“What's the catch? What . . . is this gonna cost me?” Jack knew that this sounded too good to be true. “It is going to cost you a lesson.”

Poseidon smirked.

“A lesson?” He asked blankly, “What sort of lesson?”

“You'll find out in due time,” the god said slyly, “So, what do you say, Jack of Scurvy Bay? Destruction or salvation? Which will you choose?”

Jack only thought for a split second. Godlike power? It was intoxicating to think about. The lesson that Poseidon had spoken of worried him a little, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He'd deal with the consequences when the time came.

“Yes . . . Salvation.” Jack said firmly.

Before he could blink, both the god and the whirlpool were gone and everything was as it was before. Sound returned to the world and everything began to move again as if nothing at all had happened.

Jack's heart raced in his chest. It couldn’t be true. He couldn’t have the power of a sea god. He certainly didn't feel any different.

But the cannonballs were whizzing through the air towards them and in the face of certain death Jack didn't stop to think. He remembered what Poseidon had said, about him being able to control the seas.

He momentarily remembered that Poseidon raised his arms, so he did like him as he gazed into the ship of the Commodore.

The water roared as it swirled hungrily around the enormous ship. Everyone, pirates and soldiers alike, cried out in alarm as the churning ocean sucked at the wooden sides of the vessel.

“Jack, what's going on?” Emma cried.

In less than a minute, the water engulfed the ship and dragged it down. It disappeared from sight, never to be seen by human eyes again. Soldiers dotted the water, flailing and shouting as they drowned.

Jack smiled.