Captain Hook and Facilier: Piracy and Voodoo (English Version)

1. A particular encounter

Neversea. On a beautiful sunny day, James and his family were returning with the Jolly Roger to the island of their first meeting, nicknamed Family Island by him. They went back every year, on the anniversary of their family union. When they went there, they left the crew in one of the pirate hiding places, in order to have their privacy, but above all, they didn't want anyone else to see their personal place. The children played on the beach while James and Scarlett picked fruit and relaxed. In the evening they lit a bonfire and sang and danced. A few years had passed since their first meeting. Now Charlie and Bethany were eighteen and sixteen and Glenn was six. James was proud of all of them, they grew up well and were getting better and better with the pirate life. It hadn't been long since he first taught Charlie and Bethany how to skewer someone with the sword, and luckily they weren't as traumatized as he had as a boy. To teach them how to do it, he did it in the most peaceful way ever, without forcing them if they didn't feel like it, he had no intention of hurting them, also because experiences of this type change a person forever and therefore he was careful on this. He cared very much for all of them and never would have hurt them in any way, as well as would have prevented anyone from hurting them, otherwise he would have defended them in every way. Glenn, instead, was still too young and he decided to wait to teach him how to kill, even though the boy was eager to be a real pirate just like his older brothers. As he waited for him to grow up, he gave him all his passion for Shakespearean works, just as Emily had with him, as well as telling him fairy tales. Soon, Glenn began to tell tales invented by himself. Just like his father, he was talented at this. James had taught all his children everything he knew, as well as giving them an excellent culture, constantly repeating that, even if they were now pirates, they did not have to live in ignorance and being cultured could prove to be a huge advantage over anyone. He had taught Bethany to play his harpsichord and she often played and sang at the same time. Plus, like with Glenn, he read Shakespeare's works to her and she soon became an enthusiastic book-eater, then she became the cartographer and navigator of the Jolly Roger too. Charlie, instead, had become very good at playing the flute and had also learned to sing, so much so that, growing up, he made all the girls fall at his feet in this way. Furthermore, he had recently become James' trusted boatswain, as well as being the best musician on the ship.

They all had a beautiful day on Family Island that day, but in the evening James turned serious. "Are you all right, darling?", Scarlett asked worriedly. James turned to her. His sweet Scarlett. He really loved her and would never abandon her, neither her or their children. But there was that sense of guilt that consumed him inside him, born of having abandoned his sweet Elizabeth. Even though things had gone better for him now, he never stopped thinking about her and how he had treated her. His first love, the sweet girl he had saved from Neverland. The wonderful girl who had always been faithful to him, and he had left her alone. Even though Elizabeth hadn't given up and continued her life, James still didn't stop blaming himself for what he had done to her. He smiled, then replied to Scarlett: "It's all great, my flower. Really". He gave her a caress and kissed her. "Thank goodness, my love", she said, returning his kiss, "You know, maybe you should talk to Bethany", "Why? What happened?", "Do you remember the last few days, in the last port we were in?", "Of course", "Well, she met a boy, she seemed really in love, but then she saw him with another girl and I think she hasn't gotten over this yet". James, standing up, said to her: "I see. Don't worry, I'll take care of it". He went to Bethany. He found her sitting near the shore looking at the horizon, with a sad look. He sat down next to her. "Hi, Bethany", he said with a smile. Without turning around, she replied: "Hi, father". James, smiling, continued: "You know, when I was a little younger than you, I too loved sitting on the beach looking at the sea. He relaxed me a lot". He continued talking to her. Bethany smiled every now and then as she listened to his speeches, but then she became serious and thoughtful again. "Your mother told me what happened a few days ago", James continued, "Don't you want to talk about it?". Sighing, she replied: "There is nothing to talk about". James put his arm around her shoulders trying to comfort her. "You know you can talk about anything with me", he said softly, "Don't keep it all inside, it's not good for you". Bethany was very fond of her father, but she wanted to avoid certain conversations with him. Eventually, she shed a tear and she told him what she had happened to her with her boyfriend. James handed her his pink handkerchief, then hugged her, trying to comfort her. "I hate boys", Bethany said later. James, still hugging her, replied: "That lad who did this to you doesn't have to get away with it, not at all. You had to skewer him with your sword, at least you were sure he would never do it again. Never let anyone put your feet on your head", "I swear to you, father, that I would have liked so much, but I didn't make it", "It's all right, don't worry. Feelings often hold us back, but you will see that you will learn", "One thing I have learned is that I no longer want to have anything to do with boys, especially if they are pirates", "You are a pirate too, do you remember? Not all pirates are like that", "Yes, they are. All dishonests", "Bethany, my dear, listen to me carefully: from a dishonest you can always count on he being dishonest. But it is from an honest person that you have to watch your back because you never know what he might do. Besides, among pirates it is rare to find someone who is faithful, unless they take their family with them, as I did. But we are special". Bethany smiled. From the speech that James had made to her, she thought of him that he had abandoned her great great grandmother, but she avoided talking about it, knowing how much it made him feel bad remembering that episode. With her, Charlie and Scarlett, however, he had remained faithful and had never abandoned them, partly making up for the mistake of his past. She hugged him, then said: "Thanks, father. I'm much better now". He returned her hug and replied: "Glad to see you serene again, my daughter. Now let's go, the others are waiting for us". They got up and walked to the rest of the family.