She's a Pirate (Jack Sparrow)

28. Stronger

Just after she said that, she heard a shrieking high-pitched sound, louder than anything she had ever heard. She covered her ears and closed her eyes tightly, dropping down to her knees in pain. The noise reached her brain and gave her an agonizing headache. Looking at the other sailors, she found them mesmerized by the sound; their dreamy eyes stared at the creatures in the distance. Only Ana María and Jack seemed to be as distressed as her. The monkey also looked troubled, since he ran below deck to flee from the noise.

The terrible sound finally stopped and the crewmen awoke from their fantasy; they looked around in confusion, not knowing what had happened during the last minutes. As the Pearl approached the island of Baltia, they saw the mermaids' tails close to the hull. The deafening cries started again and the sailors started to daydream once more.

They spotted Marti climbing up the rail, hypnotized. He was going to jump overboard to meet the singing mermaids. Fortunately, Ana María was quick enough to grab him by his shoulders and pull him down on the deck. Cotton was then walking to the rail, but Narissa kicked him on the legs, making him fall on his knees before she immobilized him.

"Hold them down!" Narissa shouted at the only crew members that weren't affected by the mermaids' melodies: Ana María and Jack. "Tie them up to the mast!" Narissa ordered grabbing a large nearby rope.

Ana María brought Marti to the main mast to bind him to it and Narissa did the same with Cotton. Meanwhile, the captain stopped his friend Gibbs from jumping into the water and tied him up next to Marti. Between all the commotion, they dragged the other sailors to the mast as well, trying to ignore the monsters' dreadful sounds. They had to keep an eye on every man to make sure that nobody jumped into the water. They needed to knock out some of them to bring them to the mast.

Eventually,although it had been a difficult task, every member of the crew was bound to the main mast. They struggled against the ropes, eager to meet the beautiful creatures that sang to them. In their ears, it was the most delicious sound in the world. For Narissa, Jack and Ana María, however, it was a nightmare.

Rolling her eyes, Narissa scoffed "Men." In that moment, the monkey got out from his hiding place and jumped onto her shoulder.

While Jack prepared a boat to launch it onto the clear waters, he ordered both women "Drop the anchor!" After they carried out his command, he told them. "Into the longboat! Let's leave them here and get to the island by ourselves." The island was still quite far away from the ship, but he didn't want to risk the mermaids dragging his men to the bottom of the ocean.

Narissa looked at the small animal that was on her shoulder. "Jacky, watch over them and make sure that they don't try to escape." She knew that the crewmen were still afraid of the monkey, and he only obeyed to her, so she trusted him enough to keep an eye on them.

In the boat, Ana María rowed, sitting between Narissa and the captain. Jack sat proudly at the front. The mermaids were swimming around them and trying to tempt him. He avoided looking at them as they sang loudly, a grimace of disgust on his face. Fortunately, they had almost gotten used to the terrible sound.

"Why don't the mermaids affect Jack?" Narissa asked Ana María, who was right in front of her.

"The mermaids' melodies make men fall madly in love with them..." The woman glanced at Jack over her shoulder. "But I'm afraid that someone already owns our captain's heart." She winked at her playfully and Narissa smiled to herself.

When they got to the island, the first thing that Jack did was opening his compass. Baltia was filled with dark green pine trees and a dense fog surrounded them, covering the land like a thick cloak. A narow silver river ran across the island, dividing the land in two parts; it flowed into the sea a few meters away from them. Jack started to walk, following the needle's direction, with both women close behind him.