"You are no thief, Rose." Calypso's hand was still stretched out. She had almost lost her humanoid appearance entirely now. Her features were shifting, changing, a multitude of sea creatures moving restlessly under her skin.
Rose took a step backwards, frightened by the apparition. But the goddess was right, she was no thief. This was not the way to escape death. If only... if only there was another way.
But wait! Maybe there was one more thing she could try. She thought of it at the same time as Jack. "The seashell!" he cried.
Picking up the white pendant she whispered into it: "Otohime."
She looked around her expectantly. The lagoon was empty except for the towering sea goddess, and on the shore stood Elizabeth, Gibbs and Jack near the bound pirate – Jack's enemy. A bit further away huddled the oddly assorted crew from the Black Pearl and the three animals; Hector the pig, Jack the monkey and an unnamed parrot.
"Drink up ye hearties, yo ho," said the parrot when her eyes fell on it.
Rose's hope dwindled. There was no little girl and no sea turtle anywhere to be seen. Otohime had not come.
Had her adventure under the sea been a hallucination after all?
"Give me my heart!" boomed Calypso. Waves were rippling around her, a brewing storm, and by the fire Elizabeth was down to the last bottle of rum.
In Rose's hand, the now scarlet diamond kept throbbing, its pulse spreading uncomfortable through her own body. She did not want it anymore, it was not right for her to keep it, but if she gave it up and stayed here she would become a ghost.
Was it not better to return it voluntarily and follow the sea goddess to the afterlife? She was dead after all.
Slowly Rose took a step towards the water.
"Don't do it," warned Jack, taking her free hand, holding her back.
She gave him a sad look. "I have to."
"Damn your conscience." He actually looked pained when he relaxed his grip and let her go.
Her hand slowly slipped out of his when she took another step. Maybe Jack still had a heart of his own, and maybe it was not entirely black.
The goddess bent forward, her upturned palm coming down to Rose's level. With a sense of finality Rose dropped the Heart of the Ocean into it.
"You chose well, Rose," she said, her voice soft as a breeze.
Rose looked at her morosely. She had not actually had a choice.
Slowly Calypso shrunk, solidifying into the pretty woman again in the presence of her heart. She was holding it in both her hands, gazing at the pink diamond lovingly.
Then Rose heard a series of tiny splashes from the lagoon, like someone was paddling across it in a tiny boat.
"A sea turtle," said Gibbs. "That's unusual this time of year."
Rose looked up, a new hope dawning. There it was, the reddish creature from Jack's beach, steadily closing the distance between them as it swam ashore with even motions. It was her!
"Otohime!" cried Rose. "Please, help! Don't let Calypso take me!"
The turtle metamorphosed like it had before, turning into the girl. She looked embarrassed and would not meet Rose's gaze.
"Uh, hello Rose." She fidgeted with one of her red tresses.
"Can you help me? You said you would."
"Umm... you do remember I also said I was the daughter of the Ruler of the Sea?" Otohime glanced at Calypso, who was just putting the Heart around her neck, probably to prevent any new attempts at theft.
Realization struck Rose and her stomach plummeted. "It's her? Calypso is your mother?"
The girl nodded and poked the sand with her bare toe.
Rose groaned in dismay. Just her luck! Every time she found a straw to grasp at it was cruelly ripped away.
Calypso had finally noticed the new arrival. "What are you doing here? You are too young to come ashore," she scolded.
Now that Rose knew it, she could see there was a strong likeness between the two, only the girl's hair was red instead of black.
"Rose called me. I promised to help her because she saved my life." She pointed accusingly at Jack. "From him."
"Me?" Jack gaped at her, feigning shocked innocence. Everybody ignored him.
"She must go to the afterlife," said Calypso.
"Aww. Why? Can't we let her stay?"
"That's not your concern, child. And why were you even in a position to need being saved? You have a perfectly nice castle to be in, where no treacherous sailors can ever get you!" Calypso frowned sternly in the direction of Jack, who again tried to look innocent.
"I'm never going back there. I want to get older!" The girl stamped her foot, producing a spray of sand.
"No! It's not safe." Calypso looked troubled. "You have to get back before you begin to change."
"You can't keep me little forever, mom! It's not fair."
"She's right," Rose chipped in. "It must be horrible to be stuck in a child's body. How old is she?"
"And who is her father?" added Jack casually, brushing off a speck of imagined dust from his hand.
He had been Calypso's lover. Was Otohime another daughter of his? It was clear he worried she was.
"That's not important," muttered Calypso, dropping her gaze and shuffling her feet almost like her daughter had before.
"I want to know too," said Otohime. "My age, I mean – I already know who my father was. He's dead and his name was Davy."
"Davy Jones." Jack breathed out a relieved sigh.
"It's been around a hundred and fifty years since you were born, give or take," Calypso admitted.
"A hundred and fifty!" yelled Otohime, stamping her foot again. "Mom how could you!"
"I just liked to know you were safe. The sea is large and wild, with monsters and evil men. I wanted to protect you."
"You have to let me go. I must make my own mistakes."
Calypso sighed in resignation. "You will break my heart, just when I got it back too." She took Otohime's hand. "But I guess you are right. I can't keep you forever."
"Thank you, mom." Otohime stepped into her arms and hugged her. "I'm glad you have your heart back. You've changed."
Rose watched them with mixed feelings. She had done the right thing; the Heart was helping Calypso to be a better mother, but yet she could not really engage with their issues anymore because for the first time she felt the vicinity of Death. Earlier there had been fighting and excitement, strange things happening, and she had not had time to come to terms with her upcoming departure. Now that the inevitable was closing in, it frightened her. Her palms were clammy but her mouth dry as dust, and her heart acted strange, beating too fast and too loudly.
She needed more time. Time to say her goodbyes, and time to do all the things she had wanted to do but not had the opportunity to. What was it her Jack had said? Drinking cheap beer and going on the rollercoaster until they threw up, and then ride horses on the beach like cowboys.
She had never learned to ride. She had never tried the rollercoaster.
Elizabeth came to stand close, putting an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. She too looked morose. They had both failed, Rose would die and Elizabeth be separated from her husband, doomed to give birth to and raise her child alone.
"I'm sorry, Rose," she said. "But at least we tried."
"I'm sorry too. Can you send my love to Captain Turner? And to... Bill." Her voice broke.
"I will. In ... ten ... years."
They were both crying openly now. It was distressing to see Elizabeth with tears pouring from her eyes; she had always seemed so strong, like nothing could affect her.
But before death and the curse of the Dutchman she was as powerless as anyone.
A/N:
I know this looks bleak, but things will improve. Have faith!
Image Credits:
Screenshot from the Titanic.