"I AIN'T SAY NUTHIN' PIG! I AIN'T SAY 'UTHING!"
Captain Jack sparrow winced as one of his prison mates screamed on the top of his lungs that same sentence, over and over and over again.
Jack sat slumped against the dirty cold stone wall of his cell, boredly fiddling with a piece of straw.
Streams of sunlight filtered through the barred window, and the sound of seagulls and the gentle lapping of the ocean floated in from outside.
"I AIN'T SAY NUTHIN' PIG! I AIN'T SAY NOTHIN'!"
"Ugh!"
A guard leaned against the wall of the prison, rubbing his forehead.
"Will you please stop saying that same sentence please!" The guard groaned, adjusting his tri-corner hat.
The prison mate who was chained to the wall frowned.
"I AIN'T SAY 'UTHING COW! I AIN'T SAY NUTHANG!"
The guard face palmed and shook his head.
Jack grinned.
These guards, he thought, snickering silently. I almost feel bad for them, having to bear with this.
"God give me strength..." The guard mumbled and sighed, crossing himself.
He looked crossly at the prisoner and rolled his eyes. He wiped his sweaty brow with his sleeve.
"Thanks for changing the animal..." He muttered sarcastically.
The prisoner smiled through his thick beard, showing his rotten black teeth.
"Yeh welcome laddy... but yeh won't get nuthang fro' me..." The prisoner said.
Jack watched them both, hardly believing what he was seeing.
The guard wasn't interrogating him, he just wanted him to draw up a will before he got hanged.
Jack thought they were all idiots, to be honest.
The guard clenched his jaw, his teeth set.
"Fine, you git! Forget this ruddy will buisness! No wonder you got caught in the first place! Your an idiot!" The guard said, looking hysterical.
Jack watched the prisoner with mild amusement.
The man raised his chin up, his pointy nose reaching up to the ceiling.
"Sticks an' stones 'ill break meh bones..." The prisoner said in a self righteous voice.
The guard made a strangled choking noise and stormed out of the cell, slamming the cell door so hard the metal shuddered.
He walked off, muttering:
"Idiots.. All little idiots..."
Jack leaned forward, a question springing up.
"So what you in for mate?" He asked.
"I AIN'T SAY NUTHANG YEH RUDDY COW UDDER! I AIN'T SAY NUTHING YEH BLURB MILKER!"
Jack frowned deeply, an eyebrow raised.
"Blurb milker?" He repeated quietly, trying the taste of the world in his mouth.
He shuddered and stuck his tongue out.
"Mergh! Weird tasting word..."
The prisoner looked puzzled.
Jack couldn't really explain it, but it just tasted weird and sour in his mouth.
He spat and leaned back against the wall, listening to people's voices outside.
"Yer wonkers ain't yeh?" The prisoner asked.
Jack looked over at him.
The man was thin and lanky, with a gaunt face and intense green eyes. Jack could see the years of age chiseled on his skin.
Jack Sparrow flashed him a toothy grin.
"Yes, I suppose..." he laughed.
Wonkers, Jack thought.
"I'm a bit wonkers aswell yeh know... ever since..." He trailed off and reached a gnarled old hand down to his frayed trouser pocket.
"I found this..." The prisoner finished.
He reached in and pulled out a stone.
Only it was no ordinary stone.
Jack's eyes grew wide.
He leaned closer, amazed.
"What is that?" Jack asked, awed.
The stone was glowing blue. The light shimmered around it, rays of light blue light spreading in all directions from it.
"It's a powerful stone... a magical stone I 'spect. It has great power, yeh know. I'm gonna use it to escape the noose today. Along with the help of my daughter, Andromeda. She is a strong warrior." The prisoner said.
Jack could almost see the magic sizzling around it.
The man stuffed it back in his pocket.
Jack cleared his throat.
He suddenly wanted it, badly.
"Well— er— maybe you could cut me into it, help me escape?" Jack said.
Jack wasn't going to get any rescue this time he was heading to the gallows.
Barbosa had the Black Pearl, and Jack knew no one that wanted to save him.
"Sure. I like yeh, yeh know... 'll get yeh out of here too with the power of this"—he patted his pants pocket—"and the strength of Andromeda!"
The man chuckled happily and sank to the floor.
"Why don't you just use it know, eh? Escape right here and now?" Jack said.
The man laughed, his eyes twinkling.
"What'd be the fun in that?" He said.
There was approaching footsteps, and the sound of doors opening and shutting.
Jack heard guards barking orders at one another.
"Well," Jack grinned. "I think they're ready for us. I hope that glowy stone of yours works."
* * *
The day was clear and sunny.
A few clouds floated lazily across the blue sky. A crowd of people stood in the prison courtyard, which was surrounded by high stone walls.
Guards stood on the walls, guns glinting in the sun.
Jack Sparrow and the crazy old man were marched up to the gallows between two crowds of people, two guards standing on either side of Jack and the man.
"This bonker plan better work, mate," Sparrow whispered to the man. "Or I will be very cross with you, savvy?."
"It will work, 'on't worry." The man whispered back.
Jack still felt a little unsure.
This guy was crazy, and Jack was skeptical of trusting him but hey, Captain Jack Sparrow was also crazy.
"Right..." Jack mumbled.
They walked up the rickety creaky steps up to the wooden platform.
They both came to a stop on the platform.
Jack looked up at the two nooses that loomed over them. Was this it? Was this how he was going to die.
Jack swallowed hard. He was going to die because he trusted a crazy old man that never knew the word " proper grammer."
He pushed those thoughts aside.
He would just have to trust the crazy old man with his glowy rock and promised help from his warrior daughter that he didn't see in the crowd of people.
Yep, Captain Jack Sparrow was done for.
A drum roll sounded.
A british officer with a tight frown on his rigid face with spectacles perched on his long nose stepped forward and unrolled a scroll.
"Jack Sparrow—" the man announced.
"Captain Jack Sparrow!" Jack grumbled loudly.
The man peered at Jack through his spectacles.
"Jack Sparrow," the man repeated.
"Ugh! Really?" Jack groaned in frustration. He shook his bound hands at the man.
"Get on with it!" Someone roared in the crowd.
The crowd started shaking fists, and people sneered and snarled at Jack and the old man.
Jack sneered back at them.
The crowd roared.
"HANG THE PIRATE!" One screamed.
"MAKE HIM SWING!" A woman shrieked on the top of her lungs, miming a hanging action.
The british officer cleared his throat.
"Jack Sparrow, you are hereby sentenced, on this day, to hang by the neck till dead for your crimes of piracy," The man said loudly, making the crowd hush.
"Arthur Jackson, you are sentenced to hang by the neck till dead for your crimes of thievery, murder, poachery, exploiting of stolen goods, and many more crimes."
Jack felt a little indignant. He was a famous pirate, why didn't he get a good long list like the old guy?
"Aw, I thought I would've got a nice long list of crimes too, eh?" Jack said.
The man rolled up his scroll and sniffed.
"May God have mercy on your souls..."
"Gee... thanks, mate..." Jack mumbled to himself.
The drums went faster and faster, the frantic fast beating shuddered the air.
Jack felt the noose slip around his head, felt it tighten around his throat.
"If you were planning on having any escaping, now would be the right time, Arthur." Jack said.
Arthur snickered and pulled out the stone.
"I agree..." he smiled.
He pointed into the crowd with a knobbly finger.
"There she comes." He said, his face spreading into wide grin.
Jack followed to where his finger was pointing.
A girl, around eighteen, strode forward through the crowd.
She wore pants and a leather jacket over her shirt.
She drew a curved sword. Her face was sharp and Jack saw a fierce determination flash across her dark eyes.
Her long black hair was tucked under a tri-corner hat.
"NOW!" The girl screamed.
She shoved through the crowd who leapt back in surprise.
"What is this?" The british officer with the spectacles said, shocked.
"This is our escape, matey!" Jack said.
He kicked out his foot, slamming the bottom of his boot into the officer, sending him crashing off the wooden platform.
Jack pulled the noose of his neck and spun around right when a british soldier rushed at him with a sword.
Jack dodged the blade as it slashed passed him.
He grabbed the handle of the sword out of the soldier's hand and rammed the hilt into his face.
The guard crumpled to the ground.
Jack quickly cut his hands free and grabbed the sword, grinning.
He was ready for anything.
Guards ran forward and formed a line in front of the platform, leveling their guns at Jack, taking aim.
The crowd started to run, people screaming as they swarmed away from the fighting.
"READY!" A british soldier roared.
The guns clicked, ready to fire.
Jack's face fell, his heart dropped as he looked at the rows of muskets, bristling with bayonets.
"Oh bugger..." Jack said.
"FIRE!"
The muskets sparked. Bullets pinged around Jack, crunching the wood, sending splinters spinning through the air.
"WHOA-WHAA!" Jack yelped, his heart racing.
He ran, his arms flailing around him as he dodged the bullets that whizzed around him.
He flung himself sideways, out of the way of the volley of bullets.
The firing stopped.
Jack looked up, coughing from the cloud of smoke from the British guns.
"GET THE PIRATE!"
Out of the cloud of heavy smoke, soldiers charged forward, their bayonets pointing right at Jack.
"Little exaggeration don't you think?" Jack asked, brandishing his sword at the charging soldiers.
He shrugged and grinned.
"But bring it on!" He laughed.
Suddenly, Arthur stepped forward.
He held up the stone in both hands above his head. It glowed, pulsing blue light that shuddered the air around his hands.
His eyes shone in the blue light.
The soldiers came closer, charging forward.
The stone grew brighter and brighter.
Jack looked away, holding up a hand to his face.
BAM!
A jet of blue light streaked out of the stone, slamming into the ground under the guards' feet.
The ground exploded, blue fire billowing up.
"AAAHHHH!" Screamed the soldiers as they were hurled through the air.
Chunks of rock spun off in every direction.
Jack eyed the stone that was in the old man's hands, then he looked at the sprawled dead soldiers that lay in the ground, blue fire licking at their clothes.
He suddenly wanted that stone.
He would be invincible with that stone.
Just then the girl named Andromeda rushed forward, roaring at a soldier that ran at her.
They clashed swords, sparks flew as she blocked and parried and drove the sword right through the soldier.
He cried out in pain and fell to his knees.
She yanked the sword out of him, the blade and kicked him down.
Another soldier lunged at her with a bayonette.
She smoothly grabbed the gun, swinging it out of the guards hands and throwing it up to his face.
The butt of the musket crunched into his jaw, sending him slamming to ground.
"Ha!" Jack said, smiling charmingly at her. "Nice!"
"RAARR!" She bellowed, hefting up the musket.
She threw it right at Jack like a javelin, the bayonet sinking into a wood railing post on the gallows right next to Jack's face.
It shuddered, wobbling back and forth.
Jack Sparrow's eyes rolled to it, widening.
He gulped.
"He's with us!" Arthur yelled.
"He is?" Andromeda narrowed her eyes and ran up to the gallows.
"Stop you!" The officer with the spectacles that read the execution scroll thingys shouted at her.
He pulled a tiny little pistol out.
"You could have just escaped the prison, dad," Andromeda said. She pulled out a bigger pistol and absently shot the officer without even looking.
The officer collapsed to the ground.
"You make things so much more difficult." She grumbled.
"Ah! But it wouldn't be this much fun!" Arthur chuckled.
A couple of soldiers stood on top of a giant watch tower.
They fired down at them, bullets streaking passed.
Arthur pointed the stone at the base of the tower and a stream of blue energy light shot out, exploding the tower.
"NOO!" A soldier screamed.
There was a loud groaning, and the sound of stone cracking, and the tower toppled over, crashing to the ground with a loud BOOM!
"Let's go," Andromeda said. "I have a ship ready at the port. We can escape!"
More soldiers were spilling into the prison courtyard.
The ground shook as Arthur exploded the ground with the stone.
A rain of dirt and rock cascaded down at the British soldiers, making them dodge for cover.
"Move! MOVE!" Andromeda yelled, pulling out another pistol and firing at the soldiers.
"Ladies first!" Jack smiled, tipping his hat.
Andromeda rolled her eyes and ran toward the courtyard gates, Arthur following close behind.
Jack chased after them, quickly smashing a guard that attacked him in the face.
They made it to the gate.
"I'm captain Jack Sparrow, by the way, love." Jack said at Andromeda, grinning.
She glowered at him.
"You're making me want to get shot right now." She snapped.
Jack frowned.
The soldiers formed a line behind them, taking aim.
They were trapped.
"Now what?" Jack asked.
"Move 'side!" Arthur shouted.
He raised the stone.
Jack and Andromeda backed up. Jack's heart raced, and he couldn't wait to get out of here.
He also couldn't wait to get his hands on that stone.
"FIRE AT WILL!" A soldier commanded and bullets spewed at the gate.
BOOM!
The gate exploded in a ball of blue flame, the wood crunching.
One of the gates spun off its hinges.
"YES!" Jack whooped, crouching low as bullets flurried around him.
"COME ON!" Andromeda shouted.
She ran through the charred remains of the gate and ran into the street.
The crowd outside screamed and ran away, hiding behind things as bullets pinged and ricocheted around.
Jack followed, not daring to look back.
"This way!" Andromeda called. "Follow me! I know a place where we can loose the guards."
She looked over her shoulder and skidded to a halt, her face flashing horror.
Jack slid to a stop, nearly crashing into her.
His heart leapt in confusement.
"What? What's wrong?" Jack asked, panting.
What was wrong with her? He thought.
"Dad..." She said.
Jack looked over.
Arthur stumbled out of the curling smoke, bullets whizzing around him.
He clutched the stone in one hand, and with the other he clutched his stomach.
Blood stained his shirt, dripping down his hands.
"DAD!" Andromeda screamed.
She ran toward him and grabbed him just before he fell to the ground.
"Dad..." She whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "You idiot... why did you have to escape now? You could have just escaped in the prison with the stone and this wouldn't have happened..."
She sobbed, cradling the limp form of Arthur in her arms.
"FIX BAYONETS!"
Jack heard a voice scream where the firing soldiers were.
Jack swallowed nervously.
"Look, I don't mean to be insensitive, but they're gonna charge and I don't wanna get caught." Jack said, as nice as he could.
"Yeh know me," Arthur mumbled, his tongue thick. "I 'ike to put on a show..."
"Dad..." Andromeda started to say but she broke out sobbing.
Jack felt bad for her, but just then a British soldier came charging forward.
"I found them!" He shouted.
Jack snatched a pistol from Andromeda's belt and fired, sending the guard to the ground.
"We gotta go now, love!" Jack said.
"Go... Andromeda..." Arthur said. "Here, 'ake it... get out of here..."
He handed her the blue stone, which she took, and nodded.
But she didn't move.
"Oh come on!" Jack groaned in frustration and reached for her, about to haul her up and drag her away but she punched him in the stomach before he could reach her.
The wind was sucked out of him, and he stumbled back, reeling.
"Don't touch me." She growled, and stood up, wiping a tear that trickled down her cheek.
Then she turned and ran.
"Finally!" Jack said to himself and followed her.
They ran through the streets, far away from the prison.
They finally stopped and hid behind a building.
People looked at them weirdly as they stood panting.
"WHERE ARE THEY! ANSWER ME YOU OLD SHRIVELED RETCH!"
They heard a guard roar in the distance.
"I AIN'T SAY NUTHANG PIG!" Arthur roared back.
BANG!
A gunshot shattered the air, the sound echoing and rolling around the air.
Arthur was dead.
* * *
"I'm sorry about your father." Jack said.
Andromeda made a grimace sort of sarcastic smile.
"You didn't seem very sorry or concerned back there at the gate." She snapped.
Jack sighed and leaned against the stone side of the building they were hiding behind.
"I just wanted to make sure we didn't get killed." Jack grumbled.
"Don't talk to me!" Andromeda growled. "I don't want to talk to you. Why don't you just leave you bastard?!"
Jack stood there for a moment.
"That's quite rude, you know." He said, swaggering closer to her.
He saw the glowing stone in her hand. He wanted it.
He imagined himself blowing apart Barbosa, and taking back the Black Pearl.
He imagined himself, the invincible Captain Jack Sparrow with the blue stone.
"How did your father acquire such a rock?" Jack asked.
"I don't know," Andromeda said, staring at the blue stone in her hands.
"It was passed down from generation to generation in my family..."
Jack fought the urge to snatch it from her hand.
"Almost better than rum, it is." Jack said.
"Can you be more annoying?" Andromeda said suddenly.
Jack drew his sword and pointed it at her.
She froze, body going tense and rigid.
"Mmm, I suppose. I'm taking that stone, love," Jack grinned. "Imagine it, Captain Jack Sparrow, invincible with the power of that rock, eh?"
Andromeda spun around, slashing his sword away with her's.
"YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THIS STONE!" She screamed.
Jack backed up, taken aback.
"Uh, yes I will," Jack said. "And you can't stop me, savvy?"
"Over my dead body!" Andromeda snarled, raising her sword.
Jack shrugged.
"As you wish!" He said.
He lunged forward, thrusting his sword at her.
She blocked it away, the metal clanging.
"I'm gonna enjoy killing you... what was your name? Jack Robin or something?" Andromeda taunted.
Jack's face contorted with rage. He felt anger course through him.
"IT'S SPARROW! NO ONE GET'S MY NAME WRONG! NO ONE!" Jack screamed.
"Ha!" Andromeda laughed. "I just did!"
"RRAARGH!" Jack roared.
He charged forward, sword flashing.
They fought, their swords clashing, the metal streaking through the air.
They ran through the street, blocking and parrying with each other.
They ran down to the dock, the ocean stretching out.
People backed away, watching.
Andromeda swung her sword at Jack's face, but he slammed the sword away with his.
"This stone is mine! My dad gave it to me!" She yelled.
Jack just smiled devilishly at her.
"Sorry love, I need it more." He said.
"Don't ever call me LOVE!" Andromeda roared.
She charged him.
Jack blocked another blow, and sidestepped a slash that could have took his head off.
He knocked the feet out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground.
Her sword skidded away.
Jack pressed his blade to her neck.
"I'll be having that stone now." He said, looking triumphant.
"Never." Andromeda gritted her teeth.
She kicked her leg up, smashing Jack right in between the legs.
Pain exploded up Jack, searing sharp pain.
"No fair..." Jack yelped, buckling over and toppling to the ground.
The pain was blinding.
He clutched himself, groaning.
Andromeda kicked his sword away and bent over him.
"You failed, Sparrow," she panted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go blow up the bastards that killed my father."
She put the blue stone in her pocket, where the blue glow was dimmed from the fabric.
Jack grimaced.
"Fine," he said through the pain. "You win, I suppose..."
Jack, without Andromeda knowing, grabbed a normal rock from the ground and quickly put it in her pocket, his hands grasping the magic one.
It pulsed a strange warmth in his hands.
He felt the power and magic tingling his fingers.
He quickly hid it in his pocket.
"You're despicable." Andromeda snarled.
"Sticks and stones, love..." Jack mumbled.
She got up and walked away, heading back to the prison.
"Sticks and very, very magical stones..." Jack chuckled to himself.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the rock.
Only it wasn't blue or glowing.
It was just a normal rock.
"What?" Jack said, alarmed and puzzled.
How?
"What the—?" Jack looked over.
Andromeda was holding the actual magic stone, grim satisfaction on her face.
"Oh, I did notice you switched it out. Bad luck, love." She said.
"You little—!" Jack growled.
"See you in hell, Jack." Andromeda said and turned and vanished into a crowd of people.
She was gone.
Jack couldn't see here anywhere.
He lay there on the dock, the ships and boats bobbing on the water around him.
He felt the crushing feeling of defeat settle on him.
Jack sniffed.
"No magical rock. No rum," Jack said to no one. "And it seems I'm already in hell..."
Silence, and the sound of seagulls and chatter of people at the docks answered Jack.
"Today has been a bugger of a day..."
Captain Jack Sparrow hopped onto a small boat with a sail and coasted it across the glistening ocean.
THE END.