Snippet for Cenire - Marquis de Carabas/Jack Sparrow

[louiselux]

cenire asked (um, a while ago now) for the Marquis de Carabas/Jack Sparrow. Here it is, at last! It features some of the BBC shipping forecast too.


Sailing Along


The Marquis had a cat's disdain for wet places, which posed something of a problem. It was hard not to get one's toes wet in London Below.

But he was out of London, at South End*, and there was someone here who was making him wonder what it would be like to jump headfirst into the sea and be swallowed up. A sailor. No, more like a pirate. He was splendid and mysterious in his brocade and jewellery, although he appeared to be extremely drunk. The Marquis allowed himself to be intrigued.

A ship sat on the water, gently swaying on the early tide. The sun warmed the wooden dock. Water slapped against the pilings and rigging creaked contentedly. South End was quiet this early in the morning, apart from trim sailors making good their ships and a few draggle-tail children pestering the pirate for treasure, which they believed he surely must have, hoarded in the ship's hold.

Putting on a solemn face, the man sat on an upturned barrel and began telling them a story about a magical place that existed far below the earth. The Marquis drew closer, more than merely intrigued now. The pirate, for he must be one, looked up at his step, then sat back and smiled, tipping up his chin, a lazy, knowing grin spreading across his face. They stared frankly at each other. The children danced around him asking for more of the story, unaware of the more sophisticated silent exchange above their heads.

'Go on, then,' said the Marquis, his returning smile having more than a little challenge in it. He wasn't quite used to people looking at him like that. 'I'd like to hear more too.'

'Well then, Sir, I shall be very happy to oblige you,' the pirate said, sounding quite a bit less drunk.

Their next smile went over the heads of the children too. When the story was over, ending with the gory capture and death of an enormous lizard beast that had razor sharp claws and stood as high as a house, the Marquis applauded lazily.

'Go away now,' he told the children, and they, looking at his face, scampered off to steal breakfast from the market that was setting up near the fish sheds. 'Not a bad story,' he said. 'Another world, below this one. Very inventive. I'd never have thought of it.'

The pirate stood up and sauntered forwards, looking him up and down. 'You know, I don't think I quite believe that,' he said. 'What's your name?'

The blunt question didn’t sound rude, merely curious.

'I am the Marquis De Carabas.'

'Oh, A Marquis? How grand! It's an honour to meet you.' He swept off his hat and bowed low enough for his hair to brush the ground. 'Captain Jack Sparrow at your service,' he said straightening up. With his hat in hand he came closer, 'any service.' He gave the lazy grin again, showing neat white teeth. It was shockingly suggestive. But behind the cockiness his eyes were gentle. The Marquis decided he liked this game.

'So, where are you sailing to, Captain?'

'Oh, away,' said Sparrow, waving an arm over the glittering waves. 'I'm off with the tide just about now.' The ship bobbed beside them, as if to mark its impatience. 'S'going out. We'll be going North, not that you can go anywhere else from here.'

The Marquis managed to drag his eyes away from Jack Sparrow's face to look out to sea. Somehow, with the bright morning light making the water sparkle, and the warm encouraging smile of the man standing rather too closeto him, the sea didn't seem a wet, cold place. Instead, it held a sort of charm, as though it were a harmless playground.

'And what are you going to do when you get to Away,' the Marquis asked, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the horizon when he only wanted to look at Jack Sparrow's lips.

'You think I made that story up? I'm gonna look for treasure, adventure. And rum. But mostly treasure.'

The Marquis turned just in time to catch a wicked dark look.

'It sounds exciting. How do you know it'll be worth your while?'

Sparrow laughed out loud. 'It always is. Sail away with me,' he said quickly. 'I know you want to. It'll be the best thing you've ever done.'

It wasn't clear what it was he was referring to, which made his low voice even more exciting.

'What makes you think I'll come with you?'

It was a fair question. The sea was very wet. He was on the very first of his nine lives and he wanted to live them all. As if to counterpoint this thought, an arm slipped round his waist.

'What makes you think you won't?' Sparrow said in his ear.

The little boat and its crew sailed north through Dogger, the Forties, then through Viking's silver waters, with its treacherous banks of fog and boatloads of hardened, sea-living mercenaries.

The Marquis tried to stay below decks but Jack dragged him out as much as he could, except for the nights, when he'd lock the cabin door behind them and pull them both under the blankets.

At Fair Isle, they stood on deck staring out at the dazzling blue sky and wooded hills, picked out with bands of silver. In the Faeroes, the boat encountered huge iron-grey seas. The sky was brassy yellow and sullen. Even the air held a threat. The stiff breeze that pushed the ship violently forwards made Jack's hair flow back from his temples like a flag.

They crept past Iceland and then Greenland, which the Marquis was surprised to see really was green; the land, the animals and people, then up into the frosty wastes of the Arctic. They began to drink a lot more rum.

'There's an entrance to another world around here somewhere,' Jack said petulantly, as the boat creaked against ice floes. They were lost.

'Not the one with the lizard beasts?' The Marquis asked. 'I was rather hoping for treasure, myself.' He paused, thinking to himself that it was time he asked the next question. 'About the other world. Do you really believe it exists?'

'What?'

'Is it true, that story you told?'

'You think I made it up? Then what did you come for?' Jack's eyes were hard and dark.

'Well. For you.' The Marquis thought this needed saying too. He wondered how Jack would like London Below.

Jack turned to him, spinning round on the icy deck. He laughed.

'There'll be treasure for you, don't doubt it. Captain Jack Sparrow never fails.' He put his arms round the Marquis' neck. 'I've found mine already.'




*Southend was a popular Cockney holiday destination, before everyone started going to the Costa Brava.

Comments

[enigel]

oh, I thought it was the other way around. I usually prefer the books, but it doesn't hurt to have some visuals attached to them. (what would I give to have a Good Omens movie...)