Double Drabble: 'Lockers'

[dwgm]

Two hundred words of Jackishness and (eeep!) unbetaed, but hopefully OK, written for the current drabble challenge at Black Pearl Sails.



~ Lockers ~

Jack woke from one nightmare (shackles, Kraken, teeth, excruciating pain) into another (white heat, the Pearl stilled in an endless, airless waterless, timeless waste).

The Locker.

Not good.

He ran.

Heart thudding, straight for his cabin, boots pounding the black deck, fingers clawing at the door, tearing it open with startling ease, slamming it shut behind him, and in that split second remembering the destruction wrought by the Dutchman's bow cannon.

Except it hadn't, apparently.

It was as though time had stopped the morning before they'd reached Isla Cruces. Map stretched upon the table, straightedge atop it, ink and quill beside it. Blankets rumpled. Stern intact, gallery windows admitting the hellish glare. And there was the bottle of rum he'd been nursing - the same one with which he'd tempted... Elizabeth.

He sank against the door, something shifting inside, tilting disastrously.

"Clean your cabin, sir?"

His gaze slid left. Jack. The cabin boy.

A horridly similar voice on his right soothed, "Just go with it, mate. Spot o' rum'll set you up."

Rum.

Gathering himself, and the one bottle, he nodded to Jack. And Jack. "Carry on."

Who knew what other areas of the ship might yet be intact?

~.~

Comments

[torn-eledhwen.livejournal.com]

Excellent! :)

[artaxastra.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! Poor Jack! I hope the rum locker is all right!

[salr323.livejournal.com]

That was great. I really liked this line:

He sank against the door, something shifting inside, tilting disastrously.

This one, also, seems to sum up Jack's particular wisdom:

"Just go with it, mate. Spot o' rum'll set you up."

:)

[p0wdermonkey.livejournal.com]

Lovely! I can never get enough multiple Jacks and this is a great way for Jack #1 to become aware of them. Love the mix of horror and matter-of-fact getting on with it - very in character.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

He he he... :-) That was great. Just great! And so incharcter. For all of them. ;-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

And that rum has the same effect in the Locker! *G*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

the mix of horror and matter-of-fact getting on with it

That is Jack all over, isn't it? One of his finer qualities, I think.

This is the first time I've written multiple Jacks. Kind of fun!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

What a great vision for how his mind turned!!

[hereswith.livejournal.com]

Love this! There's just the right tone and rhythm to it, that really suits the nightmarish situation, and the interaction between the Jacks at the end is perfect. Heart thudding, straight for his cabin, boots pounding the black deck, fingers clawing at the door, tearing it open with startling ease, slamming it shut behind him, and in that split second remembering the destruction wrought by the Dutchman's bow cannon. I also especially liked: He sank against the door, something shifting inside, tilting disastrously.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Poor Jack.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! So happy you enjoyed it. I wanted to wake you up to beta it, but thought "Oh, it's only 200 words!" and then I woke up and found a repeated word, right off. Arg.

*hugs most excellent beta reader*

[mjkt-.livejournal.com]

Dark but still a touch of humor in it. Brava! :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!!

[ericadawn16.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I really like the description in this one. It really goes along with the film. Hope you and your niece are doing alright, you're always Away on AIM.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I should just turn AIM off -- I'm hardly ever home during the day, and in the evening I haven't had much time to get on either, lately. We keep the computer on all the time, and my niece and daughter use it a lot.

I'm glad you liked this one. Poor Jack, pretty much his worst nightmare being all alone like that. Except for the other Jacks of course.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

[ladymouse2.livejournal.com]

Not everybody liked the multiple Jacks but I did, at least in the Locker and this is more fun than horror.

I too especially liked the line: "He sank against the door, something shifting inside, tilting disastrously."

In one sentence, showing how he's suffered complete dislocation to see his cabin intact as if nothing had happened.

After all he'd faced and endured--to have him sleep and DREAM within the Locker so that he wakes from one nightmare into another is inspired--to have it appear as if it either never occurred or was utterly negated would certainly be the stuff of madness!

And then you have "Jack" give Jack quintessentially "Jackish" advice is perfect. BOTH Jacks are very in character.

Ahem, though NOW you have to do a story with the young cabin boy Jack...

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

ACK!! *beats off rabid plot bunnies* Don't you know I have a Jack Essay, a review of Black Ships, a Yuletide fic, and several other WIP's biting my heels?

But I am very glad you liked this one.

Maybe Cabin Boy Jack deserves at least a drabble, though.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting (and inspiring me, too).

*hugs*

[ladymouse2.livejournal.com]

Wellllll...

You DID once upon a time wish you could come up with a story inspired by the Young Jack art I did, ahem...

Rather than it be a backstory young Jack per se, it might be the "multiple" version, which is the part of him that remembers such a pivotal period of his life.

It could "get in line" *evil grin*

[awickedwench.livejournal.com]

"Just go with it, mate. Spot o' rum'll set you up."

Perfect Jack-speak! Enjoyed this very much.

[hendercats.livejournal.com]

It *is* Halloween, so I must use the adorable icon you made for me (that *hides* I nearly forgot about ... so am now splashing it all over the place!)

Except it hadn't, apparently.
Love this. I love the way you've stuck it there all by itself and how that so perfectly shows how it must have felt for him to see her intact (hmmm... and himself as well?).

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Multiple Jacks is my favorite! It really is a toss-up: is it worse to be alone or to have yourself as company?

I love that much-quoted line, too, and second the vote for cabin boy Jack fic. ;)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

You DID once upon a time wish you could come up with a story inspired by the Young Jack art I did, ahem...

I certainly did. Must consider that. :))

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Hopefully the rum works in the same way it always has. *G*

Glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

What a cute icon!! LOL! I'm glad you remembered it -- there is no more appropriate day for it, certainly. Very happy you enjoyed the drabble.

himself as well?

He looked surprisingly good for having been eaten by a Kraken, don't you think? *G*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

LOVE your icon!

I too love the multiple Jacks, and this is the first time I've written them. Must do more of that. Very happy you enjoyed. Seriously considering Cabin Boy Jack. ladymouse even did inspirational art for it. :)

Thank you for commenting!

[jenthegypsy.livejournal.com]

Fun ficlet, double drabble, exceedingly large number of words strung together with the purpose of introducing Jack to Jack, and to Jack, and possibly to Jack in a thrice - all of which is to say Splendid! Please do grace us with more. ;)

(Don't mind me, I've gone totally round the bend!)

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Is there somewhere where I might see said art?

*is nosy* :)

I think there's so much potential for playing Jack off himself for fun, or you could get very dark. The possibilities are endless! There's also the possibility for Jack/Jack^x, but it hasn't been explored much.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Said art is only available to those in the Black Pearl Sails Yahoo group, but it's worth joining just to check it out -- ladymouse is a wonderful artist!

I, too, was wondering if anyone would do Jack/Jack after AWE came out, but I haven't really seen anything. It could be interesting, if done right. Tricky, though.

*swats at plot bunny*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I do love that icon!

We love you when you're totally round the bend. *G*

So happy you enjoyed this! Thank you for letting me know (and in the midst of your icon woes -- I can so relate to that).

[mary684.livejournal.com]

Ack! This was terrifyingly wonderful. Awww, poor Jack.

All the lines the others have quoted are terrific, but this one just conveyed to me the sense of horror: "His gaze slid left." GAH! Him needing to look but sooo not wanting to look. Such a simple way to convey that.

Jack the cabin boy! Hah! That would have been fun to see Multiple Jacks in various stages of his life populating the Locker - why didn't TnT think of that?

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

*am now mesmerized by your icon*

why didn't TnT think of that?

I don't know -- would have been fun to see Jacks of various ages running about.

I'm so happy you liked this!