"Pirates Marooned"

[dwgm]

Was Googling for the Howard Pyle artwork that viva_gloria uses for her Marooned icon and came up with the pic below, by graphic artist Ashley Auld, who kindly gave me permission to post it here, along with the link to a whole bunch more she's done. Very nice work! I particularly liked the Sea Turtles one, but the Marooned one goes along with the story below. Seems gryphons_lair posted a challenge in which one is to explain what exactly Jack bartered to get passage off that island (and it can't be sex). She posted a clever solution today, and I made up one, too, which is also All Conversation, the current drabble challenge at Black Pearl Sails. This is no drabble, but it's not terribly long so I thought it would qualify.

It’s All Who You Know
 

“Who the devil’re you?”

“Captain Jack Sh-sh-Sparrow. At your service.”

“Bloody hell! ‘E’s been guzzlin’ our rum!”

“Shut up, Smoot, we’ve got eyes an’ ears, ain’t we? Not to mention noses! Captain, eh. Captain Sparrow? Where’s yer ship, Captain Sparrow? If ye don’t mind me askin’? Or even if ye do!”

“It’s…gone. Over there. Thataway. But I’ll be getting’ ‘er back, don’t worry about that. What I need from you gents is a passage off this godforsaken…”

“It ain’t.”

“Eh?”

“Godforsaken. It’s a right fine island. Perfect fer stashin’ rum. Or was. ‘Til you showed.”

“Apologies. It’s that an’ coconuts. Wha… wha... what would you?”

“Mmm. So why shouldn’t we finish what those other fellas started?”

“Eh?”

“There must o’ been a reason they left ye to rot here, Captain. And ye’ve been suckin’ down our profits fer a few days, from the looks o’ things.”

“We’ve killed men for less.”

“That’s right. We ‘ave.”

“That right?”

“Aye.”

“I see. I do, really. Completely understandable. D’ye know Phineas McCollough?”

“What?”

“Who the blazes is…”

“Wait. Mayor Phin? Of Tortuga?”

“Me best friend. Assure you.”

“Oh, aye?”

“Aye. Like a father he is to me. Or an uncle. Or first cousin at least. Could put in a word for you. Best market for rum in the Caribbean, mate. An’ I’ve sampled yours, y’know. Good s-stuff.”

“You’ve ol’ Phin’s ear, do you?”

“I do. And much of the rest of ‘im, as well, at times. My word on’t.”

“The rest of ‘im!”

“Strictly platonic, of course.”

“Ah. Platonic. What do ye think o’ that Smoot?”

“I think ‘e’s a bloody liar.”

“As do I.”

“Gentlemen! Please!”

“Please what?”

“My word! Take it! Without the grain of salt, I beg. Good as gold.”

“Gold. Like those teeth o’ yourn?”

“P-precisely.”

“All right, then. We’ll take ye to Tortuga, Captain Sparrow. But if that word o’ yourn proves less than gold, we’ll maybe take them teeth as are, savvy?”

“Oh, indisputably. Unarguably. I savvy, completely. But truly, it’s a moot point. As it were.”

“Humph.”

 

 

~.~

 

Comments

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I had the hardest time thinking of anything that was straight dialog this time (they did that challenge a few months ago, too). But gryphons_lair inspired me.

[hereswith.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! So Jack and so funny! :-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

So glad you liked it. It was really late when I wrote it, so I wasn't sure it was working as well as I hoped. The feedback is most reassuring, thank goodness.

Sending you the next chapter of Harry IV to look at this morning. I hope that is working too--Lord knows I've struggled with it long enough. And there's not even that much going on in it. Must move on!

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

LOL!

Oh, delightful!

Even half-drunk, Jack's quite persuasive.

Adding this to the challenge folder in Memories. :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Oh, so very glad you liked it! It'll be fun to see what other writers come up with. This was my second idea, a little simpler than the first, but usually simpler is better. I have to remind myself of that all the time.

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

I thought the line about the teeth was an especially clever touch. That's one possibility that never even occurred to me!

BTW, I tried to follow the picture link, but while the webpage came up, none of the artwork did. :(

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Re: picture link -- I just tried it, and it worked for me, so I don't know how to correct the problem. :(

Re: the teeth -- yes, I figured that's the only gold Barbossa would have left him with.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I cleared my cache and now it doesn't work, so I think their server may be down or something. If it doesn't work later today, maybe I'll just post them all here myself. They're really good.

Must now go get ready to go to the cali_pirates outing to the El Capitan! I wish you, and all the piratey authors from around the country (and the World!) could be there.

[cymbeline.livejournal.com]

Love it! ::::staggers off happily:::

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Oooh, so happy you enjoyed it!

[torn-eledhwen.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Particularly as there are multiple characters speaking. And a fine bartering idea too. :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much--glad it came out so you could tell who was speaking.

[doolabug.livejournal.com]

*sporfle*
Wonderful!!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Hee! Glad you liked it!

[tessabeth.livejournal.com]

I'm just letting you know that I am almost certainly going to steal your Drunken-Jack-Syntax at some point*, 'cos it couldn't be perfecter. All those little short choppy sentences, and words he really shouldn't be attempting when he's that far under the weather, and each phrase hacked up and twisted round, like :“My word! Take it! Without the grain of salt, I beg. Good as gold.” I think it's wonderful :)

*By which I mean, the next chapter of MT, in which, luckily, he will be several sheets to the wind, and I've been putting it off forever, and you've just given me such an urge to write it! Thank you!!! Mwuh!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Oh to have inspired my tessabeth! So very happy you liked this. I always figure Jack must've been pretty wasted on rum when those rumrunners happen along, there being little else to eat or drink.

Just got home from the cali_pirates outing, and was it ever fun. Also lovely seeing PotC on the big screen again--it's so made for it!

Must check for more MT now, and then see if I can write the last bit of Chapter 5 of Harry IV--I actually sent a huge chunk of it to hereswith to edit, so I am making progress (would've asked you, but I feel I'm imposing enough with Norrington's Choice--long chapters in that, I know.

xoxoxo

[tessabeth.livejournal.com]

Also, I am the world's slowest beta-er. Slow, but loving :)

Glad the outing went well; am pos'tively jealous!

And yes, you inspired me through two thousand words today. Yay you!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I am the world's slowest beta-er.

No, that award would probably go to me. That's one reason I rarely offer to do it. I am very bad--get distracted so easily.

MT was perfection today, and I am so looking forward to more, soonest! ;)

Slowest Beta????

[ladywarringford.livejournal.com]

Oh great --- NOW you tell me!

LMWBGO!! Sorry, I just HAD to throw that in. I loved this "Macro-Drabble" (for lack of a better description. Drunk!Jack was perfect, and I'm in awe of your dialogue... as always. Can I write like you when I grow up? Pleeeeeeezzzee!

Re: Slowest Beta????

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Hi!! OMG, I got home early and was SO trying to a) finish my story (just a leeettle more!) and b) edit yours (not much required--only fournd one spelling error so far (It should be altar instead of alter) and here I'm ASLEEP!!! ARG! No time to sleep! Can't seem to help it, though.

Can I write like you when I grow up? Pleeeeeeezzzee!

LOL! That's what I always think about saying to YOU!

Thanks, though, and I'm so happy you liked this one. ;)

Re: Slowest Beta????

[ladywarringford.livejournal.com]

LOL! We're the Mutual Appreciation Society! And yes, I loved this short piece. Loving the longer pieces too, as I've just been through a few more chapters on FF.net.

Can't do more tonight, though... need to get out of the shop before our present lake becomes a raging river again!

Argh... I WOULD have to live and work in a part of LA that the whole rest of the bloody county drains into when it rains.

Bloody stupid City Planners... (stalks off, muttering imprications under her breath)

[tseek-unique.livejournal.com]

Well done! Very bright and lively characterizations-- and So Jack!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! So Jack was the idea, and I'm glad it worked--I never know, when I'm scribbling something at midnight or later.

[viva-gloria.livejournal.com]

Oh, can hear him here. All slurred and weaving and with that slightly mad smile. Very very Jack! "It’s…gone. Over there. Thataway." Oooh yes.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Hee! I could hear him, too!

So happy you liked it. ;)

[hendercats.livejournal.com]

Nice nice nice! Must agree with what others have said about being able to see/hear him. Especially liked the Eh?'s as I see him twirling shifting to face whoever is speaking, hair flying as he turns.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I see him twirling shifting to face whoever is speaking, hair flying as he turns.

Ha! Thanks so much -- that's the way I saw it too, with a bit of staggering thrown in. I'm glad I seem to have succeeded in getting that across--I was dying to throw in some non-dialog wordage. ;)