A Pirate’s Prayer

by: Captain Crimson

Screaming, screams of pain terror or rage and hatred.

There were heavy shouts intermixed with the loud clanging of swords, metal on metal. The ships had been battling for over an hour now. Jack was beginning to tire. He must protect what was most dear to him in all the world. His ship? No. His wife and daughter, carefully hidden in his cabin.

Melody had begged him, pleaded with him not to attack the merchant vessel. He’d insisted that it would be alright, that this was an easy catch. He’d been wrong. He’d never seen so many men on one damn merchant ship in his entire life.

He’d wanted the cargo. Rum, loads of rum, food and supplies, and Indian silks and fabrics that would make very good money. None of it seemed important now. His crew was losing fast by this point. They were tired, exhausted really. But the men from the other ship seemed to never quit coming. Endless flows of human beings. Jack no longer fought to steel, he fought for his life now, for his family, and for his ship.

His arms ached, he wished it would end. He felt his knees shaking violently each time he put a foot down on the deck while he moved. His speed and agility were slowing. His heart was pounding. He was afraid. Captain Jack Sparrow, was afraid.

“Damn I wish this would end!” He heard a man cry. Jack pulled his sword from the man’s gut whom he had just killed, and numbly turned to see who had spoken. It was man from the other ship. He was young, with short cropped brown hair and sparkling green eyes. He was sparring with Ana Maria. Her eyes were almost glazed with forced concentration and fatigue.

Jack blocked a blow from an attacker and parried. He swung his cutlass and sliced, spilling guts onto the deck. He briefly grimaced and turned away.

A gut wrenching crunching sound reached his ears as pain shot through his torso with such incredible force that it made him almost scream. He tried really, but there was no sound. He looked down at his torso to find his eyes fixed on the blade of a cutlass, dripping with blood. His blood.

“Oh hell, no...” He choked, his eyes wide. Time seemed to slow, he could hear his own heart pounding in slow motion. The sound seemed deafening. He watched the sword twist in his flesh, ripping it. He felt blood slide down one corner of his mouth into his beard. It dripped to the deck of his Pearl with a delayed splash. Jack blinked as he watched it, his eyes focusing on it languidly.

His weak knees gave out, forcing him to kneel. He blinked again as his sword clattered to the deck. Automatically his right hand moved to his gut, clutching the wound. He looked down. Blood oozed through is fingers, slowly spattering with echoes that rang with the call of his death, to the Pearl’s smooth black slabs of wood.

He looked up again as the man who had stabbed him moved around him and looked down at him. The green eyed young man. Jack looked into those green eyes pleadingly.

The boy turned, and killed Arron. Jack looked behind him, wondering briefly what had happened to Ana Maria. Her tiny frame lay against the Pearls railing, blood soaked the deck beneath her.

Jack swallowed, feeling like cotton was stuffed in his mouth, and fell forward to his hands. His elbows buckled, and he dropped belly down on the deck, praying to God that he would live long enough to tell Melody that he loved her.

He couldn’t die. Not yet, he had to see her. He tried to move, but couldn’t. His limbs felt like they were full of lead. So he ly there, unmoving, praying.

God please, I know that I am not a favored man in your eyes. I am anything but. But I beg you, don’t take me now. Let me see my wife again and see that she is taken care of before I go. I’m begging you. I love her. I love her like I’ve never loved anyone. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving her to me. She’s everything to me. Please God, let me live to see her one more time.

Jack prayed, like he’d never prayed before. His mother had taught him to pray. He’d done it as a child. But never had he been so fervent as he was now. He’d believed in God all his life. But he was too afraid to speak to him, until now. Something inside him longed for truth and goodness when in this moment everything was falling apart around him. He didn’t expect forgiveness for all he’d done. He’d never been smart enough to ask. And he couldn’t in that moment. It felt too hypocritical. He couldn’t push himself to think it. Yet on a subconscious level, he hoped that hell was not waiting for him on the other side of this.

Thank you God, for Melody. If I do indeed fall to the pits of hell for the life I have lived, thank you for my Melody, my song, my light, my wind, my passion, my dream, my angel, she is my heaven...

Jack felt his consciousness fading into blackness. The pain was dimming. He opened his eyes to see pools of blood. He wasn’t sure if it was his or the blood of all the others.

It seemed quieter though. The shouting had stopped. He heard voices and sails flapping and the ocean, sweetly singing to him.

“Captain! Oh God Captain!” The voice was Jacobs, one of Jack’s good friends and a faithful crew member.

Jack felt a hand touch his shoulder. He was pushed over onto his back, making him groan with agony.

“Captain?” Jacob’s face loomed over his, his brows furrowed deeply, pain in his eyes.

Jack smiled weakly at him.

“What happened Jack?” Jacobs voice was shaking.

Jack swallowed, feeling blood run down his throat. “I--- It happened... so quickly...I...I didn’t have ... time to...think.”

“Hush then Captain.” Jacob said slowly. “Lets get you fixed up.”

Jack was carefully moved to his cabin and laid on his bed. Melody.

He heard Melody’s voice above all else in the haze. He couldn’t make out her words, but he could hear the panic that laced her tones.

Jack managed to gather that she’d been taken somewhere else on the ship. He drifted in and out of consciousness. Through the haze of it all he managed to notice his shirt being removed and the wound being cleaned and finally bandaged. The voices mixed with strange dreams and thoughts of things that had been or things that simply made no sense. He focused long enough to hear, “I’ve done all I can, but... he wont live much longer. He’ll be lucky to live through the night...”

Jack fought back tears. He forced his eyes open. Jacob stood above him, looking down at him. “Captain?”

Jack mustered his strength and spoke. “I...need to see Melody.”

Jacob nodded and rushed to find her. Jack closed his eyes, only to be startled back to reality to Melody’s soft touch on his bare shoulder.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her with a weak smile.

“Jack?” she choked with emotion.

He managed a weak smile. “Melody my love.” He whispered reverently. He paused for a moment, just taking in the sight of her, memorizing her every feature so that if he did end up in hell he would at least have this little piece of heaven, the piece that had been specially made and kept for him, with him for always. “I love you dahling...”

“Don’t talk like that Jack...you sound like you’re saying goodbye...” Melody touched his face and let her tears fall freely.

Jack let his own fall. He wanted to hold her so badly, but his arms would not move. “It is Melody, it is goodbye.”

“No!” She sounded so angry for a brief moment. Then her tone softened, “Please Jack, I need you...Clara needs you...don’t leave us now. Please...”

“Melody...I do not... want to leave you. I wish I could stay, but...I’ve never been in so much...pain. It wont heal my love. Death is calling me.” Melody’s tears fell faster now, the pain in her eyes making Jack want to ball like a baby. “I love my Melody, My song. You are my Angel. You saved me from myself. God gave you to me for some reason, despite myself, and I thank him for that from the bottom of my heart. You are everything to me and I’ll love you till the end of time. You are my heaven...”

Melody choked a sob back. “Oh Jack...please..” She whimpered, “Don’t leave me Captain Jack Sparrow...You’re Captain Jack Sparrow, you can beat this.”

Jack wanted to sob as he said, “Not this time...Melody. But you tell the world, you keep my name alive forever. Don’t let me die completely. I’ll be in your heart, and you share my name...Please love.”

She nodded. “I love you so much.”

Jack felt his life draining now, literally being sucked out of him. Time was drawing to a close for him. “Kiss me Melody, one more time...” He whispered.

Her lips came over his. Warmth filled him for a brief moment. Her tears bathed his face. She pulled back and Jack whispered, “I love you...” He closed his eyes and felt the warmth deepen as her voice spoke near his ear “I love you too, forever...” Though it seemed distant.

God, comfort her. I beg you to comfort her. Don’t let her feel the pain, she deserves happiness, She deserves more than what I could ever give her. Please be with her...

Jack heard a new voice come over him.

He couldn’t make out the words yet. But her knew the voice. He opened his eyes, to find Melody staring at him. He looked passed her and his eyes focused on a woman with long black hair and pale skin like ivory. Beautiful black eyes gleamed at him. She was wearing all with.

“Mother...” he said softly. Joy filled. Melody turned to look behind him, she looked back at him confused. Jack glanced at her one last time. “I love you...” His voice was barely audible. “It’s time for me to go now... she’s here.” Jack looked to the face of his sweet mother, closed his eyes and took his last breath, speaking with it the words, “I’ll always be with you my Melody...”

Thank you God...

Melody stared as Jack uttered his last words with the very breath that was his last. Shock covered her like a comforting blanket. The warmth that filled her body was incredible. His mother had come to take him home. She knew this beyond a doubt.

Peace came over her. Jack would be with her. She knew this. She knew she would see him again. The pain would come, she knew that, the loneliness would come at times. But he would never completely leave her.

She briefly wondered what she would do now.

Home. She would go home to her uncle. The secret of being married to Jack didn’t matter now. Her dear cousin Elizabeth would take her and Clara back in she was sure. William was Jack’s best friend...Melody knew it was time to go home to her remaining family.

“I love you Jack...” she told him one more time. She knelt up and took his still warm face into her hands. She pressed her lips to his one last time.

Melody had buried Jack in the ground. He’d sometimes spoke of how he’d wanted to be buried at sea until he’d met her. “I want you next to me, forever love,” he’d said. “Bury me on land, and have them lay you next to me. I need you by my side forever. Just do it somewhere where I can hear the ocean.”

She looked up toward the coast. It was not a five minute walk from this little cemetery. She listened to the sea. It was a comfort. Jack’s voice was with it. It was so much a part of him that she could feel him in it.

Melody stared at the headstone.

Captain Jack Sparrow

1669 - 1711

Beloved Husband and Father

A man in a mask

May he always be free

Clara laid a dozen red roses down beneath her fathers grave and looked up at her mother. “Mummy? Will daddy come back?” She asked with the innocence of a five year old.

Melody smiled softly. “No baby. Not like he was before.” She knelt before her daughter and placed a hand over the child’s heart. “He’s in here love.” Clara nodded.

Melody laid a dark crimson rose, and a pure white rose, tied together with a black ribbon at its foot, on top of the dozen red roses.

The loneliness set in completely as she walked back toward the Turner household with Clara’s little hand in hers. Tears streamed down her face.

She stopped and put a hand over her eyes.

“Mommy.” Melody looked at her daughter. “Come here.”

Melody knelt to Clara’s eye level. Clara put her hand over Melody’s heart and said, “Daddy is with you. You don’t need to cry when he’s walking with us.”

Melody looked confused. “What do you mean Clara. He’s nowhere to be seen baby, he’s gone.

Clara shook her head. “I didn’t say I could see him. I just know he’s here. Listen.” Clara fell silent.

Melody listened. A warmth filled her heart. Jack’s presence came over her. It was undeniable. She smiled.

She could have sworn she felt his arms come around and his voice say in her ear, “I told ye I’d never leave...I’m always with ye...”

“Am I crazy?” Melody asked out loud.

“No mummy, I heard him too...” Clara smiled.

“What did he say darling?”

“That he’ll always be with you...”

Melody squeezed her eyes shut. “I love you my pirate.”

“I love ye too...”

The feeling of him holding her faded, but his presence never did. He was always there. Sometimes she could even hear him laughing with her.

I know, depressing, but it has a good side to it. I was inspired by Samara.x’s story: A pirates last breath. Very good read. I couldn’t help it. Please review and tell me what you think!