All That Glitters Is Not Gold (Work In Progress) (PAGE THREE)
(back to page 2: http://luv-bowie-luver.livejournal.com/60047.html)
***
Unfinished. Unedited. Rough Draft.
***
UPDATED: May 3rd, 2020, 8.30PM (my time)
***
“Shark,” Spider tried to sound confident but his voice trembled and gave him away at once.
Shark was quick as a whip and very attentive, astute and keenly perceptive, he didn’t miss a beat. There was a long, silent pause then because Shark hadn’t responded but it was obvious that he’d picked up on the Captain’s anxiety.
“Land Ho!” came a sudden cry that shattered the deathly silence and had all the crew rushing up onto the deck.
Spider glanced to the door as it opened, unable to help but notice the glint of metal out of the corner of his eye coming from where Shark was standing. All he could think was: Cutlass.
“We’ve spotted land, Captain,” Claude stood in the doorway to make his announcement, “what’re your orders, sir?”
Spider hesitated and glanced briefly at Shark, to which Claude then followed the gesture and frowned.
“Shark? What’re you doing in here?” Claude wondered, looking down at the Captain who was still in his bed, “sir? Is everything alright? You look a bit pale.”
“Perhaps he’s coming down with that fever,” Shark muttered, moving slowly to exit the room.
Claude shifted aside to let Shark out and then turned his attention back to Spider, a curious expression on his face as he wondered just what was going on in here before he’d opened the door.
“Sir, the men will talk,” Claude spoke softly.
“The men can mind their own damn business!” Spider spoke firmly, “what are we lookin’ at?”
“It’s definitely a port,” Claude replied, “there’s a town visible.”
“Alright,” Spider nodded, “we need this. Set a course for this town, let’s take a few days to recover from this ruddy nightmare.”
“Yes Captain,” Claude nodded, he paused as if he had something more on his mind but he soon closed the door and went to pass on the orders to the rest of the crew.
Once the ship was docked, the crew left to enjoy whatever sights and pleasures the little town had to offer. It was a familiar setting in that they had been here once before, some years ago now and so their crimes were stale and much forgotten about.
Spider was drinking in a little establishment on the corner, when someone sat beside him.
“Lionel,” Spider smiled at his old friend, “it’s been too long, how you be?”
“Not too bad,” Lionel shrugged and shook hands with Spider, “how about you? Still havin’ trouble with that Shark of yours?”
“Mhm,” Spider lifted his mug to his lips, looking around to make sure Shark wasn’t there listening in.
“You’re better off without him, y’know,” Lionel tapped the bar to summon the bartender, “I can get rid of him for you.”
“You can?” Spider suddenly looked at him curiously, “but how? He’s like a fox, far too clever to be caught.”
“Just send him to the alley behind the bakery,” Lionel nodded to Spider, “trust me, the problem will solve itself.”
He ordered his drink and picked it up once the bartender had delivered it, then he looked to Spider once more.
“Think about it,” Lionel told him softly, “it may be your only chance.”
Spider watched him rejoin his friends, then he sat back and thought about what Lionel had told him. It was a difficult decision to make, Spider really loved the Shark and for a long time he honestly believed that Shark had felt the same way. In the end, he knew that should they set sail in the next few days with Shark still on board then his days as Captain were severely numbered. Shark clearly had an eye on Spider’s throat and it wasn’t for planting affectionate bites either, there was an invisible line across the front of his neck and if he didn’t act soon, Shark’s cutlass would soon be drawing it for real.
He was startled out of his thoughts when someone sat down beside him again, Spider’s gaze lifted but he didn’t need to see or hear the man to know it was Shark himself this time. The smell of perfumed soaps and scented oils was enough to alert him to this fact, as any other male would smell of his own musk.
“Shark, do you know where the bakery is?” Spider reluctantly asked him.
“I think I remember,” Shark nodded, turning to look at him, “why?”
“I uh, I think I dropped my gold pocket watch in the alley behind it,” Spider lied, “would you go take a look?”
Shark’s gaze was steady as he stared at the Captain, his eyes drifted down and then back up again. He said nothing more as he stood and left the tavern, Spider exhaled a breath of air he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. But had he done the right thing? Should he rush out there and stop Shark from walking into the hands of death? His gaze flicked over to Lionel, who gave him a firm nod and Spider turned back to the bar. He glanced down and swallowed dryly, noticing that his gold pocket watch was sitting right there just inside his pants pocket. Exposed and easily seen by anyone, Shark would have noticed it surely..
So then, why did he go?
Shark knew this town like the back of his hand of course, so he was very confident he could locate the bakery but what he didn’t understand was why the Captain had lied to him. He had definitely seen the watch sticking out of Spider’s pocket, but he was a curious thing and was keen to find out what was really waiting for him in the alley. Once he got there, Shark stopped abruptly and looked down at a man slumped against the wall. The man was burly and had dark hair, a thick beard and fierce brown eyes.
He also held a gun and it was directly pointed at the Shark.
“Didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” the man’s voice sounded forced and tired, like he was nearing death, “d’you remember me, Shark?”
“I remember everyone, Derrick,” Shark replied calmly.
“Good,” Derrick wheezed, “then you remember what you did to me.”
“I remember,” Shark nodded, not even flinching when Derrick turned to look at him fully.
The left side of Derrick’s face was stained with tendrils of red marks, scarred and blinded, his eye was white and useless.
“I also remember what you did to deserve it,” Shark added.
“I did nothing to deserve the living hell you condemned me to!” Derrick spat angrily, “I was a respected Blacksmith until you came along and ruined my life! When you threw that thing at my face and left me with this horrible scar, everything changed. The townspeople came less and less frequently to ask for my services. They became afraid to look at me, I lost my job and my home. Now people throw rocks and rotting fruit at me, the children either run screaming in terror or taunt me with their hurtful chants..”
He slowly lowered the gun, not having enough energy anymore to keep it raised.
“But I know you couldn’t give a damn,” Derrick spoke again, “I’ve waited so long for this moment, to finally be able to exact my revenge upon you but you know what? I don’t need to. I’ve spent years plotting your demise, Shark. Wasted years wanting you dead, or at least in sufferance.”
Shark simply watched and listened, curious as to why the gun had been lowered before even a single bullet could be fired.
“All I asked of you was what you owed me,” Derrick went on, clearly weakening, “nothing more, just a few copper coins for my work.”
“You manhandled me,” Shark insisted.
“You weren’t going to pay!” Derrick argued tiredly, “I needed those coins to keep food on my table, you had plenty enough to spare and yet you just couldn’t part with them! Nary a one!”
A long silence ensued as Derrick caught his breath.
“Aah, but you know what, Shark?” Derrick sighed, “I’m not gonna shoot you.”
Shark looked most puzzled.
“Why?” he asked, shaking his head slightly, “why wouldn’t you now that you’ve finally got the chance?”
“Because,” Derrick let go of the gun and drew his hand away from it, “I don’t hate you anymore, Shark. I pity you.”
“Don’t,” Shark spoke through clenched teeth, “you don’t pity me, nobody does! Take it back! Take it back right now or so help me I’ll..”
“You’ll what, Shark?” Derrick wondered softly, “hmm? Kill me? Look at me, I’m dying you foolish boy! But at least I can go to my grave with a clear conscience, unlike you.. You don’t have one, do you, Shark? There’s no little voice in the back of your head telling you that maybe something isn’t such a good idea, is there?”
Shark didn’t answer him.
“I’ve wanted to kill you for a long, long time,” Derrick gasped and clutched at his own chest, “but you.. You’re already dead, aren’t ya? On the inside.. Where it really counts.. Your heart is blacker than a shark’s eyes, everybody knows it. No wonder your mother didn’t want you..”
Shark simply stared at him, his lips parted but nothing came out.
“What’s the matter huh?” Derrick asked him, “shark got your tongue?”
He started to laugh but ended up coughing and wheezing.
“Ya don’t say much,” Derrick spoke one final time, “but I can’t think of a fate worse than death, worse than being an outcast, even worse than torture.. You’re in sufferance already, Shark. You just don’t know it yet, but you will. Someday you will come to realize just how black and dead you are inside and on that day..”
He coughed and struggled to breathe.
“..On that day,” he wheezed his last words, “..I… Win..”
Shark stared at him as he slumped and shuddered, within seconds Derrick was dead.
“Shark!” Claude’s voice called to him from the other end of the alley, “you coming or what?”
“Yeah,” Shark called, not taking his eyes off Derrick as he softened his voice, “I’m comin’.”
He knelt down and took the gun, then stepped over the lifeless body and headed back out into the busy street.
“You alright?” Claude wondered as Shark joined him, “you look a little pale there..”
“I’m fine,” Shark spoke fiercely, setting his jaw.
Claude fell silent as he walked alongside Shark, clearly he wasn’t fine but once Shark’s jaw set like that, there really was no point in arguing if one valued one’s life. They reached the tavern and sat down near the Captain, who looked a little ill when he saw that Shark had returned unscathed. Shark looked at him and inclined his head, his eyes firmly locked onto Spider’s and he only uttered two words to the Captain:
“Nice try.”
Something had to give way.
Captain Spider and the Shark were always in it together but things had begun to turn sour between them, Spider assumed it was Shark’s thirst for power and he assumed that being the ship’s new Captain was on Shark’s immediate agenda. He was desperate to find a way to quell these aspirations, to somehow subdue his First Mate before something terrible happened and he would have to give up his position of power. He simply could not allow it.
Shark walked down to his hammock in a huff, he was still seething from what Derrick had said to him and he was still angered that his own Captain had betrayed him so violently. Clearly he was supposed to have walked into a trap that would end his life, it was so incredibly obvious. Yet he’d returned to the ship. Shark had yet to discover his true strength, or else the Captain would not have taken another breath once Shark had set foot onto the deck. A creak behind him made Shark slowly sit up and look around, he was not alone down here anymore.
“What do you want?” Shark sighed, laying back into his hammock, “can’t you see I’m busy?”
“We know the Captain tried to kill ya, Shark,” Claude spoke quietly, as if he were trying to keep himself from being overheard. Shark looked at the door when Claude glanced around at it, was he expecting someone else?
“What of it?” Shark boasted, “I’m still breathing, ain’t I? Push off, all of you.” He thought they were here to bully him, to take advantage of the assumed rejection from the Captain making Shark fair game to whoever wanted to have at him. “I’ll defend myself to the last!”
“Relax, Shark..” Claude hushed him, “that’s not why we’re here.” He got closer to Shark, who was curious enough now to listen without interrupting him. “We want change. We’re sick of Spider tellin’ us what to do all the time. We want you to take his place and we’re willin’ to help ya do it.”
Shark stared at him for a long moment, then he let out a short bark of a laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Claude demanded.
“Are you mad?” Shark questioned him.
“I ain’t!” Claude hissed in defense.
“You seriously want me as your new Captain?” Shark sneered at him.
“Who better?” Claude stated firmly, surprised at the Shark’s lack of understanding.
“Um.. Literally anyone?” Shark sassed in response, showing an extreme lack of interest in the whole thing. He could not fathom why they would elect him, out of everyone else on the ship, surely they had far better candidates?
They were definitely up to something. Shark sat up again, determined to get to the bottom of it himself.
“Will you not reconsider?” Claude gave him one final opportunity.
“Perhaps I shall,” Shark spoke slowly, slowly becoming intrigued with the possibility that the crew might actually mutiny, “what am I supposed to do, then? Challenge him to a duel?”
“Just leave it to us,” Claude reassured him, “we’ll take care of everything.”
“Who is we?” Shark narrowed his eyes, “who else knows about this and how can you be sure they won’t tell Spider?”
“We can trust them,” Claude whispered, “I assure you.”
“I don’t believe you,” Shark sniffed, “prove it.”
Claude hesitated, looking to Peter who gave him a nod.
“Alright then, we’ll meet tonight,” Claude told Shark, “in the pump room.”
“No,” Shark snapped, “not there. In the hold.”
“Alright, in the hold,” Claude agreed, “come when everyone else is asleep. We’ll all be there and you can hear from every single one of us yourself. Then will you be satisfied?”
“Perhaps,” Shark lay back again, “it’d better be very convincing.”
“It will be,” Claude replied, “see you then.”
Shark watched them leave and closed his eyes, he was still very wary and very skeptical of their decision. He didn’t like the gut feeling he was having about all of this and he would keep his wits about him. Something was definitely very off about this whole situation, why on Earth would they want someone like him in charge of them?
It just didn’t add up.
****
(to be continued.. )
***
Unfinished. Unedited. Rough Draft.
***
UPDATED: May 3rd, 2020, 8.30PM (my time)
***
“Shark,” Spider tried to sound confident but his voice trembled and gave him away at once.
Shark was quick as a whip and very attentive, astute and keenly perceptive, he didn’t miss a beat. There was a long, silent pause then because Shark hadn’t responded but it was obvious that he’d picked up on the Captain’s anxiety.
“Land Ho!” came a sudden cry that shattered the deathly silence and had all the crew rushing up onto the deck.
Spider glanced to the door as it opened, unable to help but notice the glint of metal out of the corner of his eye coming from where Shark was standing. All he could think was: Cutlass.
“We’ve spotted land, Captain,” Claude stood in the doorway to make his announcement, “what’re your orders, sir?”
Spider hesitated and glanced briefly at Shark, to which Claude then followed the gesture and frowned.
“Shark? What’re you doing in here?” Claude wondered, looking down at the Captain who was still in his bed, “sir? Is everything alright? You look a bit pale.”
“Perhaps he’s coming down with that fever,” Shark muttered, moving slowly to exit the room.
Claude shifted aside to let Shark out and then turned his attention back to Spider, a curious expression on his face as he wondered just what was going on in here before he’d opened the door.
“Sir, the men will talk,” Claude spoke softly.
“The men can mind their own damn business!” Spider spoke firmly, “what are we lookin’ at?”
“It’s definitely a port,” Claude replied, “there’s a town visible.”
“Alright,” Spider nodded, “we need this. Set a course for this town, let’s take a few days to recover from this ruddy nightmare.”
“Yes Captain,” Claude nodded, he paused as if he had something more on his mind but he soon closed the door and went to pass on the orders to the rest of the crew.
Once the ship was docked, the crew left to enjoy whatever sights and pleasures the little town had to offer. It was a familiar setting in that they had been here once before, some years ago now and so their crimes were stale and much forgotten about.
Spider was drinking in a little establishment on the corner, when someone sat beside him.
“Lionel,” Spider smiled at his old friend, “it’s been too long, how you be?”
“Not too bad,” Lionel shrugged and shook hands with Spider, “how about you? Still havin’ trouble with that Shark of yours?”
“Mhm,” Spider lifted his mug to his lips, looking around to make sure Shark wasn’t there listening in.
“You’re better off without him, y’know,” Lionel tapped the bar to summon the bartender, “I can get rid of him for you.”
“You can?” Spider suddenly looked at him curiously, “but how? He’s like a fox, far too clever to be caught.”
“Just send him to the alley behind the bakery,” Lionel nodded to Spider, “trust me, the problem will solve itself.”
He ordered his drink and picked it up once the bartender had delivered it, then he looked to Spider once more.
“Think about it,” Lionel told him softly, “it may be your only chance.”
Spider watched him rejoin his friends, then he sat back and thought about what Lionel had told him. It was a difficult decision to make, Spider really loved the Shark and for a long time he honestly believed that Shark had felt the same way. In the end, he knew that should they set sail in the next few days with Shark still on board then his days as Captain were severely numbered. Shark clearly had an eye on Spider’s throat and it wasn’t for planting affectionate bites either, there was an invisible line across the front of his neck and if he didn’t act soon, Shark’s cutlass would soon be drawing it for real.
He was startled out of his thoughts when someone sat down beside him again, Spider’s gaze lifted but he didn’t need to see or hear the man to know it was Shark himself this time. The smell of perfumed soaps and scented oils was enough to alert him to this fact, as any other male would smell of his own musk.
“Shark, do you know where the bakery is?” Spider reluctantly asked him.
“I think I remember,” Shark nodded, turning to look at him, “why?”
“I uh, I think I dropped my gold pocket watch in the alley behind it,” Spider lied, “would you go take a look?”
Shark’s gaze was steady as he stared at the Captain, his eyes drifted down and then back up again. He said nothing more as he stood and left the tavern, Spider exhaled a breath of air he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. But had he done the right thing? Should he rush out there and stop Shark from walking into the hands of death? His gaze flicked over to Lionel, who gave him a firm nod and Spider turned back to the bar. He glanced down and swallowed dryly, noticing that his gold pocket watch was sitting right there just inside his pants pocket. Exposed and easily seen by anyone, Shark would have noticed it surely..
So then, why did he go?
Shark knew this town like the back of his hand of course, so he was very confident he could locate the bakery but what he didn’t understand was why the Captain had lied to him. He had definitely seen the watch sticking out of Spider’s pocket, but he was a curious thing and was keen to find out what was really waiting for him in the alley. Once he got there, Shark stopped abruptly and looked down at a man slumped against the wall. The man was burly and had dark hair, a thick beard and fierce brown eyes.
He also held a gun and it was directly pointed at the Shark.
“Didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” the man’s voice sounded forced and tired, like he was nearing death, “d’you remember me, Shark?”
“I remember everyone, Derrick,” Shark replied calmly.
“Good,” Derrick wheezed, “then you remember what you did to me.”
“I remember,” Shark nodded, not even flinching when Derrick turned to look at him fully.
The left side of Derrick’s face was stained with tendrils of red marks, scarred and blinded, his eye was white and useless.
“I also remember what you did to deserve it,” Shark added.
“I did nothing to deserve the living hell you condemned me to!” Derrick spat angrily, “I was a respected Blacksmith until you came along and ruined my life! When you threw that thing at my face and left me with this horrible scar, everything changed. The townspeople came less and less frequently to ask for my services. They became afraid to look at me, I lost my job and my home. Now people throw rocks and rotting fruit at me, the children either run screaming in terror or taunt me with their hurtful chants..”
He slowly lowered the gun, not having enough energy anymore to keep it raised.
“But I know you couldn’t give a damn,” Derrick spoke again, “I’ve waited so long for this moment, to finally be able to exact my revenge upon you but you know what? I don’t need to. I’ve spent years plotting your demise, Shark. Wasted years wanting you dead, or at least in sufferance.”
Shark simply watched and listened, curious as to why the gun had been lowered before even a single bullet could be fired.
“All I asked of you was what you owed me,” Derrick went on, clearly weakening, “nothing more, just a few copper coins for my work.”
“You manhandled me,” Shark insisted.
“You weren’t going to pay!” Derrick argued tiredly, “I needed those coins to keep food on my table, you had plenty enough to spare and yet you just couldn’t part with them! Nary a one!”
A long silence ensued as Derrick caught his breath.
“Aah, but you know what, Shark?” Derrick sighed, “I’m not gonna shoot you.”
Shark looked most puzzled.
“Why?” he asked, shaking his head slightly, “why wouldn’t you now that you’ve finally got the chance?”
“Because,” Derrick let go of the gun and drew his hand away from it, “I don’t hate you anymore, Shark. I pity you.”
“Don’t,” Shark spoke through clenched teeth, “you don’t pity me, nobody does! Take it back! Take it back right now or so help me I’ll..”
“You’ll what, Shark?” Derrick wondered softly, “hmm? Kill me? Look at me, I’m dying you foolish boy! But at least I can go to my grave with a clear conscience, unlike you.. You don’t have one, do you, Shark? There’s no little voice in the back of your head telling you that maybe something isn’t such a good idea, is there?”
Shark didn’t answer him.
“I’ve wanted to kill you for a long, long time,” Derrick gasped and clutched at his own chest, “but you.. You’re already dead, aren’t ya? On the inside.. Where it really counts.. Your heart is blacker than a shark’s eyes, everybody knows it. No wonder your mother didn’t want you..”
Shark simply stared at him, his lips parted but nothing came out.
“What’s the matter huh?” Derrick asked him, “shark got your tongue?”
He started to laugh but ended up coughing and wheezing.
“Ya don’t say much,” Derrick spoke one final time, “but I can’t think of a fate worse than death, worse than being an outcast, even worse than torture.. You’re in sufferance already, Shark. You just don’t know it yet, but you will. Someday you will come to realize just how black and dead you are inside and on that day..”
He coughed and struggled to breathe.
“..On that day,” he wheezed his last words, “..I… Win..”
Shark stared at him as he slumped and shuddered, within seconds Derrick was dead.
“Shark!” Claude’s voice called to him from the other end of the alley, “you coming or what?”
“Yeah,” Shark called, not taking his eyes off Derrick as he softened his voice, “I’m comin’.”
He knelt down and took the gun, then stepped over the lifeless body and headed back out into the busy street.
“You alright?” Claude wondered as Shark joined him, “you look a little pale there..”
“I’m fine,” Shark spoke fiercely, setting his jaw.
Claude fell silent as he walked alongside Shark, clearly he wasn’t fine but once Shark’s jaw set like that, there really was no point in arguing if one valued one’s life. They reached the tavern and sat down near the Captain, who looked a little ill when he saw that Shark had returned unscathed. Shark looked at him and inclined his head, his eyes firmly locked onto Spider’s and he only uttered two words to the Captain:
“Nice try.”
Something had to give way.
Captain Spider and the Shark were always in it together but things had begun to turn sour between them, Spider assumed it was Shark’s thirst for power and he assumed that being the ship’s new Captain was on Shark’s immediate agenda. He was desperate to find a way to quell these aspirations, to somehow subdue his First Mate before something terrible happened and he would have to give up his position of power. He simply could not allow it.
Shark walked down to his hammock in a huff, he was still seething from what Derrick had said to him and he was still angered that his own Captain had betrayed him so violently. Clearly he was supposed to have walked into a trap that would end his life, it was so incredibly obvious. Yet he’d returned to the ship. Shark had yet to discover his true strength, or else the Captain would not have taken another breath once Shark had set foot onto the deck. A creak behind him made Shark slowly sit up and look around, he was not alone down here anymore.
“What do you want?” Shark sighed, laying back into his hammock, “can’t you see I’m busy?”
“We know the Captain tried to kill ya, Shark,” Claude spoke quietly, as if he were trying to keep himself from being overheard. Shark looked at the door when Claude glanced around at it, was he expecting someone else?
“What of it?” Shark boasted, “I’m still breathing, ain’t I? Push off, all of you.” He thought they were here to bully him, to take advantage of the assumed rejection from the Captain making Shark fair game to whoever wanted to have at him. “I’ll defend myself to the last!”
“Relax, Shark..” Claude hushed him, “that’s not why we’re here.” He got closer to Shark, who was curious enough now to listen without interrupting him. “We want change. We’re sick of Spider tellin’ us what to do all the time. We want you to take his place and we’re willin’ to help ya do it.”
Shark stared at him for a long moment, then he let out a short bark of a laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Claude demanded.
“Are you mad?” Shark questioned him.
“I ain’t!” Claude hissed in defense.
“You seriously want me as your new Captain?” Shark sneered at him.
“Who better?” Claude stated firmly, surprised at the Shark’s lack of understanding.
“Um.. Literally anyone?” Shark sassed in response, showing an extreme lack of interest in the whole thing. He could not fathom why they would elect him, out of everyone else on the ship, surely they had far better candidates?
They were definitely up to something. Shark sat up again, determined to get to the bottom of it himself.
“Will you not reconsider?” Claude gave him one final opportunity.
“Perhaps I shall,” Shark spoke slowly, slowly becoming intrigued with the possibility that the crew might actually mutiny, “what am I supposed to do, then? Challenge him to a duel?”
“Just leave it to us,” Claude reassured him, “we’ll take care of everything.”
“Who is we?” Shark narrowed his eyes, “who else knows about this and how can you be sure they won’t tell Spider?”
“We can trust them,” Claude whispered, “I assure you.”
“I don’t believe you,” Shark sniffed, “prove it.”
Claude hesitated, looking to Peter who gave him a nod.
“Alright then, we’ll meet tonight,” Claude told Shark, “in the pump room.”
“No,” Shark snapped, “not there. In the hold.”
“Alright, in the hold,” Claude agreed, “come when everyone else is asleep. We’ll all be there and you can hear from every single one of us yourself. Then will you be satisfied?”
“Perhaps,” Shark lay back again, “it’d better be very convincing.”
“It will be,” Claude replied, “see you then.”
Shark watched them leave and closed his eyes, he was still very wary and very skeptical of their decision. He didn’t like the gut feeling he was having about all of this and he would keep his wits about him. Something was definitely very off about this whole situation, why on Earth would they want someone like him in charge of them?
It just didn’t add up.
****
(to be continued.. )