FANFIC: Through a Glass Darkly - Chapter 20
Through a Glass Darkly
Chapter 20 - The Fortune Teller
****
For long have I studied fortune-telling
But never have I read a cup similar to yours
For long have I studied fortune-telling
But never have I seen sorrows similar to yours
You are predestined to sail forever
Sail-less, on the sea of love
Your life is forever destined
To be a book of tears
And be imprisoned
Between water and fire
You will seek her everywhere, my son
You will ask the waves of the sea about her
You will ask the shores of the seas
You will travel the oceans
And your tears will flow like a river
And at the close of your life
You will find that since your beloved
Has no land, no home, no address
You have been pursuing only a trace of smoke
How difficult it is, my son
To love a woman
Who has neither land, nor home
~ Nizar Qabbani
****
The crew waited in uneasy anticipation, their eyes roving the walls of the obeah woman’s hut, fingers nervously clutching cutlass and pistol. Every sound from the swamp made them jump anxiously, their nerves strung taut. To one side of the huddled men, two others sat coolly, without emotion.
Ed Teach leaned back in his chair and planted his boots firmly on the table, scattering the shells and cards of the sorcerer’s trade. Picking his teeth, he spat, looking perfectly at home amidst the oddities that surrounded them.
“Reckon she’ll get ‘im to talk any sense?” he asked the older man sitting opposite.
Frank Davies, who’d busied himself with cleaning his pistol, didn’t answer at once. Checking the barrel one more time, he replaced the ball and glanced over at the frightened crew.
“Don’t see where we got us another choice. Either she finds out what’s plaguing Jack, or we resign ourselves to naming another captain.”
Teach laughed, teeth bared feral-like in his bushy beard. “I don’t be supposin’ you’d want to put it to a vote, not just yet anyhow.” He gestured towards the wide-eyed crew. “Ever seen such a bunch of lily livered scupperlouts? You’d have t’ be a madman to crew a ship with the lot of ‘em.”
“Are you saying then, that you’re not interested?” Davies asked slowly.
“I ain’t saying nothin’,” Teach shrugged. “Nor am I rulin’ out Sparrow. From what I’ve heard, he’s cheated death on more than one occasion. A bunch of ghosts oughten be that difficult to overcome.”
****
“Him must go back.”
The obeah woman proclaimed this solemnly, as she led Jack Sparrow back into the room.
“Back where?” Davies asked, standing up. Taking Jack by the elbow he steered him towards the seat he’d just vacated. “Back to the Pearl?”
“Back to de place him was infected.” Tia Dalma hitched her skirts and sat down, brushing Teach’s feet off the table as if brushing aside a spider. Gathering her cards, she began to lay a spread. “De ghosts, dey must be returned to where dey come from. Dere is no other way.”
The Chariot, The Six of Swords…
“The Florida coast is infested all right, by the bloody Spanish!” Teach growled. He waved an arm around the shack and asked impatiently, “What sort of sorry soothsayer are you, with all your fancy charms and potions?” He stood up, towering over them, glaring fiercely. “I didn’t waste three days coming here, just to hear a bunch of mumbled incantations.”
She looked up at the giant of a man with a slow, seductive smile. “And yet, a great hunsi kanzo such as you could not cure him, eh? So what do you do, hmm? You bring him to me.” She went back to turning the cards. “The cards, dey tell all, to those who will listen.”
The Wheel of Fortune, The Page of Wands…
“Can you tell us what has happened?” Davies interceded, motioning to Teach to sit down. “What has become of the girl? And Jack, what’s got into him?”
“Der be two ways to bewitch a man - witching something out of de man, or witching something into de man,” Tia said solemnly.
“So Jack’s been bewitched?” Gibbs asked. Edging forward to see the cards on the table, he winced.
The High Priestess, The Devil…
“Der are dose dat capture de dream-souls of others. Dez bokors, dey set traps to catch de soul that wanders from de man when him is sleeping. Dis is why it is important dat you keep de soul with you at all times.”
The Nine of Wands, The Ten of Swords…
“And the girl?” It was Jack who asked, speaking finally through parched, cracked lips, his bleary eyes trying to focus on Tia Dalma.
“De girl, her does not exist. Her nothing more than yer dream-soul, Jack Sparrow. Dis girl you met, her was real but her no longer alive, except for her soul and dat is entwined wid yours now.”
The Moon…
“She is dead.” Jack uttered the statement in a flat tone of voice, sounding weary, beaten.
The Five of Wands, The Three of Swords…
“What about the other?” Davies asked, adjusting himself slightly in remembrance.
“Dat other woman of de night, her come to suck yer dream-soul from you as you sleep. Dis one also not a true woman, but de minion of a powerful bokor. Dis is not de same as det girl.”
The Fool…
“Who is this bokor?” Teach asked. “What does he want of Sparrow?”
“De same as you, Ed Teach.” She gestured to the cards spread across the table. “De cards tell all.”
“Why you…” Gibbs growled, drawing his sword half-way before Davies stopped him with a cautionary gesture.
“Don’t need t’ be fightin’ none,” Davies said firmly, and turned to Tia Dalma. “What do the cards say?”
She ignored the others and addressed Jack alone. “Dere is a long journey that awaits you, Jack Sparrow. Dere are forces around you, positive and negative, dat you must overcome. De hand of Fortune controls you now. Dis card…” She held up The Moon, “dis speaks of hidden enemies, deception. Dis will be you, unless you find what it is you seek.” She picked up a second card, The Ten of Swords. All ten swords were impaled in the dead man’s back.
Jack didn’t reply, just stood up abruptly. He turned in a swirl of coat tails, brushed past the huddled men, and left the shack.
The rest of men didn’t wait to hear their fates, they crowded through the door and down to the boats. Frank Davies waited until they’d left and asked Tia Dalma, “Will he find it?”
“Jack Sparrow has cheated de Devil himself for what him wants most in dis world. Him will find it,” she said. “Or die trying.”
****
Chapter 20 - The Fortune Teller
****
For long have I studied fortune-telling
But never have I read a cup similar to yours
For long have I studied fortune-telling
But never have I seen sorrows similar to yours
You are predestined to sail forever
Sail-less, on the sea of love
Your life is forever destined
To be a book of tears
And be imprisoned
Between water and fire
You will seek her everywhere, my son
You will ask the waves of the sea about her
You will ask the shores of the seas
You will travel the oceans
And your tears will flow like a river
And at the close of your life
You will find that since your beloved
Has no land, no home, no address
You have been pursuing only a trace of smoke
How difficult it is, my son
To love a woman
Who has neither land, nor home
~ Nizar Qabbani
****
The crew waited in uneasy anticipation, their eyes roving the walls of the obeah woman’s hut, fingers nervously clutching cutlass and pistol. Every sound from the swamp made them jump anxiously, their nerves strung taut. To one side of the huddled men, two others sat coolly, without emotion.
Ed Teach leaned back in his chair and planted his boots firmly on the table, scattering the shells and cards of the sorcerer’s trade. Picking his teeth, he spat, looking perfectly at home amidst the oddities that surrounded them.
“Reckon she’ll get ‘im to talk any sense?” he asked the older man sitting opposite.
Frank Davies, who’d busied himself with cleaning his pistol, didn’t answer at once. Checking the barrel one more time, he replaced the ball and glanced over at the frightened crew.
“Don’t see where we got us another choice. Either she finds out what’s plaguing Jack, or we resign ourselves to naming another captain.”
Teach laughed, teeth bared feral-like in his bushy beard. “I don’t be supposin’ you’d want to put it to a vote, not just yet anyhow.” He gestured towards the wide-eyed crew. “Ever seen such a bunch of lily livered scupperlouts? You’d have t’ be a madman to crew a ship with the lot of ‘em.”
“Are you saying then, that you’re not interested?” Davies asked slowly.
“I ain’t saying nothin’,” Teach shrugged. “Nor am I rulin’ out Sparrow. From what I’ve heard, he’s cheated death on more than one occasion. A bunch of ghosts oughten be that difficult to overcome.”
****
“Him must go back.”
The obeah woman proclaimed this solemnly, as she led Jack Sparrow back into the room.
“Back where?” Davies asked, standing up. Taking Jack by the elbow he steered him towards the seat he’d just vacated. “Back to the Pearl?”
“Back to de place him was infected.” Tia Dalma hitched her skirts and sat down, brushing Teach’s feet off the table as if brushing aside a spider. Gathering her cards, she began to lay a spread. “De ghosts, dey must be returned to where dey come from. Dere is no other way.”
The Chariot, The Six of Swords…
“The Florida coast is infested all right, by the bloody Spanish!” Teach growled. He waved an arm around the shack and asked impatiently, “What sort of sorry soothsayer are you, with all your fancy charms and potions?” He stood up, towering over them, glaring fiercely. “I didn’t waste three days coming here, just to hear a bunch of mumbled incantations.”
She looked up at the giant of a man with a slow, seductive smile. “And yet, a great hunsi kanzo such as you could not cure him, eh? So what do you do, hmm? You bring him to me.” She went back to turning the cards. “The cards, dey tell all, to those who will listen.”
The Wheel of Fortune, The Page of Wands…
“Can you tell us what has happened?” Davies interceded, motioning to Teach to sit down. “What has become of the girl? And Jack, what’s got into him?”
“Der be two ways to bewitch a man - witching something out of de man, or witching something into de man,” Tia said solemnly.
“So Jack’s been bewitched?” Gibbs asked. Edging forward to see the cards on the table, he winced.
The High Priestess, The Devil…
“Der are dose dat capture de dream-souls of others. Dez bokors, dey set traps to catch de soul that wanders from de man when him is sleeping. Dis is why it is important dat you keep de soul with you at all times.”
The Nine of Wands, The Ten of Swords…
“And the girl?” It was Jack who asked, speaking finally through parched, cracked lips, his bleary eyes trying to focus on Tia Dalma.
“De girl, her does not exist. Her nothing more than yer dream-soul, Jack Sparrow. Dis girl you met, her was real but her no longer alive, except for her soul and dat is entwined wid yours now.”
The Moon…
“She is dead.” Jack uttered the statement in a flat tone of voice, sounding weary, beaten.
The Five of Wands, The Three of Swords…
“What about the other?” Davies asked, adjusting himself slightly in remembrance.
“Dat other woman of de night, her come to suck yer dream-soul from you as you sleep. Dis one also not a true woman, but de minion of a powerful bokor. Dis is not de same as det girl.”
The Fool…
“Who is this bokor?” Teach asked. “What does he want of Sparrow?”
“De same as you, Ed Teach.” She gestured to the cards spread across the table. “De cards tell all.”
“Why you…” Gibbs growled, drawing his sword half-way before Davies stopped him with a cautionary gesture.
“Don’t need t’ be fightin’ none,” Davies said firmly, and turned to Tia Dalma. “What do the cards say?”
She ignored the others and addressed Jack alone. “Dere is a long journey that awaits you, Jack Sparrow. Dere are forces around you, positive and negative, dat you must overcome. De hand of Fortune controls you now. Dis card…” She held up The Moon, “dis speaks of hidden enemies, deception. Dis will be you, unless you find what it is you seek.” She picked up a second card, The Ten of Swords. All ten swords were impaled in the dead man’s back.
Jack didn’t reply, just stood up abruptly. He turned in a swirl of coat tails, brushed past the huddled men, and left the shack.
The rest of men didn’t wait to hear their fates, they crowded through the door and down to the boats. Frank Davies waited until they’d left and asked Tia Dalma, “Will he find it?”
“Jack Sparrow has cheated de Devil himself for what him wants most in dis world. Him will find it,” she said. “Or die trying.”
****