Jack and the Pirates
The children's story written for an adult.
Jack lived by the sea. Everyday he'd go outside and look at the sea, wondering how big it was and if he'd ever see all of it, until his mother called him back into the house, admonishing him.
"You mustn't spend so much time staring at the sea," she told him. "It's an evil thing and you don't need to be tempted by it."
"Then why do we live by it?" Jack asked. It was the same question every day, asked for years, ever since Jack was old enough to stare at the sea and ask questions.
His mother never answered, only shook her head and sighed and sent him off to do his chores.
It went on every day, each day the same until one day Jack spotted something on the sea in the distance. He'd never seen a ship, not even a boat, so he didn't know what the large looming thing was. He stared at it and stared, quite entranced as it came closer and closer, yet never getting as close as he wanted. It amazed him that something could stay on top of the water.
Maybe, he realized, the sea wasn't as evil as his mother insisted.
Jack jumped on his toes, bouncing in his spot and waving to the thing on the sea. As it drew closer, he could see there were men on it and he waved excitedly to them. "Hey! Hey! I'm here!" he called, hoping they would take him away from the boring place he'd lived in all his life and let him see how big the sea really was.
"Mother! Mother" he called, wanting her to see the thing bobbing on the surface, thinking she might be pleased by it as well. But when his mother reached his side and saw the thing out on the water, she gasped and grabbed his arm.
"The sea is evil, Jack," she said, "and that ship is the most evil thing of all." With that, she dragged him back to the cottage they lived in and opened up the door to the cellar, shoving Jack inside.
"Stay here and don't say anything until I come back for you," she told him and closed the door in his face.
Jack frowned and kicked the door, wishing his mother wasn't so strict. But he'd always been a good boy until then and it was hard to break that habit.
It felt like a long time passed and Jack pressed his ear to the door, trying to hear sounds out in the other room. He couldn't hear anything at first; and then suddenly, there was a loud scream that sounded a lot like his mother. Jack gasped and stumbled back away from the door, although it didn't stop the sounds of what had to be a fight from reaching his ears.
He wondered if it was the thing that had been bobbing on the sea that was the cause of all this commotion and felt like he understood why his mother said the sea was so evil. But it normally seemed so peaceful and not evil. It couldn't be as bad as his mother insisted, could it?
Jack debated within his mind, questioning the sea, his mother, and the thing that had been bobbing along the sea just a little while ago. After a while, the sounds died down and he couldn't hear anything; Jack hadn't even realized it until there was a loud bang and a voice called, "Jack?"
It wasn't his mother's voice but Jack didn't care. He flew to the door, wrenched it open and stepped out. The sight that met his eyes made him gasp.
His mother was lying on the floor, her legs spread and skirt pulled up. There was a lot of blood, but he could see her chest rising and falling. And all around the room there were men. Everyone, except for his mother, held mugs and carried guns or swords or something and looked very dirty. Jack never looked dirty, his mother made him bathe daily.
"Well lookie here," one of the men said. He wore a neat hat and carried a bigger gun than everyone else. "It's little Jack." With that, the man swept Jack into his arms and hugged him tight. Jack squirmed.
"Don't you recognize your old man?" another one of them asked and they all laughed, even the man hugging him.
Jack was puzzled by the expression and shook his head mutely.
Everyone laughed again and Jack wiggled until the man set him down. "What'd you do to Mother?" he asked softly, looking back at his mother and then to the man who'd picked him up.
"She's just sleeping for now," the man told him. "My name's Cap'n Bill. We came in on that ship and saw you waving to us. Would you like to go sailing on it?"
Jack promptly forgot about his mother and grinned. "That thing is a ship?" he asked excitedly and hurried on without waiting for an answer. "Mother always told me the sea was evil but maybe it's not and is it really big? Do you really mean I can come along? I've always wanted to see the sea and get away from here. It's so boring."
"It's a ship and the sea is really big. Bigger than you can imagine. And you can certainly come along with us." The man grinned and ruffled Jack's hair. "You'll enjoy every bit of it.
"However," he continued, "your mother will miss you and be very sad and lonesome. So what we need to do is build a really big fire here for her so she won't be too cold when you're gone."
Jack nodded and grinned up at the man. "Okay! I can carry more firewood in."
"No, no," Cap'n Bill shook his head. "We have something that'll burn even better. All you need to do is light a fire right there," and he pointed to a small pile of wood and rags in the hearth, close to where his mother lay.
"I can do that!" Jack said and hurried over to start it. It took only a couple of minutes and then he had a blaze burning merrily.
"Good job," Cap'n Bill said and grabbed Jack. "Now come on, let's get back to the ship before your mom wakes up."
With that, they all left the cottage, Cap'n Bill carrying Jack on his shoulder. Jack glanced back and saw that part of the house had already caught on fire. He frowned suddenly, realizing that such a thing might harm his mother. He was about to say something when they reached the ship and Cap'n Bill set him down.
Jack forgot about his mother and the house and all of the warnings she'd given him when he saw how big the ship. He didn't even look back as they cast away and sailed off.
Jack lived by the sea. Everyday he'd go outside and look at the sea, wondering how big it was and if he'd ever see all of it, until his mother called him back into the house, admonishing him.
"You mustn't spend so much time staring at the sea," she told him. "It's an evil thing and you don't need to be tempted by it."
"Then why do we live by it?" Jack asked. It was the same question every day, asked for years, ever since Jack was old enough to stare at the sea and ask questions.
His mother never answered, only shook her head and sighed and sent him off to do his chores.
It went on every day, each day the same until one day Jack spotted something on the sea in the distance. He'd never seen a ship, not even a boat, so he didn't know what the large looming thing was. He stared at it and stared, quite entranced as it came closer and closer, yet never getting as close as he wanted. It amazed him that something could stay on top of the water.
Maybe, he realized, the sea wasn't as evil as his mother insisted.
Jack jumped on his toes, bouncing in his spot and waving to the thing on the sea. As it drew closer, he could see there were men on it and he waved excitedly to them. "Hey! Hey! I'm here!" he called, hoping they would take him away from the boring place he'd lived in all his life and let him see how big the sea really was.
"Mother! Mother" he called, wanting her to see the thing bobbing on the surface, thinking she might be pleased by it as well. But when his mother reached his side and saw the thing out on the water, she gasped and grabbed his arm.
"The sea is evil, Jack," she said, "and that ship is the most evil thing of all." With that, she dragged him back to the cottage they lived in and opened up the door to the cellar, shoving Jack inside.
"Stay here and don't say anything until I come back for you," she told him and closed the door in his face.
Jack frowned and kicked the door, wishing his mother wasn't so strict. But he'd always been a good boy until then and it was hard to break that habit.
It felt like a long time passed and Jack pressed his ear to the door, trying to hear sounds out in the other room. He couldn't hear anything at first; and then suddenly, there was a loud scream that sounded a lot like his mother. Jack gasped and stumbled back away from the door, although it didn't stop the sounds of what had to be a fight from reaching his ears.
He wondered if it was the thing that had been bobbing on the sea that was the cause of all this commotion and felt like he understood why his mother said the sea was so evil. But it normally seemed so peaceful and not evil. It couldn't be as bad as his mother insisted, could it?
Jack debated within his mind, questioning the sea, his mother, and the thing that had been bobbing along the sea just a little while ago. After a while, the sounds died down and he couldn't hear anything; Jack hadn't even realized it until there was a loud bang and a voice called, "Jack?"
It wasn't his mother's voice but Jack didn't care. He flew to the door, wrenched it open and stepped out. The sight that met his eyes made him gasp.
His mother was lying on the floor, her legs spread and skirt pulled up. There was a lot of blood, but he could see her chest rising and falling. And all around the room there were men. Everyone, except for his mother, held mugs and carried guns or swords or something and looked very dirty. Jack never looked dirty, his mother made him bathe daily.
"Well lookie here," one of the men said. He wore a neat hat and carried a bigger gun than everyone else. "It's little Jack." With that, the man swept Jack into his arms and hugged him tight. Jack squirmed.
"Don't you recognize your old man?" another one of them asked and they all laughed, even the man hugging him.
Jack was puzzled by the expression and shook his head mutely.
Everyone laughed again and Jack wiggled until the man set him down. "What'd you do to Mother?" he asked softly, looking back at his mother and then to the man who'd picked him up.
"She's just sleeping for now," the man told him. "My name's Cap'n Bill. We came in on that ship and saw you waving to us. Would you like to go sailing on it?"
Jack promptly forgot about his mother and grinned. "That thing is a ship?" he asked excitedly and hurried on without waiting for an answer. "Mother always told me the sea was evil but maybe it's not and is it really big? Do you really mean I can come along? I've always wanted to see the sea and get away from here. It's so boring."
"It's a ship and the sea is really big. Bigger than you can imagine. And you can certainly come along with us." The man grinned and ruffled Jack's hair. "You'll enjoy every bit of it.
"However," he continued, "your mother will miss you and be very sad and lonesome. So what we need to do is build a really big fire here for her so she won't be too cold when you're gone."
Jack nodded and grinned up at the man. "Okay! I can carry more firewood in."
"No, no," Cap'n Bill shook his head. "We have something that'll burn even better. All you need to do is light a fire right there," and he pointed to a small pile of wood and rags in the hearth, close to where his mother lay.
"I can do that!" Jack said and hurried over to start it. It took only a couple of minutes and then he had a blaze burning merrily.
"Good job," Cap'n Bill said and grabbed Jack. "Now come on, let's get back to the ship before your mom wakes up."
With that, they all left the cottage, Cap'n Bill carrying Jack on his shoulder. Jack glanced back and saw that part of the house had already caught on fire. He frowned suddenly, realizing that such a thing might harm his mother. He was about to say something when they reached the ship and Cap'n Bill set him down.
Jack forgot about his mother and the house and all of the warnings she'd given him when he saw how big the ship. He didn't even look back as they cast away and sailed off.