Chapter Five

 

Jasper couldn't sleep. He had lain awake in his hammock for hours, staring at the ceiling or closing his eyes, but every passing minute of lying in consciousness like this only served to make him more stressed.

When he assumed it was probably about 2:00 in the morning, he got out of his hammock, put on his boots, and crept up to the deck. The wind blew through Jasper's hair as he reached the top of the stairs. It felt good, and he smiled. He looked up at the mainmast...he wanted to go there. He started climbing up the mast, and he took small comfort in the familiar rhythm of climbing.

But as he climbed, his eyes lost focus, his vision blurred, and he saw what he was sure he shouldn't be seeing: a pirate ship, a girl sleeping in the brig as Jesse Torret himself watched her with cold eyes, a ring. His ring...but on her finger. Twice he almost fell from the mast, but he kept climbing. And when he was near the crow's nest, he could see the pirate ship right next to the Marrielle, wit the girl on it. He jumped, knowing it was crazy but trying anyway...

He was awakened from his vision as he thumped, hard, into the mainmast. Jacob, a fellow sailor who had been on night watch in the crow's nest, held his right wrist in both hands, struggling to keep Jasper up.

“Climb!” Jacob shouted. “Climb up to the crow's nest, y' crazy boy!”

Jasper scrambled up the rigging as Jacob helped pull him up.

“What were y' doin', ya lunatic?!” Jacob said when Jasper was safely in the crow's nest. “This would be the fourth time you've been caught tryin' to jump ship, but by thunder, it's yer craziest attempt yet!”

“Sorry,” Jasper murmered, looking out to sea where he thought he'd seen the ship.

Jacob sighed. “What's in yer head, Jasper? Were ya sleepwalkin' again?”

Jasper didn't know. It had felt like a dream, but then again...it hadn't. It had been so real, so detailed...and who could sleep-climb? Still... “Yeah, I think so.”

“You 'think so?'”

“Well, how would I know? I was sleeping, right?”

“If you were sleepwalkin', that is.”

Jasper nodded.

Jacob sighed again. “Yer a good lad, Jasper, so please don't be killin' yerself by jumpin' off masts and such.”

“Sorry,” Jasper mumbled again, still looking out at the sea.

Jacob looked at him with a little more thought. “What was yer dream about, Jasper? Does ye remember it?”

Jasper wasn't sure he wanted Jacob"or anyone"to know. “Can't remember,” he lied, and he felt a sharp stab of guilt for lying to Jacob. Jacob was only trying to help. He and Captain Porter had quickly become like uncles to Jasper since signing on the ship, and he couldn't imagine them ever lying to him.

Jacob wrinkled his brow. “Yer lyin'.”

So he knew.

Jasper heaved a great, long sigh. “There was a girl...” He stopped abruptly, blushing slightly. Was he actually saying this aloud?

Jacob laughed. “Aha! So he's in love, is he?”

“No!” Jasper said quickly. “I've never seen her before in my life! Well, in other dreams maybe, now that I remember, but...”

“Sure, I got it,” Jacob said with a wink. “Go on.”

Jasper bit his lip in exasperation before continuing. “She was aboard a ship, in the brig. Jesse Torret, the thief, was watching her, apparently guarding...”

“Jesse Torret, eh? Don't yer bonny lass keep fine company!”

“He was guarding her! Are you going to listen or not?”

“Alright, alright. I'm listenin'.”

“I saw a ring on her finger, like mine. And then I saw the pirate ship right next to our ship, and I knew it was insane but I jumped...” Jasper knew he sounded like a madman, and that it was completely against his nature to talk so openly and rapidly, but he didn't care too much just then. Sanity wasn't exactly the first thing on his mind at the moment.

Jacob looked slightly amused. “Be ye done?”

“Yeah, I think.”

“Then I gots a comment for ya.”

Jasper braced himself. “Do I really want to hear it?”

Jacob laughed. “Here 'tis then: either yer lyin' to me and you already have met her...or yer gonna meet her.”

Jasper frowned. “Um...okay.” It was then that he realized how tired he really was. “Well, I'm gonna get some real sleep now...'night, Jacob.” As he started down the mainmast, he heard Jacob chuckle to himself.

“G'night, Jasper!” Jacob called. “And remember, yer corpse can't marry the poppet, so don't be jumpin' off masts and such anymore!”

“Shut up,” Jasper said as he reached the deck, but he couldn't keep the smile from his face or his voice.

Author's Note

This chapter might need a lot of help...let me know what you think, please.