He had searched the ends of the earth for her. He took to the oceans, was captured and pressed into the service of a pirate captain and his crew. The memories of her kept him going, even when he seemed to be functioning as just another mindless drone, dead inside, on the ship of the evil Captain... killing, looting, smuggling, whatever orders the Captain barked. Mutiny was constantly on the minds of the crew, and one day they were successful. Jack could finally go back to his search for his gypsy lass, who in better days had been the one who would have made an honest man out of him. For years he searched... wandering but not finding, seeking information but gaining none, nights spent laying in some hovel or in some mosquito infested jungles on an old bedroll trying to think of where she could have gone, where she had been, or even who she might be now. As he had taken on a new identity, perhaps she had also. He even went back to his old home in a land that no longer looked like he had remembered. He was no longer a wanted man there, so he was able to walk freely amongst what remained. People in bright neon clothing... strange masks... holding brightly colored staves and even gargoyles flying around amongst the townsfolk. He stopped by a special place to him before heading towards the mountains near despise. The set of mountains near the inn where he first laid eyes on her, working hard with a pickaxe. The memories flooded back He took her in, taught her to fight, and they lived together for a time that seemed like it would never end.. Jack had passed several strange looking structures that he had never seen before. The houses that once lined the valley were sparse, vastly different ones than he had remembered. He walked down the path to his old home and strangely enough, a sandstone house stood there. Jack marveled at it for a moment, wondering if it was the home they spent a few years together in. It was empty... a void much like he had felt so many years after. Perhaps that journey had nudged fate a bit, and set off something in her sleeping mind to bring her back to him. He returned from the journey, feeling worse than when he set off. Two weeks later and he was laying behind the bar in a pile of bottles in a tavern outside of Paws, having too much to drink after the great party that had taken place. When she called out his name... his true name, he couldn't believe it. Was she some sort of phantom? A product of too much drink? It was her, she had found him after all these years of him searching to no avail. Things would be fine again... they were fine again. They settled back in a house located exactly where it used to be years ago, and for the first time in ages he was ready to give up his life of pirating... Fate brought her to him... and perhaps fate took her away once more. She was just gone.. left without a trace as if she had never been there in the first place. He stuck around for a while, but he had to get out of there. The empty room was driving him mad... He went looking for her again, but the search turned up empty as it usually did. Soon, he found himself standing outside of the home at night, still empty, dust settling on the table, a burned out candle on the nightstand. Jack walked out of the house, and turned around to look once more at the home that was now a monument to the fate of the wretched. He pulled out a firebomb and lit it, and tossed it through the window. Moments later, he was staring at a pyre that lit up the night, casting dark shadows over his eyes. Fire could destroy about anything, but it couldn't burn away the memories of a twisted hand Fate had dealt him once more. It burned quickly and he watched till there was nothing left but smoldering ashes, and then he made the journey back to Buccaneer's Den where he had a new ship waiting for him. Jack ran his hands alongside the rails of his new ship, and looked off towards the sea. "Hello old friend... it's good to be back." He walked off towards the tavern, hoping to get a drink and perhaps a new crew. He pondered his next course...would he continue looking for her, or would he just give in to his true fate... the fate of the wretched.
I picture a version of this set to song as a sea chantey sung by Colin meloy of the decemberists. Great tale!
