PotC vignette
Jan. 3rd, 2004 12:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pauraque_bkFrom ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
15minuteficlets. 300 words, PotC, Jack/Bill, G. Just playing with voices and backstory. Pay it no mind.
The word was 'marvel'.
+--
"Step right up, gentlemen, and see one of the marvels of the modern world, the mer-gorgon of Santa Lucia! Just three shillings a gander! Please, no ladies or children of tender years!"
The freakshow barker keeps up his patter as Jack slides down against the dock post to sit. It's a chill-bright morning, and there's a patch of sun here, good to warm up a little. The light gleams off the greenish harbour water, nearly blinding white-yellow. He pulls his hat down to shade his eyes, but never closes them, watching his breath turn to fog as it comes out. The smell of rotting beach debris, enough to put a man to sleep.
He hears the bump-bump of bootsteps approaching on wet wood, and the tempting jingle of a coin purse not fastened well enough to a belt. His bare bit of warmth goes cold across his legs. He tips up his hat and frowns up at the caster of the offending shadow.
The man's a fool, Jack can tell that much straight off-- he's facing away, staring off towards the barker like one of Mesmer's slaves, chewing on his lip. Pretty lip it is, though, a fetching man if he ever laid eyes on one.
"Don't waste your silver, mate," Jack says.
The man startles and twists round. "What?"
"Mer-gorgon." Jack jerks his chin towards it. "Thing's part fish, part monkey, all dead." He wrinkles his nose, shakes his head. "Black as a cinder. There's your marvel of the modern world-- some types'll swallow anything."
The man frowns, squinting against the light. "But *you've* spent your money on it."
"Said I seen it, never said I paid for the privilege." He extends his hand, like offering a dance. "Sparrow."
"Turner," says the man with a nervous twitch of a smile.
end.
*
EDIT: I've been looking at the other entries, and man -- how do people write so *much*? I can't see doing much more than 300 words in 15 minutes, and some of the ficlets are twice as long as that.
EDIT2: Icon!
15minuteficlets. 300 words, PotC, Jack/Bill, G. Just playing with voices and backstory. Pay it no mind.The word was 'marvel'.
+--
"Step right up, gentlemen, and see one of the marvels of the modern world, the mer-gorgon of Santa Lucia! Just three shillings a gander! Please, no ladies or children of tender years!"
The freakshow barker keeps up his patter as Jack slides down against the dock post to sit. It's a chill-bright morning, and there's a patch of sun here, good to warm up a little. The light gleams off the greenish harbour water, nearly blinding white-yellow. He pulls his hat down to shade his eyes, but never closes them, watching his breath turn to fog as it comes out. The smell of rotting beach debris, enough to put a man to sleep.
He hears the bump-bump of bootsteps approaching on wet wood, and the tempting jingle of a coin purse not fastened well enough to a belt. His bare bit of warmth goes cold across his legs. He tips up his hat and frowns up at the caster of the offending shadow.
The man's a fool, Jack can tell that much straight off-- he's facing away, staring off towards the barker like one of Mesmer's slaves, chewing on his lip. Pretty lip it is, though, a fetching man if he ever laid eyes on one.
"Don't waste your silver, mate," Jack says.
The man startles and twists round. "What?"
"Mer-gorgon." Jack jerks his chin towards it. "Thing's part fish, part monkey, all dead." He wrinkles his nose, shakes his head. "Black as a cinder. There's your marvel of the modern world-- some types'll swallow anything."
The man frowns, squinting against the light. "But *you've* spent your money on it."
"Said I seen it, never said I paid for the privilege." He extends his hand, like offering a dance. "Sparrow."
"Turner," says the man with a nervous twitch of a smile.
end.
*
EDIT: I've been looking at the other entries, and man -- how do people write so *much*? I can't see doing much more than 300 words in 15 minutes, and some of the ficlets are twice as long as that.
EDIT2: Icon!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 02:27 pm (UTC)dunno about the mesmer reference. doesn't seem like the type of thing jack would know or care about... though anything that can be said to even remotely reference alan rickman pleases me greatly. >:D
yay for jack/bill!
no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 06:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 08:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-03 08:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-04 06:53 am (UTC)Hahaha! I liked this. I'm no authority on POTC but your Jack seemed in-character to me. Also, you referenced that crazy Feejee mermaid thing, or whatever it was called. Go you! Especially since when I read the summary I thought this was going to be Jack/Bill Weasley and I was incredibly confused. ;D
One quibble: It's a chill-bright morning, and there's a patch of sun here, good to warm up a little. The light gleams off the greenish harbour water, nearly blinding white-yellow.
Er, too many colors all at once, I don't get a very clear impression. Chill-bright, white-yellow? Meh.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-04 11:27 am (UTC)Indeed. *g*
I thought this was going to be Jack/Bill Weasley
Now that really would be peculiar. On the other hand, they are both magical universes, so I'm sure in the hands of a clever and patient author, it could be done. ;)
too many colors all at once
Heh, I know, that's what happens when I write without editing -- you should see my paper journal that no one ever reads. I'll use five or six color/brightness references in a sentence, and it still "looks" right to me. It's like I have to translate my visual vocabulary to something others will understand. Posting these beat-the-clock ficlets is really revealing that.