Categories > Movies > Pirates of the Caribbean > What Your Heart Desires
The clouds had rolled in. The winds were picking up, sending icy cold salty droplets into Lulu's face. She shivered, feeling the cold of the late winter. Admittedly, the thaw had come early, but it was still freezing.
Her boat was starting to rock dangerously. Lulu gripped one side with both hands as she peered uneasily into the water below. It was starting to smack against the sides of her vessel. She closed her eyes, willing this to just be a freak. Maybe it would go away as quickly as it had come.
But there was no such luck. The sky lit up so brilliantly with lightning, Lulu could see it behind her eyelids. She sighed as she opened her sharp green eyes, searching the water around her.
Everyone else seemed to be smarter than she was, or perhaps they had just listened to the weather report. There were no other boats out as far as her eyes could see. She'd gone out further than she'd intended, she could even see land anymore.
On a good day, this wouldn't have fazed her at all. She would have started up the motor and steered back inland. But today that seemed dangerous. The rain began, first in a few sprinkles. But almost in the blink of an eye, it was a torrential downpour.
The rain soaked through her heavy coat, to the hooded sweater she wore underneath, and even the t-shirt she was wearing under that. Her limbs felt heavy and she was finding it hard to move.
"Not today, any day but today." Lulu said out loud. Her only answer was the wind blowing louder and a crack of thunder. She reached behind her and started the boats motor. She had to try and get to shore.
Her small wooden boat was being rocked violently. The chill was starting to get to her, and it was sleeting. Lulu could feel her coat starting to ice over. The waves were coming stronger and stronger.
"Oh God," she whispered, her words swallowed up by the storm. Once again, she gripped the edges of her boat. Maybe she could ride this all out. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. After all, she was a lucky sort of girl, wasn't she?
The waves were tossing her boat around like a small child does in the bathtub. It was ironic, as the name of this deathtrap was The Floating Tub, a name cheerfully bestowed to it by her Angelus.
Lulu, for some reason unfathomable to anyone, especially herself, had purchased the thing during a summer flea market. It was far from seaworthy then, but as she walked by the booth and her eyes fell upon it, she knew she had to have it. It was a small boat, meant for only one person, and it was ratty and gray, the paint peeling miserably.
Her eyes had widened when she saw it, and a surreal feeling settled over her limbs, much like the feeling she got while flying in her dreams. Slowly, she walked around the thing, letting her hand run over it, being careful so she didn't catch the splinters.
"How much?" she'd whispered to the leathery old man running the booth filled with various maritime themed things.
"Twenty five," he'd replied
absently. He seemed shocked when she handed over the money, no haggling at all. Everyone who came to these markets, particularly the women, haggled to pieces.
"I'm bringing my friend over in fifteen minutes to take it home." and she'd turned and fled to find Angelus and Michelle, pawing through the clothing racks.
Babbling excitedly about her find, she'd dragged them both through the hot summer sun. When she proudly pointed out her new possession, her friends had stared.
"Lulu, sweetheart, you don't even like going outside to get the mail. Why did you get a boat, honey?" Michelle asked as kindly as she knew how. Her hazel eyes examined her friend. Oh yes, she had seen that look in Lulu's eyes before. It was her determined 'I'm going to get what I want no matter the cost' look. It was the same look she got when she fell in love.
"I have to have it." Lulu said simply. She bent over in her knee length summer dress and gripped the end of the boat and began to drag it.
"Now are you going to help me with this or not?" she grunted.
Angelus, being the tallest and strongest of them all, easily six foot three compared to Lulu's five three and Michelle's five five, grabbed the other end, hoisting it up. They walked a sort of crab walk, Angelus going backwards, and Lulu not being able to see over the boat. Michelle directed the two of them through the crowd.
"I swear, Danya Luciana," he griped as they settled it in the back of his pick up truck. "You are the craziest girl in Maine. You're going to get yourself killed in this thing. It's a floating tub, if it even floats."
That had sounded like a challenge to her. She spent the rest of the summer learning how to use the motor and fixing the thing up, with help from her neighbor. He was an old man, with graying hair who went by the name of Gibbs. When he saw Angelus dump the mess in her front yard, he'd come out and grinned.
"'S gonna take some doin' to fix that up."
"I know," Lulu shook her head. "I don't know what possessed me to buy this. That was my book money for the next three months, and I don't even know what to do to make it sea worthy."
"I might be of some service, Little Miss." he always called her that, for reasons known only to himself. "I was sailin' before you was born."
"Could you, Mr. Gibbs?" she smiled broadly then. He blushed and nodded. Frankly, she'd always been fond of the old man. She and her mother had taken a special interest in him, going so far as to invite him over for their holiday suppers. In return, he had been known to 'spin them a few yarns' as it were, with daring tales of pirates from old.
"Aye. Wake up bright and early tomorrow."
And so they had begun. Gibbs was even the one who taught her how to sail. What was the one thing he had always told her? Never, never, be out in a storm. That was his cardinal rule for her, and she had broken it, albeit inadvertently.
The winds blew harshly, snowflakes clung to her face, making her feel as though she were covered in a thin layer of ice. She was pitching back and forth, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to hold onto the Tub much longer.
She felt the wave that picked up her beloved little thing and throw it back down with such force that she let go. She felt herself flying through the air before splashing into the arctic waters.
She had dressed in heavy clothes thinking it would keep her warm. But maybe that would be her downfall. Even though they already felt saturated, her clothing took on even more water. Lulu struggled, trying to shrug her way out of the coat as the waves rolled over her and broke on her head, ducking her under water.
"God help me!" she screamed as she brought her head above water. Things seemed to be far from calming down. The lightning was her only source of seeing, though the thunder seemed to shake the very ocean.
"DANYA LUCIANA!" she heard a voice, familiar and yet not scream. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
"HERE! I'm here!" she cried as loud as she could. The boat, quiet larger than hers, was there, rolling in the waves. A figure she couldn't make out was leaning over the railing.
"Hang on, lovey, I'm comin'." and the figure dove in, holding what looked like a lifesaver on a rope. Arms were around her. And she was cold, yes so cold, but this body was warm. She couldn't breathe well, and weakly she linked her arms around the neck of this guardian angel. He draped her over the lifesaver and held fast to her. She felt them being lifted just before the world went black around her.
I've been here before.... Was her last thought.
Her boat was starting to rock dangerously. Lulu gripped one side with both hands as she peered uneasily into the water below. It was starting to smack against the sides of her vessel. She closed her eyes, willing this to just be a freak. Maybe it would go away as quickly as it had come.
But there was no such luck. The sky lit up so brilliantly with lightning, Lulu could see it behind her eyelids. She sighed as she opened her sharp green eyes, searching the water around her.
Everyone else seemed to be smarter than she was, or perhaps they had just listened to the weather report. There were no other boats out as far as her eyes could see. She'd gone out further than she'd intended, she could even see land anymore.
On a good day, this wouldn't have fazed her at all. She would have started up the motor and steered back inland. But today that seemed dangerous. The rain began, first in a few sprinkles. But almost in the blink of an eye, it was a torrential downpour.
The rain soaked through her heavy coat, to the hooded sweater she wore underneath, and even the t-shirt she was wearing under that. Her limbs felt heavy and she was finding it hard to move.
"Not today, any day but today." Lulu said out loud. Her only answer was the wind blowing louder and a crack of thunder. She reached behind her and started the boats motor. She had to try and get to shore.
Her small wooden boat was being rocked violently. The chill was starting to get to her, and it was sleeting. Lulu could feel her coat starting to ice over. The waves were coming stronger and stronger.
"Oh God," she whispered, her words swallowed up by the storm. Once again, she gripped the edges of her boat. Maybe she could ride this all out. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. After all, she was a lucky sort of girl, wasn't she?
The waves were tossing her boat around like a small child does in the bathtub. It was ironic, as the name of this deathtrap was The Floating Tub, a name cheerfully bestowed to it by her Angelus.
Lulu, for some reason unfathomable to anyone, especially herself, had purchased the thing during a summer flea market. It was far from seaworthy then, but as she walked by the booth and her eyes fell upon it, she knew she had to have it. It was a small boat, meant for only one person, and it was ratty and gray, the paint peeling miserably.
Her eyes had widened when she saw it, and a surreal feeling settled over her limbs, much like the feeling she got while flying in her dreams. Slowly, she walked around the thing, letting her hand run over it, being careful so she didn't catch the splinters.
"How much?" she'd whispered to the leathery old man running the booth filled with various maritime themed things.
"Twenty five," he'd replied
absently. He seemed shocked when she handed over the money, no haggling at all. Everyone who came to these markets, particularly the women, haggled to pieces.
"I'm bringing my friend over in fifteen minutes to take it home." and she'd turned and fled to find Angelus and Michelle, pawing through the clothing racks.
Babbling excitedly about her find, she'd dragged them both through the hot summer sun. When she proudly pointed out her new possession, her friends had stared.
"Lulu, sweetheart, you don't even like going outside to get the mail. Why did you get a boat, honey?" Michelle asked as kindly as she knew how. Her hazel eyes examined her friend. Oh yes, she had seen that look in Lulu's eyes before. It was her determined 'I'm going to get what I want no matter the cost' look. It was the same look she got when she fell in love.
"I have to have it." Lulu said simply. She bent over in her knee length summer dress and gripped the end of the boat and began to drag it.
"Now are you going to help me with this or not?" she grunted.
Angelus, being the tallest and strongest of them all, easily six foot three compared to Lulu's five three and Michelle's five five, grabbed the other end, hoisting it up. They walked a sort of crab walk, Angelus going backwards, and Lulu not being able to see over the boat. Michelle directed the two of them through the crowd.
"I swear, Danya Luciana," he griped as they settled it in the back of his pick up truck. "You are the craziest girl in Maine. You're going to get yourself killed in this thing. It's a floating tub, if it even floats."
That had sounded like a challenge to her. She spent the rest of the summer learning how to use the motor and fixing the thing up, with help from her neighbor. He was an old man, with graying hair who went by the name of Gibbs. When he saw Angelus dump the mess in her front yard, he'd come out and grinned.
"'S gonna take some doin' to fix that up."
"I know," Lulu shook her head. "I don't know what possessed me to buy this. That was my book money for the next three months, and I don't even know what to do to make it sea worthy."
"I might be of some service, Little Miss." he always called her that, for reasons known only to himself. "I was sailin' before you was born."
"Could you, Mr. Gibbs?" she smiled broadly then. He blushed and nodded. Frankly, she'd always been fond of the old man. She and her mother had taken a special interest in him, going so far as to invite him over for their holiday suppers. In return, he had been known to 'spin them a few yarns' as it were, with daring tales of pirates from old.
"Aye. Wake up bright and early tomorrow."
And so they had begun. Gibbs was even the one who taught her how to sail. What was the one thing he had always told her? Never, never, be out in a storm. That was his cardinal rule for her, and she had broken it, albeit inadvertently.
The winds blew harshly, snowflakes clung to her face, making her feel as though she were covered in a thin layer of ice. She was pitching back and forth, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to hold onto the Tub much longer.
She felt the wave that picked up her beloved little thing and throw it back down with such force that she let go. She felt herself flying through the air before splashing into the arctic waters.
She had dressed in heavy clothes thinking it would keep her warm. But maybe that would be her downfall. Even though they already felt saturated, her clothing took on even more water. Lulu struggled, trying to shrug her way out of the coat as the waves rolled over her and broke on her head, ducking her under water.
"God help me!" she screamed as she brought her head above water. Things seemed to be far from calming down. The lightning was her only source of seeing, though the thunder seemed to shake the very ocean.
"DANYA LUCIANA!" she heard a voice, familiar and yet not scream. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
"HERE! I'm here!" she cried as loud as she could. The boat, quiet larger than hers, was there, rolling in the waves. A figure she couldn't make out was leaning over the railing.
"Hang on, lovey, I'm comin'." and the figure dove in, holding what looked like a lifesaver on a rope. Arms were around her. And she was cold, yes so cold, but this body was warm. She couldn't breathe well, and weakly she linked her arms around the neck of this guardian angel. He draped her over the lifesaver and held fast to her. She felt them being lifted just before the world went black around her.
I've been here before.... Was her last thought.
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