Follow the Stars

With compass back in hand and close companions back ashore, Captain Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl (for once in Sparrow's life) sailed on familiar waters. Many would settle down after a life of adventure, full of numerous face to face encounters with death, but the sea called Sparrow once more. Sparrow didn't look back, his eyes glazed as he looked at the horizon, completely zoned out. He thought back on his previous journeys, somewhat charishing these memories.

"Pull yourself together, mate!" Captain Jack muttered to himself. A self-serving and slightly crazy man like himself did not have time to dwell on past friendships, he needed to move forward. Jack stumbled down to the captain's quarters to have a meeting with his beloved bottle of rum. This conversation with his bottle lasted longer than Sparrow anticipated, as he abruptly awoke from his drunken sleep by a ship-rattling thump. Dazed and in the early stages of a nasty hangover, Sparrow could hear the cries of his crewmates on the deck.

"Land ho!" a voice cried from above.

"Land?" Sparrow thought to himself. "How long was I asleep for?".

Captain Jack returned to his crew on the deck, finding out he had been passed out for two days. The land spoken of was distant, but the lush foliage caught Sparrow's eye. He'd crossed the sea time and time again but did not recognize this land or these waters.

"What.. did.. the Pearl hit?" Sparrow slowly uttered to the crew. Blank and confused faces stared back at Sparrow. Sparrow stared back, eyes moving back and forth matching their confusion. After seconds that felt like an eternity to the drunken captain, he muttered "I need a drink, fetch me when we reach land, savvy?".

Sparrow returned to his quarters as his crew readied to ground. He grabbed another bottle, prepping himself for another meeting with his rum. As he went for that first sip, another ship-rattling thump caused Sparrow to spill his drink all over himself. He quickly licked the rum off the floorboards and stumbled back to the deck. Business was as usual, again no one reacted to the thump.

"Did you feel that thump, mate?" Sparrow asked the closest crewman. Again, a confused stare is all he got in return.

"This is madness, I blame the rum" Sparrow thought to himself.

As the Pearl approached the unknown island, a foggy haze covered the ship out of nowhere. The crew began to bellow out curses and prayers to their gods, as they became restless. The fog had no effect on the drunken captain, as he remained level headed.

The Pearl struck land with a bump, and began to to rattle uncontrolably. This made the crew pray even louder, and prepare for the worst. From the water, a creature with the front side of an elephant and the back side of a mermaid emurged. It was ten times the size of a normal elephant, and it's truck was suctioned to the base of the Pearl.

"I guess I'm not mad after all, just savvy" Sparrow whispered to himself, knowing the thumps to the bottom of the Pearl was impact from this Elephant Fish.

Jack Sparrow's choatic and alcoholic tendencies played to his advantage again this time, as he remembered legends of the Elepant Fish claiming the only way to stay level headed from the enibriating mist of it's trunk was to be already drunk. The monster disconnected from the vessel, and sprayed more mist on the ship, thickening the fog and further confusing the crewmates. Jack was alone against this beast.

"Blimey, here we go again" Sparrow muttered.