Captain "Bloody" Alexander, Samuel Drake, and myself step foot on the beach of this plush, jungle island. The total silence is eerie. No wind stirs through the leaves of the exotic trees, no animals cry out in their native tongues. Not a rustle in the bushes or a whisper in the sand, only the sound of our boots pounding up the incline of the sandy beach. Drake becomes nervous and makes it known.
"Captain, this don't feel right. This island be cursed, I warrant."
"Ever the superstitious fool, you are Samuel. There is no curse, only treasure here. Is that not enough to motivate you?" Said the captain coldly.
"Of course, Captain," said Sam Drake.
I keep my thoughts to myself. I'm not one to believe in curses, but neither am I so foolish to believe that there are not things beyond our knowledge.As the immortal Shakespeare would say, "There are more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy." We continue on, according to the rather vague instruction given on the map. The jungle remains still, and Drake grows ever more nervous. Eventually he's shaking and sweating so badly that he breaks.
"I can't take it no more Cap'n!" He says, "Life ain't allowed here!" and he runs back the way we came. Captain "Bloody" Alexander draws his flintlock pistol and fires directly into the back of poor Samuel.
The Captain only utters a single word, "Fool."
I decide to speak up. "Captain," I say.
"What? Do you have a problem with how I handle deserters?" growls Captain Alexander.
"No, but you must admit that it was a little hasty, considering the shortage of crew-members we are currently experiencing."
"You're probably right. Too late now though, eh?" The Captain chuckled. We continue onward and eventually reach the spot which was marked with an "X" on the map. We begin to dig, and don't even reach three feet deep before we strike something, which we can only assume is the treasure.
"Terrible job of burying their life's savings." I say
"Lucky for us," says "Bloody" Alexander. We pull it up and crack open the lock with a pick-ax. There's a rush of warm air as we open the chest and we peer inside. It was empty.
"What the hell?" I say, "Do you think someone got to it before us?" I ask.
"Or the damn map is worthless. Either way, We're screwed." He stews for a moment before exclaiming, "Dammit!"
That's when i begin to notice something. I can't place is at first, then I realize what it is. The jungle sounds like a jungle. Monkeys screeching out warning calls, birds cawing, cooing, and chirping, Rustling leaves and bushes. The jungle had it's voice back. Captain "Bloody" Alexander and I trek back towards the ship. I'm not even sure if he notices the noises, or if he even cares, and with the mood he's in I won't bring it up. I do, however, believe we found a treasure of a certain kind in that chest. Samuel was right. The island was cursed, it's vibrancy stolen. When we opened that chest, we returned it to its former glory. I'm sure we pissed off some god in the process, but when I listen to the jungle, I feel its almost worth it.
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