Jack woke up after receiving small bites from a dozen small crabs that were fighting to get a piece of him. The sand was still stuck to his face as he shook off the hungry crustaceans.
The burning of the inclement sun and the icy contrast of the sea's tongues caressing his bare feet reminded him that he had survived the shipwreck. He was still alive.
Unfortunately, he was not the only survivor. The laughter and curses were not long in coming. Both the captain and a couple of henchmen had survived as had he. Jack was not exempt from being called a henchman, as he belonged to the crew of the dreaded pirate Gutierrez.
Captain Gutierrez, as he constantly demanded to be called, was a thin and distrustful man; with tanned skin, an inquisitive look, and quick, bony hands. They gently caressed the back of the musket protruding from the edge of his trousers. He stood on a large rock, peering through a small retractable telescope. He wiped the outer lens again and again, to confirm his find.
“By Neptune's beard, I found it!” he shouted euphorically over and over again, laughing and dancing on one foot. His yellow teeth sported the glint of gold embedded in one of his fangs.
All around him, all along the beach paraded the wreckage of the Errante, the vessel of the dreaded Gutierrez. Clinging to a piece of mast emerging bravely from the sand, a black flag flew respectfully with a skull emblem, bidding farewell to its crew. Pieces of the keel, some barrels, trunks, and finally, a large hull showing its spine like a freshly eaten fish, were scattered like daisies on the sandy plain.
A couple of meters away from Jack, lay face down François, the cook; whose gray skin indicated that he had been one of the many who didn't count. Crestfallen, Jack decided to look away. The sky was clear. François was a good man, he used to save him an extra loaf of bread or mug of beer when he missed lunch.
Even as he lamented what had happened to the rest of the crew, Jack was glad to hear that all the effort had not been in vain. Finally, they had found the lost island.
A legend that ran from mouth to mouth among sailors and corsairs. A legend about an island hidden in the Atlantic, a mysterious island that many in their search were maddened by the fact that they could not find it. It became an obsession, just as it had happened to Gutierrez because only those who were willing to lose what they valued most would be the lucky ones to find it.
But the island itself was nothing special, as it was as common as any other. However, inside it was kept a treasure capable of making whoever found it, the richest and most powerful man in the world. Some said that anyone could obtain whatever they desired most: gold, wealth, power, everything imaginable. Gutierrez had been after the island for years and had finally found it.
But Gutierrez wasn't the only one eager to find the mysterious island. Jack hid in his heart what he wanted most, the most precious secret of his life. In front of others, he used to say that, like everyone else, he only longed to have gold and riches, to be the richest man in the world. But deep inside him, there was only one thing he desired most, and he longed to be able to obtain it within that place. It was for that reason that he had decided to join Captain Gutierrez's crew, no matter how dangerous it was.
A pirate's life was very short and was always hanging by a thread. For not only were they outlaws on the run from the law, considered the scum of the sea, whose heads hung valuable bounties. But also, they could lose their lives at any moment when they had to attack any careless ship that crossed their path. Rarely, they were victims of unexpected and supernatural events.
This voyage was no exception. Months had passed on the high seas, so much so that they had forgotten what it was like to feel on dry land. During their long voyage, they fought and escaped from the English frigates, who considered Gutierrez their number one enemy. Still, this was only a foretaste of the feast of events that were to follow. Sea monsters, hellish storms, and unconscionable famines lead to madness. Jack shuddered at the memory of the dreaded scurvy, which reduced the crew by half.
Only a few could count on having crossed paths with the fearsome, lustful mermaids and coming out alive. Their sweet and intoxicating songs excited the libidinous bodies to the max and clouded the minds of the crew; losing what little sanity they had left and leading the Errante straight to its destruction after colliding with a series of sharp reefs.
But no better conviction overcomes all kinds of situations than clinging to an idea, to a fervent, jealously guarded desire. Fortunately, it was what made Jack survive in the face of the adversities they had experienced up to that point.
“Sailors!” shouted Gutierrez.
Jack sprang to his feet at the order and ran to the captain, as did the other survivors.
“Gather all provisions from the wreckage from the Errante and anything else that will make a fire!”
Gutiérrez also ordered the boatswain to search for gunpowder and weapons. Although legend had it that the island was deserted, the captain was wary of the other dangers that might be hidden within.
Soon, Gutierrez urged a couple of his men to explore the island. Although the island was small, the road seemed endless as they traversed it. The sweltering heat took its toll, and the salty mouths of the sailors began to dry up. Fortunately, the sweet sound of a stream brought back hope from the faintness of dehydration.
Without wasting time, they all plunged into the water without a second thought. It was like being born again, the sweet taste of freshwater renewed the sailors' strength. Jack, despite keeping his eyes on Gutierrez, slipped away while everyone quenched their thirst.
Gutierrez had left a visible trail wherever he had passed. Broken branches and footprints in the dirt indicated the path he had taken. For a moment, Jack lost sight of the tracks the captain had left. However, his attention was focused on a wooden structure that stood in the distance, in the middle of a plain. The other sailors were quick to find it and, seeing the house, ran towards it, paying no attention to Jack.
At first glance, it was a wooden house. Nothing special, a mundane shack with a large window at the front and a roof that extended over the entrance. Perhaps made from the wreckage of some ship that also lost its way in the search for something that was possibly just a madman's fantasy. Had they been in the wrong place? Was this the famous house that used to grant any wish?
Jack slowed his pace at the disconsolate idea that was born in his head.
In front of the entrance, an old man rested, rocking peacefully, and on his lap rested an old musket, still ready to blind the lives of those who wished to desecrate his home.
“You'd better go back the way you came if you don't want to lose your lives,” the old man threatened, pointing his musket at the foreigners who were invading his land.
At first, the henchmen were surprised at the old man's courage, but soon their yellow, misshapen teeth began to gleam at the laughter their mouths produced.
Gutiérrez had already arrived from the side and was aiming at the old man's temple. Slowly, the old man let go of his musket as he was cornered. Without giving him time to react, the captain struck him in the back of the head with the butt of his weapon. The bony body of the old man fell long and hard in front of his chair.
Gutierrez signaled his cronies to ransack the house. Jack paid no attention to the captain's order and reached the old man to help him up.
With a great kick, the door of the house gave way, cracking its moldy lock like a cracker.
The men entered and searched inside. To their surprise, the house was as modest as any other mundane pigsty. A small wooden table near a stove blackened by soot from the wooden slats and in front of it a small cot to sleep on, along with sheets faded with age.
The enraged men kicked the kitchen shelves and turned the cot over in search of the precious treasure.
The captain's evil laughter filled the four walls. Confused, the ruffians stopped spoiling the impoverished room. Gutierrez pointed his gun toward the back of the house, where there were three mahogany doors, their luster immune to the passage of time.
Excitement returned to the haggard eyes of the ruffians, who immediately charged at the doors. However, despite their punches, kicks, and scratches, they failed to make a dent in any of the three doors. They were immune to the abuse they received. Undoubtedly, some magic did not allow them to be opened.
Gutierrez came out of the house and grabbed the old man by the collar, the latter still in Jack's lap.
“You'd better tell us how to open the doors, old man.”
The old man laughed at the captain's threats.
Gutierrez dragged him inside the house.
“You like to laugh, don't you?”
His fist turned white as he clenched the hilt of his sword. A Machiavellian smile painted Gutierrez's face the moment the sharp steel pierced the old man's side.
“You're still funny, old man,” he whispered in his ear.
The old man spat blood, after holding back a choked cry in his throat. Still, he refused to say a word.
Gutierrez's eyes became even more grim. The sword left the old man's body, leaving a crimson river behind it. The old man's body collapsed again.
Gutierrez wiped his sword with a handkerchief he hid in his pocket. Jack knew that the next move would slit the old man's throat.
Desperate, Jack glanced at the three doors, all of which had something in common.
“Captain, the doors have a lock!”
Gutierrez put away his sword and searched the old man's sack.
The golden gleam of the captain's fang reflected in the old man's pale eyes. A metallic sound rattled through Gutierrez's fingers.
The keys were particularly different. Each had an irregular shape, as he studied them in more detail, he noted that each corresponded to the symbol carved on each of the doors.
He tossed a pair of keys to the henchmen.
“Godinez! Take the one on the left!”
“Ignacio! Take the one on the right!”
Both men caught the keys and stood frozen, staring at the keys
“Open them now!” the captain impatiently ordered.
As they opened them, a veil of purple smoke covered the entrance.
At first, both men hesitated. But after a further order from the captain, their faces were painted with smiles of greed.
“Hurry for the gold.”
After passing through the doors, the men were out of sight and a piercing shriek in unison followed them.
The doors closed on their own accord behind them.
Gutierrez knew there was a trap and only one of them would lead to the precious treasure.
Jack had picked up one of the sheets on the floor and held the old man's wound.
“I'm so sorry,” Jack whispered.
The old man stared at him
“You don't come for wealth or power. You come for something more valuable. Then I recommend you stop Gutierrez, for you have only one chance.”
Gutierrez had inserted the key and was about to turn it. It was then that Jack picked up a saucepan and hit him over the head hard enough to knock him unconscious.
The key was still hanging in the lock. His desire to open the door was screaming inside him. But he couldn't leave the old man badly hurt, too many people had already died. He had waited too long to make his wish come true, waiting a few minutes wouldn't make a difference.
He took the key out of the lock and approached the old man. Maybe there would be some way to grant his wish and save the old man as well.
“How does the room work?”
The old man looked him in the eye, intrigued, he smiled.
“You are the first to overcome the desire to open the door, if only for an instant.”
The old man could barely move.
“Hear well, since you are the first of many to ask the question. That door leads to your past. Like everything in life, there is always a price to pay for what you get. Your now self will die, but all the knowledge you have acquired in this life and much more will be granted to your past self, but you will remember nothing about the existence of this house, nor what happened in it.”
Jack twirled the key between his fingers, as he assimilated the old man's words.
“The knowledge of what is to come is the greatest treasure there can be. In the future, it will not be physical strength, nor gold that dominates the world, but knowledge,” the old man added.
“If Gutierrez came through the door, that means none of this would have happened, you would not have been mortally wounded and none of the men would have perished.”
Jack paused again
“Including the entire crew,” he concluded, remembering François.
“But that way, your Erika wouldn't come back to life” completed the old man
Jack gritted his teeth.
“Think no more boy and hand me the key.”
The rough voice of the captain bristled the skin on the back of Jack's neck. Gutierrez was pointing his gun directly at him.
“If you want the key, find it yourself.”
Jack stood up and threw, with all his might, the key out of the house. The detonation of the gun was not long in coming, a deafening explosion painted Jack's shirt crimson. He fell next to the dying old man.
Gutierrez kicked Jack's unconscious body and exited the house in search of the key.
“I think you should go through that door.”
Jack roughly deposited the key in the old man's hands.
“You're clever boy” replied the old man with a smile.
“But I'm not allowed to open the door, you'll have to do it” he said handing the key back to Jack.
He spat the blood from his mouth and made a last effort to drag his body along with the old man's.
“Then you will come with me.”
Gasping and on the verge of losing consciousness, he inserted the key and opened the door.
Jack opened his eyes at the gentle caress of a delicate hand on his face.
“Wake up sleepyhead!”
Rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains covering the window. He felt the fragrance of a familiar perfume. He had the impression that he hadn't smelled it for many years.
“You'd better hurry or you'll miss your boat.”
Jack didn't answer, he was confused trying to remember a dream that was slowly dissolving.
The girl smiled and small dimples formed on her cheeks.
Jack took the girl by surprise and hugged her tightly, drawing her to the bed next to him.
“I'm not going anywhere. I've decided to look for another job.”
