Vignette: The Coming of the Comforter--SPOILERS

[honorat]

By Honorat
Rated: G
Warning: Spoilers for DMC
Disclaimer: It’s not stealing; it’s salvaging.

Summary: Jack Sparrow departs the island of the Pelagostos people. The true story of the dog. For rennie1265. 500 words.

Thank you geek_mama_2 for beta-ing this.


* * * * *

The Coming of the Comforter

The Pelagostos people stood in the crash of the surf, like abandoned children, as their god leapt to the flanks of the great black ship that had brought Him back to them and was now as surely carrying Him away. The sun grew dark in their eyes and their voices were raised in lamentation. He was gone, and already the world seemed a colder place.

But then an unfamiliar noise sounded behind them. They turned as one body and beheld the strange creature to which their god had spoken as He had fled to the sea. It was calling to them, although they could not understand its words. Joy suffused their dejected limbs. He had not left them completely. This creature was His final gift to them.

In jubilation they ran towards it, their voices raised in renewed hope.

Like Him, it ran from them, reluctant to be embraced, afraid of their love. But it would come to them eventually, and they would lavish upon it their utmost devotion because it was His—because, even in His flight, He had not forgotten them in their loneliness. He had left them this little spot of brightness now that the divine light had departed from them.

That night, as the sparks from the fire that should have consumed the mortal prison of their own god flew empty-handed towards the dark heavens, and the thousands of eyes of the eternal gods glittered down on them, the people prayed for that lost soul. His gift sat on the throne, a leg bone gripped in its teeth, ears alert under a small crown like He had worn, hearing the chants in the stead of the god.

The old wise woman looked deep into His fire, tears running down her withered cheeks as she spoke. “He has gone from us to a terrible fate. His soul must still leave His flesh behind, pain cleaving the bonds that hold Him so tightly to earth. But now He will die alone, with none of His people surrounding Him for comfort, with no worshippers and no prayers. He will not realize the joy of living on in the blood of His people. Instead of light and warmth, He will find only cold and dark. And no song will ascend with His spirit to guide Him home. He will wander, lost in the unending night, severed from all that He loves, until such time as some great spirit will seek Him out beyond the ends of the earth and carry His soul back to His body, where He must begin again His search for freedom.”

Sorely distressed, the Pelagostos people contemplated the prophecy concerning the suffering their god must endure, but the creature of the god stepped down from the throne and leapt among them and kissed their hands and comforted them in their sorrow.

* * * * *
The End

Comments

[honorat.livejournal.com]

The issue is not whether or not all peoples can behave primitively, but whether or not primitive peoples are seen exclusively that way, with no mention made of their equivalents of Shakespeare or Bach or socialized health-care or traffic circles or computers or whatever one equates with civilization. It is the one-sided interpretation of these events in the movie that I object to. There is an internal logic to people's actions even at football games. And no person is solely what he or she is when at a sporting event. Nor should an entire culture be judged on a soccar match.

I wouldn't be novelizing these scenes if I hadn't found them fun, entertaining and thought-provoking. But they don't work for me in this movie if I don't take them seriously. And those people cannot be just cardboard cut-outs for Jack to run between and be a part of good fiction at all.

As far as Jack being fully clothed for his fricasse, I imagine the reasoning ran more to keeping Johnny with his shirt on than any plot device. Though I developed a logic for why he had to be roasted alive rather than killed and cleaned first. The fire was supposed to drive his soul out. Works for me. I don't think nutrition was the point.

I'm not sure what people expect from their gods, but many European explorers were treated as gods although there was nothing godlike about them. In my other Pelagostos story, I have Jack's first arrival on their island be a part of a prophecy. And sometimes just to touch the divine is sufficient--witness the people dying to get autographs.

[(Anonymous)]

The issue is not whether or not all peoples can behave primitively, but whether or not primitive peoples are seen exclusively that way,

Yes, I understand your intention.
However, the Pelagostos (as shown in the movie) are so much reduced to one single feature (cannibalism), so exaggeratedly primitive (though they apparently adopted the use of fork and knife, whyever), that in my opinion they are clearly not meant to be like real tribespeople. They are movie tribespeople. Or even movie parody cannibals. As the PotC pirates are not meant to be like real pirates, but like Disney ride pirates. So I do not find them offensive as you do.

with no mention made of their equivalents of Shakespeare or Bach or socialized health-care or traffic circles or computers or whatever one equates with civilization.

The vast majority of mankind are not Shakespeare, Bach nor the inventors of the wheel, computers or guacamole. No matter what culture they happen to live in.
Showing more cultural aspects of the Pelagostos (as you do so brillantly) would have added depth to the story. However I personally do not demand a balanced view of exotic cultures of a funny pirate movie. The reason I find the cannibal island scene lacking is that it feels bland, old and cliché to me, not ingenious.

It is the one-sided interpretation of these events in the movie that I object to.

And you delivered the explanation that would have improved the movie considerably.

And those people cannot be just cardboard cut-outs for Jack to run between and be a part of good fiction at all.

That's the point. Not only the Pelagostos - I personally find several characters of DMC sadly bland / one-dimensional compared to the first movie. Or at least underdescribed. But maybe it's only the translation.

As far as Jack being fully clothed for his fricasse, I imagine the reasoning ran more to keeping Johnny with his shirt on than any plot device.

Of course. And your explanation why they have to roast him alive makes sense.
But when watching the movie which has no such explanation, all I could think of was: Yuck, these people can't cook. Or, more elaborate: the scriptwriters apparently think nobody would notice that a man roasted alive fully clothed does not make very appealing food. So they did not bother to find some solution (double, changing the scene, ...) for Depp not wanting to take his shirt off.

I'm not sure what people expect from their gods, but many European explorers were treated as gods although there was nothing godlike about them.

Being in time with a prophecy about a returning god, either deliberatly (Cortez) or accidentally (Cook)?
What I find thrilling is: here, they may be right. As you said. So, I'm fantasizing about Jack's nature, purpose and potential powers.

(btw, the unsigned query below: Where did T&T confirm Jack's nature as a god?, that was me. Apologies.)

One thing I forgot to add the last time:
When first I read your story's title and learnd it had to do whith the dog, I mistook 'comforter' for 'cover' or 'door mat', leading me to believe that the dog would be skinned and eaten after all. Is that my poor grasp of the English language, or an intended pun?

littlebird

[honorat.livejournal.com]

I've heard from several people that the non-English, voice-dubbed versions of DMC are missing a lot of nuance in the performance, particularly Former-Commodore Norrington's. You have to have that rich Jack Davenport vocal performance to see his character with depth.

As for the Comforter, I deliberately chose a heavily religious vocabulary for this piece to emphasize the spiritual nature of these people, and in the Biblical New Testement, when Christ is leaving his followers at the Ascension, he tells them that he will send the Holy Spirit as a Comforter to them when he is gone. So in keeping with the borrowed language, I borrowed the idea that the Pelegostos would see the dog as something left behind by the god to comfort them in his absence. Obscure cultural allusion. :D

[(Anonymous)]

Ah, OK, poor grasp then. And there I really liked it as a pun.
English biblical vocabulary I wouldn't recognize.

Thanks for the answer

littlebird