#multichapterfiction

Anne dumped the buckets in the doorway of Green Gables. “Here you are Marilla”

“Thank you, Anne”

“May I please go over to Diana’s house now?”

Marilla sighed, “Alright. But be back before sundown!”

“Of course,” Anne replied gaily, running to grab a coat before making her way to Diana’s house.

The warm sun glistened down onto Anne’s face, making her shield her eyes. The afternoon was perfect; the sun was shining, birds were singing. It seemed as if nothing was wrong with the world.

“Anne!”

Anne peered at the figure calling to her. Diana’s bouncing curls and gorgeous dress came into view as she eventually reached Anne.

“Diana! Whatever are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at your house”

“We were going to, but I was so excited that I had to meet your partway,” she exclaimed, skipping around Anne. Looking around, she found a log that was in fairly good condition and beckoned Anne over. “So,” she said, sitting down, “How do you feel about your birthday?”

Anne laughed, of course this is what Diana was excited about, “Ah yes, the soulmate day, of course,” she replied sarcastically.

“Really Anne? I thought you would be more excited than this!”

“I am,” she reassured her friend, “It’s just, I’m struck by nerves, that’s all. I mean, what if the person I match with is an awful person? Or what if we can’t find each other after the three days?”

“You’ll be fine, millions of people have done it before, even my parents managed to do it, and they lived on different sides of the world!”

“I suppose. There’s just a lot of pressure, that’s all”

“Well, I think your lucky” Diana shrugged, stood up and began walking towards her house.

“Lucky?” Anne jumped up following her, “How on Earth am I lucky?”

“Well,” Diana paused to think, “Frankly, you already know who your soulmate is…”

“I do?”

Diana cleared her throat. “Does the name ‘Gilbert Blythe’ ring a bell,” she said slyly. Diana hadn’t seen Gilbert for many months, as he was on one of his adventures, but even with their lack of contact, Diana knew Gilbert’s true feelings. Even if Anne didn’t want to hear about it.

Anne’s face flushed a beetroot red and her eyes widened, “I’ll get you for that”

“You’ll have to catch me first,” Diana exclaimed, running away from Anne. They continued the chase all the way back to Diana’s house; giggling the entire time.

As the golden glow of the sun was gradually disappearing, Anne began to make her way back to Green Gables, reflecting on her time with Diana. She still got nerves at the thought of her coming birthday, but she tried her best to push those thoughts out of her mind. This was unsuccessful. Her mind was plagued with worries and fears for the rest of the night. Her overactive imagination was no help in calming her nerves. All she could think about was what could go wrong and what that would mean for her relationship with her soulmate. She went to bed that night, still conjuring stories and situations that chilled her to the bone.

A cool breeze flew through the open window and tickled Anne’s feet. She curled deeper into her blankets, wishing that today would not happen. It was the day before her birthday, meaning tonight, at midnight, she would no longer be in her body. There was even a  possibility that she wouldn’t be in Avonlea anymore. She began to spiral; what if she appeared somewhere… outside of Canada? She flushed those thoughts away. ‘No,’ she thought, ‘today, I will do my best to remain calm and have the best day ever before I need to leave’. With this though lingering in her head, she jumped out of bed, dressed herself and headed downstairs for breakfast.

“Good morning Anne,” Marilla’s calm tone rang out from the kitchen.

“Good morning Marilla, wonderful morning, is it not?”

“I suppose,” she replied halfheartedly, far to focused on preparing breakfast.

“I am beginning to feel the warmth of summer drifting away from us. Oh how I’m looking forward to winter!” Anne gleefully skipped through the dining room.

“Anne be careful, you might hurt yourself,” Marilla said, dodging out of Anne’s way, clutching a plate of warm toast and butter.

“Oh I’m sorry Marilla,” Anne came spinning to a halt, “Just the thought of winter snow makes me want to sing and dance!”

Marilla raised her eyebrows, “Are you sure it’s not something else that you’re excited for? Something a little sooner?” Anne stopped in her tracks and turned.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about…”

“Oh you know,” Marilla struggled to find the right words, “You’re 16th birthday”

“Oh that. Well, I am excited, but I don’t want to think about it… I will make myself too nervous”

“I see.” She didn’t see. Marilla didn’t see how this 16th birthday hogwash was such a big deal. Back in her day there was no hype or excitement about it. It was just a part of life, but, with Anne as her daughter, she should have expected this kind of behaviour.

“I think I will go and find Matthew, to see if he needs anything doing.”

“Alright Anne”

Marilla watched from the kitchen window as Anne skipped out to the barn.