The second time that Gilbert tells Bash about Anne
a little fanfic written by alwaysavonlea
starts in AWAE Season 2 Episode 2
Gilbert lay in his hammock, staring up at the metal that was his ceiling although it was the floor for steamship passengers. He put his hand, covered in coal dust, to his forehead, also covered in coal dust.
The words of his crew mate echoed in his head - "Boy, you call that a problem? Some of us ain't have no home."
He had held his tongue, silently acknowledging the point with a nod, then slipping down into his hammock. He felt misunderstood by his fellow workers, but he had the smart sense to know he was the one with more to learn. So much more.
As Gilbert drifted to sleep, a memory took shape, clear and vivid. He remembered Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, sparkling blue eyes and glowing red hair, standing at her seat in the Avonlea schoolroom to read aloud for the class. He could hear her voice, overflowing with passion: "O'er the wild waters labouring, far from home!"
Gilbert couldn't remember any other lines, nor could he recall which poem Anne had been reading from. He fell asleep imagining her impassioned speech.
The next day, while shoveling coal for the steamship hovering on a vast sea so far from Avonlea, Gilbert recalled this vision of Anne. O'er the wild waters labouring…
"Hey Bash, do you know the poem that goes 'O'er the wild waters labouring, far from home'? I can't remember the name of it," Gilbert asked when the two had a moment of downtime. The ship was still offshore of Trinidad, so the coal shifts were shorter.
Bash chuckled, amused by the boy. "Can't say I know it, it doesn't sound Trinidad but does seem like a nice one. Your mind's on poetry, Blythe?"
"I learned it in school back home - Anne, the girl I mentioned to you last night, was asked by the teacher to read that poem aloud for the class," Gilbert shared, with a fond smile. "She really committed to it, put real feeling into it. Usually school was dull but that sure was an interesting day."
Bash recognized the expression on his young friend's face. A tilted, closed-lip smile with laughing, shining eyes was unmistakable.
Gilbert continued, "Anyway, I was thinking about how Anne read that line. Just wondering about the rest of the poem."
"One way to figure the rest out, go home and ask your Anne about it," Bash said, gently teasing.
"That's one way," Gilbert sighed absently, not taking Bash's bait. He changed the subject, "Tell me about Trinidad poetry? And music?"
"I'll have you better," said Bash happily, "I'll show you when we get back on the island." To get in one more little poke at Gilbert, he added, "Find you an island poem to bring home to your Anne."
Gilbert shook his head a bit with a dismissive laugh, but not without thinking Anne might like that.
I got to make my new account today, so I could post this to the archive :)
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