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if i look back, i am lost
@theartofmadeline
Sweet Seals For You, Always
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
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Acquired Stardust
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blake kathryn
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
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@shannyh25
It was October again—a glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as if the spirit of autumn had poured them in for the sun to drain—amethyst, pearl, silver, rose, and smoke-blue. The dews were so heavy that the fields glistened like cloth of silver and there were such heaps of rustling leaves in the hollows of many-stemmed woods to run crisply through.
Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
"Don't get up on your high horse with me, Anne Shirley."
"Marilla pessimistically expected more trouble since Anne had again begun to go to school. But none developed. Perhaps Anne caught something of the “model” spirit from Minnie Andrews; at least she got on very well with Mr. Phillips thenceforth. She flung herself into her studies heart and soul, determined not to be outdone in any class by Gilbert Blythe. The rivalry between them was soon apparent; it was entirely good-natured on Gilbert’s side; but it is much to be feared that the same thing cannot be said of Anne, who had certainly an unpraiseworthy tenacity for holding grudges. She was as intense in her hatreds as in her loves. She would not stoop to admit that she meant to rival Gilbert in schoolwork, because that would have been to acknowledge his existence which Anne persistently ignored; but the rivalry was there and honors fluctuated between them. Now Gilbert was head of the spelling class; now Anne, with a toss of her long red braids, spelled him down. One morning Gilbert had all his sums done correctly and had his name written on the blackboard on the roll of honor; the next morning Anne, having wrestled wildly with decimals the entire evening before, would be first. One awful day they were ties and their names were written up together. It was almost as bad as a take-notice and Anne’s mortification was as evident as Gilbert’s satisfaction. When the written examinations at the end of each month were held the suspense was terrible. The first month Gilbert came out three marks ahead. The second Anne beat him by five. But her triumph was marred by the fact that Gilbert congratulated her heartily before the whole school. It would have been ever so much sweeter to her if he had felt the sting of his defeat.
Mr. Phillips might not be a very good teacher; but a pupil so inflexibly determined on learning as Anne was could hardly escape making progress under any kind of teacher. By the end of the term Anne and Gilbert were both promoted into the fifth class and allowed to begin studying the elements of “the branches”—by which Latin, geometry, French, and algebra were meant. In geometry Anne met her Waterloo.
“It’s perfectly awful stuff, Marilla,” she groaned. “I’m sure I’ll never be able to make head or tail of it. There is no scope for imagination in it at all. Mr. Phillips says I’m the worst dunce he ever saw at it. And Gil—I mean some of the others are so smart at it. It is extremely mortifying, Marilla.
“Even Diana gets along better than I do. But I don’t mind being beaten by Diana. Even although we meet as strangers now I still love her with an inextinguishable love. It makes me very sad at times to think about her. But really, Marilla, one can’t stay sad very long in such an interesting world, can one?”
Anne of Green Gabes (1908) by L.M. Montgomery - CHAPTER XVII - A New Interest in Life
Hi Anne World!
It’s been a hot minute since I have been on here and hardly posted anything!
Now since it’s October, I’ll be posting more Anne related October themes all the way through Christmas! Going to try to post!
We’ll start with Anne’s famous quote for October! I found the picture on Pinterest!
Follow me for more updates and pictures! 💜💕
In which small Walter Blythe thinks his mother’s given name is actually Anne-girl (on account of that being all he ever hears his dad refer to her as), not just ‘plain old unromantic’ Anne, and is taken quite aback when he’s made aware of the truth (by a perfect stranger no less) while on a trip to Carter Flagg’s with Susan.
In which Walter hears for the first time, from Jem, the term (and meaning of) ‘beau.’ That same night, at bedtime, and with no little amount of delicacy, he whisperingly asks his mum… if dad is – is her beau.
In which Walter Blythe wakes up with rather shambolic bed head every other morning. He reckons that the untidiness is attributable to hobgoblins mussing his hair during the night, for mischief. (It doesn’t occur to him for some years yet that these funny affairs exclusively coincide with the same nights he’s put to bed with damp post-bath hair.)
Anne of Windy Willows by L.M. Montgomery 🍂
Gilbert Blythe - A Journey from Liberal to Conservative
What has always confused me when reading Anne of Green Gables and the subsequent books is why Gilbert Blythe went from a liberal 'grit' to a conservative 'tory.' So, I wanted to look into what could have inspired his change in opinions.
So our first mention of Gilbert's politics comes from about halfway through Anne of Green Gables:
"What way do you vote, Matthew?” “Conservative,” said Matthew promptly. To vote Conservative was part of Matthew’s religion. “Then I’m Conservative too,” said Anne decidedly. “I’m glad because Gil—because some of the boys in school are Grits.
Doing some quick math (and using the timeline that matches up with the 1896 election), we will find this statement was made around 1880, with Anne being about 12 and Gilbert 14. This puts a damper on my wondering because if Gilbert was a Liberal at age 14, he probably only was because his parents were, and changing political views is not uncommon as one grows up. But I will continue my investigation!
So when did things change?
Well, it happened most definitely before 1896 when in Anne's House of Dreams:
"The Island, as well as all Canada, was in the throes of a campaign proceeding a general election. Gilbert, who was an ardent Conservative, found himself caught in the vortex, being much in demand for speechmaking at the various county rallies."
(why we know it is 1896, and why the timeline is inconsistent in the series I recommend this post.)
So Gilbert is not only a conservative. By now, we know he is a well-known conservative in the area! Obviously, his political leanings changed before this point.
Backtrack to the 1891 Election: The main issue of the election was the idea of tariffs or free trade. The incumbent prime minister John Macdonald, a Conservative, was running on his National Policy (more on that soon), which had a lot to do with protective tariffs while the Liberals supported free trade with the United States. While I do think Gilbert's change to being a Conservative has to do with the National Policy I believe it probably would have occurred before this because the Conservative party had a rough year in 1891 and was thrown into chaos so it would be odd for Gilbert to become one at this time.
The National Policy, implemented by John Macdonald in 1879 was extremely popular. It included policies that would strengthen Canadian businesses against the very popular American ones, creating high tariffs. It even completed the national railway!
Overall, I expect that Gilbert became a Conservative during his university years (shocking, I know) because this perfectly aligns with the National Policy's success.
Of course, this is all speculation, and my answer was quite underwhelming. Even for myself, I did have fun researching what exactly drew people to be a Conservative during this time.
So for all you folks disappointed about Gilbert and Anne being conservatives this is a quick snapshot of what that meant during the later 19th century in Canada!
Eee, I love this topic, always.
Whenever I, in my half-of-the-time Canadian education, think of John A. MacDonald, I think of his probably most famous quote from 1891:
"As for myself, my course is clear. A British subject I was born; a British subject I will die".
And then that in turn reminds me of, in my half-time-American education, Patrick Henry saying, in 1775:
“Give me liberty [from Britain] or give me death!”
So you’ve totally done great research here on this era in Canada, because you’ve nicely highlighted that tariffs and trade (the same thing that sparked the American Revolution, over 100 years earlier) and etc were a huge topic between Grits and Tories, but really in the truest heart of that late Victorian Era political climate, the most pressing undercurrent was the subject of separation from England, the ‘Mother’ – to whom those hotly debated taxes were being paid. 🤓
Montgomery’s own mother and father’s* families opposed their marriage, because they sat on opposite sides of this view; it was that strongly felt, even two decades earlier in the 1870s! The notion had gained a lot of steam in just that twenty years following, landing us right in the middle of this 1891 election, and my own very small take on Gilbert’s switch from liberal to conservative, was that THIS was the root. That Gilbert believed in allegiance to the homeland, which had once been a rather bipartisan commitment. :)
Politics earlier in Canada (say in the 1850s, when Gilbert’s dad John would have been making up his own mind), between Grits and Tories (though there were a thousand different names in the first half of the 1800’s; the Reform Party, the Parti Bleu…) were more focused on differing opinions on railways, assimilating French Canadians, Catholicism, and then plenty of one-off failures like this weird anti-materialism movement that existed for Grits for a while too.
*Maud’s paternal grandfather, Donald Montgomery, served in the provincial legislature from 1832 to 1874. He was appointed to the Senate by John A. Macdonald (they were apparently drinking cronies too) and served there from 1873 to 1893. Donald Montgomery is the one who first owned the real Gog and Magog mantle dogs, and it’s his house that was the physical basis for ‘Ingleside.’
Anne of Windy Willows by L.M. Montgomery, feat: painting by Leopold F. Kowalski, ‘the Nape of the Neck’
Googled aogg and this came up???
20 Questions for Writers
I was tagged by @batrachised! Thank you!!
1. How many works do you have on AO3?
I have 9 currently! I just posted my 9th story on AO3!
2. What's your total AO3 word count? My total AO3 word count
3. What fandoms do you write for? Anne Of Green Gables. The books based off of Lucy Maud Montgomery.
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
1) Anne’s New Bend In The Road (58 kudos)
2) My New Life With Anne and Gilbert( 36 kudos)
3)Gilbert Blythe’s Little Sister(27 kudos)
4) Love On The Titanic (6 kudos)
5. The Day I Met Anne(5 kudos)
5. Do you respond to comments? I haven’t in the passed, but, but I want to get better at that!
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I never wrote a fic with a angstiest ending.
7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I don’t have any fics finished at the moment.
8. Do you get hate on fics? According to my poll I did on one of my Anne of green gables facebook pages, my comment section got turned off by the admins. Apparently people in that group didn’t like my story idea.
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? No I don’t.
10. Do you write crossovers? I’m writhing my first crossover! Love On The Titanic. Anne and Gilbert meet Jack and Rose.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don’t think so.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I think one of my old Twilight stories had it translated with my permission years ago!
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope.
14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Anne and Gilbert Blythe from Anne Of Green Gables!
15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will? My latest one which is called Love On The Titanic. I would like to finish it.
16. What are your writing strengths? Not really sure to be honest. My writing isn’t the strongest.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Don’t want to.
19. First fandom you wrote for? Twilight way back in the day. I was obsessed with Bella and Edward!
20. Favourite fic you've written? Probably one of my first Twilight fan fiction stories! I had over 80 reviews on it on fan fiction!
@purestxblood @brightriverstation
Anne of Green Gables (1985)
dir. Kevin Sullivan
Anne of Green Gables (1985)
dir. Kevin Sullivan
Author's Note: I want to thank my friend alwayschassingrainbows from Tumblr for helping me figure out the time line and giving me ideas on this story. If you guys love Anne Of Green Gables and Emily Of New Moon series, you guys should check out her Tumblr page. Thank you again alwayschassingrainbows again for your help.
I have had this story in my head for awhile. I thought since people love Anne Of Green Gables and Titanic, why not do a crossover? I haven't seen a story like this one yet and I hope you guys will like it. Please leave reviews if you do!
Summary: Titanic story line with a twist. What if Gilbert finds out he has a niece while he and Anne are in England? Gilbert and Anne are in England for Gilbert because he is part of a research study for Tuberculosis, which his parents died of. While in England, Anne and Gilbert befriend Rose and Jack. When its time to board Titanic, all of them, including Gilbert's niece board Titanic. After Gilbert's niece's mom dies, Gilbert and Anne board the Titanic along with Gilbert's niece. Their goal is to travel Titanic and get Gilbert's niece to a Uncle that his niece's mom wanted. But what happens when the Uncle doesn't want Gilbert's niece? After all they had been through on Titanic, did they just come to New York for nothing?
Please let me know what you guys think!
Chapter 1
"I love the smell of the salty sea air." Anne Blythe said.
Anne and her now husband Gilbert were walking along the shoreline waiting to travel on the ship that will take them to England.
"I like it too Anne-girl. It reminds me of home." Gilbert said in agreement.
"Do you think you'll like England?" Anne asked as they were walking along the shore.
Gilbert thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I know it's going to be busy and fast paced compared to Avonlea. I'm not going to like the politics especially when it comes to working in the hospital. I believe Rachel would have a hard time trying to keep up with all the latest gossip. England will certainly be an interesting experience though."
Anne giggled. "I believe you're right. Rachel was telling me before we left that she was having a harder time trying to keep up with the gossip these days in Avonlea. Especially since a new generation of families are slowly moving in."
"I'm glad Dora and Davey are still living at Green Gables. Marilla would be terribly lonesome without the twins and even Rachel. Davey has certainly matured the last few years and taken interest in farming. He told Marilla he wants to run the farm now that he has a better idea on how farming works. Dora is Marilla and Rachel's shadow. She makes it her duty to help with the indoor chores and makes sure Marilla and Rachel aren't working too hard. She helps Davey outside with the farm chores occasionally. I'm proud of both of them. It makes me feel better about leaving them behind for a year." Anne said.
Gilbert was half listening to Anne's small talk. He was thinking about England, hoping he will find his sister, and the new job at the hospital.
Gilbert had written to Mary about a year ago when some gossip in town said that some people had heard Mary was in England. When Gilbert heard that, he quickly went home and wrote a very long letter. It wasn't returned to him thankfully. That's why he has some hope about finding his long, lost, sister.
"Gil? Are you alright? We should probably be heading back to the shipyard pretty soon. I think I see people starting to gather up near the ship." Anne said.
"I'm alright Anne-girl. Let's head to the ship." Gilbert said.
Do you think you'll find your sister Mary?" Anne asked breaking Gilbert's thoughts.
Gilbert had told Anne briefly of Mary's past. Anne was at first surprised that he even had a sister. He never spoke of her until he got the news about going to England. All because of an essay paper he had written for his graduation.
"Honestly Anne-girl, I do. I want to know if she is happy and safe and enjoying life. I often wonder if she had or has children. She would have been a great mother. She was always looking after me and the other children at school. I would love to be an uncle." Gilbert said.
"I can see you being a great Uncle Gil. You were always good with children. If you have a niece or a nephew, they will love you." Anne said.
Gilbert grinned. " I can see you easily being a fun aunt. Telling them stories about fairy tales and princesses looking for their prince. Telling them ghost stories. Talking to them about Avonlea and Green Gables and telling them stories about your childhood in Avonlea."
Anne grinned. "I just hope you if you do have a niece or nephew, they aren't twins. I can't seem to get away from them if they are. I would love them certainly, but I'll be sad too."
Gilbert chuckled. "Have you been on a ship?"
"I was on a ship years ago when I was coming to Avonlea. I went with a lady that had come to adopt a little girl younger than me and they brought me back up to Avonlea. I remember being so curious and excited about being on a ship. I loved exploring when I wasn't taking care of Lilly. Lilly was in bed most of the time because she got seasick. When I wasn't taking care of her or Mrs. Spencer, I would take advantage and explore. I loved looking over the railings and watching the waves crash up onto the ship. Sometimes you could see dolphins too. Mrs. Spencer was always worried about me falling over the railing, but I never did. The cabins are rather small and cramped . I had to share a bed with Lilly. I didn't mind though. I told her stories about fairies and princesses." Anne said.
"I was on a ship years ago with dad. We went shortly after Mary left. Dad wanted to get away for a while and honestly, I did too. I was upset and hurt that my sister left me for a boy she hardly knew. Dad wanted to get away and clear his head. We went and saw his side of the family and stayed with them for a few weeks. Ma didn't want to go. She said somebody had to take care of the house and farm. She was definitely hurting from Mary's departure. I think she wanted to grieve for the loss of Mary leaving. Same with dad. I wanted to grieve too and I did. But not in front of Ma and dad. It would hurt them even more seeing me hurt. The ship was a good distraction for both dad and I. We met new people. I explored the ship a lot and talked to some boys my age. Seeing dad's family was a good distraction to for both of us. Coming back home and pretending like everything is normal is another story." Gilbert said.
Anne squeezed Gilbert's hand with sympathy. "I'm so sorry Gilbert you had to go through that. I can't imagine losing a sibling like that. She was blinded by love and she was so young. It's a shame your father has cut ties with her completely. Your poor sister and mother."
Gilbert looked at his hands. "It really hurt Ma when Dad told us that. He had Ma take down all her pictures of her and of the two of us together. Dad had Ma pack away her clothes that was left that she didn't take. I helped Ma do all of it because I had to be strong for her. She packed away all her books, school books and papers. Her journals she had kept. She even packed her hair brush and her mirror. Everything you could think of, we packed away. Dad was out in barn dealing with it his own way. I know he was huffing too and angry but mostly hurt. He thought he and Ma raised her better."
Anne blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. She sniffed and rubbed Gilbert's hand with her thumb. She was hurting because after all these years, Gilbert was still hurting. It isn't often he shows his feelings. The only time Anne has seen Gilbert this upset was at his parent's funeral and now talking about his beloved older sister.
"I'm glad we got married though before Ma and Dad took sick. At least they were able to see one of their children married to a wonderful human. You didn't have to come with me Anne-girl. You could have stayed home." Gilbert said softly.
Anne sucked in her breath taken by surprise at his words. He wasn't being mean at all. In fact, he has told her several times this morning that it isn't too late to back out. But Anne stood her ground. Gilbert had already sacrificed so much for her. For starters, giving her the old Avonlea School to her so she could teach and be at home to help Marilla with the house chores and farm chores. He was going to teach at Avonlea so he can stay at home and save money. But he went to White Sands so she could be home. That was probably the biggest sacrifice he has made for her. Traveling with him is the least she could do. It's only for a year and it will hopefully go by fast.
"I chose to come with you Gil. We spent so much time apart while you were in medical school. I didn't see you as much as I would have liked. I was teaching at Summerside so I was busy too but I want to be with you. We may not see each other much during the day because you'll be at work, but I'll have you in the evenings and nights. That's all I want Gil. I just want to be with you." Anne said softly.
Gilbert gave her a lopsided grin to her. "Thank you, Anne-girl. That means so much to me. I'm glad you're with me. It would be awfully lonely without you."
All aboard! Come line up so we can get moving! All aboard!" Someone had shouted.
Gilbert gave Anne another grin. "You ready Anne-girl?"
"Of course, I am. Let's go." Anne said.
Walking back to the shore, Anne took one last glance at the ocean and sighed.
"You'll be on the ocean soon enough Anne-girl. Then when we get back on solid ground again, and you won't even want to look at the ocean until we come back home." Gilbert said gently.
"I'll never get tired at looking at the ocean Gil. I might for a while after we get back on land again but right now, I'm just soaking it all in." Anne said.
"All aboard. Let's go. All aboard!" One of the crew members shouted.
"Let's get going Anne-girl. Let's grab our bags and head to the ship." Gilbert said.
Grabbing their bags they were carrying with them, Anne and Gilbert headed towards the crowd of people waiting to board the ship to England.
The young doctor and Mrs. Blythe were standing in the ship yard. Anne was staring with wide, open, curious eyes as if she was a child again. The ship was huge and the last one that she was on years ago wasn't even close to this size. She could easily get lost here, especially if she uses that imagination of hers. Anne never thought she would be going on another ship but here she was standing next to her husband supporting him on his career. They were going to England. Gilbert was asked to volunteered there to help do some special medical research for a year at one of the biggest hospitals in England.
Anne and Gilbert stared at the big ship that was standing in front them. They were really here getting ready to go on an adventure of a lifetime. Anne was excited now that she had gotten over being angry at Gilbert for wanting to go on this trip and Gilbert was just excited and nervous.
The shipyard was a busy place. People were shouting directions to each other. Carriages were dropping people and families off at last minute. Kids screaming joyfully and chasing each other. The seagulls were flying overhead making their sounds. The sails on the ship were flapping in the wind Gilbert and Anne hadn't been to a shipyard in years and now they were getting ready to travel on a ship. They were going to England, a place neither of them had ever been too before. Anne stared at the ship with her eyes wide and filled with of thoughts on people and what they were doing here and why they were going to England like them. Gilbert had the same reaction as Anne. He hasn't been on a ship since his sister left the family 10 years ago when Gilbert and his dad went on a ship to see family.
Gilbert had to pick a topic on what he had learned and speak about it on his graduation day. He had many topics in mind but one stood out. It was Tuberculosis. People are just now starting to find cures for it. Unfortunately, his parents didn't survive it and that's why Gilbert chose Tuberculosis to talk for his topic. It was brutal to watch them suffer so much. Gilbert was lucky enough to be able to spend the last month at home with his family while his parents were dying. He was ahead in his studies so the school board allowed Gilbert to come home to say his goodbyes.
Later he found out that Uncle Dave had kept Gilbert's paper that he had written and submitted it to Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest' The head director of the hospital was so impressed with Gilbert's speech and his background, he quickly responded to Uncle Dave saying they wanted Gilbert as part of their research team. They even paid for their two tickets to get them there.
Gilbert had received a letter from the hospital asking if he wanted to be part of the research team studying Tuberculosis, offering a one-year internship at 'Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest' in London. He as was shocked and honored at having been offered the opportunity to help do research there. That's the reason why the two of them are standing on the dock about to board on the ship.
Gilbert broke out of his thoughts as they were asked some questions. Gilbert showed the crew member their tickets and they started to walk on the ramp to get onto the ship. Gilbert felt Anne's hand tense up as they were slowly making their way forward towards the ships entrance.
"What's wrong Anne-girl?" Gilbert asked gently.
Anne bit her lip. Afraid he might laugh at her.
They were slowly making their way up to the ship's entrance. "What if the ship sinks?"
Please comment on what you guys think of my first chapter. I would love to hear your thoughts on it!!
Thank you for those who liked/reblogged my chapter!! Much appreciated! 💜💕
Author's Note: I want to thank my friend alwayschassingrainbows from Tumblr for helping me figure out the time line and giving me ideas on this story. If you guys love Anne Of Green Gables and Emily Of New Moon series, you guys should check out her Tumblr page. Thank you again alwayschassingrainbows again for your help.
I have had this story in my head for awhile. I thought since people love Anne Of Green Gables and Titanic, why not do a crossover? I haven't seen a story like this one yet and I hope you guys will like it. Please leave reviews if you do!
Summary: Titanic story line with a twist. What if Gilbert finds out he has a niece while he and Anne are in England? Gilbert and Anne are in England for Gilbert because he is part of a research study for Tuberculosis, which his parents died of. While in England, Anne and Gilbert befriend Rose and Jack. When its time to board Titanic, all of them, including Gilbert's niece board Titanic. After Gilbert's niece's mom dies, Gilbert and Anne board the Titanic along with Gilbert's niece. Their goal is to travel Titanic and get Gilbert's niece to a Uncle that his niece's mom wanted. But what happens when the Uncle doesn't want Gilbert's niece? After all they had been through on Titanic, did they just come to New York for nothing?
Please let me know what you guys think!
Chapter 1
"I love the smell of the salty sea air." Anne Blythe said.
Anne and her now husband Gilbert were walking along the shoreline waiting to travel on the ship that will take them to England.
"I like it too Anne-girl. It reminds me of home." Gilbert said in agreement.
"Do you think you'll like England?" Anne asked as they were walking along the shore.
Gilbert thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I know it's going to be busy and fast paced compared to Avonlea. I'm not going to like the politics especially when it comes to working in the hospital. I believe Rachel would have a hard time trying to keep up with all the latest gossip. England will certainly be an interesting experience though."
Anne giggled. "I believe you're right. Rachel was telling me before we left that she was having a harder time trying to keep up with the gossip these days in Avonlea. Especially since a new generation of families are slowly moving in."
"I'm glad Dora and Davey are still living at Green Gables. Marilla would be terribly lonesome without the twins and even Rachel. Davey has certainly matured the last few years and taken interest in farming. He told Marilla he wants to run the farm now that he has a better idea on how farming works. Dora is Marilla and Rachel's shadow. She makes it her duty to help with the indoor chores and makes sure Marilla and Rachel aren't working too hard. She helps Davey outside with the farm chores occasionally. I'm proud of both of them. It makes me feel better about leaving them behind for a year." Anne said.
Gilbert was half listening to Anne's small talk. He was thinking about England, hoping he will find his sister, and the new job at the hospital.
Gilbert had written to Mary about a year ago when some gossip in town said that some people had heard Mary was in England. When Gilbert heard that, he quickly went home and wrote a very long letter. It wasn't returned to him thankfully. That's why he has some hope about finding his long, lost, sister.
"Gil? Are you alright? We should probably be heading back to the shipyard pretty soon. I think I see people starting to gather up near the ship." Anne said.
"I'm alright Anne-girl. Let's head to the ship." Gilbert said.
Do you think you'll find your sister Mary?" Anne asked breaking Gilbert's thoughts.
Gilbert had told Anne briefly of Mary's past. Anne was at first surprised that he even had a sister. He never spoke of her until he got the news about going to England. All because of an essay paper he had written for his graduation.
"Honestly Anne-girl, I do. I want to know if she is happy and safe and enjoying life. I often wonder if she had or has children. She would have been a great mother. She was always looking after me and the other children at school. I would love to be an uncle." Gilbert said.
"I can see you being a great Uncle Gil. You were always good with children. If you have a niece or a nephew, they will love you." Anne said.
Gilbert grinned. " I can see you easily being a fun aunt. Telling them stories about fairy tales and princesses looking for their prince. Telling them ghost stories. Talking to them about Avonlea and Green Gables and telling them stories about your childhood in Avonlea."
Anne grinned. "I just hope you if you do have a niece or nephew, they aren't twins. I can't seem to get away from them if they are. I would love them certainly, but I'll be sad too."
Gilbert chuckled. "Have you been on a ship?"
"I was on a ship years ago when I was coming to Avonlea. I went with a lady that had come to adopt a little girl younger than me and they brought me back up to Avonlea. I remember being so curious and excited about being on a ship. I loved exploring when I wasn't taking care of Lilly. Lilly was in bed most of the time because she got seasick. When I wasn't taking care of her or Mrs. Spencer, I would take advantage and explore. I loved looking over the railings and watching the waves crash up onto the ship. Sometimes you could see dolphins too. Mrs. Spencer was always worried about me falling over the railing, but I never did. The cabins are rather small and cramped . I had to share a bed with Lilly. I didn't mind though. I told her stories about fairies and princesses." Anne said.
"I was on a ship years ago with dad. We went shortly after Mary left. Dad wanted to get away for a while and honestly, I did too. I was upset and hurt that my sister left me for a boy she hardly knew. Dad wanted to get away and clear his head. We went and saw his side of the family and stayed with them for a few weeks. Ma didn't want to go. She said somebody had to take care of the house and farm. She was definitely hurting from Mary's departure. I think she wanted to grieve for the loss of Mary leaving. Same with dad. I wanted to grieve too and I did. But not in front of Ma and dad. It would hurt them even more seeing me hurt. The ship was a good distraction for both dad and I. We met new people. I explored the ship a lot and talked to some boys my age. Seeing dad's family was a good distraction to for both of us. Coming back home and pretending like everything is normal is another story." Gilbert said.
Anne squeezed Gilbert's hand with sympathy. "I'm so sorry Gilbert you had to go through that. I can't imagine losing a sibling like that. She was blinded by love and she was so young. It's a shame your father has cut ties with her completely. Your poor sister and mother."
Gilbert looked at his hands. "It really hurt Ma when Dad told us that. He had Ma take down all her pictures of her and of the two of us together. Dad had Ma pack away her clothes that was left that she didn't take. I helped Ma do all of it because I had to be strong for her. She packed away all her books, school books and papers. Her journals she had kept. She even packed her hair brush and her mirror. Everything you could think of, we packed away. Dad was out in barn dealing with it his own way. I know he was huffing too and angry but mostly hurt. He thought he and Ma raised her better."
Anne blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. She sniffed and rubbed Gilbert's hand with her thumb. She was hurting because after all these years, Gilbert was still hurting. It isn't often he shows his feelings. The only time Anne has seen Gilbert this upset was at his parent's funeral and now talking about his beloved older sister.
"I'm glad we got married though before Ma and Dad took sick. At least they were able to see one of their children married to a wonderful human. You didn't have to come with me Anne-girl. You could have stayed home." Gilbert said softly.
Anne sucked in her breath taken by surprise at his words. He wasn't being mean at all. In fact, he has told her several times this morning that it isn't too late to back out. But Anne stood her ground. Gilbert had already sacrificed so much for her. For starters, giving her the old Avonlea School to her so she could teach and be at home to help Marilla with the house chores and farm chores. He was going to teach at Avonlea so he can stay at home and save money. But he went to White Sands so she could be home. That was probably the biggest sacrifice he has made for her. Traveling with him is the least she could do. It's only for a year and it will hopefully go by fast.
"I chose to come with you Gil. We spent so much time apart while you were in medical school. I didn't see you as much as I would have liked. I was teaching at Summerside so I was busy too but I want to be with you. We may not see each other much during the day because you'll be at work, but I'll have you in the evenings and nights. That's all I want Gil. I just want to be with you." Anne said softly.
Gilbert gave her a lopsided grin to her. "Thank you, Anne-girl. That means so much to me. I'm glad you're with me. It would be awfully lonely without you."
All aboard! Come line up so we can get moving! All aboard!" Someone had shouted.
Gilbert gave Anne another grin. "You ready Anne-girl?"
"Of course, I am. Let's go." Anne said.
Walking back to the shore, Anne took one last glance at the ocean and sighed.
"You'll be on the ocean soon enough Anne-girl. Then when we get back on solid ground again, and you won't even want to look at the ocean until we come back home." Gilbert said gently.
"I'll never get tired at looking at the ocean Gil. I might for a while after we get back on land again but right now, I'm just soaking it all in." Anne said.
"All aboard. Let's go. All aboard!" One of the crew members shouted.
"Let's get going Anne-girl. Let's grab our bags and head to the ship." Gilbert said.
Grabbing their bags they were carrying with them, Anne and Gilbert headed towards the crowd of people waiting to board the ship to England.
The young doctor and Mrs. Blythe were standing in the ship yard. Anne was staring with wide, open, curious eyes as if she was a child again. The ship was huge and the last one that she was on years ago wasn't even close to this size. She could easily get lost here, especially if she uses that imagination of hers. Anne never thought she would be going on another ship but here she was standing next to her husband supporting him on his career. They were going to England. Gilbert was asked to volunteered there to help do some special medical research for a year at one of the biggest hospitals in England.
Anne and Gilbert stared at the big ship that was standing in front them. They were really here getting ready to go on an adventure of a lifetime. Anne was excited now that she had gotten over being angry at Gilbert for wanting to go on this trip and Gilbert was just excited and nervous.
The shipyard was a busy place. People were shouting directions to each other. Carriages were dropping people and families off at last minute. Kids screaming joyfully and chasing each other. The seagulls were flying overhead making their sounds. The sails on the ship were flapping in the wind Gilbert and Anne hadn't been to a shipyard in years and now they were getting ready to travel on a ship. They were going to England, a place neither of them had ever been too before. Anne stared at the ship with her eyes wide and filled with of thoughts on people and what they were doing here and why they were going to England like them. Gilbert had the same reaction as Anne. He hasn't been on a ship since his sister left the family 10 years ago when Gilbert and his dad went on a ship to see family.
Gilbert had to pick a topic on what he had learned and speak about it on his graduation day. He had many topics in mind but one stood out. It was Tuberculosis. People are just now starting to find cures for it. Unfortunately, his parents didn't survive it and that's why Gilbert chose Tuberculosis to talk for his topic. It was brutal to watch them suffer so much. Gilbert was lucky enough to be able to spend the last month at home with his family while his parents were dying. He was ahead in his studies so the school board allowed Gilbert to come home to say his goodbyes.
Later he found out that Uncle Dave had kept Gilbert's paper that he had written and submitted it to Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest' The head director of the hospital was so impressed with Gilbert's speech and his background, he quickly responded to Uncle Dave saying they wanted Gilbert as part of their research team. They even paid for their two tickets to get them there.
Gilbert had received a letter from the hospital asking if he wanted to be part of the research team studying Tuberculosis, offering a one-year internship at 'Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest' in London. He as was shocked and honored at having been offered the opportunity to help do research there. That's the reason why the two of them are standing on the dock about to board on the ship.
Gilbert broke out of his thoughts as they were asked some questions. Gilbert showed the crew member their tickets and they started to walk on the ramp to get onto the ship. Gilbert felt Anne's hand tense up as they were slowly making their way forward towards the ships entrance.
"What's wrong Anne-girl?" Gilbert asked gently.
Anne bit her lip. Afraid he might laugh at her.
They were slowly making their way up to the ship's entrance. "What if the ship sinks?"
