Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables

Matthew Cuthbert was driving to Bright River station to collect an orphan boy whom he and his sister Marilla had decided to take in at their farm. They needed a helper old enough for simple chores and young enough to settle into a new home. But there was no boy on the platform. Instead, a thin girl of about eleven sat there with red braids, freckles, an old suitcase, and eyes so lively that half the world seemed to be reflected in them at once. “You must be Mr Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables?” she asked. “I'm so glad you've come! I was beginning to think I'd have to spend the night in a wild cherry tree. It would have been a little frightening, but in the moonlight I could have imagined I was living in a marble palace.” Matthew was a quiet man, but on the journey home the girl, whose name was Anne Shirley, did enough talking for both of them. She gave new names to the pond, the avenue, and the woods, admired the apple trees, and kept saying how wonderful it was to belong somewhere. When they arrived, Marilla realized at once that a mistake had been made. “We were expecting a boy.” Anne went pale. “Then you don't want me?” Her despair was so heartfelt that even practical Marilla felt something stir in her heart. At first, she intended to send the girl back. But within a few days, it was clear that Anne had already filled the quiet house with her voice, her questions, and her curious names for things. Matthew took her side without a word of explanation. In the end, Marilla said that Anne could stay. And so, for the first time, Green Gables became a real home for a child. Anne wanted very much to behave well, but her imagination often ran ahead of her good sense. When their neighbour, Mrs Rachel Lynde, said that red hair and freckles did nothing for a girl's looks, Anne burst out indignantly and said far more than she should have. Marilla made her apologize. Anne turned her apology into such a solemn speech that Mrs Lynde could barely keep from smiling. Anne's best friend was Diana Barry. They swore to be friends forever, gave their promise an exceedingly serious name, and spent every spare moment together. One day, Marilla allowed Anne to invite Diana to tea. Anne wanted to offer her raspberry cordial, but she mixed up the bottles and poured currant wine instead. Diana became unwell, and her mother decided that Anne had done it on purpose. She forbade the girls to see each other. To Anne, this was a terrible tragedy. But before long, Diana's little sister fell ill. The grown-ups were at a loss, while Anne remembered caring for the children of a family she had lived with before going to the orphanage. She quickly helped the little girl until the doctor arrived. Afterwards, Mrs Barry understood that Anne was a kind, resourceful child, rather than a thoughtless troublemaker, and allowed the friends to see each other again. At school, Anne had one particular rival: Gilbert Blythe. On their very first day together, he tugged her braid and called her Carrots. To Anne, her red hair was the sorest subject in the world. She flew into a rage and broke her writing slate over his head. Gilbert apologized at once, but Anne decided never to speak to him again. From that moment on, they competed in their lessons. If Gilbert came first in arithmetic, Anne had to catch up with him in literature. If Anne received the highest mark, Gilbert worked even harder next time. Though neither would admit it, their quarrel made them both better students. At home, Matthew was quietly proud of Anne. He almost never argued with Marilla, but one day he firmly declared that Anne needed a pretty dress with puffed sleeves, like the other girls wore. He could not manage to buy it himself, because he was terribly shy about speaking to shop assistants, so he asked Mrs Lynde to help. When Anne saw the new dress, she glowed with happiness—not simply because of the sleeves, but because Matthew had noticed her little dream. The years passed. Anne learned not to jump to conclusions quite so quickly, though she never stopped imagining things. She was no longer a lonely orphan with an old suitcase. She had Marilla, Matthew, Diana, friends, school, an apple orchard, and a room of her own beneath the roof. Her teacher, Miss Stacy, noticed Anne's abilities and suggested that she prepare for the entrance examinations to Queen's Academy. Anne threw herself into her studies with all her usual passion. Gilbert was preparing too, and their old rivalry had become a quiet challenge to one another rather than a quarrel. Anne won a place at the academy and later earned a scholarship that would allow her to continue her education at college. A broad road seemed to stretch ahead of her. But just then, sorrow came to Green Gables. Matthew—her quiet, kind Matthew—died suddenly. The house where he had always been nearby felt strangely empty. For the first time, Anne understood that growing up did not only mean new opportunities. It also meant learning to carry love forward when the person you loved was no longer beside you. Soon afterwards, Marilla's eyesight grew worse. The doctor warned her that if she strained her eyes, she might lose her sight altogether. Marilla decided to sell Green Gables, because she could not manage the farm alone. Anne did not hesitate for long. She gave up her scholarship and decided to stay at home, work as a teacher, and help Marilla. “I'm not giving up my future,” she said. “My road has simply turned in another direction.” At first, the vacant teaching post at Avonlea school was to go to Gilbert. But when he heard about Anne's decision, he willingly gave up the post for her and agreed to teach in a neighbouring village. When Anne learned what he had done, she met him on the road and stopped of her own accord. “Thank you, Gilbert. That was very kind of you.” “Can we finally be friends, then?” he asked. Anne held out her hand. The old grievance that had begun with a broken slate and the word “Carrots” suddenly seemed quite childish. That evening, she returned to Green Gables. The life ahead was not the one she had once pictured in her imagination. But there were Marilla, the school, her friends, books, the evening sky over Avonlea, and countless roads she had yet to discover. Once, Anne had feared that nobody wanted her. Now she knew something different: home was more than a place you happened to be brought to. It was a place you had come to love so dearly that you were willing to stay when it needed you.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨