𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 ᵍⁱˡᵇᵉʳᵗ ᵇˡʸᵗʰᵉ

15

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛ ♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

"It's okay to be venerable around somebody that isn't yourself."

- Anne Shirly-Cuthbert

---

As Jerry carved the letters of the alphabet into the wall, Charlotte read each one out while reading a book. She was always good at multitasking. 

"A for Anne, or apple." She pointed to the letters. "B for Bly- blue."

Charlotte cleared her throat as Jerry glanced over at her, grinning. She didn't know why that was the first word that popped into her head.

"What's this one again?" he asked, pointing to the letter 'D.'

"D for duck," Charlotte replied. "Now, point your name out."

Charlotte and Anne were making it their mission to teach Jerry to read. Anne, so he could read the same books as she did, Charlotte because she was bored and genuinely enjoyed his company.

Jerry stopped carving the 'Q' he was working on, pointing to all the letters in his name. Charlotte cocked her head to the side slightly. "Remember your name's got two 'R's in it."

"I keep forgetting the silent letters, sorry."

"There's a lot of them," Charlotte replied. "Your name has hardly any compared to mine."

Before Jerry could respond, the two turned towards a thump from behind them. The hairs on Charlotte's neck stood on end as Nate walked towards them. "Hey Little Man."

"Hello," Jerry replied, turning to face him. Charlotte stood slightly behind him, glaring at Nate as he stepped forward. "Hey, Charlotte."

Nate put a hand around Jerry's shoulders, looking at the alphabet in front of him. "Are you trying to better yourself? Close."

He pointed to the almost finished 'Q,' taking the knife from Jerry, finishing the letter. "You want to get somewhere in life, you've got to pay close attention to the details. See this 'Q?' It's supposed to have a tail. You missed it pal."

"He wasn't finished," Charlotte snapped, stepping forward to snatch the knife out of his hands.

"A tail like a little French pig." Nate looked down as a book landed at his feet, the one he gave to Anne. He picked it up as she climbed the latter. "Aren't you bored of this yet?"

He cleared his throat, the harshness in his throat leaving as quick as it came. "You're bored of this right?"

"Nope, I'm not finished yet." Anne took the book from him.

Nate nodded at her, beginning to walk away. "See you kids later."

Anne looked over at Jerry and Charlotte as the watched Nate walk out of the barn in sync. "Something wrong?"

The two turned to look at her at the same time. Jerry shook his head. "He's a bad man."

"Ain't that the truth," Charlotte muttered, shrugging.

"What happened?" Anne asked the two.

"Nothing," Jerry brushed her off, grabbing his bag and walking away from the girls. "I'm going."

Anne glanced towards Charlotte, confusion on her face as Jerry climbed the ladder down to the stables. "Is something the matter?"

Charlotte looked towards the alphabet on the wall, beginning to carve the rest of the letters in the wood. "I'll talk to Jerry about it later."

—

Papers were scattered around the bedroom, flung from the girl sitting at the desk, her head in her hands. She rolled her eyes out from frustration, flinging another attempted poem onto the floor, just as Anne came running in.

"Don't open that," Charlotte told her, knowing Anne was halfway to reading the words without even having to look. "Just leave them where they are."

As she looked up, she could see Anne fiddling with her nightgown, her face going red in attempt not to speak. "What now?"

The red head shook her head. "I can't say."

"Anne, you're dying, just tell me." Charlotte spun in her chair to face the girl. "You're like my sister, I can tell when you want to tell me something."

"You can't tell anyone."

"Who would I tell?" Charlotte shrugged. "Nobody I'm friends with would probably care."

"There's gold in Avonlea," Anne blurted out. "I heard Nate and Mr. Dunlop talking about it."

"Gold?" Charlotte smirked. "You know how poor this town is right."

"Yes, gold," Anne insisted. "Gold that could be worth a fortune."

"Well, I would have believed you if you told me someone other than Nate said that," Charlotte replied, turning back to her desk in attempt to scribble out her emotions.

"I know who your letters are addressed to-"

"What do you mean?" Charlotte immediately asked, turning to face her.

"The way it fell on the ground I can see Gilbert's name."

Charlotte scowled, picking up the letter from the ground and throwing it out the window. "Don't read them."

"I just think he deserves to know that you're writing to him, and it might help you get your feelings out."

"What feelings?" Charlotte asked her, standing above her. "I don't have a crush on him if that's what you think. His name is on them because it's about school, nothing else."

"Well, you're friends, and you've known each other since you were both kids," Anne replied. "And you got defensive when Josie tried to stop you from talking to him. From what I can see, you might have feelings you're not aware of."

"I got defensive because Josie has no right to tell me who I can and can't talk with," Charlotte snapped. "And what you can see doesn't matter. Don't tell anyone they've got his name in them."

Anne looked back at her, replying with her voice low.

"Charlotte, it's okay to have feelings other than anger." Anne looked at her. "It's okay to be venerable around somebody that isn't yourself."

---

24/12/2023

Charlotte is such a cutie, she's so sweet and kind. 

Also, I don't know if I will publish on Christmas, so Merry Christmas everyone! Stay safe during the holidays and I hope everyone has a enjoyable time.