Welcome to Avonlea

Chapter 5

My fingers kept playing with my skirt nervously as we made the walk over to the Barry household. "Whatever's the matter with you child? You haven't said a word since we left. You are not yourself." "Perfect." I smiled a little seeing the house. It was beautiful. When we got closer I took a shaky breath as who I assume was Mrs. Barry and two girls came out with her. "Good afternoon, Ms. Cuthbert." "Afternoon Mrs. Barry." "Please, call me Eliza." I looked both girls over and saw they were wearing matching dresses with everything Anne wanted for hers. "And this must be Anne and Lydia." I smiled at them. "Afternoon." "Good afternoon." The girl that must be Diana smiled and responded back. I glanced at Anne bumping her a little with my elbow. I saw Diana did the same to her little sister. "Good afternoon." "Afternoon." "Thank you for having us Eliza." "Marilla, Anne, Lydia, please come in." I looked up at the house again before going inside.

Tea was very awkward. Marilla was tense while making conversation and Anne would not say a word. I had to force myself to not be shy, but not without difficulty. When we finished, we were allowed to walk the gardens around the house. "I don't believe you said two words during tea. You didn't even remark on the cake." I side glanced Anne and saw she looked like a mourning widow. "Mother let me help her bake it special." "It was lovely." She smiled at me. "Thank you." She looked at Anne just like I did. "You enjoyed it, didn't you?" I nudged her again to get her to respond. "The cake was scrumptious." "Scrumptious." Diana chuckled a little. "Have you always been shy, or does it come from being an orphan?"

I messed with my skirt again. "I'm less shy than reticent." "Goodness! There's another twenty-five cent word." "It's just..." "Yes?" "I like to read. When I can." "I like reading too. But my mother prefers that I do needlepoint." "Does needlepoint provide much scope for the imagination?" "I don't think imagination is my strong suit."

"When you do read, can you almost picture what you're reading about?" Diana looked to me and thought. "Maybe. I do enjoy many scenes, I just haven't thought to describe what I read into a picture." "Then there's something you can try the next time you pick up a book. It's amazing to see what the character is seeing or what the author describes. You can almost feel like you're really there and you get swept away." She smiled big. "I will." "I honestly don't know what I would do without my imagination. Life would be an agony. An utter agony." "Agony!" I chuckled quietly when they did. "I make up stories all the time." "I can never do that."

Me and Diana had to move quickly when Anne ran off to a stump. "I like to imagine that I'm a princess in a tower. Or Joan of Arc riding into battle." I smiled big seeing Anne acting like her normal self and it seemed Diana liked it. She ran to the other side of the path. "Or a forlorn bride who lives by the sea, and never speaks to anyone because her one true love was lost when his ship went down, and disappeared beneath the waves!" She was acting out every part. "Wonderful. Could you tell me a story now?" "I could tell you twelve!" I stood by watching them get along. "Diana... do you think you could like us just a little?" "I already do!" She looked at both of us. "Shall we swear to be best friends forever and ever?" The smile Diana had fell and looked off to the side and started back down the path. "It's dreadfully wicked to swear." "No! It's not my kind of swearing. There's two kinds. I know because I have a worldly outlook. This kind isn't wicked at all." "It's vowing and making a promise." I said walking next to Diana and caught her attention. "And doing so solemnly. I swear it. See?"

It didn't take her long to decide. "How do you do it?" "Well..." Anne went off and grabbed a fluff of dandelion seeds. "This ought to be done by moonlight or over running water... but we'll just imagine it's nighttime, and the paths a stream. Lydia." I walked over and stood next to them. "Does me standing on a stream ruin it?" I teased. "No. If we could, we'd be ankle deep letting it flow over our feet." She held up the fluff. "Hold this." We each grasped the stem over each others hand. And twist your pinky fingers around mine." We giggled trying to figure that part out but eventually got it. "I'll repeat the oath first. I solemnly swear... to be faithful to my bosom friends Diana Barry and Lydia Shirley. For as long as the sun and moon shall endure." We all giggled and each repeated the oath.