Part 2 of "In The Woods When First We Met"

233. Spring

WOW. It is surreal to me it's almost done. Thanks for staying with me guys, I know it took forever.

So after this chapter there ARE still three (ish? I might split one) chapters, BUT they are all basically written I'll just go over them again before posting to make sure, and...so everything is done and this will all end before Monday!

...MONDAY! : )

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Marilla stopped and set her mixing bowl down. What was that noise?

She paused and listened. Yes, there it was again. It sounded like Anne was closing her bedroom door and coming down the stairs, but then she turned around and went back up, going back into her room- only to come out and start down the stairs again a moment later.

She kept listening, and realized that Anne had done this four times.

Worried that Anne was upset- struggling to come downstairs and not being able to- she went quickly up to her.

"Anne," she said, reaching her just as Anne was heading back into her room. "Anne, are you all right?"

When she came in, Anne was standing in the middle of her floor, holding her doll in her arms, and looking at her room around her.

"Oh, dear, what is it?" Marilla came up to her.

Anne turned to her. She said, "I'm trying to decide where to put my doll."

Marilla nearly collapsed. Then, with sort of a harrumph noise, she turned to leave her.

"Wait! Marilla I need advice," Anne begged.

"What about?" Marilla asked, concerned again.

"About where to put my doll. See, I wanted to put her in the window, so I can see her when I'm outside. But then I thought that won't do, because her dress will get faded by the sun, and-"

And I'm not making you another one. Heaven knows I've got enough to do without sewing clothes for a doll.

"So, then I was going to put her on my dresser. But-"

"Why must you keep tramping up and down the stairs on this quest of yours?" Marilla asked.

"Because I was imagining that I was coming upstairs to my room after a long day of school. See, I'm trying to figure out where I like seeing her when I first come in."

"Oh," Marilla said.

"And I was going to put her on my dresser. But the last time I came into the room, I realized that she won't be facing the door, and I want-"

"Why don't you put her on your bed?" Marilla directed, ready to be done with the conversation. "Girls always keep their favorite dolls on their bed."

"Do they?" Anne asked. "I wouldn't know."

"So put her there, and come downstairs. I want you to help me with these biscuits."

"All right," Anne said, but she took too long to arrange her little accessories around her, and Marilla left her and went back to the kitchen.

Before coming downstairs, Anne turned around and gave one last loving look to her little gable room. Having a doll on her bed made her whole bedroom look so...

...She couldn't think of a good enough word, but she was sure she'd find one soon.

Anne did better the next week.