𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌 | gilbert blythe

09. its just a story

"The inaugural meeting of the Avonlea Story Club is now in session," Anne stated as she stared at the three girls around her, each with a green wreath upon their heads. Penny smiled as she adjusted hers in the light of the lanterns that had been placed here and there in the small, wooden clubhouse that Anne had brought them to.

Diana giggled, "Oh, Anne, this is so... so..."

"Deliciously secret and scrumptiously exciting?" Anne finished with flare as she leaned forward excitedly.

"You have such a way with words," Diana laughed fondly.

"I hardly know what you're saying half the time," Ruby spoke nesciently, a large smile on her face.

"Thank you," Anne giggled, "Now before we begin cultivating our imaginations, each of us should pick our nom de plume," 

"See? It's happened again!" Ruby squeaked excitedly, and Penny couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her mouth.

"A nom de plume is a pen name for purposes of anonymity," Anne explained, "I shall be writing under the name of Rosamond Montmorency,"

"Oh, that gives me such a thrill!" Diana smiled brilliantly. 

"Once a week, we'll read our completed stories aloud to each other and talk them over thoughtfully," Anne told them.

Penny let her eyebrows raise at the news and sheepishly spoke up.

"I don't think I'll be able to attend meetings while my father is home,"

"Why ever not?" Diana crinkled her brows.

"I, um, I must assist with the chores and the cooking," Penny said easily, another one of her favorite lies of omission, not letting the girls know that truly she never would be allowed out for something as silly as a writing club.

"Hm, well then we must write and share our first stories today!" Anne smiled, "They can be short because we're just starting out,"

The girls all smiled and pulled out journals, looking down at the blank paper.

"I can't think of anything!" Ruby sighed out loudly, barely having thought.

"I've got heaps of ideas if you need a little prompting start," Anne grinned, "How about a tale of romance most divine and tragical?"

Ruby smiled brightly and the four girls all dipped their pens into the ink pot and began writing.

Penny wasn't much of a writer, imagination was not something that came easy as daydreaming was forbidden in her household, but as she placed her pen to the page she almost couldn't stop herself as the words flowed onto to page.

The sun was beginning to lower when the girls all finished, only waiting for Anne to put the finishing touches on her own tale.

"Alright! Now we read them to each other?" Ruby asked, looking from her writing to her friends.

"Exactly! Why don't you begin the sharing portion of this meeting?" Anne nodded enthusiastically.

Ruby's story was appealing in a childish way, her view of the world an innocent and storybook thing. She expressed an elegant tale of love and happy endings. A dashing prince rushing in to save a beautiful princess, giving her a kiss of true love in the end.

Diana's tale of adventure was just that. A heroic tale of fighting villains and finding a treasure at the end of a long journey. Penny found herself listening with interest as Diana detailed epic fight scenes.