Anne Shirley considered herself a happy normal almost 15 year old. Her long red hair was often left to cascade down her back as the wind blew the soft curls (she was happy to say were more wavy then curly now a days) She loved these woods near her home. They were full of Dryad's, mushroom people and trolls. So she would sit in the midst of trees leaning back on a rock she read her Shakespeare book. She knew she had to get back home soon. She would be expected back any minute so she sighed and bid farewell to her dream world and headed back home.

"What you got there Anne?" Her father was the first one to greet her on the path which led to their house as he walked home from his teachers job, now the Principle at Bolingbroke High.

Did you the reader miss something? Yes, I said her father. See this isn't quite the 14 year old Anne Shirley we all loved from the moment a slate hit a boy's head (like the boy himself). This Anne is something a little bit different. Instead of her parents contracting Typhoid, those months after she was born these parents had lived! Doesn't it seem impossible now we all know the traditional story of the orphan Anne, that an equally as lovable one (but perhaps a little less insecure of herself) could exist? Well maybe some things stay the same, maybe some things are different. Shall we persist dear reader to find out?

"Shakespeare, I should have known it!" He exclaimed. "Just like your mother."

"Don't you think its thrilling papa?" she asked him with wide eyes. "This one has everything, betrayal, true love, sword fights and the thrill papa."

He smiled at his daughter. She was as skinny as he was and she had inherited his red hair, but apart from that his eldest daughter was ALL Bertha. Her perfect nose her wide expressive eyes, her imagination. She looked most like Bertha. The combination of the two had as a baby gave her a "queer" look some might say, he thought she was the divinest child ever. Even the 6 babies which followed, nothing was more amazing then holding his first born child for the first time, and he never forgot that feeling.

They saw the house as they turned the corner. Anne when aged three had cried when they left the little yellow house where she had been born, Even at three the words "But papa I was born here, I go a part of me dies." came from her mouth. They now lived (and had done for the past eleven years) in a larger home with a comfortable four bedroom. As they came into view the noise of the house entered their souls as though they had never been away. The two year old twins Jane and Walter Jr. saw Anne on the approach and started to run towards their older sister.

"Anne Anne!" They called in unison.

"Hello my dears!" She said with a wide smile picking them both up in her arms and carrying one in each the rest of the way. "why have you two grown since I've been gone?" She said. They both giggled at her as they entered the home even the two babies knew Anne had only been gone for 2 hours at most, that was not enough time to grow!. She put them down as she entered in the hallway and allowed them to run ahead.

"Anne darling there you are, I was starting to worry." Her mother said on entering the house. Her mother with long blond hair which she always had tied up, always in perfect order. She quickly kissed her husband hello

"Sorry mama." she said. "I started reading and lost track of time." as she put the book on the bookshelf.

"Oh I think I can forgive you that." she said smiling. "Why don't you go and help your brothers and sisters wash up. Dinner is almost ready."

Anne rounded up her siblings. Including herself there were seven Shirley children.

Willis Shirley had came after Anne when she was two years old. Her young eyes fell upon her younger brother the day he was born, she knew her life was changed forever even at two for SHE was a big sister, she needed to take care of her brother. He like her had red hair, but instead of being like his mother in all other appearances he was like his dad. As such her and Wills were always close for the next baby had come when Wills was four and Anne six.

"Willis dinner is getting close to being ready." she said to him, she found him in his bedroom trying to hide a rather large... something. "Willis what are you hiding?" She questioned.

"Nothing!" he tried as innocently as he could.

She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Come on Willis you know I'll find out, show me." she told him. He sighed and uncovered what looked to be, "A rocket?" Anne questioned.

"I have a theory on how to make it fly Anne."

"You're going to make your rocket fly?" She asked with a hint of scepticism in her voice?

His eyes lit up "Look here in this book." he said showing her the book "it says you only need baking powder and vingear. Well we have both of those in the house."

"Willis Shirley!" She exclaimed "You can't be serious?." she told him "why don't you ask papa, he could tell you how it would work?"

"I wanna do it myself Anne, oh please don't tell anyone? I want it to be a surprise" he pleaded.

Anne sighed. "its a bad idea Willis, but I leave it to your conscious." She told him leaving the boys room. It was a warning her mother had often given her children, once the behaviour was known to be frowned upon Mrs Shirley would gently tell her children 'I shall leave it to your own conscious what you do next." and it worked, a prick of the conscious was often all the Shirley children needed. "Find the boys and wash up, but I have Walter and Jane downstairs."

"Four down three to go!" She heard him call.

The next youngest to Anne and Willis was Thomas, who was eight. The first blond out of them all to look exactly like his mother. Anne of course didn't need to look for him because Willis was looking for the boys so she went to find six year old Mary playing quietly (as she ever did) with her two favourite again had blonde hair like her mother but in every other way looked like her father, "Mary my dear, dinner is ready come and wash up." Anne said taking her by the hand. She walked down the stairs and took the twins to find Thomas, Willis and Robert already washing their hands the Shirley children all joined in.

As they sat round the table a unusual conversation was struck.

"Your father has done such an excellent job at the high school children."

"His school is one of perfect order and harmony." Anne nodded approvingly. The school of course she attended, the school they had been brought up to go to.

"The board certainly seem to think so." Bertha said.

"Which is why they have offered me a Principle-ship at Queen's academy on Prince Edward Island."

Anne and Walter paused in their seats. Anne's eyes widened. "You mean leaving here?" She asked.

"It wouldn't be until next academic year," he told them. "You'll be old enough Anne to attend at that point, and I think I would like to put you forward for the entrance exam. You could qualify to be a teacher you know."

Anne smiled at the prospect. "I would love to be a teacher like you and mama, of course I would but... leaving here would be sad." she said. Her father could see her eyes enter into a fantasy world as it often did. Thinking out new scenarios in her head.

"You would need to anyway if you were going to further your education." he told her.

Anne looked to Willis who shrugged at her. "Don't you think it would be fun Anne, a new adventure, just imagine what you could do?"

The other children were really too young to understand the impact it would have on their lives, but Walter and Bertha knew if they could get their oldest two on side the others would follow.

"Its a wonderful opportunity papa, really it is, and Prince Edward Island is suppose to be really very pretty." She said dreamily.

"So much scope for the imagination." Bertha smiled. Knowing her daughter was coming round to the idea.