Had this funny, interesting idea...what if Anne Shirley met Annie Sullivan
and Helen Keller? Just wrote this short one-chapter piece on that; Anne's
published another book and Annie and Helen are on a trip to Canada with
THEIR book tour and end up stopping by Prince Edward Island. Remember,
it's totally fictional, so whatever I write on Annie and Helen is pure
fiction and just for fun! Enjoy!
ANNE SHIRLEY:
It seemed like I'd signed ten million of my books just inside the dry goods
store. The line's now shorter. Seems like the entire province has stopped
by, considering that Avonlea is a small town. During a break, I let out my
breath softly and thought over how I couldn't believe it was 1921. It's
been so thrilling that women finally won the right to vote both here and in
the United States. Gilbert and I finally tied to knot right before the
Great War and we now have two adorable children, Dominic, who we'd adopted
from France and our daughter, Shirley, who Gil says has my hazel eyes. I'd
already given copies of my book to my friends, Diana Barry...oh, right,
she's Diana Wright; since she's been my bosom friend since we were
thirteen, I still think of her as Diana Barry, even though she's been
married since she was eighteen, and another friend of mine, Josie Pie.
Funny, Josie and I used to be sort of rivals, but ever since the Great War,
Josie's matured, especially since she tasted the despair of being widowed
during the Great War. I still felt a pang of sadness whenever I
remembered her late husband, Moody. Gil, Diana and I are all glad that the
war is over. I've kept up my writing career and now have this new book
out *To Reach and Dream.* Just then toward the early evening, a line
formed again and I saw three women who looked vaguely familiar. Of course,
there were a lot of familiar Avonlea people who'd come too, but these three
women...two had thin white canes in front of them and I realized that they
were blind. One of the blind ones was rather short and her dark hair was
streaked with gray and she had on dark glasses. The other one was
taller...then I realized who they were in a flash...Helen Keller and Annie
Sullivan!!! They were famous and were in all the newspapers across the
States and here. They're American, but visit Canada sometimes. I didn't
know the other woman with them, but she and Helen were the tall ones. Wow,
it is soo thrilling meeting someone that famous! And they were coming to
buy my book!
"Hello," I smiled at them as they came up.
"Hello..." they greeted. I watched in amazement as Annie turned and
spelled something into Helen's hand with lightening speed.
"I've read about you in the papers and it's remarkable what you've
accomplished," I told them as I signed books for the three of them.
"We're that famous..."Annie seemed surprised, her thick dark eyebrows
shooting up. Helen had a hand over her mouth and I guess understood what
Annie said, because she said something like *yeaa...*
"I guess we are!" the third woman laughed. "Oh, by the way, I'm Polly."
"Pleased to meet you," I shook her hand. "However did the three of you
wind up here?"
"We're on a book tour," Annie told me, bumping into the table a little. I
held out a hand to steady her and she took it. Her hand is so soft and
warm, I thought. Her voice was rather soft and had a kind of New England
lilt to it. "We heard about your book and on a break came here." Her full
rosy mouth pulled into a smile and she pulled down her sunglasses a
little. I could see that her eyes were big and brown. "May Helen talk to
you?" she asked.
"Sure," I leaned forward and talked while Helen put a hand on my mouth and
throat. "What a thrill it is to meet you..." I told her a little about
myself and told her about what I'd read. Helen smiled and I could see
that she understood me. I noticed that she had rather violet eyes. I
smiled as I remembered wishing as a little girl that I had "starry violet
eyes." But now I'm happy with my own hazel ones.
"You...ha...nice smile," Helen told me.
"Thank you." I told her. She could speak clearly enough to be somewhat
understood. Fortunately, there wasn't a line now, so we were able to talk
some. I was sorry to hear that things didn't work out between Annie and
her husband John. I felt lucky to have someone as wonderful as Gil.
"Wasn't worth the tears you cried over him, Annie," Polly said.
"I guess it's worth it a little over a tragic romance," I smiled.
"Catastrophic romantic mistake is more like it," Annie's mouth twisted into
a rueful kind of grimace. "I loved Johnny anyway and foolish as it sounds,
I cried for three days over him, Anne. But now, I'm more at peace and so
are Helen and Polly." I was glad to hear that; it seemed as if Annie's
broken heart had healed. As I looked from Helen to Annie, I realized that
they had an almost mother-daughter bond between them and was touched. Kind
of like what Marilla and I had. Oh, I still missed Marilla sometimes. She
grew old and died shortly before the Great War. Marilla and her brother
Matthew had adopted me when I was thirteen and it was a dream come true
since I'd spend my childhood in a sad mix of orphan asylums and service
homes. Matthew had died when I was in my late teens. I'd read that Annie
had also spend her childhood in an asylum, but didn't ask her about it,
since I imagined it must have been painful for her.
We talked a little about the women's vote and I was happy to see that the
three of them supported the women's suffrage movement.
"Well, Helen and I can't see, but now we can vote," Annie told me, putting
her warm hand on mine. All of us laughed. Annie had such a nice, funny,
ironic sense of humor. Then the three of them had to go, so I let both
Annie and Helen touch my face, since they couldn't see it before they left.
"My hair is as red as carrots," I told them. "I used to hate it, but now I
don't mind it." We laughed again and they waved and left. Wow! Wait
until I told Diana and Gilbert that I'd met two famous women today!
~~~2002 Storyline Copyright by CNJ~~~
and Helen Keller? Just wrote this short one-chapter piece on that; Anne's
published another book and Annie and Helen are on a trip to Canada with
THEIR book tour and end up stopping by Prince Edward Island. Remember,
it's totally fictional, so whatever I write on Annie and Helen is pure
fiction and just for fun! Enjoy!
ANNE SHIRLEY:
It seemed like I'd signed ten million of my books just inside the dry goods
store. The line's now shorter. Seems like the entire province has stopped
by, considering that Avonlea is a small town. During a break, I let out my
breath softly and thought over how I couldn't believe it was 1921. It's
been so thrilling that women finally won the right to vote both here and in
the United States. Gilbert and I finally tied to knot right before the
Great War and we now have two adorable children, Dominic, who we'd adopted
from France and our daughter, Shirley, who Gil says has my hazel eyes. I'd
already given copies of my book to my friends, Diana Barry...oh, right,
she's Diana Wright; since she's been my bosom friend since we were
thirteen, I still think of her as Diana Barry, even though she's been
married since she was eighteen, and another friend of mine, Josie Pie.
Funny, Josie and I used to be sort of rivals, but ever since the Great War,
Josie's matured, especially since she tasted the despair of being widowed
during the Great War. I still felt a pang of sadness whenever I
remembered her late husband, Moody. Gil, Diana and I are all glad that the
war is over. I've kept up my writing career and now have this new book
out *To Reach and Dream.* Just then toward the early evening, a line
formed again and I saw three women who looked vaguely familiar. Of course,
there were a lot of familiar Avonlea people who'd come too, but these three
women...two had thin white canes in front of them and I realized that they
were blind. One of the blind ones was rather short and her dark hair was
streaked with gray and she had on dark glasses. The other one was
taller...then I realized who they were in a flash...Helen Keller and Annie
Sullivan!!! They were famous and were in all the newspapers across the
States and here. They're American, but visit Canada sometimes. I didn't
know the other woman with them, but she and Helen were the tall ones. Wow,
it is soo thrilling meeting someone that famous! And they were coming to
buy my book!
"Hello," I smiled at them as they came up.
"Hello..." they greeted. I watched in amazement as Annie turned and
spelled something into Helen's hand with lightening speed.
"I've read about you in the papers and it's remarkable what you've
accomplished," I told them as I signed books for the three of them.
"We're that famous..."Annie seemed surprised, her thick dark eyebrows
shooting up. Helen had a hand over her mouth and I guess understood what
Annie said, because she said something like *yeaa...*
"I guess we are!" the third woman laughed. "Oh, by the way, I'm Polly."
"Pleased to meet you," I shook her hand. "However did the three of you
wind up here?"
"We're on a book tour," Annie told me, bumping into the table a little. I
held out a hand to steady her and she took it. Her hand is so soft and
warm, I thought. Her voice was rather soft and had a kind of New England
lilt to it. "We heard about your book and on a break came here." Her full
rosy mouth pulled into a smile and she pulled down her sunglasses a
little. I could see that her eyes were big and brown. "May Helen talk to
you?" she asked.
"Sure," I leaned forward and talked while Helen put a hand on my mouth and
throat. "What a thrill it is to meet you..." I told her a little about
myself and told her about what I'd read. Helen smiled and I could see
that she understood me. I noticed that she had rather violet eyes. I
smiled as I remembered wishing as a little girl that I had "starry violet
eyes." But now I'm happy with my own hazel ones.
"You...ha...nice smile," Helen told me.
"Thank you." I told her. She could speak clearly enough to be somewhat
understood. Fortunately, there wasn't a line now, so we were able to talk
some. I was sorry to hear that things didn't work out between Annie and
her husband John. I felt lucky to have someone as wonderful as Gil.
"Wasn't worth the tears you cried over him, Annie," Polly said.
"I guess it's worth it a little over a tragic romance," I smiled.
"Catastrophic romantic mistake is more like it," Annie's mouth twisted into
a rueful kind of grimace. "I loved Johnny anyway and foolish as it sounds,
I cried for three days over him, Anne. But now, I'm more at peace and so
are Helen and Polly." I was glad to hear that; it seemed as if Annie's
broken heart had healed. As I looked from Helen to Annie, I realized that
they had an almost mother-daughter bond between them and was touched. Kind
of like what Marilla and I had. Oh, I still missed Marilla sometimes. She
grew old and died shortly before the Great War. Marilla and her brother
Matthew had adopted me when I was thirteen and it was a dream come true
since I'd spend my childhood in a sad mix of orphan asylums and service
homes. Matthew had died when I was in my late teens. I'd read that Annie
had also spend her childhood in an asylum, but didn't ask her about it,
since I imagined it must have been painful for her.
We talked a little about the women's vote and I was happy to see that the
three of them supported the women's suffrage movement.
"Well, Helen and I can't see, but now we can vote," Annie told me, putting
her warm hand on mine. All of us laughed. Annie had such a nice, funny,
ironic sense of humor. Then the three of them had to go, so I let both
Annie and Helen touch my face, since they couldn't see it before they left.
"My hair is as red as carrots," I told them. "I used to hate it, but now I
don't mind it." We laughed again and they waved and left. Wow! Wait
until I told Diana and Gilbert that I'd met two famous women today!
~~~2002 Storyline Copyright by CNJ~~~