Disclaimer: I do not own Anne Shirley. She belongs to L.M Montgomery.
I sat on the terrace, with my arms around my knees, and sighed in melancholy thoughtfulness. It was a clear, starry night, and a soft breeze blew about, bringing with it half-forgotten dreams and wishes, remembered jokes and fantasies from the past. The distant lights of the city spread out in front of me, and the quiet of the night was soothing, complete with the sound of the crickets and frogs below, which made the perfect background for a pensive frame of mind.
I was lost in thought, thinking about nothing in particular, just following the whims of the mind, which when left to its own devices, jumps so rapidly from one idea to another. Sometimes one finds oneself surrounded by friends, alike souls, companions with whom we have such great camaraderie; and moments we spend with them seem so precious, treasured – full of the pleasurable certainty that all our thoughts are in perfect accord. But life doesn't always remain that way. We drift apart, and are lost among unsympathetic crowds, fading away in the absence of those delightful tête-à-têtes which stimulate us, filled as we are with the awareness that those are truly our kindred spirits.
Kindred spirits. I smiled reminiscently when I recalled where I'd first heard that term. Anne Shirley – that sweet, dreamy girl who found a "scope for imagination" in everything, and who had taught me to see all the poetic beauty in nature, there but hardly ever seen in that light before. I thought tenderly of all those lovely hours I'd spent reading, living with her in her world, till at last there came a point when I'd had to stay behind, for we can only follow our favourite characters till the book ends,after all.
And yet… I sat up. I, too, knew "the enchanted path" to the world of imagination, knew the world of dreams, where anything is possible, and all that one needs there is the power of faith. Why did I have to mourn the absence of like-minded friends, when I could easily imagine a whole lot of delightful kindred spirits to keep me company, when my mind meandered through hazy, half-dreamt fancies and daydreams?
How easy it is, when we're children, to believe that our toys really come alive when we're asleep at night; that fairies exist, and live at the bottom of our gardens –to be seen suddenly if we're fortunate; that all our castles in the air will come true? All, just because we believe.
It seemed to me as though the idea blossomed, shook free and flew out into the open, and brought back that friend whom I'd always wished to have.
I could imagine, perhaps nearly see out of the corner of my eyes, Anne,as she sat beside me, in a similar attitude, and we looked at the stars together, in companionable, dreamy silence.
I had not any beautiful vistas of meadows of violets or valleys of starflowers to captivate her beauty-loving eyes, nor trees for her wood-nymph's soul; and I felt disheartened, for when you think about it, isn't it the first impulse,when we make a new friend,to share what we have and hope they like it (like when we made friends in kindergarten)? But a willing soul may find beauty anywhere,and the scene before us had enough splendor to tempt any wanderer into the realm of imagination; and I let go of my qualms and laughed suddenly, joyously, filled with gladness at the thought of all the possibilities offered by this new freedom; and Anne and I held hands and whirled around under the open sky, in pleasurable anticipation of conversations to come- where people say just what you want them to, and jokes and thoughts to be shared – a bond which would last for all time, for truly, "kindred spirits alone do not change with passing years".
A/N: This is just something I wrote for myself. I've just finished reading the Anne series for the nth time, and it always leaves me feeling half-dreamy, thoughtful,joyous - much like Anne herself.. making me yearn so much for a friend like her. So this was my outlet.
averilblythe : Glad to know you liked it and that it helped you :) Happy writing! :)
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