A/n The only characters I own here are Annabelle and CeCe the rest are
LMM's or who ever has the right's to her books now. Sorry if the story
disappoints some of you, this is where my imagination takes me. Thank you
for reviewing my story, I want more though, so just review (I can handle
criticism, so bring it on, as long as you "Damn with some praise").
Fifteen-year-old cousins CeCe Blythe and Annabelle Meredith were invited to spend a fortnight with their Glenn St. Marry relations. They were to divide their time between Ingleside and the manse. The first week spent in Ingleside was spent giggling and chattering as only two young girls of fifteen can. These two rather silly romantic girls had very much to discuss, much more than any other fifteen-year-old years before. They could not believe their mothers had never been to a film at their age or listened to a radio serial. What could fifteen year old girls possibly have done ages and ages ago when their respective mothers were of that age?
The girls' grandmother Blythe would amuse them with tails of her own childhood larks. Grandmother Blythe's stories were always very entertaining she was such a good storyteller even though story telling was for babies. Late at night they would discuss the stories, those times did sound like fun, but what odd forms of amusement were story writing clubs and acting out poetry. The cousins enjoyed thriling romantic serials on the radio and heroic epics on the silver screen of the cinema. CeCe was a great Errol Flyne admirer while Annabelle quite fancied Clark Gabel. Life was just not worth living without seeing one of them in a film at least once a week.
By the time the Ingleside was over and they had relocated to the manse they had not much more to say to each other about film and radio stars, they began discussing romance a bit closer to home (though not necessarily less fanciful).Annabell and CeCe were siting at the kitchen table polishing the silver. Annabelle had her eyes set on Alec King, he was a senior at Carlisle High School and very good looking ("not at all like his father with his rather ugly looking mouth", said she, unaware of any indelicacy on her part). "Oh I only wish he would go join up and ask me to write to him. I would just die if he asked another girl to write to him when he joins up. It would be so perfectly dreamy to write to a young man over seas fighting for King and country. Oh, Aunt Rilla and Uncle Ken were ever so romantic falling in love only to be separated by war. I wish I could have a Romance like that too." Confided Annabelle. "If only Keith Wright would notice me" said CeCe. "I just know he only sees me as Jack's little sister and now that Jack went in, he doesn't see me at all. Not once has he been by Green Gables in the past two months. I think it very selfish of him, I'd almost stop loving him as I do, but there is not another boy worth having in Avonlea. All the other boys are so dull and they treat any girl around as if she were a china doll. "
"If he won't have you would you go with another boy?" asked Annabelle. "Oh no, never not another boy." A thought came to CeCe as she answering "But if I were really old, say twenty three and not married yet I would, I don't want to stay an old maid you know." "It would be awful to be an old maid" agreed Annabelle " I can't imagine any thing worse than being an old maid." "It's as if you're walking around with a sign saying 'I'm not good enough for anyone to love me'. "Added her cousin. Just then, they heard a glass drop and shatter, turning around toward the noise they saw Aunt Una leave the room.
At that second there were not to more remorseful girls in the Prince Edward Island, Nay in the whole of Canada. CeCe and Annabelle were admittedly silly girls, as fifteen-year-old girls are, but they were good and decent. Had they realized that their Aunt Una had slipped into the kitchen to get a glass of water, they would have been more cautious. In fact if they had remembered their Aunt Una was an old maid they wouldn't have anything at all. Aunt Una was so un-oldmaidish, they simply never thought of her as one.
Silent the girls sat, not knowing what to say, for there was nothing they could say to redeem themselves. It was one of those moments that you just know you will never be happy again. How awful it must be for Aunt Una. When the girls had finished their chore for the day the silver gleamed like it never did before.
Una Meredith was sitting in her beautiful room in the manse, tears had filled her eyes, they refused to stop coming even though her heart had told her eyes to stop crying. Una wasn't crying for herself, she never did she was crying for what could have been and wasn't. She was crying for all those who never knew love and for all those who did but lost it. Una stayed in her room all day and all night crying till she could dry no more.
Down came and went, the sun was sole ruler of the sky and all that was dark and bleak was bright and cheerful again. Una knew what she must do, let her nieces share her secret, a secret only one other person alive knew. Une picked up the 'phone and asked Anne Blyhte for permission to divulge their secret to others. Time, circumstance and their shared secret had brought Anne and Una close together. Anne had given her permission, knowing the time had come.
That evening Una told the girls she wanted to show them something. To the girls astonishment their Aunt was as cheerful as she always was. Not a trace of yesterday's sorrow was noticeable. Annabelle, CeCe I'd like you girls to join me in my room I have something to show you.
The girls could not utter an apology and it seamed as though one was not demanded. They dutifully followed their aunt into her room. Aunt Una picked up a small chest that sat on her bedside table. The chest was a magnificent Olive wood one adorned with intricate carvings and a gift from a cousin who traveled to the Holy Land years ago. "I want you to have a look in the chest". Aunt Una sat down on a chair and left the bed to her two young nieces. Annabelle felt it was sacrilegious to open the chest so she past it on to CeCe. CeCe to felt a bit uneasy delving into Aunt Una's secrets, but her curiosity prevailed. "Besides, Aunt Una said we should open it she wants us to share her secrets." CeCe opened the chest carefully but eagerly. "Why, it's full of letters" exclaimed CeCe. "Love letters, oh I'm sure they're Love Letters." cried her cousin. Una was quiet. "Aunt Una, who sent you Love Letters and so many of them, there must be hundreds?" asked Annabelle. 'A hundred and forty one' thought Una but said nothing.
"Do you really want us to read them?" asked CeCe. 'No' thought Una "yes", she said. Reading the letters the girls saw they were not for Aunt Una but from Aunt Una, but that was not what made the girls shout out in a most unladylike fashion. "They're to Uncle Walter!" All Una could give by way of response was a small smile. "They're lovely, Aunt Una," said Annabelle. "But Aunt Una, they were never sent, were they?" asked CeCe. "No, they weren't" answered Aunt Una, not these."
"So Uncle Walter never knew you loved him?" asked Annabelle. "But he did, I finally had the courage to send him one shortly before he was killed." Answered Aunt Una. "You see girls, I loved your Uncle Walter for years, secretly, and I could tell no one. If it were up to me I would have shouted it off the rooftops, even though you know how much I hate to shout. But Walter was in love with your Aunt Faith, tragically, as you know. Even then your uncle Jem and Aunt Faith were in love, yes even when they were your age. Uncle Walter was a poet, Maybe that's why fell in love with a girl he could never have. But I kept hoping he might stop loving her and he didn't. Just before he left to war we had gotten very close; I felt perhaps he could grow to love me. I spent my days wishing he would give me a hint.
The day he left for war I thought I had my hint but I wasn't sure. He came for a last chat before he left and we walked to Rainbow Valley. We talked some, but most of the time we were silent. We had come to a point we no longer needed many words. We walked close to each other but not touching. As we parted he said "I look forward to your letters" and he smiled a smile that I thought was my hint. But then he added "It is must be lovely to get letters from friends so far away. I will your letters and think of the Island and my family and friends." Friends he said, I wanted so much more than friends. So I never sent my letters even though I kept writing them. The last letter was sent, I had a strong feeling I just had to send it and see if e loved me."
"Did he read the letter? Did he answer you? Did he say he loved you to, it is so Romantic Aunt Una, I can't bear it." Asked Annabelle. "I believe he did read the letter, but I'll never know fur sure, but he did love me. Not so long afterwards, Walter died in battle" Was her Aunt's reply. "So how do you know he loved you?" Asked CeCe. "This is how I know" said Aunt Una taking an old battered yellow letter from beneath all the unsent ones. "Your Uncle Walter sent this letter the night before he died, it arrived after we had been mourning him." CeCe scanned the letter "It's addressed to Aunt Rilla" she said. "Read on" Una urged her impatient niece.
"So you've been keeping the faith?" asked Annabelle. "Yes" said Una. CeCe was uncharacteristically silent. After a few minutes of reflection she said, "Your not an old maid Aunt Una. And if I love a man half as much as you do (you still do don't you?) and then lose him I will be thankful. Now I think I can truly understand the old proverb "Better to have loved and lost than to not have lived at all."
The girls had left Una's room learning a valuable lesson. Una sat on her bed reading Walter's letter, she knew the girls couldn't really understand her love and hope with all her might that they never would.
Fifteen-year-old cousins CeCe Blythe and Annabelle Meredith were invited to spend a fortnight with their Glenn St. Marry relations. They were to divide their time between Ingleside and the manse. The first week spent in Ingleside was spent giggling and chattering as only two young girls of fifteen can. These two rather silly romantic girls had very much to discuss, much more than any other fifteen-year-old years before. They could not believe their mothers had never been to a film at their age or listened to a radio serial. What could fifteen year old girls possibly have done ages and ages ago when their respective mothers were of that age?
The girls' grandmother Blythe would amuse them with tails of her own childhood larks. Grandmother Blythe's stories were always very entertaining she was such a good storyteller even though story telling was for babies. Late at night they would discuss the stories, those times did sound like fun, but what odd forms of amusement were story writing clubs and acting out poetry. The cousins enjoyed thriling romantic serials on the radio and heroic epics on the silver screen of the cinema. CeCe was a great Errol Flyne admirer while Annabelle quite fancied Clark Gabel. Life was just not worth living without seeing one of them in a film at least once a week.
By the time the Ingleside was over and they had relocated to the manse they had not much more to say to each other about film and radio stars, they began discussing romance a bit closer to home (though not necessarily less fanciful).Annabell and CeCe were siting at the kitchen table polishing the silver. Annabelle had her eyes set on Alec King, he was a senior at Carlisle High School and very good looking ("not at all like his father with his rather ugly looking mouth", said she, unaware of any indelicacy on her part). "Oh I only wish he would go join up and ask me to write to him. I would just die if he asked another girl to write to him when he joins up. It would be so perfectly dreamy to write to a young man over seas fighting for King and country. Oh, Aunt Rilla and Uncle Ken were ever so romantic falling in love only to be separated by war. I wish I could have a Romance like that too." Confided Annabelle. "If only Keith Wright would notice me" said CeCe. "I just know he only sees me as Jack's little sister and now that Jack went in, he doesn't see me at all. Not once has he been by Green Gables in the past two months. I think it very selfish of him, I'd almost stop loving him as I do, but there is not another boy worth having in Avonlea. All the other boys are so dull and they treat any girl around as if she were a china doll. "
"If he won't have you would you go with another boy?" asked Annabelle. "Oh no, never not another boy." A thought came to CeCe as she answering "But if I were really old, say twenty three and not married yet I would, I don't want to stay an old maid you know." "It would be awful to be an old maid" agreed Annabelle " I can't imagine any thing worse than being an old maid." "It's as if you're walking around with a sign saying 'I'm not good enough for anyone to love me'. "Added her cousin. Just then, they heard a glass drop and shatter, turning around toward the noise they saw Aunt Una leave the room.
At that second there were not to more remorseful girls in the Prince Edward Island, Nay in the whole of Canada. CeCe and Annabelle were admittedly silly girls, as fifteen-year-old girls are, but they were good and decent. Had they realized that their Aunt Una had slipped into the kitchen to get a glass of water, they would have been more cautious. In fact if they had remembered their Aunt Una was an old maid they wouldn't have anything at all. Aunt Una was so un-oldmaidish, they simply never thought of her as one.
Silent the girls sat, not knowing what to say, for there was nothing they could say to redeem themselves. It was one of those moments that you just know you will never be happy again. How awful it must be for Aunt Una. When the girls had finished their chore for the day the silver gleamed like it never did before.
Una Meredith was sitting in her beautiful room in the manse, tears had filled her eyes, they refused to stop coming even though her heart had told her eyes to stop crying. Una wasn't crying for herself, she never did she was crying for what could have been and wasn't. She was crying for all those who never knew love and for all those who did but lost it. Una stayed in her room all day and all night crying till she could dry no more.
Down came and went, the sun was sole ruler of the sky and all that was dark and bleak was bright and cheerful again. Una knew what she must do, let her nieces share her secret, a secret only one other person alive knew. Une picked up the 'phone and asked Anne Blyhte for permission to divulge their secret to others. Time, circumstance and their shared secret had brought Anne and Una close together. Anne had given her permission, knowing the time had come.
That evening Una told the girls she wanted to show them something. To the girls astonishment their Aunt was as cheerful as she always was. Not a trace of yesterday's sorrow was noticeable. Annabelle, CeCe I'd like you girls to join me in my room I have something to show you.
The girls could not utter an apology and it seamed as though one was not demanded. They dutifully followed their aunt into her room. Aunt Una picked up a small chest that sat on her bedside table. The chest was a magnificent Olive wood one adorned with intricate carvings and a gift from a cousin who traveled to the Holy Land years ago. "I want you to have a look in the chest". Aunt Una sat down on a chair and left the bed to her two young nieces. Annabelle felt it was sacrilegious to open the chest so she past it on to CeCe. CeCe to felt a bit uneasy delving into Aunt Una's secrets, but her curiosity prevailed. "Besides, Aunt Una said we should open it she wants us to share her secrets." CeCe opened the chest carefully but eagerly. "Why, it's full of letters" exclaimed CeCe. "Love letters, oh I'm sure they're Love Letters." cried her cousin. Una was quiet. "Aunt Una, who sent you Love Letters and so many of them, there must be hundreds?" asked Annabelle. 'A hundred and forty one' thought Una but said nothing.
"Do you really want us to read them?" asked CeCe. 'No' thought Una "yes", she said. Reading the letters the girls saw they were not for Aunt Una but from Aunt Una, but that was not what made the girls shout out in a most unladylike fashion. "They're to Uncle Walter!" All Una could give by way of response was a small smile. "They're lovely, Aunt Una," said Annabelle. "But Aunt Una, they were never sent, were they?" asked CeCe. "No, they weren't" answered Aunt Una, not these."
"So Uncle Walter never knew you loved him?" asked Annabelle. "But he did, I finally had the courage to send him one shortly before he was killed." Answered Aunt Una. "You see girls, I loved your Uncle Walter for years, secretly, and I could tell no one. If it were up to me I would have shouted it off the rooftops, even though you know how much I hate to shout. But Walter was in love with your Aunt Faith, tragically, as you know. Even then your uncle Jem and Aunt Faith were in love, yes even when they were your age. Uncle Walter was a poet, Maybe that's why fell in love with a girl he could never have. But I kept hoping he might stop loving her and he didn't. Just before he left to war we had gotten very close; I felt perhaps he could grow to love me. I spent my days wishing he would give me a hint.
The day he left for war I thought I had my hint but I wasn't sure. He came for a last chat before he left and we walked to Rainbow Valley. We talked some, but most of the time we were silent. We had come to a point we no longer needed many words. We walked close to each other but not touching. As we parted he said "I look forward to your letters" and he smiled a smile that I thought was my hint. But then he added "It is must be lovely to get letters from friends so far away. I will your letters and think of the Island and my family and friends." Friends he said, I wanted so much more than friends. So I never sent my letters even though I kept writing them. The last letter was sent, I had a strong feeling I just had to send it and see if e loved me."
"Did he read the letter? Did he answer you? Did he say he loved you to, it is so Romantic Aunt Una, I can't bear it." Asked Annabelle. "I believe he did read the letter, but I'll never know fur sure, but he did love me. Not so long afterwards, Walter died in battle" Was her Aunt's reply. "So how do you know he loved you?" Asked CeCe. "This is how I know" said Aunt Una taking an old battered yellow letter from beneath all the unsent ones. "Your Uncle Walter sent this letter the night before he died, it arrived after we had been mourning him." CeCe scanned the letter "It's addressed to Aunt Rilla" she said. "Read on" Una urged her impatient niece.
"So you've been keeping the faith?" asked Annabelle. "Yes" said Una. CeCe was uncharacteristically silent. After a few minutes of reflection she said, "Your not an old maid Aunt Una. And if I love a man half as much as you do (you still do don't you?) and then lose him I will be thankful. Now I think I can truly understand the old proverb "Better to have loved and lost than to not have lived at all."
The girls had left Una's room learning a valuable lesson. Una sat on her bed reading Walter's letter, she knew the girls couldn't really understand her love and hope with all her might that they never would.
