Feneos-A town that is located at the base of the mountain Cyllene in Arcadia in Ancient Greece. River Styx arises near it from the underworld.


Bright sunlight filters in through the garret windows, streaming through like dusty streams of haze. It was midafternoon and the garret was slowly heating up. Still silk floral garlands and yardage of old sheer curtains draped over the mirror, where a young not quite woman, but no longer a girl stands. An alabaster hand takes the garland and places it on her head, around her fine cotton petticoats and corset covers is old cotton wrapped around her body like an ancient chiton as the books of ancient Greece called it.

The young lady looks in the mirror, her nose tilted upwards as she looks at herself in the mirror.

"Stop looking at yourself and say your line!" Her red-haired sister calls out from the makeshift stage, breaking the spell that her younger sister had on herself.

Rilla hurries over, light on her toes, like a pixie skittering across the floor.

"You are either here to help me tend to the flowers, or you are serving as spies for my mother." Rilla looks at her sister, dressed similarly but Nan was carrying a fir branch left over from the holidays, and Di was decked in various pearls and shells. "Your silence answers my question. Still, I insist that you tell me. What were her exact instructions to you?"

"We are her eyes and ears, no harm should ever come to you," Di says expertly.

"Then you can help me with my flowers, or dance with me? Dancing always makes my flowers more cheerful, Let your water droplets nourish them, while your shade of the borough shields them from Helios's afternoon sun," Rilla chanted as she twirled around the garret, as she spotted Walter coming up the way with their mother. Finally, Walter was home!

"Where are you going!" Nan asks watching her sister gather her costume and down the stairs.

"Walter is home!" She calls out to her sisters, who soon follow suit as they race down the stairs, meeting their mother and brother as they open the door.

"Rilla you are barely dressed!" Mother exclaims, unpinning her hat.

'We were reciting the tale of Persephone?" Rilla tells her. Her sisters are in far more opaque clothing, but something of the sheerness of the old lawn had called to Rilla.

"Don't you know that by heart by now?" Walter smiles at her.

"Just about, but it's fun when Nan and Di join in," Rilla says as the telephone rings and one of her sisters picks it up. No one listens because the phone is always ringing for something or another and Nan is the one closest to it. "Did you know there are five rivers in the underworld Mother

"I suppose I did once upon a time," Mother says after a moment as Father comes out of his office at the sound of the telephone. "Styx and Lethe are at least two of them, don't you wish to read more happy stories in mythology?"

"The abduction of Persephone is thrilling though," Rilla says with a romantic sigh and her mother shakes her head.

"That was Miranda, According to Joe Milgrave there is going to be a harbour dance at his family's lighthouse at the beginning of August! She told us to spread the word, Oh I'll have to tell Faith and Una!" Nan says clapping her hands together.

"And Jerry," Di teases her.

"Oh, may I go please!" Rilla looks at her mother. "I'll be fifteen by then!"

She watches her mother look at her father, who seems to talk telepathically.

"You are still a little young, there will be plenty of time for parties when you're a bit older," Mother tells her letting her down gently.

"But!…" Rilla says before seeing the look of warning on her father's face.

"We'll all be there Mother," Walter says out loud.

"Walter," The doctor warns him.

"Please?" Rilla says with pleading eyes. "I won't leave their sight."

"We'll think about it," Gilbert sighs gruffly. "But I don't want to hear another word about it from you until we make up our minds."

Rilla nods her head, as there is a knock on the door, which is still partially open and they all turn to it. She yelps when she realizes who it is, still in her Persephone outfit, hair brushed out in fluffy curls and a hallow around her head with her crown of flowers and runs up the stairs leaving a very confused Kenneth Ford standing in the doorway.

When she comes back down, wearing her light green gingham day dress, she is still flushed but her hair is presentable and tied back in a half bun and large bow.

"Well, look at you puss," Kenneth Ford says with a rather shocked impression in his voice. "You're at least four inches taller than the last time I've been down here."

"Yes, little ones tend to grow on us," Jem grins. "Isn't that right Spider?" When did Jem get home? he had left after breakfast to go meet up with Faith.

"I am not a spider!" Rilla objects it wasn't fair to have such horrible nicknames be said in front of guests, and guests who she fancied enough to dream about.

"I don't know those long limbs, definitely a spider," Shirley joins in on the taunting.

"Boys," Gilbert says from his spot. "Stop teasing your sister, please. Rilla why don't you help your mother and Susan in the kitchen?"

Rilla nods, mainly happy to escape the room does what is asked of her. She helps spread the cookies and the pieces of cake on a plate as Susan warms the teapot her mother is measuring out the tea out of the old tin as her sisters come in to help with the china.

"I was walking home from the Harbour after visiting a friend, who was telling me that Ethel Reese, she's been bragging about our Kenneth walking her home from a prayer meeting. All I wanted to say was I have never seen Kenneth Ford willingly go to a Wednesday night prayer meeting," Di tells Nan with a giggle.

"Persis wrote me that he had three or four girls come and visit him while he was laid up this winter with his ankle. Bringing him school work and cakes, waiting on him hand and foot," Nan tells her. " He had a bunch of girls crying when he broke his ankle as if they broke theirs as well."

"I remember Leslie writing about that, she always called him her little lady-killer. He could charm any woman for anything when the time he could toddler about. He once got cookies from Leslie, Susan and I because he played it so well," Mother laughs. "Rilla you can take the sweets out if you wish to," she turns to her youngest who was standing there listening.

Rilla smiles and nods her head carefully picks up the tray and brings it to the living room. She sets it down on the coffee table and takes a seat on the chaise.

Her mother follows with tea, handing everyone a cup as hostess, before sitting next to her husband. Everyone chatters though Rilla just listens, unable to speak of anything interesting or know anything interesting to add to it for the longest time as she watches her sibling converse freely with Kenneth laughing deeply over something she didn't understand.

"Will you still be here for the dance? You have heard about the dance?" Di asks, and Rilla watches Kenneth's brow furrowed for a moment.

"Leo said something about it, not sure how good I am at dancing, I wouldn't want to disappoint you, ladies, by not being able to hop around as I usually might?" He says.

"But you musth come!" Rilla says without thinking and everyone turns to look at her.

"Rilla is overly excited for a dance when she hasn't even been permitted to go yet," Di laughs and Rilla tries her hardest not to pout or look indignant about having to wait for her parent's decision. "To be fourteen."

"I'm almost fifteen," Rilla cries out insulted. "In less than fifteen days at that," she adds trying not to pout.

It simply was not fair, she tells herself. She spends the rest of the afternoon, sitting there wishing for someone to talk to. The boys were talking about fishing and books. The twins took turns playing piano for everyone before everyone coaxed Rilla into a song that she didn't wish to play, finally by three in the afternoon, the boys went out for chores, and the twins ran out to see tell Faith about the dance finally.

"It's not fair, truly it is not, Nan and Di got to go to parties and things at fifteen!" Rilla whines in the kitchen to Susan as she helps wash up the dishes from tea.

"Your sisters were also at Queens and living on their own during the year," Susan reminds handing her things to set the table with.

"So? How is that fair?" She huffs as her father walks in raising an eyebrow at her. Letting her know that he had heard everything she had just said.

"What is not fair again?" Father hums at her.

"Just because I don't wish to go to Queens like the others? I did the entrance exam to appease you and I was even passed it." Rilla says rather indignantly.

"You may have passed the entrance my lily of the field, but what did you place in passing?" Her father inquires as he reaches for the cookie jar, ignoring the swat from his housekeeper and hands one to his daughter as well. Rilla steals a look at Susan who gives her a look of 'Don't you dare ruin the supper I am cooking with that cookie'.

'"I passed is that not enough? I tried, and I managed to pass?" Rilla says simply.

"And I wonder what your marks would have been if you actually tried and studied and not just squeaked by. You are smarter than you consider yourself to be, you just lack the ambition and motivation to do or be someone greater," he tells her with a shake of his head and takes another cookie.

"You'll ruin your dinner!" Susan waves around her wooden spoon.

"Never Susan," he tells the older woman cheekily before turning to his daughter without a smile. "Now if I hear you whine about the decision again, I will make you wait until you are eighteen before allowing you to do anything remotely like a dance or party," Father tells her.

"But…"

"No buts, I mean it Rilla." He shakes his head at her. "Especially if you are not in school and just sitting around at home."

Rilla sighs and finishes setting the table as the back door opens and she sees her brother hang up his cap and take off his boots. He must have been looking after the horses.

"Spider," Jem calls out, dressed in a light shirt and pants.

"I am not a spider!" Rilla shrieks instantly annoyed. Really why do brothers come back for summer vacation and decide on nicknames?

"Tell that to your skinny arms and legs," Jem grins. "You need some meat on those limbs."

"I am perfectly healthy," Rilla crosses her arms. "I even got a new corset this year thank you very much."

"And that dear sister is something I did not need to know," Jem says shaking his head and ruffling her hair.

"Are you staying for Dinner?" She can hear her mother ask Kenneth. Please, please don't let him stay! Rilla thought to herself.

"If you are offering, I'd be glad to accept," she hears him say and Rilla sighs to herself.

"Perfect, I'll let them know to set another place at the table for you," Rilla hears and sighs and goes to grab another plate and adjusts the table before her mother could even come into the kitchen.

"Oh, perfect, you heard," Her mothers says as she runs a hand over her hair. "It must be so warm with your hair down lately?"

"If you let me wear it up it wouldn't be." Rilla tries to get her mother to allow her to wear it up even in the simplest of ways. Milkmaid braids wrapped around her head?

"There will be plenty of time to wear it up when you are old enough," her mother says kissing her temple as she goes towards the kitchen. She blushes intently as she sees Kenneth standing in the entryway of the dining room watching her.

"Is there something on my dress?" She asks him looking down at the light green check of the gingham.

"You're fine," Kenneth says. "Do you need any help?"

"You can place the cups out?" Rilla instructs him simply as she fixes one of the forks.

"I hear you finished school, but you're not going to Queens?" Kenneth asks her as if he is talking to his own younger sister.

"Seems rather pointless, I have no wanting to teach or go to college?" Rilla tells him honestly. "I'm sure Mother will make keep my reading up?"

"But what will you do otherwise?" Ken asks.

"I will learn to cook, and run a house under Mother and Susan, I will visit with friends and have tea in the afternoons, and maybe one day go out to parties and dance the night away if my parents allow it," Rilla tells him dreamily. "Doesn't it sound absolutely wonderful?"

"If you are happy with such a life I am sure it would be," Ken says after a moment with a peculiar tone to his voice. As if he wondering when the little puss who was Rilla Blythe, was getting old enough to actually think about marriage? Did Persis ever think like this?

"Oh, I will be for sure," Rilla tells him matter-of-factly.

"Then that is all that matters," Ken says simply. "Just don't go accepting the first boy who tries to marry you. Be a little discerning at it?"

"Well I am not going to marry a farmer, A shop owner is fine, but I cannot see myself as a farmer's wife," Rilla tells him earnestly.

"You know if you went to college you might be able to land yourself a doctor or a lawyer one day," Ken teases her.

"Oh no, never a doctor, I would like my husband to be around and not be called away every hour of the day," Rilla tells him. "What are you planning to do after college?"

"Woah there, Spider," Jem says with a laugh as he comes into the dining room. "You're only fourteen, no need to talk about marriage in that way. Though with that attempt at flirting, no college boy will ever marry you."

"Don't worry we'll help you when the time comes," Nan says sweetly laughing as she's holding a salad, with Di behind her with another dish for dinner.

"I don't know she's not that bad," Ken says offhand and Rilla sees all her siblings look at him in surprise. "For a kid I mean, don't go all protective over your baby sister." He adds on in rebuff.

"I'm not a kid," Rilla says under her breath before adding on. "Or a Spider."


Guest- I am glad you are enjoying the story and I am glad you enjoyed the juxtaposition of the opening to the actual chapter content!

Guest 2-You aren't totally wrong if you are thinking what you are thinking of in a band of gold. But that will be a few chapters away before we even approach that. So you shall have to wait and see! Glad that you are enjoying the story! I have worked hard to try and create a set of loving but overall conservative set of parents in this. It's not something that comes naturally to me, especially after Flutters! But Gilbert and Anne, try their best in this story! And yes! this is the larger story that you got a glimpse of in Fifteen!

Hope everyone is enjoying this, and I would always love to hear your thoughts about it and where you think this is heading.