|
Hello all! Reading the Shirley fic and musing about how "LMM forgot about Shirley" in general, I tried to do put that to rest by writing the following little fic. I don't know how to end it, though - so is it okay for me to beta-preview it here? :)
--------
A tiny green figure sat on the Ingleside stoop, morosely kicking the dust and cherry blossom petals.
Having finished rereading Alice in Wonderland, Rilla Blythe was incredibly bored. "Bored" was not an adjective she used frequently - Susan having decreed it "unladylike" - but verily, Rilla uttered to herself with a dramatic sigh, ladylike manners were futile attempts when the entire world patronised you as a roly-poly baby.
Except Walter, of course. But Walter had gone to spend the weekend with Jem in Charlottetown. The sunset sky and violet shadows made her miss Walter keenly. She wanted Walter to trace cloud-pictures and muse over Alice's Adventures with. Still sulking, Rilla recalled their tearful, affectionate parting beneath the White Lady.
"Walter," she had mourned, gazing hopefully at her black-haired brother "however will I path a three dayth without you? Will you promith me you'll read all the poetry you write in Charlottetown to me, firtht? Me, not Di?"
"I promise," the black haired, black eyed answered solemnly. He adored his little sister's rapt adoration of him, and Di was too jolly and goodhearted to mind.
Rilla's long lashes misted with tears, and as they fluttered on her creamy skin Walter thought she was a veritable thing of beauty. But Rilla had not finished imparting the woes of a nine-years-old. "When you go to Queenth...Walter - how will I bear it? How will I bear a year without you?"
Walter, dreaming about the poem he would write for Rilla on the train, answered lightly. "Let's not worry about next year. We have a beautiful summer ahead of us. And tonight... the Fords just came, Rilla, so Nan and Di are going to the House of Dreams. Ask mother to let you go, too."
Walter had left Rilla full of rainbow dreams. He did not know what secret she had connected with the House of Dreams, but he had noticed how visits thereto threw her into the delights of anticipation.
"Nan - Di - " Rilla had hesitated over who to ask first, Nan whom she envied and feared for her pride and beauty, Di who she envied even more for all her intimacy with Walter. "Mother says I can come to the House of Dreams with you."
"Oh, but you can't." Nan remarked, too busy braiding her brown tresses into the Candogan knot with a pink silk ribbon.
"We've bringing Faith Meredith because she's just our age, and Persis won't have any more sleeping room." Di added with a kindly smile.
She had fled tearstung to the kitchen. "Girls' sleepovers are for when you're older, pet." Susan tried to comfort her.
"But I AM old!" Rilla had stormed to tell Carl Meredith when they trysted by the Hollyhock bush.
"Not old enough to make eyes at Ken Ford, Miss roly-poly." Carl sneered. He hadn't been invited to the House of Dreams either and was feeling sore.
But Rilla was aghast: how did he know her secret? When they had promised they would never marry each other, she had never said she was in love with anyone else, either!
"Well, Persis Ford will never have anything have anything to do with an impudent boy like you!" she had retorted.
So Carl had gone off in a huff to play with Una, and she was lonelier than ever.
------------
Sensing another presence on the verandah, Rilla scowled. "Go away, Carl" she hissed without looking.
"But it's me." Shirley offered shyly. Shirley was tall and dark, and blended in calmly with the garden shadows.
"Go back to Susan, then." Rilla continued, but with less venom.
"Do you want to be left alone?" Shirley asked.
"No," Rilla sulked. "Everyone leaves me alone. They think I'm a baby."
"Everyone forgets me." Shirley said simply.
Rilla looked at her eleven-year-old brother, wide-eyed. Susan kept him to herself so often, and he seemed content with her company. "Re-ally?" she asked.
"Yup. Even... you."
Rilla half-acknowledged that she never paid attention to Shirley, who spoke so little and played so silently. But she wasn't done feeling sorry for herself. "You won't understand what it's like to miss out on staying all night at the house of dreams, Shirley."
"No, I don't." Shirley said. "I've never been to one. But ... I can imagine."
"Can you imagine what fun they're having?" Rilla sighed. "Life isn't fair. I never get to be a part of anything Nan and Di do."
"I never get to be a part of anything any of you do." Shirley said, still simply. "I wasn't even in Avonlea with you all when Mother and Father went to London."
"Oh, Shirley, I'm sorry." Rilla said slowly.
---
that's where i'm stuck at. does anyone have suggestions?
--------
A tiny green figure sat on the Ingleside stoop, morosely kicking the dust and cherry blossom petals.
Having finished rereading Alice in Wonderland, Rilla Blythe was incredibly bored. "Bored" was not an adjective she used frequently - Susan having decreed it "unladylike" - but verily, Rilla uttered to herself with a dramatic sigh, ladylike manners were futile attempts when the entire world patronised you as a roly-poly baby.
Except Walter, of course. But Walter had gone to spend the weekend with Jem in Charlottetown. The sunset sky and violet shadows made her miss Walter keenly. She wanted Walter to trace cloud-pictures and muse over Alice's Adventures with. Still sulking, Rilla recalled their tearful, affectionate parting beneath the White Lady.
"Walter," she had mourned, gazing hopefully at her black-haired brother "however will I path a three dayth without you? Will you promith me you'll read all the poetry you write in Charlottetown to me, firtht? Me, not Di?"
"I promise," the black haired, black eyed answered solemnly. He adored his little sister's rapt adoration of him, and Di was too jolly and goodhearted to mind.
Rilla's long lashes misted with tears, and as they fluttered on her creamy skin Walter thought she was a veritable thing of beauty. But Rilla had not finished imparting the woes of a nine-years-old. "When you go to Queenth...Walter - how will I bear it? How will I bear a year without you?"
Walter, dreaming about the poem he would write for Rilla on the train, answered lightly. "Let's not worry about next year. We have a beautiful summer ahead of us. And tonight... the Fords just came, Rilla, so Nan and Di are going to the House of Dreams. Ask mother to let you go, too."
Walter had left Rilla full of rainbow dreams. He did not know what secret she had connected with the House of Dreams, but he had noticed how visits thereto threw her into the delights of anticipation.
"Nan - Di - " Rilla had hesitated over who to ask first, Nan whom she envied and feared for her pride and beauty, Di who she envied even more for all her intimacy with Walter. "Mother says I can come to the House of Dreams with you."
"Oh, but you can't." Nan remarked, too busy braiding her brown tresses into the Candogan knot with a pink silk ribbon.
"We've bringing Faith Meredith because she's just our age, and Persis won't have any more sleeping room." Di added with a kindly smile.
She had fled tearstung to the kitchen. "Girls' sleepovers are for when you're older, pet." Susan tried to comfort her.
"But I AM old!" Rilla had stormed to tell Carl Meredith when they trysted by the Hollyhock bush.
"Not old enough to make eyes at Ken Ford, Miss roly-poly." Carl sneered. He hadn't been invited to the House of Dreams either and was feeling sore.
But Rilla was aghast: how did he know her secret? When they had promised they would never marry each other, she had never said she was in love with anyone else, either!
"Well, Persis Ford will never have anything have anything to do with an impudent boy like you!" she had retorted.
So Carl had gone off in a huff to play with Una, and she was lonelier than ever.
------------
Sensing another presence on the verandah, Rilla scowled. "Go away, Carl" she hissed without looking.
"But it's me." Shirley offered shyly. Shirley was tall and dark, and blended in calmly with the garden shadows.
"Go back to Susan, then." Rilla continued, but with less venom.
"Do you want to be left alone?" Shirley asked.
"No," Rilla sulked. "Everyone leaves me alone. They think I'm a baby."
"Everyone forgets me." Shirley said simply.
Rilla looked at her eleven-year-old brother, wide-eyed. Susan kept him to herself so often, and he seemed content with her company. "Re-ally?" she asked.
"Yup. Even... you."
Rilla half-acknowledged that she never paid attention to Shirley, who spoke so little and played so silently. But she wasn't done feeling sorry for herself. "You won't understand what it's like to miss out on staying all night at the house of dreams, Shirley."
"No, I don't." Shirley said. "I've never been to one. But ... I can imagine."
"Can you imagine what fun they're having?" Rilla sighed. "Life isn't fair. I never get to be a part of anything Nan and Di do."
"I never get to be a part of anything any of you do." Shirley said, still simply. "I wasn't even in Avonlea with you all when Mother and Father went to London."
"Oh, Shirley, I'm sorry." Rilla said slowly.
---
that's where i'm stuck at. does anyone have suggestions?
I'm sorry I didn't comment earlier, but I really like where you're going here. I hope you continue.
I finally found a moment to read this and I think it is lovely. I would like it if you expanded on it more. When Rilla is in the "depths of despair," she doesn't think anyone could possibly know what she is going through. It appears at the end that Rilla realizes that she isn't completely misunderstood and maybe feels a bit badly for ignoring Shirley. You could definetly expand on Rilla and Shirley's relationship now that she realizes he has been mistreated too. It's excellent, I hope you can find more to write about on this.