Chapter Ten
I didn't want to open my eyes. I was too tired, too achy to move. I smelled the sweet smell of wet grass. Wait a minute, wet grass? I opened my eyes, slowly. I was soaked through. I was lying in the middle of my backyard, with this great big branch on top of me. But I can't remember how I got here.
"Anne!" I called out into the wind. I looked around and realized I was home. And I was wearing normal clothes again: my wet raincoat and jeans.
Then what was all that? All of Avonlea and Mrs. Lynde's house and Sara, Mell and Mike and…and Anne? Where did it all go?
I pushed the branch off me and slowly stood up. There was an aching pain in my lower back, but I didn't know why. Also, my ankle hurt as I put weight on it. I must have really fallen hard. I started walking up the hill to my house, when I stepped on something. I picked it up and looked at it. It was my Anne book. On the cover was the smiling face of a girl with red hair and grey, green eyes. And it all came to me. I MET her. HER, on the page! Oh, man, that was so cool! I grinned at my book, tucked it under my arm and ran inside.
"Oh my God, Annie, where have you been?" my mother took me in her embrace roughly. I smiled into her shirt.
"I've been gone so long. It was almost a year. I'm sorry I didn't write, but that would have been difficult—
"We were looking for only you twenty minutes."
"But, I was gone all that time with Anne of Green Gables in Avonlea and Sara was there and Mell and Mike and—
"Ouch, look at that bump on your head. You must have hit it really hard. It looks awful. Here, honey, let me put some ice on it."
Giving up, I allowed her to put some ice on the huge bump that ascended from my forehead, all black and blue. She brought me into the bathroom and took my raincoat, telling me to take a shower.
Reluctantly, I pulled off my sweatshirt to my tank top underneath. As I tossed it to the floor, I noticed something glittery on my neck. Reaching up, I felt a small gold chain with a charm that looked like a moon. I screamed.
Of, course, my mother came running up.
"What? What is it?"
"N-nothing, Mom. Just my bump looks really bad."
"I know, dear, but it'll go down soon enough."
I gaped in disbelief at the moon charm. Was it really real? Did that really happen? No way, no way, no way! That's impossible, Mom said I was gone twenty minutes. That could never have happened in that short amount of time. But, could it have?
That night I went to bed in kind of a haze.
"Aren't you going to read your Anne book?" Melissa asked sarcastically.
"I don't have to read it. I LIVED it!" I said triumphantly.
"OK," she rolled her eyes.
On Monday, I could not wait to get to Mell and Sara to see what they thought of our recent adventures, or Mike. I had brought with me my Anne of Green Gables book.
"Hey, Ann, how was your weekend?"
I smiled wickedly.
"Oh, nothing special, I just went to Avonlea for a year."
Sara actually laughed.
"Didn't do anything either? Yeah, my weekend was pretty dull. Same old, same old."
"Same old? Same old?" I cried in disbelief. "Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
"Avonlea! Anne Shirley! Mrs. Lynde!"
Her mouth opened, but she didn't say anything. She was looking at me, like I was stark mad. Maybe I was. I felt like it, until I reached in my collar for the gold chain.
"Look, see? This is from Anne!"
"Sure it is, Ann."
Mell walked up to our table. We both turned and looked at her in surprise. She looked in between us, back and forth.
"What did I do? Whatever it is, I'm leaving. Bye!"
"No, wait!" I cried out.
"What?"
"You remember, right? Sara doesn't think it happened, but you'll remember, right?"
"What?"
"What?"
"What?"
"STOP SAYING THAT! Tell me you remember!"
"Remember what, Ann?"
"Avonlea? Anne Shirley? Guy with specks?"
"You mean Rivers? Yeah, I saw him this weekend on my album cover."
I groaned and turned back to Sara.
"You have to remember Gilbert! He was all over you!"
"Really? Is he cute?"
I looked from one to the other. Sighing, I realized it really had been my fantasy.
At lunch, my friends were still looking at me weird, as if I were to burst any moment. I had gotten over the shock of them not knowing and had elapsed into my Anne book, giggling at the parts we took part in. I wonder if Anne remembered "Uptown Girl."
I took the liberty of keeping the secret to myself, which they probably preferred. All of a sudden, a hand pulled my book from my face.
"Same book as Friday?" a familiar voice spoke. I smiled up at Mike.
"What's so great about this book anyway?"
"You'd be surprised. You should know anyway, you were there."
"OK, I'll bet you had an interesting weekend."
"Oh, I did. One that I'll remember always."
"OK, well, um, bye."
I watched him pass me quickly and I smiled. There is scope for imagination in 2002 and I had just found it.
THE END
Epilogue (Sara and me walking to English class)
"So you're saying that you went to Avonlea with me, Mell and Mike?"
"Yeah. I can't believe you don't remember."
"It's your fantasy."
I shook my head.
"So, where you going next?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you went to Avonlea, right? So, where's next?"
"I don't know. Hey, what about Harry Potter?"
Sara shook her head at me.
"Nuh-uh. You got to pick this time. So it'll be my fantasy next. Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
THE END (maybe)
I didn't want to open my eyes. I was too tired, too achy to move. I smelled the sweet smell of wet grass. Wait a minute, wet grass? I opened my eyes, slowly. I was soaked through. I was lying in the middle of my backyard, with this great big branch on top of me. But I can't remember how I got here.
"Anne!" I called out into the wind. I looked around and realized I was home. And I was wearing normal clothes again: my wet raincoat and jeans.
Then what was all that? All of Avonlea and Mrs. Lynde's house and Sara, Mell and Mike and…and Anne? Where did it all go?
I pushed the branch off me and slowly stood up. There was an aching pain in my lower back, but I didn't know why. Also, my ankle hurt as I put weight on it. I must have really fallen hard. I started walking up the hill to my house, when I stepped on something. I picked it up and looked at it. It was my Anne book. On the cover was the smiling face of a girl with red hair and grey, green eyes. And it all came to me. I MET her. HER, on the page! Oh, man, that was so cool! I grinned at my book, tucked it under my arm and ran inside.
"Oh my God, Annie, where have you been?" my mother took me in her embrace roughly. I smiled into her shirt.
"I've been gone so long. It was almost a year. I'm sorry I didn't write, but that would have been difficult—
"We were looking for only you twenty minutes."
"But, I was gone all that time with Anne of Green Gables in Avonlea and Sara was there and Mell and Mike and—
"Ouch, look at that bump on your head. You must have hit it really hard. It looks awful. Here, honey, let me put some ice on it."
Giving up, I allowed her to put some ice on the huge bump that ascended from my forehead, all black and blue. She brought me into the bathroom and took my raincoat, telling me to take a shower.
Reluctantly, I pulled off my sweatshirt to my tank top underneath. As I tossed it to the floor, I noticed something glittery on my neck. Reaching up, I felt a small gold chain with a charm that looked like a moon. I screamed.
Of, course, my mother came running up.
"What? What is it?"
"N-nothing, Mom. Just my bump looks really bad."
"I know, dear, but it'll go down soon enough."
I gaped in disbelief at the moon charm. Was it really real? Did that really happen? No way, no way, no way! That's impossible, Mom said I was gone twenty minutes. That could never have happened in that short amount of time. But, could it have?
That night I went to bed in kind of a haze.
"Aren't you going to read your Anne book?" Melissa asked sarcastically.
"I don't have to read it. I LIVED it!" I said triumphantly.
"OK," she rolled her eyes.
On Monday, I could not wait to get to Mell and Sara to see what they thought of our recent adventures, or Mike. I had brought with me my Anne of Green Gables book.
"Hey, Ann, how was your weekend?"
I smiled wickedly.
"Oh, nothing special, I just went to Avonlea for a year."
Sara actually laughed.
"Didn't do anything either? Yeah, my weekend was pretty dull. Same old, same old."
"Same old? Same old?" I cried in disbelief. "Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
"Avonlea! Anne Shirley! Mrs. Lynde!"
Her mouth opened, but she didn't say anything. She was looking at me, like I was stark mad. Maybe I was. I felt like it, until I reached in my collar for the gold chain.
"Look, see? This is from Anne!"
"Sure it is, Ann."
Mell walked up to our table. We both turned and looked at her in surprise. She looked in between us, back and forth.
"What did I do? Whatever it is, I'm leaving. Bye!"
"No, wait!" I cried out.
"What?"
"You remember, right? Sara doesn't think it happened, but you'll remember, right?"
"What?"
"What?"
"What?"
"STOP SAYING THAT! Tell me you remember!"
"Remember what, Ann?"
"Avonlea? Anne Shirley? Guy with specks?"
"You mean Rivers? Yeah, I saw him this weekend on my album cover."
I groaned and turned back to Sara.
"You have to remember Gilbert! He was all over you!"
"Really? Is he cute?"
I looked from one to the other. Sighing, I realized it really had been my fantasy.
At lunch, my friends were still looking at me weird, as if I were to burst any moment. I had gotten over the shock of them not knowing and had elapsed into my Anne book, giggling at the parts we took part in. I wonder if Anne remembered "Uptown Girl."
I took the liberty of keeping the secret to myself, which they probably preferred. All of a sudden, a hand pulled my book from my face.
"Same book as Friday?" a familiar voice spoke. I smiled up at Mike.
"What's so great about this book anyway?"
"You'd be surprised. You should know anyway, you were there."
"OK, I'll bet you had an interesting weekend."
"Oh, I did. One that I'll remember always."
"OK, well, um, bye."
I watched him pass me quickly and I smiled. There is scope for imagination in 2002 and I had just found it.
THE END
Epilogue (Sara and me walking to English class)
"So you're saying that you went to Avonlea with me, Mell and Mike?"
"Yeah. I can't believe you don't remember."
"It's your fantasy."
I shook my head.
"So, where you going next?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you went to Avonlea, right? So, where's next?"
"I don't know. Hey, what about Harry Potter?"
Sara shook her head at me.
"Nuh-uh. You got to pick this time. So it'll be my fantasy next. Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
"Sherlock Holmes."
"Harry Potter."
THE END (maybe)