Anne remembers Matthew Cuthbert

[anneoftheisland]

Usually when Anne found herself in the wikiup village known as the Hidden Hamlet, she was giddy with excitement about soon having her own home there as well. It was so small and perfect and she couldn't imagine a nicer place on the island to be. But today, today she had a very solemn duty that kept her from twirling her skirts and basking in her imagination. She'd been on this island for over a month now, so she'd come to realise for certain that she wasn't going to wake up and find herself at home any time soon, but she did have a small piece of home with her, and a large piece of home in her heart, and today she would bring those two things together.

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[island-anne.livejournal.com]

"I should have been visiting his grave," she said softly. "I promised that I would, and I believe, oh I believe that he heard me promise that, Ray. It was only a few weeks ago, so even if Heaven is as beautiful as I imagine it is, so beautiful that it could distract even Matthew, he won't have forgotten already."

[the-real-ray.livejournal.com]

Ray blinked and cleared his throat. He wasn't sure how anyone could say things like that and mean them, but if anyone could, it was this Canadian.

"You can remember him here. He'll get that, Anne. He'll understand."

[island-anne.livejournal.com]

Anne nodded her head and clutched his arm a little tighter. "That's why I wanted to go to the waterfall," she told him. "And that's why I'm so very glad I ran into you, for there's no one on this island I would rather be with right now. You've been so very good to me, Ray, and there's something that I need to do."

[the-real-ray.livejournal.com]

"I'll help you with it," Ray assured her, swallowing back a lump in his throat.

Ray had never really known how she felt. Benny would have known. The sort of burden she had was a lot like the Mountie's. It wasn't that Canadians cared more deeply or better than anyone else, but it sure seemed like that sometimes.

[island-anne.livejournal.com]

They'd reached the small clearing around the waterfall, and Anne opened her hand to show him the two pips she held there. "I had apples, when I arrived here," she told him. "Apples from home, from Green Gables. I've been storing the seeds in the coldbox for the last month, so they should be ready to plant now. I want to plant them here, to have a place for Matthew here on the island."

[the-real-ray.livejournal.com]

When he died, Vecchio was definitely making sure his chief mourner was Canadian. He eyed the seeds, nodding respectfully. He wasn't sure what to say but Anne didn't really need him to say much. She just wanted him there and Ray could manage that. "All right."

[island-anne.livejournal.com]

"I don't even know if they'll grow or blossom here," she confessed. "I know they don't normally grow on tropical islands, but this isn't any ordinary tropical island, so maybe it will let me grow an apple tree for Matthew. Do you think it might do that, Ray?"

[the-real-ray.livejournal.com]

It sure as hell better. He frowned a little and then nodded. "Probably. We'll figure something out."

[island-anne.livejournal.com]

"I think it's worth taking the chance," she agreed, and found a nice spot where she could clear away the underbrush, so the fledging apple trees would not suffer from too much competition. It wasn't anything like an orchard, but it didn't need to be. It just needed to be a little piece of home.

"Right here, do you think?" she asked, before she pressed the seeds into the ground.

It was in a shady corner, so the trees wouldn't get too hot, but a spot which would also get sunlight so the trees could grow tall and strong -- a place where Anne could come and sit and spend time, whenever she liked.

[the-real-ray.livejournal.com]

Ray nodded his approval. He didn't know much about planting trees but the island was weird and probably wouldn't mind having some apple trees.

"Yeah, there's plenty of sun but enough shade. And when they grow, you can read books under 'em or sing or look for fairies." Or whatever she did.

[island-anne.livejournal.com]

"I think they would like that," said Anne, giving him a smile. "I think Matthew would like that as well. He was a man of few words and he did lack imagination, though I should never call that a failing in him, but he always did appreciate imagination in others."

She knelt down by her cleared patch of ground and pressed both seeds in, just a little bit under the surface of the soil. There were two seeds, but likely only one tree would grow. One tree was all Anne needed here.

[the-real-ray.livejournal.com]

Matthew sounded like fine upstanding Canadian to Ray. He knelt down, ignoring whatever effect the sand would have on his clothes because some things in life managed to be more important than that, and watched her plant the seeds.

[island-anne.livejournal.com]

It didn't look like much when Anne was finished, but soon the seeds would sprout and the very first beginnings of a tree would grow. Until then, Anne marked the area with stones and flowers, so she would know where to come back to. The island climate would surely give the trees all the water they could possibly need; Anne -- and Ray, perhaps, sometimes -- would give them the attention that would help them to flourish.