Chapter one : A silent night at Ingleside

It is so unusual to have everything as silent as it is right now in the house, that I almost don't know what to do with myself, or where to put myself, or which room I can go to to read or just stay silent as I watch what my other siblings are doing... In the house right now, it is only me and mom ! Since it is already two in the morning, I wouldn't dare go in her room right now, and ask her if I could come in and have a one on one conversation with her or to simply lay there in her arms and in her bed and wait together for dad to come back from the late doctor visit that he had to do right after supper. As I lay still, with my hand on the doorknob of my parents bedroom, I think to myself, do I knock and ask for permission to enter or do I simply get the door open and enter to see what mom is doing right now ?

I remember when we were little, the bedroom door of our parents was never locked with a key. We could always go knock on it at night, after a bad dream, I would see worry in their eyes if our eyes were full of tears, taking us into their arms to console us and make the bad dreams go away by rocking us back to sleep with a small song or a little story that mom or dad always had in store for us. Or very early in the morning, run in it all of us at the same time and jump on their bed, never did they yelled at us kids or welcomed us with unopened arms. I always remember, in those moments, mom and dad always laughing, kissing us all over our little bodies, singing little songs with us, tickling us. Mom and dad always had these sparkles into their eyes, even though we were in the room with them, these sparkles or these little smiles that they would always share with one another, would make me believe and know that my parents had and shared lots of love with each other and that they were really, really happy to be spending one more day with us kids and with the two of them as well.

With one last thought for my mother alone in her bedroom right now, and since it is such an unusual silent night tonight at Ingleside, I will not be disturbing mother right now, I will go to the swinging chair on the verandah, with a notebook and a pen just like Walter suggested me to do, because he thinks that I keep to much of my feelings and emotions inside of myself, that he and I are the same, we don't like to talk too much, or at all, we like to look at everything with our own two eyes, we like to stay apart from the rest of our siblings, well, Shirley is that way as well, but in a different way, he doesn't talk very often as well, he looks at everything with is own two eyes as well, but, we have a feeling that he wouldn't want to write all of the feelings and emotions that he is feeling, but, that he would like to fly with them over the moon, the sky and the stars, because, unlike Walter and me who are always reading (me) and writing (Walter) he (Shirley) is always looking up at the sky with such dreamy eyes and sometimes with his arms wide open with him running all over rainbow valley, that we have the feeling that he could really fly out to the sky and clouds at this precise moment.

Walter is already studying at Redmond University, poetry, language, grammar, literature, history, as well with a course for him to make his writing better, much, much better, perfect, much, much perfect, great, much, much greater and magnificent ! Jem is there as well, studying medicine, just like dad did back in his days ! The twins, Nan and Di are over there as well, Di as always wanted to become a ballet dancer, Nan as always wanted to open her own bookstore, with enough space so it could be at the same time, a bookstore, a cafe, with a level for Di to be able to rehearse her dancing figures and give dance lessons as well. The four Meredith's, our best friends, are at Redmond as well. Jerry is studying theology ! Faith is studying nursing ! Carl wants to be a scientist in a laboratory ! Una is taking a photography course and a panting course ! Shirley and Rilla are not studying anything right now, because they are still too young to go to Redmond. Shirley as just been done with his second year at Queens Academy and Rilla, well, Rilla his, I think that all of us, from mom to dad, to me and the rest of our siblings, we still see Rilla, as being the baby of the family, little Rilla, baby Rilla, Spider...

Not one light in the house is lighten, because of the moon whose shinning so brightly tonight. I see her with her full figure when I arrive on the veranda and settle myself on the rocking chair, which is facing her. She is so very, very big, so very, very white, so very, very round. She even as a bright/light yellow colour that is surrounding her all around her body ! I find her so very beautiful tonight ! She could be my friend and a companion as I sit here for a while as I try and write whatever goes through my mind and just like Walter had shown me to do...

Since I really don't know on what I should start to write about, I will start by writing what I saw just over a month and a half ago, with Rilla, my baby sister and Kenneth Ford, a long time friend of ours. It was right after easter break, the weather was so warm that day that you could think that it was summer already. I was walking on my way to rainbow valley, to see the sundown, when I heard a small giggle from a corner of the valley. I took a few more steps, and there, right on the spot where I wanted to settle myself, Ken and Rilla were already positioned there, the two of them, alone, with Ken having one of his arms around Rilla's shoulders, their heads touching one another and at one moment, I saw both of their faces turning to face each other at the same time and slowly but surely directing their mouths towards one another's mouth, for them to share one sweet kiss.

After seeing this, I couldn't move, blink my eyes or even speak to stop them from doing this. All I could think when I was witnessing that moment was, but, Rilla, my baby sister is not even 15 yet, and she is already kissing, and I, her older sister, who is 22, hasn't even been kissed yet... I was so choked, envious, sad for me but at the same time so happy for my little sister, that I decided to let them have and share this one special moment, by not doing anything, to forget the sundown and go back to the house !

One of the other reason I was so chocked by this was because of Ken ! I wouldn't have never thought that a guy his age, he is almost 19, could be interested in a young girl like Rilla...

While writing this last paragraph, I ear dad's car coming up from the lane. For a moment, I put my pen and notebook down, to look at him get out of the car with his suitcase in one hand, his other hand closing the door with his eyes directly looking up in the direction from where his and mom's room is situated ! Is it possible for me, from where I stand, I can see the sparkle shinning in dad's eyes ? I think so, or maybe it is the tiredness from is night of working that is showing from his eyes ? Or maybe, there is one light that is lighten up in the house right now, and this light comes from my parents bedroom and dad saw it right from outside, which would explain why he passed by through me on the verandah, without really paying attention to his surroundings, in occurrence, me, and that he went straight through the front door, inside the house and I could ear him taking the steps to go upstairs, two at a time !

...

A. N. : Hello there everyone, all of you Anne fans out there ! I am back with a second story ! Yes I know, it took me a long time to finally decide to sit down and start writing another story. One of the things that scared me or prevented me from starting this process sonner, is because of the English language... As you all know, or probably, or should and would like to know, French is my first language, English is not. I have to admit that reading the fan-fictions here really helps me from learning how to write some of the words, how to progress in english and how to not make a fool of myself while trying to write a good, proper and enjoyable story !

I would like to let you know that you don't have to have already read my other story, to be able to read this one. My first story was and still is, Good things comes to those who wait ! It was a story about Anne and Gilbert, while him being at medical school, he learns that his mother is really sick and he goes back home... It was also a story about how Marilla and John learned how to be friends again after so long, seing their children get married, be happy together, have kids... And maybe for them as well, Marilla and John, to find happiness and love into each other arms and person !

This story, One heart, One love, One family, I would say is a continuation of my first story, but it will focus more on the lives of the children, Anne and Gilbert's children, Joyce, Jem, Walter, Nan, Di, Shirley and Rilla. Sometimes you could find it that I write like it is a period drama, or sometimes you could find that I write like it is a modern day story, which is and will be perfectly normal, as I haven't decided on which period this story should and will be taking place...

Also, I won't be talking about the first World War in this story, I will be talking about wars, yes, but not on a battlefield, but wars between brothers, sisters, friends, parents with their children...

Well, this is only the first chapter. I hope that I have interested you all enough to come back for more. Because, there will be more, much, much, much more in this story !

Hecalledmecarrots, as always been the first one to encourage me into writing. This is why I want to thank her so, so very much ! And also, to say that she is one of the best exemple as a writer there could be in this world !

Bathsheba Blythe, who I always enjoy reading her stories. Really, every story that she as been writing, as made me want to write a story that could ressemble one of hers, you know, a grand saga, just like she is the expert in writing them !

I have other model writers in here as well, Katherine-with-a-K, Formerly known as J, Catiegirl, LizzieEastwood, Somuchdepends, Alinyaalethia...