Anne with an E - A Modern Remake

Prologue 1 - Home

As her frail, slender body made it on the train towards Bright River, Anne couldn't help but have a million thoughts racing through her mind. Her bright, ocean-blue eyes stared off into the distance, admiring the kaleidoscopic scenery as her hands pinched her wrist. Ow, at least this is real, she thought.

Anne had been so terribly excited that her life would be reanimated and that she would finally belong to someone, so she didn't sleep a wink all night. She had spent the night hours writing; ink drops lost to midnight's manuscript, verse after verse, pouring her excitement down on paper.

As the train approached the station, Anne closed her eyes.

You're trash. You're nothing. Nobody even wants you, not even in this orphanage.

Her breaths were getting short as her hands trembled with utter fear. Anne, a quick-witted, uniquely spirited girl, was different. She seemed to surpass others of her time by a century, and often her passionate nature overwhelmed others. She had never fit in; others her own age dubbed her weird and obnoxious, and those in adulthood simply saw her as a problem. Yet, despite never fitting in, Anne was determined to find her place in this world—a world that didn't seem to accommodate her—as she believed that there was a place for everybody, even individuals like her. 

As the train screeched to a stop, Anne's heart was beating rapidly, not knowing what her new family was going to be like. She grabbed her bags and ran down the steps towards the station: families embracing loved ones, lovers sharing passionate kisses, and businessmen making their way out. She was all alone, but she was not the tiniest bit afraid; rather, she was excited, ecstatic, and delirious with joy. The cherry tree beside the station quickly caught her attention as she ran and admired its beauty.

ANNE'S POV

Oh dear cherry tree, how wonderfully marvelous you are. Your arms are so delicate; they look as if I could blow them away with a breath. Oh, wait. I must stay at the station; otherwise, they won't be able to find me.

I trudged down the gravel path, pebbles dancing on my boots with each step. As I sat overlooking the platform, I became nervous. Yes, nervous. I usually have a thousand big words to describe my big feelings, but this time, I was just nervous.

They will never want you, you ugly freckled redhead.

I shook the thoughts away as I patiently waited for Mr. Cuthbert, but not without admiring the scenery first. Isn't it marvelous that the trees danced with the wind as it whistled the symphonies of today?

.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。

As Anne sat describing her surroundings to herself, a man, possibly in his 50s, halted his carriage to a stop. He looked at the girl with a strange curiosity, as Anne often muttered to herself, and did not realise it until something snapped her out of her fantasy. As he looked around the station with no signs of the little boy he had come for, he approached the wide-eyed, redheaded girl. But before he could get a word in, he was interrupted with firm handshakes.

"Good morning, sir. My name is Anne, Anne with an E. Might you be Mr. Cuthbert?", the little girl said, still shaking his hand.

"Oh, um, yes, I'm Matthew Cuthbert. But there must be a misunderstanding; I've come for a little boy to help on the farm, not a girl", Matthew replied, puzzled as ever.

"Oh, but it is my understanding that you have come for me. I can help on the farm; I'm thin, but I'm much stronger than I look; I can help with the kitchen, the farmwork, anything you may need; oh, Mr. Cuthbert, I've never belonged to anyone before, please!", the little girl rambled, her hands still furiously shaking Matthew's.