Fear |Gilbert Blythe

✎ chapter two

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Fear

"Shhh, would you be quiet, someone's going to hear us," I say to Ruby and Diana who are whispering about something. News that there might be gold in Avonlea spread like wild fire so a town meeting was called. "Sorry," Ruby says before turning to face the crowd. We're up in the balcony on our stomachs using the railing to hide us as we listen to the adults talk down bellow. "Everybody please sit. This community will be polite and respectful of what this man is trying to tell us!" Mrs Lynde yells to the crowd making sure everyone is sitting before doing so herself. "Sir? Yes you sir," Nate calls on Mr, Lynde who has his hand raised.

I roll my eyes as Nate fidgets with his hat trying to put on a puppy dog appearance. There's just something about him that I don't like, somthing other than how creepy he is when he tries to talk to me. "My name is Thomas Lynde and my wife and I want to know where you sent the gold sample," Mrs. Lynde agrees with him. "I-I sent the sample to an independent company in New York for testing and confirmation. As I said... I didn't want my employer to know," He explains and I look to Ruby and Diana who both seem like they believe what he's saying.

"Where's the proof?" Mr. Lynde asks standing. "How do we know you're telling the truth?" The minister says slowly standing, he almost looks like he's about to fall down. The mental image makes me smile but then I feel bad for half a second. "How do we know what's real and what's fools gold?" Mrs. Lynde asks getting a round of agreement from the crowd.

"I'm actually glad you asked," Nate says while walking over to his bag while pulling out a large envelope. "I have a certificate I received in the mail from New York," he walks around showing the crowd that has now stood up on their seats to see better. "Do you think that there might actually be gold?" Ruby asks me and I pull my eyes from the certificate that I was trying to read from far away to her. "I don't know but I sure hope so. This will definitely solve a lot of problems for this town." I turn to Anne who's wearing the biggest smile. "There really is gold in Avonlea!" She whispers out astonished. "Father is quite preoccupied at the prospect," Diana adds while watching her father talk.

"Do you really think we'll all be rich like you, Diana?" Ruby asks causing us all to giggle quietly. "I'd there's gold here, Diana's about to get a lot richer," I say causing the girl to flush happily.

"Oh yes, Mr. Andrews," Mrs Lynde says calling on the older gentleman. He stands slowly, all eyes on him. "Just how do we proceed?" He asks the heavy question on everyone's mind. Nate is quick to respond though, "Each landowner would send in a sample of their soil to New York for testing. Now, I warn you, it's expensive," He pauses. "It's.. $150 per test." This causes the whole room to explode into laughter and gasps. I look down at my mom who's sitting beside Ruby's and I try and gage her reaction. Her and Ruby's mom have been whispering this whole time and have kept pretty expressionless faces, but I can tell my mom probably won't want to participate.

"It's an investment, fair enough. But an investment in the future," Nate says in a tone that's making me start to believe him, if I didn't already think he was creepy and weird. The crowd whispers amongst themselves to the point that Nate has to almost yell to be heard. "The reward for mining this land- your land," he corrects himself. "is incalculable." I look around the crowd below and see that most people aren't paying attention to him anymore, not with the fact they would have to pay $150, which is close to half of most people's yearly incomes.

"I have to write to Gilbert!" Anne whispers out causing us all to look to her. "I have to let him know about the Gold!" She says and Ruby and I both look to her shocked, I guess the rumors were true. I shove down any annoyance because who cares if she's talking with Gilbert. "Gilbert? But you don't know where he is," Diana said softly looking between Anne and Ruby. "I think I have a way I can find out," she said while standing causing us all to duck trying to hide incase she's seen. She leaves causing Diana to scoot closer to me to fill in the gap Anne left.