Four girls sat on the riverbank, stretched out on the grass, basking in the sun's glorious rays. Anne was wearing a long green dress, and her dark red hair was half-up.

"We certainly are having wondrous weather for this time of year!" She sighed happily.

"It is indeed rather lovely." Diana agreed. She was wearing a simple dark blue dress, and her raven locks were in a braid down the side.

Ruby had a white and pink ruffled dress on, and her hair was in a ponytail tied with a pink ribbon.

Jane's hair was also half-up, and she was wearing a long, buttery yellow dress.

They sat there in silence for a moment until Ruby spoke up.

"I heard a rumour that Charlie Sloan likes you, Jane!"

"I highly doubt that," Jane replied. "But my mother says we shouldn't gossip. It's impolite."

"Your mother had tea with Mrs Lynde last week. I doubt their conversations were only about themselves." Anne said.

The girls laughed.

"Charlie Sloan is handsome, but Moody is quite funny, don't you think?" Ruby giggled.

"What about Gilbert Blythe?" Diana asked.

Ruby shrugged. "Well, he's a bit too serious and intellectual for me now."

The three other girls gasped.

"It can't be true," Diana was shocked. "Is Ruby Gillis really over the "love of her life", GILBERT BLYTHE?!"

"Well, I don't think he's interested in me. I think he likes someone else." Ruby said.

They all turned to look at Anne with knowing smiles.

"What?!" She almost yelled. "Gilbert Blythe and I are JUST FRIENDS!"

"Oh, I've been upgraded from school rival to a friend now." A dry voice from behind her said.

Anne jumped 20 feet into the air, startled. She turned around to see the infamous Gilbert, smiling that annoyingly charming smile of his.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to appear calm. She hoped he hadn't heard much of their conversation.

"Sorry." He said. "Hello, Diana, Ruby, Jane."

They all nodded politely.

"I was just about to go fishing." He said.

"Well, good luck." she said, willing the blush to go down from her cheeks. "I hope you catch a big one."

"Thanks. Farewell, M'lady." He said, slightly raising his eyebrows somewhat teasingly. Then he tipped his cap to her and waved at the other girls.

"Bye, Gil...bert!" She called out as he walked away, trying to disguise the fact that she almost gave him an endearing nickname.

As soon as he was out of earshot, the other girls collapsed into giggles and shrieks.

"He called you "m'lady", Anne! How can you say that he doesn't like you?!" Diana wheezed.

"So? He was just kidding. Friends can joke around like that. Besides, I find it exceedingly annoying." Anne plopped back down to the ground.

"Really? Because your blushing cheeks say otherwise." Said Jane.

The other two girls howled with
laughter.

"Whatever." Anne rolled her eyes. She looked around them for something to change the subject. She spied a small wooden boat by the edge of the water.

"Remember when we tried to re-enact Tennyson's tragically romantic poem on the other side of the pond?"

"Oh, yes!" Said Ruby "And, speaking of tragical romances..."

"NO." Anne face turned red again. She never had, and never would speak to anyone about the short conversation she'd had with Gilbert after Bash and Mary's wedding, and for some reason, she became nervous whenever anyone mentioned any of the phrases they had used.

"I have an idea," She announced. "Let's play Elaine, all the way through this time."

"Oh yes!" Diana clapped her hands. "Now that my mother's not here to stop us."

"Aren't we a little too old for pretend games?" Jane questioned.

"No!" Ruby said indignantly. "No one's ever too old to use their imaginations. Right, Anne?"

Anne nodded fiercly. "Exactly! Now, who shall be Elaine?"

***

After the red checked picnic blanket had been placed in the flat boat, and some wild lilies had been picked, they finally decided on their parts. Diana would be Lancelot, Jane would be Guinevere, Ruby would be King Arthur, and Anne was to be Elaine.

Anne lay down in the boat and closed her eyes, clutching the makeshift bouquet.

One by one, Guinevere, King Arthur, and Lancelot "kissed her quiet brows". They stood over her, looking sorrowful for a few moments, until Jane cleared her throat and glared at Diana.

"You have to say "Sister, farewell for ever" now." Ruby whispered.

"Oh! Right, sorry." Diana said. "Sister, farewell for ever,"

Then Ruby said; "Farewell, sweet sister."

The flat was pushed away, and Anne did her best to think romantical thoughts as she drifted down the Lake of Shining Waters.

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation in her feet. Why were they wet? She quickly sat up and looked down at her legs. She was sitting in a puddle of water, that was getting higher and higher as more seeped in through a hole in the bottom.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" She moaned "Of course there's a leak in the boat!"

Where were the oars? They had been left on the shore, unfortunately.

The water gushed and rose higher. Anne knew that the flat would soon sink, and she frantically looked around her for means to an escape.

"Gracious Heavenly Father... I don't have time to think of flowery words or close my eyes, but PLEASE help me find a way out of this situation!" She prayed.

Then she saw it - she was getting closer to one of the few wooden bridges. If she could just reach out and grab onto the pile... aha! She held onto the edge with her hands and pulled herself out of the boat, gripping the pole with her legs.

She sighed with relief as she watched the boat drift away and sink down beneath the murky waters.

'Now what?' All she could do was wait. She assumed that the girls had realised she had drifted off to the other side of the pond and had gone to get help.

After a few minutes of waiting, her fingers started to slip, and her desperation grew. Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to hold on any longer, she spied a person rowing towards her. At last! Someone had come to rescue her! But as they got closer Anne realised who it was - Gilbert Blythe. Of course, it would be him.

She sat up straighter and tried to look as dignified as she could, under the circumstances.

Gilbert's eyes widened with surprise, his brows furrowed with confusion, and then he smiled with amusement when he saw the girl clinging to the bridge pile.

"Anne Shirley Cuthbert," He said. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Fishing for lake trout, obviously." Anne rolled her eyes.

"Shall I row you to the landing?" He asked, holding out his hand.

"I suppose so." She took his hand and stepped into the boat, letting go of it as she sat down.

Gilbert started to row towards the landing.

"What were you really doing?" He said curiously.

She sighed. "If you MUST know, I was playing Elaine, Diana was Lancelot, Jane was Guinevere, and Ruby was King Arthur. We were re-eneacting one of Tennyson's poems, you see, and I had to lie down and pretend to be dead and float along in the flat, but then it drifted away and started to fill up with water, and I realised there was a leak in the boat! So I looked around, and only just right before it began to sink, I saw the bridge and grabbed onto the pile and waited there for a few agonising moments, and then you showed up."

"I seem to make everything better for other people when I'm around them, don't I?" He smiled proudly.

"Or worse," She muttered.

He chuckled lightly, desperately trying to think of something else to say that would interest Anne.

"I knew this was doomed from the moment we chose a redheaded Elaine!" Anne said dramatically, breaking the 3 seconds of silence.

"What's wrong with red hair?"

"I seem to remember a certain someone comparing it to carrots a few years ago."

"I like carrots. I've always liked your hair." Gilbert said sincerely, blushing. "Anyway, it's not really red anymore, its more of a dark auburn."

'He'd noticed?'

"Anyway..." Anne turned her head away slightly, so he couldn't see the small smile her lips were curving into.

They had arrived at the landing. Gilbert quickly hopped out and moved to help her out of his rowing boat.

"I don't need your assistance, Blythe." Anne crossed her arms indignantly.

"I know you don't, I just want to help." He pleaded with his eyes.

"Fine." Anne took his hand again and let him pull her up onto the grass.

"I'd better go quickly, they'll think I've drowned." She said.

She moved to walk away, but then stopped suddenly. She turned back around and pushed some of her dripping hair behind her right ear.

"Thank you," She said somewhat nervously, now playing with the ends of her hair. "For saving my life. I shall be forever in your debt."

"It was nothing," he said shyly, scratching the back of his neck "that's what friends do, right? We- we are friends, aren't we, Anne?"

"Yes." Anne smiled genuinely. "Why, I think we might even be kindred spirits."

Then she ran across the field to find her friends, leaving Gilbert to contemplate what she had said, and wondering how she could describe the events of the past few minutes in the least romantic-sounding way.

Because she didn't like Gilbert Blythe.

Obviously.