The Three of Us

37. Gilbert Tells a Story, Too

"What did you decide to order?"

Gilbert was sitting with Anne that evening, looking at the book catalogs again. Anne had explained her worry about books that had fathers in them. Gilbert felt for her, but before he could say or do anything to make her feel better, Anne explained that Marilla and Matthew had helped her make some choices, and now she was showing Gilbert what they were.

"Henny Penny- I don't even know what that is, but Marilla suggested it."

Gilbert explained the plot: "It's about a hen who thinks the sky is falling. A nut landed on her head. Oh, and then there's another Henny Penny story where she's wearing a coat, and then she and some other animals go to market, but Henny Penny can't go because she's stuck- she got her coat caught in the door. The story's all about how to get her free so she can go on to the market."

"Why doesn't she just take her coat off?" Anne asked.

Gilbert, his eyes twinkling, said, "Shhh! Anne, you'll spoil the ending!"

Anne couldn't help laughing.

Gilbert addressed the baby: "I'm sorry, little Cordelia, I hope you weren't listening to that. She just ruined the story for you."

Seeing Anne laugh, he felt his heart lift up.

Anne went on, "And I'll order the three little pigs, and the billy goats gruff. And some fairy tales. Thumbelina, Cinderella,... some others, I forget." She looked at the catalog. "Oh, this one is pretty. Look at the cover! There's nothing on it but painted ivy and roses. Maybe I'll get it. What's it called? Rapunzel..."

Realizing she was making a mistake, he quickly said, "No, not Rapunzel."

"What's wrong with Rapunzel?" Anne asked, not familiar with that story.

"Uh...nothing. It's just not a good story."

"Gilbert. Tell me."

"Well, it's about a man who's wife is pregnant, and she's very sick, and the only thing she wants to eat is rampion, but the only place there was any rampion was a witch's garden. It was next to them so he just climbed over the wall and stole some-"

"Why do they live next door to a witch?" Anne interrupted.

"I...I don't know, Anne. That's just how the story goes. One night the witch catches him, and she says he has to choose- his wife or his baby. The witch will put a spell on his wife that will kill her, unless the man promises to give her their baby once it's been born."

"This is a children's story?" Anne asked.

He nodded.

"Well, that can't be the end. What did he do?"

"He...uh, well, he didn't want his wife to die, so he promised the witch she could have their baby."

"Oh," Anne said. "Did his wife know?"

"I guess not. The wife kept on eating rampion-"

"What's rampion, anyway?" Anne wondered.

"I don't know- bellflower, I think. Anyway, she kept on eating it and she wasn't sick anymore, but then when the baby came, the witch took it."

"You'd think her husband would have come up with some sort of plan in the time they had before the baby came," Anne pointed out. "At least they could have moved away. But no, they just kept on living there, right next door to the witch, and just waited around till the baby was born, for her to take it away?"