Anne With An E Season 3 FANMADE SCREENPLAY

EPISODE 302

She Was In Training For A Heroine

EXT. FOREST — WINTER AFTERNOON

Fresh SNOW lays on the ground. Everything about the forest is calm, quiet and enchanted.
ANNE SHIRLEY-CUTHBERT walks the woods with a SCRAP of PAPER in her hand.

On the paper are the words of a POEM by Archibald Lampman. She recites while weaving her way through a path of spindly TREES weighed down by snow.

ANNE
(reciting)
"White are the far-off plains, and white The fading forests grow; The wind dies out along the height, And denser still the snow."

Anne climbs atop a snowy BOULDER, reciting as she goes.

ANNE (CONT'D)
"A gathering weight on roof and tree, Falls down scarce audibly."

Once she's on top, Anne stands erect and elegant. She continues to recite as if to a huge audience, rather than just the surrounding trees. She performs with much emotion and dramatics.

ANNE (CONT'D)
"The road before me smooths and fills Apace, and all about The fences dwindle, and the hills Are blotted slowly out;"

Anne points suddenly up into the sky, her voice rising.

ANNE (CONT'D)
"The naked trees loom spectrally Into the dim white sky.
(her voice softens again)
"The meadows and far-sheeted streams Lie still without a sound; Like some soft minister of dreams The snow-fall hoods me round; In wood and water, earth and air,A silence everywhere."

Anne climbs down from the boulder.

ANNE (CONT'D)
"The evening deepens, and the gray Folds closer earth and sky; The world seems shrouded far away; Its noises sleep, and I, As secret as yon buried stream --"

Anne scoops up a handful of snow in her MITTEN.

Anne (CONT'D)
(dramatic finish)
Plod dumbly on, and dream!

Anne blows on the snow in her hand and it blows sway in a sparkling gust.

The snow flakes blown from Anne's hand fade to snow falling around the Avonlea school house.

EXT. AVONLEA SCHOOLHOUSE - DAY

The school day comes to an end for most of the
STUDENTS. All eagerly await.

MS. STACY (O.S)
School is dismissed, all except for the Queens class.

Loud CLATTERING as the students get up from their desks and hasten to escape the classroom.

Anne and DIANA BARRY look at each other sorrowfully -- the time to part has come. Diana reaches out and squeezes Anne's freckled hand in farewell. She stands and bravely leaves the classroom. Sadly, Anne watches her bosom friend go.

EXT. AVONLEA SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER

Diana walks away from the school house. Snow drifts down and touches upon the shoulder of her COAT.. She pauses and looks back at the school house wistfully before continuing on her way.