"SO, JUST WRITE ANOTHER BERT STORY.". . .
"Another Bert story?" Ruby asked.
"You always write a version of the same thing." Diana explained, and Magnolia set her own down.
"No, I don't!"
"About a dashing hero named Albert, Herbert, Rupert, Pilbert—" Diana started.
"—Pilbert!? That's ridiculous. I would never write a story about a boy named Pilbert." Magnolia laughed, she knew Ruby would most definitely would use Pilbert in one of her stories.
"Well, you always murder everyone—" The red head decided just to tune them out and work on her story.
"How else am I supposed to deal with the fact that he's been gone for eight months and two days, and he may never come back!" Magnolia looked up, she hadn't realized it had been that long. She swallowed thickly and brought her knees to her chest.
"Anne, please take your nose out of that book and help me here!"
"How about a tragical tale of a sad and handsome scientist, who one day stumbles upon a secret that could save the world?" Anne said.
"Oh, Anne, however do you think of such amazing things all the time?" Diana inquired.
"I draw from life, Diana. I draw from life." Magnolia smiled.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" She turned her head to Diana who was digging in her bag for something. "I've had letter from aunt Josephine! She's very keen to read one of our stories. Let's only send her out very best."
"Well, then, we can send her all of Anne's." Ruby added, longingly.
"Let's send her one each, to be fair."
♡
Magnolia sat her milk in the cold stream, then turned to her friends. "Is that Cole?" Anne questioned, the red head glanced in the direction that Anne was looking, and sure enough, Cole was there, sitting on the ground, drawing. "He looks different." Anne mentioned.
"He looks positively mature."
"Yes, he does." Magnolia agreed.
"Not like all he did before harvest." Diana muttered. Suddenly, Anne grabbed both their hands and dragged them into the school. The three of them giggled as they found their seats.
♡
Magnolia watched Cole as he ate alone in the corner. She felt bad for him, he didn't have any friends.
"You should've stopped him from getting on that steamship, Magnolia." Her attention immediately went back to the girls she was sitting with. "If Gilbert falls overboard and drowns, it'll all be your fault." She rolled her eyes internally.
"He'd return how soon enough if he knew there was gold on his farm." Josie said, then took a sip of her milk.
"Magnolia is writing him a letter, aren't you?" Ruby asked, and the red head shook her head.
"He doesn't want a letter from me, why don't you send him one, Ruby?"
"He looks so awfully lonely." Anne interrupts, she was starring at Cole.
"I think he's more sad and handsome than lonely."
"Josie's dead gone over Cole." Jane teased, Josie glared at her in return.
"I am not. I'm simply observant." She defended.
"There is no boy more sad and handsome than Gilbert Blythe." Ruby said and got another eye roll from Magnolia. The red head was quite annoyed at Ruby and how she always romanticized Gilbert's pain and sadness, so she stood, grabbed her bucket, then walked over to Cole.
She sat down by him and smiled. "Could I join you? I'll share my tarts if you let me." He grinned and nodded. Soon Anne and Diana came over, and then came the other girls, well, excluding Josie.
♡
Magnolia sat at the kitchen table, pen in hand. She was going to write to Gilbert, she really didn't want to but Anne begged her to. So she did. But she didn't know what to say.
After half an hour of debating on what to say, the red head finally gave up trying to be perfect and wrote down the first thing that came to her head.
Dear Gilbert,
How are you? It's been quite a long time, Ruby said it's been eight months but it doesn't feel like it. She really likes you, you know, she can't wait for you to get back, well, if you ever do. Hopefully, you will, because everyone at school misses you.
By the way, I put flowers on your fathers grave last week, they're yellow roses, I thought they made his grave look even more lovely.
Anyway, I hope you're doing well, goodbye, Gilbert.
Sincerely,
Magnolia
She cringed at the letter, but she didn't throw it away, instead, she brought it to her father for him to take to the post office.
♡