At the train station of Bright River, a shy old farmer named Matthew Cuthbert waited nervously. He had come to pick up an orphan boy to help on the farm. But sitting on the platform, swinging her skinny legs and clutching a worn carpet bag, was not a boy at all — it was a girl! She had bright red braids, a face full of freckles, and the biggest, most sparkling grey-green eyes Matthew had ever seen.
From the moment they climbed into the buggy, the girl did not stop talking. 'My name is Anne Shirley — Anne with an E, if you please, because it looks so much more distinguished!' She gazed at the red roads and blooming apple trees with wonder. 'Oh, Mr. Cuthbert, isn't this the most beautiful place? I shall call that road the White Way of Delight!' Matthew, who was terribly shy, found himself smiling for the first time in years.
When they arrived at Green Gables — a lovely white farmhouse with a green gabled roof surrounded by apple orchards — Marilla Cuthbert stood at the door looking very stern. 'Matthew Cuthbert, where is the boy? We asked for a boy!' Anne's heart sank. 'You don't want me?' she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. 'Nobody ever wants me.' Marilla looked uncomfortable but invited her inside for the night.
That night, Anne lay in the little room under the east gable, too excited and too frightened to sleep. She gazed out the window at a cherry tree covered in white blossoms, its branches reaching toward her like friendly arms. 'I shall call you the Snow Queen,' she whispered to the tree. Even though nobody wanted her, this was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. She made a wish on the first star she spotted — to stay at Green Gables forever.
The next morning, Marilla planned to send Anne back. But quiet Matthew spoke up — which he almost never did. 'She's a nice little thing, Marilla. And she needs a home.' Marilla sighed. 'She talks too much. She has too much imagination. She is nothing like what we planned.' But something about the girl's hopeful, trembling smile made Marilla's stern heart soften just a little. 'Very well,' she said at last. 'She can stay. On a trial basis.'
Anne soon met Diana Barry, the girl who lived next door, and they became the very best of friends — 'kindred spirits,' Anne called them. They made a solemn vow of friendship under the birch trees, linking their little fingers together. 'Oh Diana, do you think you could like me a little — enough to be my bosom friend?' asked Anne breathlessly. Diana laughed and said, 'I think I could like you a lot, Anne!'
At school, Anne met Gilbert Blythe, who was the smartest boy in class. One day, trying to get her attention, Gilbert leaned over and whispered, 'Carrots! Hey, Carrots!' — teasing Anne about her red hair. Anne's grey-green eyes blazed with fury. She stood up and CRACK — broke her slate right over Gilbert's head! The whole class gasped. Anne declared she would never, ever forgive Gilbert Blythe. Not for as long as she lived.
Anne's imagination sometimes got her into trouble. One day she tried to dye her red hair black using a potion from a travelling salesman. But instead of black, her hair turned a horrible, sickly green! Marilla had to cut it all off. 'My beautiful hair!' wept Anne. 'Well,' said Marilla, trying not to smile, 'perhaps this will teach you vanity has its price.' Anne wore her short hair bravely, and it grew back even more beautifully than before.
One autumn afternoon, Anne challenged her friends to walk along the ridgepole of the Barry kitchen roof. 'I can do it!' Anne declared. She climbed up — one step, two steps — then her foot slipped! She tumbled off the roof and landed with a thud. 'My ankle!' she cried. It was badly sprained. As she lay there, she realized that trying to show off was silly. True bravery meant something different entirely.
Despite their rivalry, Gilbert Blythe kept trying to be Anne's friend. When Anne and Diana's little boat began to sink in the pond during a make-believe adventure, it was Gilbert who rowed by and rescued Anne just in time. 'Let me help you,' he said, reaching out his hand. Anne grabbed it gratefully. For just a moment, she forgot she was supposed to hate him, and she saw the kindness in his hazel eyes.
Years passed, and Anne grew from a gangly orphan into a bright, accomplished young woman. She studied hard, won a scholarship, and made Marilla and Matthew burst with pride. One evening, Matthew said softly, 'Anne-girl, I'm so glad we kept you.' His eyes twinkled with gentle love. 'Well, I'd rather have you than a dozen boys,' said Marilla gruffly — and Anne knew that was the closest Marilla would ever come to saying 'I love you.'
Anne stood on the hill behind Green Gables, watching the sun set over Prince Edward Island in shades of gold, pink, and purple. The apple orchards were in bloom, and the red road wound like a ribbon through the green fields. She was no longer the lonely orphan from the train station — she was Anne of Green Gables, with a home, a family, and friends who loved her. She had learned the greatest lesson of all: home is not where you start, but where your heart decides to stay.
