Chapter 19 Serendipity

Hiraeth, a homesickness for a home you can't return to, or that never was.

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The pollution of the train filling the people's lungs. The sounds of horns being pulled and children running around with their siblings. Mothers trying to get control over their children who are acting like- well children. Fathers talking to other men and some yelling at the train station worker to get them what they desire.

Gilbert and Merliah were standing in line at the ticket booth to buy their way onto the train. They were fourth in line. Gilbert checked his pocket watch, "10:43, the train leaves at 11am." He spoke as he was antsy to get on the train, afraid of missing it. "Don't worry Gil" Merliah said as she placed a gentle hand on his arm, rubbing it soothingly up and down. "We won't be late, we will make it."

She smiled at the boy and he gave a smile in return. The line becoming shorter by one more as they moved up.

Merliah spotted some Rudbeckia and Echinacea flowers. She told her new found love that she would be over at the entrance of the train station just a couple steps away from the line to smell the flowers.

As she walked over to the tall bushes and pots of flowers, her dress flowed in the light breeze. The train station was not a closed building, there were no doors but openings in the walls in a half circle design to let people come and go as they please. Gilbert watched her as she knelt down to smell an alluring orange flower. Although she was the most captivating thing in the room. The way her brown-golden hair fell in tight curls down to her middle waist since it had grown so much from being nurtured from the open world. Her blue dress that you wouldn't think would go well with orange but now he sees it. Her smile, oh it shun so bright as she lifted a wilting flower; anyone else would not have taken interest in a broken flower, one on its peak to death, but she did, she always did.

Gilbert felt a light shove, "Move up." A groggy man spoke to him. Gilbert reacted by moving up a foot step or two, now only being two people in front of him. He returned his gaze to the girl. To her.

Merliah moved one of the big pots closer to the entrance so the one wilting flower could get some sunlight. He noticed she was talking to the flowers, smiling as her delightful conversation went on. "Crazy that one is." Said the same man who shoved Gilbert as he was watching Merliah as she enjoyed herself.

"She's deeper than anyone else, and that's probably why nobody gets her. She's a bit too much for anyone, that's perhaps the reason she's always alone. She's more mature than anyone else her age, maybe that's why she understands what others can't. But she wants to feel understood, she doesn't want to be lonely anymore, she wants to be normal so that she can fit with others. She wants to change herself because she just wants to be loved. And that's the saddest thing in the world, because she's so extraordinary, and there's no one in the goddamn universe that could be as much as her. But she doesn't realize that, and she blames herself every night for not being ordinary. She hates herself for being this unique human being."

The man did not speak another word.

Once Merliah was satisfied with what position the pot was in, she wiped her hands against each other and walked back over to Gilbert. He swore he saw her skip a little bit from excitement. "Hi my love!" She said as she hugged him, Gilbert smiled and said hello back as he wrapped his right arm around her and placed his chin on the top of her head.

"Next!" Hollered the train station cashier. Merliah picked up her suitcase as did Gilbert and they walked up to the man as the window with a half circle hole at the bottom that separated them. Gilbert set down his suitcase and got out his wallet that Marilla had made him, and pulled out enough money to go wherever they wanted, however Gilbert already planned where they would go, it was a surprise for the eager brunette next to him.

The cashier took the money from the hole of the glass and asked where we are going from the train. "England.." Merliah's eyes widened with surprise, a good surprise. "Once you get off the train you will have to go to the station inside and purchase tickets for the ship, it will take you to England from there. It is a one way boat ride, do not get off anytime sooner or you will not be at your destination. We've had too many fools make that mistake." The man in black and red work uniform said.

Gilbert nodded a thank you to the man as he picked up his suitcase, Merliah following him with hers. They walked to the gate of their train as Gilbert would occasionally look at the ticket he was given to make sure they were not getting on the wrong train.

As they were walking to their train Merliah heard a distinct cry. A baby? She looked around and every child or infant was with their respectable elder, no child was crying or throwing a tantrum. It's just in my head she told herself. Than she heard it again. "Gilbert." She said as she grabbed his arm to stop him from walking to the gate. "Wha-" Merliah cut him off by shushing him, he heard it too.

They followed the cries as they walked to the benches by the ticket booth that were empty. Merliah set her suitcase down and started looking around the benches like a search dog looking for illegal substances. She moved the wooden seat over and found a tiny bassinet, travel size. It was white; it had curled puffs at the end of the fabric that draped around the structure of the mini crib, stars and flowers were sown into the fabric. There was a light breathable white cloth that covered over the bassinet. The crying from it echoed.

"Merliah we need to go." Gilbert said, not seeing what Merliah was. She removed the white fabric from the top to see a beautiful baby girl. Her eyes pure blue, reminding her of Anne's beautiful eyes. Her skin, a fair white that was the only kind acceptable at the time. She had bouncy brown curls as hair and she laughed as the child kind of looked like Gilbert. The nose structure almost the same, the lips too, no her lips are more full and have more shape. Merliah picked up the bassinet and turned to Gilbert, he awed at the tiny child and noticed a piece of paper tucked under the infants arm, grabbing it.

He read aloud to them both, "If you find my dear Hiraeth please take care of her. I can not take care of her myself, she deserves a good home, a family who can love her better than I can. Do not take her to the orphanage, from experience they will ruin her. Love her." As he finished reading he looked at Merliah, sorrow on both of their faces.

The baby girl was no longer crying, but was intently looking at the both of them, mainly Gilbert. "What do we do? We can't just leave her, who knows what could happen to her." Merliah said to Gilbert as she put her hand next to Hiraeth's hand, in return she wrapped her hand around Merliah's one finger. Merliah smiled at the adorable child as she then looked to Gilbert. "All aboard!!" Was echoed through the train station. "We have to go, our train-" "Gilbert what about the baby?" Merliah asked as he rushed them to the gates of the train, both suitcases of theirs in his hands as he handed the two tickets to the ticket collector. "We will take her with us, and once we get to England we will figure out what to do. We can not miss this train." He said as they were walking the halls of the train as he was looking for an empty booth.

Once he found one he slid open the purposely foggy glass that acted as a door to the private booth. Gilbert let Merliah walk in first with the child before walking in himself, closing the door behind him. He set the two suitcases on top of the cupboards meant to hold their luggage as he sat down on the other side of Merliah, the baby in between them.

She pulled back the white fabric again to show the blue eyed child. The baby smiled big as her non existent teeth showed, her cheeks pink and pulled upward from her smile. Her lashes, dark and long, making her even more beautiful. "She is quite astonishing. I can not believe someone would leave their child at a train station of all places." Gilbert said as he leaned back onto the wall of the train, moving his feat to be placed on the seat, he covered his forehead with his hat as he closed his eyes to relax for a moment.

"It must be a sickening feeling." Merliah sighed as she also leaned back against the wall, her pinkie being held by Hiraeth's full hand as she watched the orphan daughter to a mother she will never know. "To give birth to a child and having to give them up because you yourself can not take care of them. To put your trust in the world to hope that they are okay."

The train vender was walking down the isles of the train station, knocking on ever door seeing if anyone would like anything. The woman knocked on Gilbert and Merliah's door, causing Merliah to stand up and open the door. "Hello dear, would you or that fine young man-" She said gesturing her head to Gilbert, "Want anything from the trolly cart?" Merliah looked at Gilbert, he nodded his head no.

Merliah turned back to the lady and saying they didn't need anything and thanked her. Right as the train vender was walking away Merliah stopped her. "Actually- you don't think you would have any for babies? Anything for infants?" The woman hummed in question, "I am not sure, I will go check and will come back and let you know if I do dear." She said with a smile. Merliah thanked her than let her walk back to the area where the workers stayed.

Once she sat back down Gilbert set his hat down on the seat opposite from them, he than picked up the bassinet and set it down on the carpet of the floor; sitting down himself, leaning his back against the seat. He gently picked up the child and positioned her to where her back was against his left arm and the crook of his inner elbow was holding her head. His right hand gently holding the side of Hiraeth's body.

Gilbert smiled at the baby as she watched him intently, her smile coming and going as he amused her. "You must have had a rough day little one." Gilbert looked up at Merliah and smiled a dazzling smile, his brown curled drooping down his forehead. The brunette smiled back as she watched the two.

A knock at the door pulled the two out of their moment. The train vendor opened the sliding door as she smiled to the two customers. "We do have some formula, apparently many mothers reported to the staff that during travel they needed a supply of it to be on all trains. So the company distributed them across many train stations to hopefully decrease the complaints and increase the money." She said with a laugh as she shook her head. "However not many people who travel on our trains carry children as young as yours."

A laugh was given in return as Merliah asked how much for three bottles. She took out her money pouch that she started collecting money with once her and Gilbert made the idea to leave Anovlea. She took out 39 cents and dropped it into the hand of the lady. The vender left and than returned minutes later with three warm bottles of formula; which was really just warm milk. "39 cents huh?" Gilbert sighed as he looked back down to Hiraeth, smiling at her as he made goofy faces, causing eruption of giggles to escape the innocent child.

As Merliah took the bottles and sat down next to Gilbert, the lady watched them. The brunette handed Gilbert one of the bottles and he gently placed it in the mouth of the baby in his arms. "You really have a way with children, and wait until Eliza hears about this." Merliah said to Gilbert with a stifled laugh.

Hiraeth took the bottle with ease and began sucking on it, taking in the substance that fed her. Hiraeth's eyes fluttered open multiple times as her eyes drew weary and the need for sleep overpowered anything else. Within minutes the sweet little girl was asleep. Gilbert with drew the bottle and placed it down next to the others, she only drank one fourth of it.

The boy cradled the child in his bearings as Merliah laid her head against his shoulder.

The two had fallen asleep on the floor, Hiraeth was back in her bassinet as it was in between Gilbert's legs, and Merliah was still leaning her head on Gilbert's shoulder. His arms wrapped around Merliah and held her close. And at 2:56 in the afternoon they would be close to getting off the train and onto the ship to England, where a new beginning is awaiting.