Once, long ago, the world was united as one. Her name was Gaia Pangaea. She loved all her creatures… all her plants… and all things non-living… but she was terribly lonely.
"Sin…? Why do you only visit my skies at night? Surely my home is far more beautiful when there is more light from our friend on the Sun…"
"My most tender love, without me… your nights would be dark as the blackest pitch and then what would you do?"
The tan Earth looked at the pale Moon's face. Her green eyes met his white ones and soon she flushed and averted her gaze. She picked up the small mammoth that was nuzzling her leg shyly and pet it soothingly.
"I wish for you to visit me more, Sin… I long for your sweet touch during the day… I miss how white tangled with near black as our hair wrapped themselves around each other as I lay in your strong arms…"
"I will stay longer during the night for you, my precious one, but I can promise no more than that." Sin gave her a gentle kiss before vanishing into the heavens.
Gaia fell very ill soon after.
No matter what she did, she was always shivering. She strictly sat in front of fires and ate warm meals. She cocooned herself in many mammoth and saber skins, but the gooseflesh never vanished from her skin and tremors never stopped racking her strong body.
The snow piled up around her.
After a time the snow finally began to melt. She timidly left her warm cave, feeling cold water trickle onto her from the trees above.
"My warmth is returning to me…" she muttered to herself. She gave a weary smile and jumped into a snowdrift.
Her smile vanished when she realized that she was still, in fact, alone.
"Today is sweet… but it leaves a bitter after-flavor…"
Gaia wandered her home for many years.
"Mater?"
The woman turned to hunt for the source of the voice. Behind her was a tiny boy with curly dark hair.
"Estne tu mea mater?"
Gaia quickly recognized the boy's speech and altered her tongue.
"Ita vero, puer. Habesne nomen?"
The boy was elated that someone finally spoke like him, but sadly shook his head.
"Minime…? Hmmm…" Gaia pondered for one moment… than another. "Nunc, tu es nomen Roma; tu es meus filius. Iam, ego sum tua mater."
"Mama?"
"Yes, my sweet Roma…?"
"Where did I come from?"
"I am unsure, my son."
"But you are my Mama!"
"That is correct, but I--"
"Why were you not there for me if I was born from you?"
"…I did not know my son existed."
Soon Gaia found herself with many children besides her Roma. There was Germania, Aegypta, Graecia, Gaul, Britannia, Hibernia, and so many many others.
She cared for them all, treating each like a precious gem. She watched them grow and gave them everything that they could ever need.
Then the wars began.
Each nation wanted more of her and they battled each other fiercely. Roma was the first to mark his empire on her. More and more he took until finally he had too much hold… and then he vanished. One by one, her family started to disappear and she felt it every time. She lost Germania as well as her tiny Holy Roman Empire. She wept for each one.
But all was not lost for Gaia. The nations had left behind their own family members. Roma had left behind his twin grandsons, Venezciano and Romano, who together made Italy. Germania left his sons Austria, Switzerland, Prussia, and the baby Germany. Graecia left behind her son Greece, as Aegypta left her son Egypt.
Other nations were still spreading their empires. The sun never set on her beloved son Britannia, as he had several colonies spread across Mother Earth.
Eventually, Gaia was no longer needed to take care of the new nations. Many were adopted right away by the nations who found them. Soon, no one was left to take care of her.
She watched from a distance as nations cared for their colonies and battled other nations.
She was being forgotten…
The wars got worse.
All Gaia could feel was her peoples dying all over her body. Her vegetation was burned and poisoned, and she could feel all the gases and oil being pumped from her body.
She soon realized that only she could feel all the pain that humans caused. She kept it that way; she took all the pain so that her nations would not suffer.
She was a good mother and though she had been long forgotten, she would still protect them. She truly loved her children.
"Mother…?"
"Yes, precious England?"
"How long have you been alive?"
"…What year is it?"
"AD 2113."
"…Many… Many tens of millions of years… I think…"
"When will you die…?"
"……………………………...........When the last of my beloved children die."
"Mom… Mom, everything hurts…"
"I know, my darling America…"
"Where's Canada…?"
"Your brother… did not survive the bombing."
"And Mexico…?"
"Your sister has passed as well."
"…Will I die, Mom? Tell the truth…"
"…I will mourn you, my precious hero. I promise."
"I'm the only one left…?"
"Yes, my tender Germany."
"I can't feel my legs…"
"They are no longer there. As are your arms and left eye."
"…Turn off the machine, Mutter."
"You wish to die? The world is yours for the taking… I am yours to monopolize…"
"With what, Mutter? I have nothing left… …………………..Who was the last to die before me?"
"Your lover… Venezciano…"
"…I remember now… I loved him as a child… What was my old name…?"
"Hold Roman Empire, my dear."
"I promised to return to him…"
"And return you did."
"Turn off the machine, Mutter… I want to see those I have lost… and those I have forgotten. Tell me their names so I won't forget again…"
"Your father Germania… Your brothers Austria, Switzerland, and Prussia… Your sister Lichtenstein… and your lover Venezciano."
"Danke, Mutter… Auf Wiedersehen……… Live long… and remember us…"
Gaia watched as Germany slowly disappeared and soon vanished entirely. She stood from her chair and walked to the place she remembered first waking up. Everything smelled burnt and there was nary a living thing in sight.
She wondered why she was still a live - albeit terribly weak - when she found a single withering flower.
"I am sorry, little one," she murmured as she scooped it and its earth up. "but I cannot be alone again…"
As she crushed the tiny flower, she felt the last of her being flow out of her. She smiled as she felt herself disappearing and laughed as she completely vanished.
The Earth was dead.
Estne tu mea mater? - Are you my mother?
Ita vero, puer. Habesne nomen? - Yes, boy. Do you have a name?
Minime…? - No...?
Nunc, tu es nomen Roma; tu es meus filius. Iam, ego sum tua mater. - Now, your name is Roma; you are my son. Now, I am your mother.
Danke, Mutter… Auf Wiedersehen……… - Thank you, Mother... Good bye.........