Summary is the words England said to young America when he taught him about 'the connection'.
Alfred F. Jones, or officially known as the personification of the nation of the United States of America, climbed up a hill, panting like there was no tomorrow. His thighs burned, and he enjoyed from that feeling as much as a worn-out, thick atlas under his fingers or exploring new places on Earth - or in space.
A small, cool wind blew, playing with Alfred's clothes, but he didn't care about that. (Well, he was worried that the wind would catch his bomber jacket.) Then, suddenly he stopped and breathed deeply - he felt the fresh air at his lungs, like it was cleaning them. Alfred had reached the top - he smiled like he was the world champion, which he kind of was. He spread his hands and turned around himself fast, until he felt himself dizzy and fell on the ground.
Alfred felt overflowing happiness. He was like a cup which contents were flowing over its edges; he couldn't hold the feelings inside of him anymore. He laughed, until tears were streaming down his face. When his laughter ended, the night was silent again. He sighed, the happiness vanishing a bit, and looked at the sky above him.
The dark night sky was full of stars, which twinkled playfully and shined coldly, like trying to tell a message written in an unknown, mysterious language of the cosmos. The lonely half moon looked lonelier than it really was.
The nation reached out for the stars, like he could take them from the sky. He knew it was impossible, but hope for better future kept them alive, right?
Then, Alfred pointed at the constellations he knew for fun (he liked learning!): Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, Corona Borealis, Crux, Vulpecula and so on.
He imagined the faces of the ones he had ever cared for (his brother, friends, the nation who was his Achilles tendon) on the sky: his more-or-less big brother, Canada, England, Davie (the memory made him sometimes cry, but not tonight), Russia, France, Japan, China, Italy and surprisingly, even Germany. They were some kind of friends, after all.
"I'm friends with the whole world!"
He closed his eyes and let his right hand fall. Someone would've thought he was dead, but no, he was calming down. He hadn't had a hard day, but today he felt he needed to get away from everything. Alfred wanted to find a place where he could truly connect to his land all over again, feel the history of his country under his feet. Deaths, births, promises, broken hearts, the whole cycle of life. He had seen it all.
He sighed deeply again, and let his conscious wander through all the layers of history and memory. He remembered his whole life. Alfred knew other nations did this too, to connect with their land or refresh the connection. England, or the British Empire at that time had taught this to him, although he didn't feel as strong connection with his land than he had with his land. The pulse of the land under him felt stronger than in decades. Maybe because of the fact that he didn't do this very often.
The grass around him swayed calmly, like protecting his unconscious body from harm. The moon and stars continued their watch for a nation who had so much power but was just a small leaf in the big, invisible forests of cosmos.
The night was silent.
I got this idea from Coldplay's song "A Sky Full Of Stars" when I listened to it (while trying not to watch Fifty Shades of Grey) but this oneshot does not have the same meaning.
Headcanon that nations connect to their land this way, hidden from the eyes of their people. Also, I'll add a thing to that. Some nations, who had been under other country'sauthority, like America or Canada, can feel a small connection with that other country, but it's not as strong as their own connection to their land.
Ok I'm off to sleep 'cuz I have a German exam tomorrow at school.