When I landed on my planet, it was evening. I felt the cool grass under my soles. I admired the wonderful landscape. I had missed those places so much…

I closed my eyes, smiled, opened my arms and took a deep breath, enjoying the clean air of my planet. Ahh! How different it was from the polluted air I had got used to breathing all that time on the planet of mortals. What a wonderful sensation. I exhaled in a delicate manner.

I felt something rubbing itself against my legs. It was a grey bunny that was moving like crazy. How cute it was being excited! It seemed it had recognized me and wanted to show me how much it had missed me. I laughed. I cradled it in my arms and kissed it. 'I've missed you too, my little one,' I whispered in its ear.

Next, my face got serious. Sure returning home is nice. But let's not forget that I had also done horrible things, which, sooner or later, I had to take responsibility for.

I put the rabbit down and flew away. I landed in the center of my island. My bed was good as new, being incorruptible. But, on it, there was a very old piece of paper. It was damaged and turned yellow. I read it (well, who wouldn't?): 'HERE IS WHERE MY MOMMY USED TO SLEEP. MOMMY… WHY DID YOU GO? WHY?'

My heart sank. I let out a huge sigh. It seemed that Uranus slept at his own island. He had not come to mine again since he left that piece of paper.

I flew a few meters away, to Uranuses island. I landed in front of his bed. He was there, curled up and sleeping restlessly! My sweet one was as handsome as I remembered!

During one of his abrupt movements, I noticed that, around the area where his treasure used to be, he had tied a cloth. He did not want to see the wound! I teared up thinking of how much physical and emotional pain I had caused to the creature I loved more than anything else in the world.

I had no idea how Uranus had been doing all that time I was away. All that time I stayed on the planet of mortals, I never found the courage to even use my insight to find out what had happened with him, how he felt. Even now, I was trembling thinking of what I might find in his memories if I read his mind. But I had to do it! I had to, at last, find the courage to face the consequences of my actions!

I began reading the mind of the sleeping boy. His nightmarish memories started unfolding before me. During the first years after the previous time I had seen him, Uranus was devastated. He was so sad that he could barely walk. Every time he managed to get some sleep, he would dream that I returned and everything went back to the way it used to be! And he would feel, in his sleep, a joy transient, almost instantaneous! Next, my smiling figure would fade from his dream. And he would desperately cry, 'NO, MOM, DON'T GO.'

And everything would go dark. And he would hear voices. Voices of unknown persons. Voices grim and non synchronized. Voices that all said the same thing: 'Mom will not come back!' And Uranus would wake up in tears. Over time, he just learnt to live with his sorrow. Without ever smiling again!

'Honey… you have suffered so much,' I whispered. And the most staggering of all things I found in his mind was that, all that time, he had never felt a trace of anger or hatred, even though he had every right to do so! He felt only sorrow.

I caressed his head. He started moving again. I panicked and became immaterial. He woke up abruptly. 'Mom?' he cried and got his upper body on his palms.

He looked nervously around. Nothing! I sensed huge disappointment and misery in his sweet heart. His eyes filled with tears. He dropped his upper body back on the bed, bursting into sobs. I could not bear to see him anymore. I left.

For the whole next day, I watched from a distance Uranus dragging his feet aimlessly here and there, without a trace of his old smile. Every now and then, he would have a snack or mess around with some activity.

Meanwhile, every animal that happened to see me, be it a deer or a rabbit or a bird or a squirrel, would excitedly rub itself against me, thus showing me how much it had missed its master. To my child, though, I had not found the courage to show myself yet. Finally, by the set of my planet's magic light, I decided it!

Uranus was lying sideways under a tree, supporting his head with one palm, and idly leafing through a comic book. I gathered all my courage and approached. 'Uranus,' I said, in a low and soft voice in order to alleviate a possible shock as much as possible.

Uranus got on his knees. One would say that his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets! His lips moved, without his voice coming out. It was easy, though, from the movement of his lips, to make out that he said, 'Mom?'

'Yes, honey, this time, it is not a dream,' I said as I paced towards him. 'I think you do realize that, this time, I'm really here!'

I knelt in front of the boy, who was trembling with shock. 'Never again will I leave you alone,' I said and caressed his bangs. 'Never again will I…' Before I could finish that sentence, Uranus fainted!

When the boy regained consciousness, he found himself lying on my bed. I was sitting next to him and looking at him with an expression of concern. I stroked his hair. 'Mom?' he said weakly. 'Is... is that really you?'

'Yes, honey,' I answered tenderly.

With my other arm, I reached for the cloth that Uranus had tied around his ancient wound. Instinctively, the boy moved away and got on his knees, with his eyes widened. 'Don't be afraid, honey, don't be afraid,' I whispered comfortingly, leaning towards him. 'All your sorrows are over. Mommy shall take care of everything.'

I knelt on the bed, in front of him. With him still having an uncertain expression, I lowered my eyes and, with my sensually beautiful hands, untied the cloth. Uranus moved slightly and unconsciously. 'Relax,' I whispered as sweetly as I could.

I positioned my hand above his wound, opened it and, for a few moments, emitted a golden light down there. By the time I was done, Uranuses treasure had been reborn!

The boy widened his eyes again, more than before, and slightly opened his mouth. He was staring at the area between his legs, astonished.

At that point, I could not control myself anymore. I got down on all fours, with my head lowered, and burst into tears. 'Forgive me, honey,' I sobbed.

Uranus was staring at me, surprised, not knowing how to react. I continued, struggling to take deep breaths: 'I know I have done horrible things to you, but, please, forgive me. I swear I will never harm you again. I will do anything for you to be happy. Anything! I'm begging you, FORGIVE ME!'

I could not talk anymore. My sobs had become uncontrollable. Uranus took hold of me by the shoulders and raised my upper body to the level of his. His innocent, green eyes met my tearful, blue ones. 'Mommy... I've missed you so much,' he said.

We stayed still and looking at each other for a while. Little by little, Uranus teared up as well, except those were tears of joy. He smiled. I shyly reciprocated the smile. He slowly leaned towards me. Our eyes closed and our lips joined.

That night, Uranus did you-know-what to me three times in a row. And, when I say 'in a row', I mean it. Three times without taking his treasure out of mine at all in between! Even when, after the end of the third time, he fell asleep on me with a smile of total felicity, he did not bother taking it out; he slept with his treasure in mine!

When I woke up the next morning, I gently pushed Uranus aside and, in his sleep, he got off me. I turned sideways, supporting my head with one arm and caressing the sleeping boy with the other. I stayed like that and kept looking at him till he woke up.

When he woke up, it was almost midday! He looked at me. We smiled almost simultaneously. 'Morning,' he said.

'I know you're a snoozer, but I think that, this time, you overdid it a little,' I replied, laughing.

'I needed that,' he replied while, with his eyes closed and a wide smile, changed his lying position into face up and stretched. 'You don't know how long it had been since I last slept really peacefully.'

My face clouded over. I sat up: 'Uranus, I am terribly sorry for everything you went through because of m…'

Before I could finish, Uranus sat up as well and, smiling, placed his index finger on my mouth, thus hushing me. 'Mommy,' he said and, after a pause, continued: 'Don't look back!'

I reciprocated his smile. Uranus jumped off the bed and pulled my arm. 'Come on. Let's go for a walk,' he said, excited.

I laughed. 'How about we go to outer space?' I suggested. 'I've got a surprise for you.'

'Yay, I love surprises,' Uranus bounced.

I laughed again. Without bothering getting off the bed first, I soared into outer space.

'Wait for me, mommy,' Uranus called out and flew behind me.

By the way, as I flew, I sent a telepathic message to Aphrodite for her to return to our planet.

Along with Uranus, I landed on a barren asteroid, where the planet of immortals was clearly visible from. 'Uranus,' I smiled at him. 'I once promised you that, someday, all mortal creatures that have ever died would be resurrected into ageless bodies.'

My offspring widened his innocent eyes: 'You mean that…'

'Yes, you goose,' I interrupted him, laughing. 'That day has come. Look towards our planet.'

Uranus did so. Before his surprised eyes, the size of the planet of immortals multiplied, becoming equal to that of a giant star! 'With the power of my will, I enlarged our planet so that there is room for everyone,' I explained to my son. 'Just now, everybody has been resurrected. All resurrected animals as well as all resurrected humans who deserve it are now on our planet!'

Uranus was about to bounce in joy, but, suddenly, he stopped and took a troubled expression. 'What do you mean when you say «all humans that deserve it»?' he asked.

My face clouded over as well. I sighed. 'Listen, Uranus,' I started hesitantly. 'There are some humans who are not so good. They have been resurrected too, but they won't be with us. I transported them to a place very different. And they will remain there until they manage to solve the riddle of their heart, as I have solved the riddle of mine! Whoever manages it will be allowed to come to our planet.'

Uranus lowered his eyes. 'And… I suppose that… Cronus is there too,' he said sadly.

'Precisely,' I answered with a heavy heart.

Heavy as the silence that followed. Finally, I approached Uranus, placed my index finger under his chin and raised his head. I smiled at him. 'Come ooon, smile,' I prompted him. 'Someday, Cronus will be back with us. But, first, he must find his true self. It's for his own good!'

Uranus started smiling, tentatively. Eventually, his smile became hearty! He raised his body. 'Wanna race to our planet?' he asked and, without waiting for a response, soared like a rocket.

I laughed and flew behind him.

And now, folks, I and my sweet Uranus are waving you farewell. Au revoir!

THE END