Chapter 13 - The Missing Moon

"Mina, Mina" her mom held her sister and screamed.

They placed her inside her small wagon and covered her with the duvet.

"What is going on with her mom? Is it the cancer?" Reya said looking at her.

"I don't know. We never should have left the camp. We never should have," she kept repeating with her head in her palms.

Her hands started to tremble holding her little sister. "It's okay mom? We will find a way. We'll try Manhattan. Maybe there are some hospitals still intact." Reya said with uncontrollable tears streaming down her face.

They didn't have any way to help Mina. So they just sat there next to the wagon, crying.

An invisible Helios saw all this happening from up-close. 'She is the one this human gave her hair too,' he thought as he gazed at the little child. He could feel the death aura surrounding her intensify by the passing minute.

Looking at the sobbing human, he felt a pang in his chest. He touched his heart with a shocked look in his eyes. For years his heart had frozen over to human emotions. Nothing about their lives made him happy or sad. But now.

Now, his frozen heart had felt a pang of pain watching this human woman cry. 'Maybe, just maybe. I might regain my love for humans,' he thought, gazing at the sobbing human.

'She is the key,'

He then gazed at the small human huddled in the wagon holding a small piece of the moon. 'Sister, can you hear me? If so please help this little human. She is worried for the little one.' he said, touching the small moon fragment.

The fragment glowed and small silver light flowed out of it. It touched little Mina's face and went into her nose.

The little Mina woke up to see her mom and her sister crying on the floor.

"Why are you crying?" Mina whispered, rubbing her tired eyes with her fist.

"Mina," Reya shouted and hugged her little form.

"My baby" her mum sobbed, hugging them both together.

"Where does it hurt? Is it your stomach? Or is it your nose," pulling out of the hug her mom inquired.

*****

"It doesn't hurt anywhere," Mina whispered, touching her small stomach. She had always had the stinging pain, even when she was young. She never told her family though, fearing her family might worry about her.

But this time she did not lie. Her pain really did disappear. 'Am I cured?' Mina thought holding her small belly.

"It's your tummy right? Here... I have a medicine for that," her mom said shuffling through her backpack's contents.

"Mom, I am really not feeling any kind of pain. The pain is gone," she giggled, holding her hand over her stomach.

"Oh, my god really. Thank god, that is a relief," her mom said, hugging her again.

But Mina was distracted at WHAT was behind her mom, more likely WHO was behind her mom. A white-haired pretty lady stood there with a smile.

"Are you an angel?" Mina mouthed to her.

"No, I am a goddess," the pretty woman whispered.

The white-haired woman pointed at her lap. She whispered, "Keep that close with you. It will keep away your pain for 2 years or so."

'But no one should know. No one should know about my gift,' the angel whispered, and with a smile the angel disappeared from her sight.

Mina hid the small moon fragment in her hands behind her back. Mina waved back at the kind goddess.

*****

Reya looked behind her finding no one in sight, "Who are you waving at mina?" she question with a quizzical look on her face.

"An angel," she whispered with a toothy grin.

Frowning she was about to ask more about it when Mr.Kooper ran towards them panting. "Something..... Something has happened..." he said, panting with his hands on his knees.

"Oh, here," Reya handed him a new bottle of water.

"Thanks," he wheezed and took a big gulp out of it. Eyes wide, he said, "How did you even travel that far? It was like miles away,"

"Haha, I am quite young Mr.Kooper," she chuckled looking at his panting form.

"Anyway, where was I?" he questioned with a quizzical look.

"You were saying something happened….." Reya said, gesturing for him to continue.

"Oh yes, the moon, it's gone." He wheezed out and took a big gulp of water again.

"What do you mean? It can't be, it was yay big," she just spread her arms wide; "it can't just disappear. It's not possib...." she turned towards the shocking sight.

"The moon.... it's really gone," she whispered in shock.

"Where did it go?" her mom joined her at the edge, looking at the empty crater. "I ... I don't know. It was there when I was there. But somehow it vanished," Reya said, eyes wide.

"Oh and by the way, I didn't find the guy you told me about. The badly burnt one," Mr.Kooper gestured towards his face.

"He was down there, how could he have left without us noticing." she said, gazing at the empty crater.

'Weird things are happening around us.'