The Good Mother

Mother Sun gazed out upon her children as they spun around her. Poor little Pluto was out at the end of his elliptical, Uranus and Neptune were sleeping, and it looked like Jupiter was teasing his sister Saturn once again.

The asteroid belt where Primius used to spin still brought tears to Mother Sun's eyes when she remembered how blue green and fertile he once was, before he had become infected with some sort of virus, and then mysteriously exploded.

After the birth of little Venus, Mars had moved into the warm third position. He had become a bully to poor little Earth, and then he too had become infected. Soon his atmosphere had all boiled away.

That was when Mother Sun gave birth to baby Mercury, and pushed Mars out of the way, stretching everyone’s orbits and making Earth the focus of the only spot in the line that was perfect.

Sweet little Earth.

She had become infected long ago, but so far, she was still beautiful, and only small stains and bald patches had appeared on her skin. Teenagers could be so problematic!

Mother Sun looked with joy at her blue-green daughter, and then in horror watched her atmosphere become gray, and filmy. The growths on her skin died, leaving her infection free, but also dry and barren.

She sighed and then, hoping maybe Venus would get it right, she pushed out another little planet.