21. ‘Goodbye, My Child. Have Courage’
‘Goodbye, My Child. Have Courage’
If I could go back and change anything,
it would be the last time my mother and I spoke.
I would have held her hand a little tighter.
Smiled into her eyes a little longer.
Told her how very much I loved her
and thanked her for what I knew now.
But I was too young to appreciate her sacrifice.
So instead, I looked at my hands
as she got up to leave
and simply wept as she pulled me close.
Then her warmth left me and she walked away
while I screamed and cried and tried
to chase after her as she left in the direction
of the roars and cracks.
Styx and Hades caught me
and held me back.
And as I struggled against their strong grip,
I cursed that I was only a Godling,
I had no powers, I was no Goddess yet.
All I could do was watch as her form
grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared
into the light at the mouth of the cave
that brought us here.