The Day The Earth Got Dumped

         The planet trembled, the atmosphere growing cold and overcast as the ground shook. Day and night began to blur together, whirring by at an intolerably fast rate, giving the Earth's inhabitants a brief glimpse of the sun before it was chased from the sky, the full moon in hot pursuit. Rain poured from the clouds and rivers began to overflow, flooding the water banks and beaches. The volcanoes in the ring of fire glowed a mysterious red, heating the surrounding water like a kettle preparing tea. For a brief moment, all across the globe, time seemed to stand still. Every animal paused in their tracks, staring up at the tumultuous sky with evident anxiety, while the human occupants of the planet simply watched in shock and fearful awe. The cities came to a complete standstill, and farmers stopped their trucks on their way to market. It was then, without a word being spoken aloud, that everyone came to the same realization- the realization that the worst had finally happened. Mars had broken up with Earth.
         The small planet shuddered, sniffling loudly as more rain clouds formed over her surface, sending deafening peals of thunder and blinding flashes of lightning down to the ground. Mars had been the love of her life, so warm and rugged and passionate. Yet he had always been distant, putting her in the backseat, behind the pastimes he found more entertaining and worthwhile than fanning her affections. At first she had found this attractive, having always desired the planets that were hard to reach and remained shrouded in mystique. Yet, as time wore on, she found him less and less willing to listen to her curiosities, less and less willing to answer her questions about the forms of life that supposedly lurked beneath his surface. He had never been one to share, and, after a while, grew bored of watching her from afar and hearing her inquiries, preferring instead to watch the glowing orb of luminous rock that many of her occupants had named the moon. Once he had discovered that the moon remained loyal to Earth, however, and refused to be with him, he immediately broke up with her, having a greater interest in drama than in an honest relationship. So the small planet, dressed in her aqua and emerald robes, was left to mend her broken heart in silence, with little more consolation in the empty void of space than the company of her two constant companions, the sun and the moon. Canis major, sensing her distress, neared her, whimpering and nuzzling her gently to provide her with some semblance of comfort.
         "Why're you cryin', honey?" The voice was rich and feminine, coming from behind the sobbing planet. Venus slowly made her way around to face the larger, twirling lightly around in space as she did so, her flowing magenta gown following her movements fluidly. She peered up at her larger sister, the silk of her dress brushing against the other. "Is that nasty man treating you badly? Do you want me to get Mercury to handle it? You know he would never turn me away."
         Earth shuddered, taking a deep breath to calm herself before replying. "H-h-he dumped me." She could barely force out the words, her throat was so dry and sore from crying.
         Venus shook her head. 'How could anyone want to make such a sweet girl cry?' she thought to herself sadly. She gently shushed her sibling, humming softly until the other had quieted enough to listen. "You can't let that horrible Mars upset you so, darlin'. No planet is worth your tears. Why, if Mercury ever did that to me, I would leave him in an instant. You need to find a man that will treat you right." She hesitated, noticing Earth's wariness. "If you won't do it for you, then do it for your inhabitants. I mean, just look what you're doing to those poor dears! They're practically drowning."
         Earth frowned, noticing for the first time that Venus was indeed correct. All of her crying had caused the sea levels to rise, and hurricanes blew across the surface of her many continents with unrelenting force. Snow piled up around the globe, burying people in their houses as they tried desperately to keep warm. "But what can I do?" She asked quietly, trying to calm the storms that coated her surface, with little success. "If Mars wouldn't pay attention to me, then why would any other planet? I'm not wanted anywhere."
         Venus sighed, a few flames flickering across the superheated air that left her mouth. "Girl, you need to put yourself out there." Motioning for her sister to follow her, the planet turned so that they were facing the rest of the solar system. The planets stretched out before them and constellations moved through the sky, going about their daily routines. "There are millions of planets out there, and our solar system houses some of the finest." She grinned, blushing slightly as she spoke, her clouds turning an even deeper vermillion. She was silent for a moment, simply thinking about her own love, before she finally returned her attention to her companion. Earth was staring into space dreamily, the moon revolving around her, lighting her surface beautifully. The water of her oceans glistened serenely, seemingly leafed in silver. She found herself mesmerized by the water's sapphire depths, their movements enticing and soothing, and slowly a smile formed itself on her lips. "I have an idea." Earth looked up at her questioningly, but she just turned away, heading off towards her own orbit. "Don't worry about it!" She called back to her sister cheerily, "Just meet me in the Andromeda Galaxy in a few hours!" By the time Earth had the chance to reply, she was already well out of earshot.