Epilogue: Globalization

After what came to be known as The Big Hug, almost all wars and terrorist attacks ceased everywhere in the world for almost a full month, and the number of crimes and domestic violence cases dropped by seventy percent.

Interest in Aphrodite expanded from the USA, Canada, and a few European countries to worldwide. Livia was again tasked to find enough priests to spread the word to all the nations.

Unfortunately, there were many countries that did not welcome missionaries from unapproved outside religions, or any religion at all. Venus herself stepped in for those situations. She’d appear in slums and political prisons to teach them the glories of Love and healing the disfigured.

If any authority, be it police, prison guard or army, tried to stop her, she’d divest them of their weapons, clothes, and vehicle with a wave of her hand. Leaving them to make their way back on foot, naked.

Reports of her doing this appeared in a dozen countries simultaneously.

One notable case was North Korea. She first brought food and taught people in the political prison camps, some who had been born there, and had never known that such a thing as love existed. She also healed any scar, wound, or birth defect that blemished the prisoners’ appearance. When the prison guards, who tried to stop her, got disarmed and disrobed, they went back for reinforcements.

After their third attempt failed, they finally gave up and set up a sniper to take the goddess out from long range. But the Goddess knew of any malicious intent. After she dealt with the gunman, she stripped the whole camp of all weapons, and the guards of all clothes.

The next night, she appeared in the country’s dictator’s bed. There she convinced him that loving your fellowman was better than oppressing them. But after she left, he changed his mind. That convinced her that something drastic needed to be done.

A few days later, the country’s leadership put on a parade, showing off their military might to the world. In the middle of the parade, at the point where the front of the procession had just ended, Aphrodite struck again, this time turning the military procession into a nudist’s march.

At the same time she rid the nation of all weapons, including their stockpile of nuclear weapons. When asked where the radioactive material went, she pointed straight down, “About a hundred miles that way.”

A few days later the South Korean army entered into the North unopposed, and Korea was reunited at last.

About a week after The Big Hug, Henry Martin was standing in a sunny meadow that stretched out for as far as he could see. There were wild flowers and butterflies, all the colors of the rainbow, all around him. It was sunny and bright with a clear blue sky, though he could see no sun.

“Where am I?” he wondered out loud.

“Welcome to the Elysian Fields,” said Melissa, who appeared before him. She was completely naked.

“Melissa, sweetheart!” he exclaimed, taking her in his arms. “It is so good to see you.”

“For me too.

“I am sorry you weren’t there to see my sacrifice, but it would have been too hard for me.”

“I understand,” Henry said as he brushed back a strand of golden hair from her face, and kissed her.

Another beautiful young woman appeared before them. “This is Psyche,” said Melissa. “She’s my friend.”

“THE Psyche? From the stories?”

His daughter nodded, “She doesn’t actually live here, as she’s immortal, but she visits me often. She’s the one who talked to Venus, her mother-in-law, and got me permission to talk to you this once.”

Henry snorted, “I would think she’d do this, after all you’ve sacrificed for her.”

“Hey! I did this on my own. Aphrodite asked me repeatedly, up until the last second, if I wanted to give my life for her. I did, and I have no regrets.”

Her father looked around, “So this is the Elysian Fields. It seems kind of empty.”

“It is usually a lot more crowded. They cleared out this area, so you would not be distracted.”

She stroked his hair. “I like the gold in your hair.”

“The goddess gave that to all her believers.”

“I bet Ember looks great with the gold mixed with her red hair.”

“She does. She misses you to.”

“And I miss her.”

She started, “I am sorry. Our time is up.

“I love you, Daddy!”

“And I love you.”

And he woke up.

Henry looked at the clock, it was 2:08am.

He shook his wife’s shoulder. “Ember, honey! I had a dream. I saw Melissa.”

“That’s nice dear,” she said groggily. “What did she say.”

He tried to recall the details, “I don’t remember.”

“Go back to sleep, dear,” Ember said as she rolled over and resumed her slumber.