'We've arrived at the end of another Earth cycle', she said as she walked around the table.

The table seated the gods and goddesses of the four seasons, and her. Why she was her, she wasn't entirely sure, but she knew she was (again) the bearer of bad news.

'The earth is dying', she said as she leaned over the table. 'And I'm afraid there isn't much we can do.'

'Can't we transport them?' Winter asked as he looked at her.

'Too risky', Summer, who was sitting next to Winter, replied.

Winter and Summer shared a look, distress in both their faces. Spring and Autumn sat between them and looked equally worried.

'Remember what we did last time?' Winter asked. 'Can't we do that again?'

'Definitely not!' Spring, Autumn and Summer shouted simultaneously.

She sighed as she sat on the extra seat which was placed for her, just for today. The earth was dying, for ages she had believed it was just a myth. The earth couldn't die, but now she was here and it was her bad news with which she followed into her fathers footsteps.

'Can't we lengthen the cycle?' Autumn asked as she looked around.

'Lengthen the cycle?' Spring asked cynically. 'That's unheard of, and impossible to achieve.'

Autumn sighed and looked down. None of them knew what to do, none of them dared to even think about it.

'I think', Winter began. 'It could work.'

'What?' Spring asked as he jumped up from his seat. 'We can't just lengthen the cycle, that's impossible.'

Anger could be read from his face and there was fire in his eyes.

'Actually', she said as she grabbed her skirts with one hand and stood from her seat. 'It is possible, hard, but possible.'

'What do you know?' Spring hissed at her. 'You haven't even been around for a whole Earth cycle, yet alone seen the changing of one!'

'Stop!' Autumn shouted as she as well stood. 'It's no use fighting about it anyways. We have no influence over the Earth cycles, we just have to let it happen. It's quite beautiful anyways.'

The others all looked at her in disbelieve. She was almost unable to catch her breath as she looked at Autumn.

'No', she said. 'I will not just let it happen.'

'You have to', Autumn said. 'What I said was stupid, it's the circle of life. It can't, and won't, change.'

'Well then', she said as she sat down again and stared at the wall in front of her. 'How do you suggest we just let it happen?'

Spring in response also sat, and so did Autumn. They all looked at each other and sat in silence. There was nothing they could do.

She had never felt so powerless, so worthless. It made her feel weak, more than ever before. But for the others it was not new, they had seen this all before. She hadn't, which made everything that much worse.