They've Returned

The Ultimate Challenge

Russia looked at the golden, glowing pieces of his heart. His hand rested on the lid and was ready to unscrew it. His heart was ready, but his head was not.

"You can do this, Russia," Rus said. "I believe in you."

Russia took a deep breath and slowly unscrewed the lid. As soon as the lid left the jar, Russia's vision went dark. He sat down on the ground and poured out its contents. He groped around the floor, trying to find the right pieces to put together. They burned his fingers, but he ignored the pain. All he was concentrated on was getting the solving the puzzle.

He suddenly realized how small the pieces were. They were a little larger than Cheerios but we're small enough for him to fumble. But soon, two pieces were connected. Russia smiled. Finally, he thought. Those two pieces became four, then eight, sixteen. Slowly but surely the shape of a heart was forming. Russia was beginning to feel confident in himself. But as he held the heart, his hand began to grow numb from the heat. Numb enough that he didn't feel it slip through his fingers.

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room. "Did somebody drop something?" Russia asked, not aware that he had dropped the heart. He picked up a piece and tried to find the heart, but it wasn't there. "Oh, I dropped something." He was silent. "БЛЯДЬ!" he yelled in frustration.

Now, he had to start all over again. Luckily, the heart hadn't completely shattered and some pieces were still intact. But now he had two-thirds of the puzzle to go. Piece by piece, the heart took form again. But his hand grew numb and he dropped it again.

It was an endless cycle. He would be so close, but his hand would fail him and he would drop the heart and have to start over again. Time and time again, it continued.

After dropping his heart six times, Russia was ready to give up. "Why do I keep dropping it? This would be so much easier if the pieces were cold."

"That's why it is a challenge," Rus said. "Not everyone can do it." He looked around to make sure the others weren't looking. "Now, I'm not supposed to help you, but you're my grandson, and it is my duty to assist you. Now listen closely. They only real way to put the puzzle together is to think of the things you love. It will guide your hands and they will not burn."

Russia tried it. He thought of vodka. He thought of ice-skating. Bears. Winter. Snow. His mother. His family and friends who had cared for him. Canada. He sighed. She was probably so sad at the moment. He hated seeing her sad.

He didn't realize it but as he was thinking of all those things, his hands seemed to move by themselves and began to put the pieces together. He also didn't notice that the pieces no longer scorched his fingers. All he could think of was his only love, Canada.

All of a sudden, he snapped out of his thoughts as he felt the last piece snap in place. His blindness that he was forced to work with melted away and he could see. "I- I can see!" he exclaimed. "Oh, I can see!"

He looked at his heart that he held in his hand. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen. It beat even though it wasn't attached to anything. Each beat created a burst of light. He looked even closer to find tiny images of him, his family, his friends, and all that he loved.

"Alright," Russia announced. "I've finished my task. What's next?"

"You need to out it back inside of you," Rus replied.

Russia stared at his grandfather. "Put it back inside me?" he asked doubtfully.

"Just find where you think your heart will be and it will just slide in."

Russia looked down at his chest and felt around. He placed the heart where he figured it would go, and the heart was absorbed. He suddenly felt very alive and a blast of warmth seeped through every crack of his body.

He turned to look at the pedestal, only to see that there was a large hole in its place. He faced the Passed Nations. "Goodbye everyone," he said. "It's been nice knowing you, but I've got family, friends, and a girlfriend to get back to."

Then, he saluted to everyone and jumped into the hole, his way back to Earth.