​The Queen’s Golden Tomb

I reign from my throne room, attendants crowding around me. They tend to my every need—I am far too busy ruling our society to feed myself. Such is the way of things here.

I’ve spent my entire life overseeing the construction of this grand palace. I placed every single worker in their position. I organized our military and our scouting missions, our hunting parties. All of it is under my domain, and the responsibility is crushing. An attendant of mine, Beatrice, rushes up to offer me some water. I drink it gratefully, then return to my task at hand. Where to assign this next batch of workers?

Before I can decide, a veteran worker speeds in, vibrating with panic. “The palace is breached! A tremor struck, and the walls are failing! Your majesty, we have to get you out of—” before she can finish her sentence, the white wall behind her crumbles.

To my horror, she is crushed instantly. Dead. Thousands live within these walls, yet every loss fractures me. A mother should never bury her daughters. Before the full weight of her death hits me, I see it. The wall collapsed due to the weight of liquid bearing down on it, viscous liquid that is now rushing towards me. The very gold we depend on engulfs me. It’s so thick I can’t move, despite my frenzied struggles to get free. The liquid creeps into my airways, blocking all breath. I can still see my attendants all around, suffering the same fate. They thrash beside me, unable to free themselves before drowning, their loyalty now their doom.

My heart is breaking but I have to hold on, my citizens need me. There are no heirs awaiting. If I die, so does this colony. As the gold swallows my last breath, that’s my final thought.

A few days later, a beekeeper goes to open one of his hives. A comb—overloaded with honey—had snapped from its frame. His stomach lurched as he quickly lifted the undamaged comb frames to inspect the wreckage- then froze. The queen bee lay in the bottom of the box, drowned in honey along with a few of her attendants. “Damn it,” he muttered, making a mental note to get that hive a new queen.