Rites of Spring

Signs were all around. Spring was in the air and new days of sunshine were surfacing everywhere. The darkness and agony of the past months were now just that...in the past. The fragrance was coming into the home as it never had before. Leisure time was past as well. The days were few. The workers few for now, but growing. The time for labor was at hand.

With the first rays of freedom, new building and refurbishment had begun. The flow of activity was clear to everyone, and all workers were involved. But something was amiss, something different could be felt in the group's pulse, not in any individual yet, but in the whole. Oblivious to the obvious, though, they strove on to the goal as they perceived the goal to be and yet a goal now changed.

Somewhere in the recesses of her young mind, instructions began to formulate. Her eyes opened in darkness, but she knew there was a papery membrane over her cell. When she bit into it, she felt a rush of clean air enter her old home. With just a little more force, the covering broke open. She pushed her head through first, then her shoulders and finally, her whole body and she was free.

She emerged amid hurried activity, but before she could take another step, a brace of nurses suddenly bracketed and cleaned her. After they finished, she looked around.

To her left a corps of sisters was fanning furiously to increase the evaporation rate of the new stores. To her right she could see outside to the landing platform where other sisters were touching down, multi-colored pouches full and still others, pouches now empty, taking off soon to return filled again.

Also outside, guards prepared to confront any intruders and funeral workers who carried out those who had given the last full measure. There was no mourning when these heroes of the cause were pushed unceremoniously over the edge and forgotten. But that was to be expected. Each individual was only as valuable as their role in the group. She knew this and accepted it as they all did.

Her first assignment had come quickly. No one told her what to do. It was simply an ingrained thing. As a guard, her role was to keep out anyone who didn’t belong. The family had a distinctive smell she could easily sense just as outsiders had odors just as easily defined. These outsiders, if they weren’t smart enough to leave, were killed quickly and their bodies disposed of. But that usually wasn’t necessary. Few were that stupid.

There was, however, the occasional outsider who was lost or whose home was suddenly gone. After a moment’s investigation and possible consultation with others, they occasionally were allowed to enter. From that point on, they were members with all the accompanying smells, privileges, and duties. This, of course, always happened with no fanfare.

After all, any such show would have disrupted the flow of the colony and that was the real job of every member.......maintain the colony at all costs. That was why a new queen must be created. The old one now failed to do her job and had to be replaced. But of course, not without a fight. The old queen had already destroyed all of the new queen cells so more had to be created. New guards were set in place to protect them and keep the old queen at bay.

The when the new queen was born, the old queen would die unceremoniously. No one would mourn her and no one would care. But that was the way of life.