Speaker 1: Welcome to into the night. I'm Narri your guide on
Speaker 1: today's excursion down a twisted path. Be careful not to
Speaker 1: get lost. Be it dark or light, It's easy to
Speaker 1: lose your way. Are you ready? Then let's begin. Queen
Speaker 1: for a day. Through sleepy eyes, she watched as the
Speaker 1: morning breeze blew, the lace curtains dappled, light streamed through
Speaker 1: the window, and the sweet smell of honeysuckle followed the breeze.
Speaker 1: She stretched and closed her eyes, in that state between
Speaker 1: dreamland and reality. The sun brought a perfect morning to
Speaker 1: an important day. The weight of her duties suddenly brought
Speaker 1: lydia High Tower to nearly full awakening. She nervously looked
Speaker 1: at the clock. Anxiety raced through her, and she pulled
Speaker 1: the comforter over her head, and she slumped back on
Speaker 1: to the bed. What I would give for one more
Speaker 1: normal day. She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.
Speaker 1: Strange dreams came and went as she tossed from side
Speaker 1: to side. Pulsating sounds accompanied the dreams, and Lydia struggled
Speaker 1: to free herself from some unknown force. She jolted awake,
Speaker 1: exhausted as a gentle rapping at her door, drew her
Speaker 1: from her sleep. Miss Lydia, Miss Lydia, are you okay
Speaker 1: open the door for me? Please? The girl dragged herself
Speaker 1: out of bed and gingerly walked across the hardwood floor.
Speaker 1: The cool boards creaked as she walked. I'm coming to uh.
Speaker 1: She smoothed her hair when she caught sight of herself
Speaker 1: in her vanity mirror, then realized not much would help
Speaker 1: her appearance at this point. She reached the door and
Speaker 1: opened it slowly. Oh, miss Lydia, you aren't anywhere near ready. Here,
Speaker 1: hold these I'll be right back. The woman placed an
Speaker 1: armload of clothes into Lydia's arms, then trotted down the hallway,
Speaker 1: shutting the door behind her. Lydia spread the garments across
Speaker 1: her bed. Soon Tula knocked on the door once again.
Speaker 1: Lydia stared at her, not sure how Tula managed to
Speaker 1: balance a tray of breakfast foods while holding on to
Speaker 1: a rather large cloth case. Lydia, you need to eat something,
Speaker 1: and I know you need this. Tula glanced down at
Speaker 1: the bag hanging from her arm. I'll set the tray
Speaker 1: on your vanity, but the two of us need to
Speaker 1: get busy making you more presentable, Lydia sighed, I know,
Speaker 1: I guess I just have to accept the inevitable, but
Speaker 1: I don't want to now. Girl, don't think like that.
Speaker 1: You have been given the highest honor by the village.
Speaker 1: People look up to you, little girls see you as
Speaker 1: everything they aspire to be. You have to look good
Speaker 1: for the coronation. Tula patted the chair by the vanity
Speaker 1: and Lydia walked slowly over and sat down, Feeling as
Speaker 1: though she walked a mile through water. She felt exhaustion
Speaker 1: even after sleeping late. Let's start with your hair. What
Speaker 1: I would give to have gorgeous red locks like these.
Speaker 1: Tula paused and looked at her own reflection in the mirror.
Speaker 1: It's no wonder I was never considered for this honor.
Speaker 1: This blonde mop of mine is unruly as the day
Speaker 1: is long. I'd make a terrible queen. Tula set to
Speaker 1: work brushing Lydia's flowing auburn hair. Now it's going to
Speaker 1: take a while, and I may pull and tug a
Speaker 1: little bit, but that's the only way to turn this
Speaker 1: gorgeous hair into the traditional updoo. Lydia nodded and smiled
Speaker 1: slightly at her companion, Tula, I couldn't do this without you.
Speaker 1: I'd still be hiding under my blankets if you weren't
Speaker 1: here to prod me along. I know I don't have
Speaker 1: any choice in this, Tula stared at her in the mirror. No,
Speaker 1: you don't, and there's no sense regretting what must be.
Speaker 1: As awful as it seems, it only lasts for a day,
Speaker 1: and then you'll be free of your terrible burden. I
Speaker 1: do understand your feelings, but all that can be done
Speaker 1: now is to show your strength of character. You're right, Tula,
Speaker 1: this is my destiny. Patiently, Tula wound Lydia's hair into
Speaker 1: a magnificent hairdew worthy of a queen. Patting it gently,
Speaker 1: Tula said, I think it turned out lovely. Even Lydia
Speaker 1: had to agree that her hair had never been so beautiful. Now,
Speaker 1: let's spend the rest of our time together talking about
Speaker 1: happy times we've had so many. Soon, the women talked
Speaker 1: and laughed until tears formed on their lashes, sharing stories
Speaker 1: of childhood adventures and teenage misshaps. It's all part of
Speaker 1: growing up, my dear friend. Lydia squeezed Toola's hand. I'm
Speaker 1: glad You've been with me every step of the way,
Speaker 1: and I'm glad you're here with me now. Tears welled
Speaker 1: in Toula's eyes. Me too, honey, me too. After a
Speaker 1: moment of silence, the two took to compose themselves. Tula
Speaker 1: tried to sound as chipper as possible while I start
Speaker 1: at your make up. How about we share stories about
Speaker 1: other coronations. I think the earliest one I can remember
Speaker 1: is when we were three. My mother forced me to
Speaker 1: wear those black shoes that were too big for my feet,
Speaker 1: and I clip clopped everywhere like a horse. Laughter broke
Speaker 1: out between them. I remember those shoes. Those awful boys
Speaker 1: even whinnied at you. I'd forgotten all about that. They
Speaker 1: sure made me mad that day. That was the same
Speaker 1: year mother forced me to wear that hideous pink dress
Speaker 1: with the rough material that poked me all day. He
Speaker 1: ended up with a rash from it, didn't you? I did?
Speaker 1: It was terrible. I wanted to strip naked and run home.
Speaker 1: Wouldn't that have been a sight? Tula and Lydia doubled
Speaker 1: over in laughter and couldn't catch their breaths. Oh girl,
Speaker 1: we have been through sometimes that we have the clock chimed.
Speaker 1: Tula took a deep breath. We'd better get your make
Speaker 1: up finished than get you dressed. Nothing but the finest
Speaker 1: silks for you to day. Lydia's face fell, but she
Speaker 1: sat patiently while her friend applied the final touches to
Speaker 1: her make up and then helped her slip into the
Speaker 1: folds of silk. Jewels and pearls adorned the dress, and
Speaker 1: when Tula made all the necessary adjustments, they stared into
Speaker 1: the mirror. Lydia, you look like you stepped out of
Speaker 1: a fairy tale. I guess I have in a way
Speaker 1: you're studying. I'm in awe of how beautiful you are.
Speaker 1: A finer queen has never lived. Lydia looked at her
Speaker 1: reflection and smiled. The clock chimed again. The time had
Speaker 1: come for Lydia to make her way to the courtyard
Speaker 1: on the castle grounds. A carriage waited for her outside
Speaker 1: her parents home. She wouldn't see her mother or father
Speaker 1: before she left. They'd said their good byes the evening before,
Speaker 1: but promised her they'd be in the crowd. Before stepping
Speaker 1: into the carriage, Lydia turned to see the only home
Speaker 1: she'd ever known. From now on, everything would be different.
Speaker 1: She couldn't worry about that now, however, she needed to
Speaker 1: fulfill her role and serve her people. Lydia High Tower
Speaker 1: was the past to day she was Queen Lydia. The
Speaker 1: carriage rattled down the cobblestone street and the horses hoofs
Speaker 1: caused Lydia to laugh. Her memory went back to that
Speaker 1: long ago coronation day, me in my hideous, scratchy dress,
Speaker 1: Tula in those awful shoes. The laughter broke the tension
Speaker 1: for her, and as they approached the courtyard, she smiled
Speaker 1: and waved to the adoring people young and old alike
Speaker 1: flocked to the castle for the ceremony. The future of
Speaker 1: her people rested on her shoulders. The carriage slowed, then
Speaker 1: stopped at the steps of the castle. Thousands of people cheered.
Speaker 1: When Lydia was assisted from the coach, she smiled and waved,
Speaker 1: and more cheers erupted. The excitement of the crowd could
Speaker 1: be felt. The people, elated to have such a beautiful queen,
Speaker 1: were a buzz across the courtyard and even beyond to
Speaker 1: the streets of the village that criss crossed like a
Speaker 1: giant labyrinth. The ceremony itself became a blur to Lydia.
Speaker 1: She received the blessing from the priest and felt when
Speaker 1: the massive crown was placed on her head as she
Speaker 1: knelt before the altar. When she stood, she felt her transformation,
Speaker 1: and the people gasped in awe at how beautiful their
Speaker 1: new queen was. They knew she was theirs, They knew
Speaker 1: their village would be strengthened by her, and that she
Speaker 1: was one to be revered. Now unable to walk under
Speaker 1: the weight of her dress and crown, a transformed Lydia
Speaker 1: was carried by castle guards into the castle. The humming
Speaker 1: from the crowd reverberated through the stones of the courtyard
Speaker 1: and into the castle itself. Their voices rose until even
Speaker 1: the air reverberated with the sound. Her sentries carried her
Speaker 1: gently to the sacred chamber, reserved only for the queen
Speaker 1: and her courtiers. Her bed filled the center of the room.
Speaker 1: Lydia's body vibrated once placed on the silken sheets and
Speaker 1: set to work Immediately. Her now bulbous body quivered, and
Speaker 1: she no longer looked like a girl. Her growing girth
Speaker 1: rolled and undulated as she squirmed to fulfill her duties.
Speaker 1: In this one day, Queen Lydia of the hive would
Speaker 1: produce thousands of eggs. She embodied the future generation to come,
Speaker 1: and she fulfilled her responsibilities dutifully. One after another, she
Speaker 1: laid her eggs, which were carefully tended to by her servants.
Speaker 1: Lydia would never leave this chamber. She couldn't even if
Speaker 1: she wanted to. The changes in her body now made
Speaker 1: it impossible for her to walk again. Hours passed and
Speaker 1: she tired. Through sleepy eyes, she stared out the window
Speaker 1: that gave her a view of her village. She watched
Speaker 1: as an evening breeze blew the lace curtains dappled, lights
Speaker 1: streamed through the window, and the sweet smell of honeysuckle followed.
Speaker 1: The breeze spent, her life faded away, and the sunset
Speaker 1: brought a perfect ending to an important day. Thank you
Speaker 1: for joining me for this episode of the Into the
Speaker 1: Night Anthology podcast. Written by Caroline Giamanco, narrated by Nariquak,
Speaker 1: Theme music by Nico Rodriguez. All other original music, sound
Speaker 1: design and editing by Omenhawk Studios. You can find our
Speaker 1: links in the show notes. Into the Night is on
Speaker 1: your favorite podcatcher, so make sure to like, subscribe and
Speaker 1: leave a five star review to help other excursionists to
Speaker 1: join us. I'll see you next time, and remember, whether
Speaker 1: in the shadows or in the daylight, all twisted paths
Speaker 1: lead you into the night. Into the Night Anthology is
Speaker 1: a Creative Typo Entertainment production. If you had to pick
Speaker 1: just one thing to entertain you for the rest of
Speaker 1: your life, what would you choose? Creative Typo Entertainment is
Speaker 1: a storytelling network of renowned indie creators with decades of
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