I wrote this for my AP English class, but decided to post it here too!
A Word of Explanation
Orson Scott Card, in his Ender's Game series, frequently references a book titled The Hive-Queen. The Hive-Queen itself does not have any printed text in any of Card's novels, but the reader is told that the book is written from the Hive-Queen's point-of-view by Ender Wiggin which he signs as Speaker for the Dead. This book is eventually used as the basis of a humanistic religion revolving around a belief in truth and understanding above all else. This short story is an exploration into the thoughts and memories of the Hive-Queen and presented in the context of Ender's book.
My story shows the segmented and disconnected thought structure of the Hive-Queen by using a broken style and alternating format. The following explanation will assist the reader in understanding the Hive Queens as they are portrayed.
The Hive Queens have a type of genetic memory which allows them to remember all of the memories of every Hive-Queen who has ever existed. This genetic memory is referred to as the Memories of the Past in this story (yes, it is supposed to be capitalized). These memories lead to the Hive-Queen's confusion of tenses as well as identity.
Due to the interconnected thought structure and inherited memories of the Buggers , the name given to the species by humans, every Hive-Queen is connected to every other Hive-Queen. She frequently superimposes herself on a Queen of the Past as well as on Queens in other places. She frequently uses "I, she" and "I, we" in various combinations, since she sees her identity as many beings. The Hive-Queen sees herself as all of her workers, all other Queens and all of their workers – not just as the one body where her specific aiúa (philote that controls the body – a.k.a. soul) resides. She can differentiate herself but does so rarely and usually refers to herself as we.
The Hive-Queens move mainly by instinct. They remember the past, acknowledge the future, but do no dwell on either. This leads to a slightly fragmented thought structure.
This story attempts to reveal the anguish felt by the Queens as they realized that they were not as alone as they thought. Their preconceived notions of sentient life led to their destruction, leaving only one survivor who became Ender's source for his text. As Ender's book supposedly provided a deeper understanding of the Buggers and the Hive-Queen in Card's series, hopefully this story does as well.
The opening and ending passages, designated by italics, of this short story were taken from pages 321 and 322 of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.