The Mock-Queen

This story first appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Issue #60 (@ASIMtweets).
Thanks to Sue Bursztynski for editing work. (@SueBursztynski )

Welsh superstition says that staring down into the ocean is dangerous - the call of the water will cause you to jump from the cliff to your death.
Being an OzWelsh myself and more than slightly spooked by large bodies of water, this piece of folklore led to the Gagendor (which is Welsh-meaning chasm, or abyss), since I can't think of anything more terrifying than living on the edge of a gigantic, earthshaking whirlpool.