The forgotten coffin

Summary

During the last pandemic there were more bodies to bury than coffins. While mass graves were instituted to alleviate this problem, it was only barely enough.

One rainy day the coffin maker died, leaving behind a finished coffin in the workshop.

For a while the death went unnoticed, with everyone knowing that they could ill afford coffins at this point. Then the prince died and the king wanted a coffin to be made in his honor.

When the messenger arrived at the makers workshop, the stink of the bloated, rotting body told its tale.

The messenger could not bare the smell, and so they never searched the house and instead went back to the king to deliver the news.

The king was devestated. How could he honor his son without a coffin? While he pondered this he ordered the coffin makers building to be burned down in order to prevent spreading of the illness.

The flames quickly consumed the building and along with it the only remaining coffin in the land, never to be remembered again.

Historical Basis

People died left and right during the pandemic, so it would be no stretch to see a coffin maker and a prince die at almost the same time. There is however no solid proof that this particular story played out.