Кeep me

Between the pages of the past

02:30. April. Wednesday. Sangdet

Sangdet's thoughts kept her awake. She was confused by the message about the money: where could the mother have taken such a large sum without the father's knowledge? How did she even get such funds? Why doesn't the account belong to her? Who owns this anonymous account? Sangdet was lying on the bed and looking out the large panoramic window of her bedroom. The city never fell asleep: lanterns were burning everywhere, and the hum of cars did not subside.

- If she's such a bad mother, why did she even pick up the phone when I called her? Something doesn't add up here. a few months after my grandfather's death, everything changed. Everything became as it is now. Mother is cold and strange, and father.... Where did I put that photo of grandfather? " - Sangdet got out of bed and turned on an elegant floor lamp that harmoniously combined with the design of the room. "I definitely remember that the photo is somewhere here. I put it with everyone! " she exclaimed, taking out a large box from under the bed, which she had brought from her parents' house.

In the box was her camera, a gift from her grandfather, a yellow strap, lenses and hundreds of photos she took almost every day - as a child, she never let go of the camera.

- I think I slept with him - holding the camera in her hands, she smiled and put it on the bed along with other parts for filming.

Sangdet turned the box over and dumped all the photos on the bed....

- This is going to hurt , she said quietly to herself.

Sangdet picked up one of the photos and looked at it. It was a picture with her grandfather. They were both smiling and looking into the lens. She remembered that her grandfather was always there, told her stories about life, taught her to see beauty in everything that surrounded her. She remembered his kindness and wisdom, love and support.

She started to cry. Sadness for him overwhelmed her. She wished he was here, by her side. She longed for his advice in this complicated world. She wanted him to protect her from his son.

- But you can't, can you? Now, I have to deal with everything on my own. How you taught me! - she thought. - Only by calculating a few steps ahead you will achieve success, and no one will be able to beat you, Sangdet " - she remembered the phrase that her grandfather told her when he taught her to play chess.

She placed the photo on the bed, pulling another one from the pile. It was an image of an incredible sunset she captured when she was 13 years old. She well remembered how she went out onto the balcony of her parents' house and saw this impressive picture.

The sky shimmered with pinkish-purple hues, like spilled wine. The sun, big and bright, like a gold coin, slowly sank below the horizon, leaving behind a luminous trail. She smelled the aroma of flowers, listened to the singing of birds. The feeling of the warmth of the sun on her skin and the freshness of the wind on her lips enveloped her. Taking the camera, she pressed the button, capturing this moment of harmony and peace. It was one of those rare occasions when her existence in this world seemed to be suspended. It was as if everything around froze and dissolved. Only the image in the lens remained, etched by every atom in her imagination and stored on an electronic medium. Each photo seemed to contain a piece of her soul.

Sangdet looked at the photo and smiled. Then everything seemed so simple, so real and so possible.
After putting down the photo, she took the third one, which was lying with its back to her. Turning the photo over, she froze for a moment.

Two girls were looking at her from the photo, laughing and holding hands. The blonde was holding a book, and Sangdet was holding a camera.

- This photo is from a trip to the Tha Chin River, Grandpa used to take us there on weekends," thought Sangdet.