Twisted immortality

XXVII - The end

A day later they watched as their friends were boarding the plane that would take them back to Bangkok. Neither of the two planned to follow. Though Songkarn had not said it clearly to them, it seemed like they knew something instinctively. The hugs in the airport had been somehow extra warm and long, but it might have been only his own imagination. Knowing what he did.

Songkarn had no plans of going back to Bangkok in the few months they had together. They had not made huge travel plans, but neither felt the need to go back there. The most important thing was to be together and make lots of memories.

Songkarn was not exactly as inclined to think about the possible memories after Anurak would be gone. But he did understand that after that time, he might want to remember them. That he might need them to survive.

When they drove back home, Songkarn held Anurak's hand and sat there contentedly. Trying to not think of anything besides the landscape they were moving through.

"Let's go to Jeju-Do. I want to show you a place that's really important to me. Also, we can do a bit of hiking." Anurak looked at him briefly and Songkarn smiled. Every moment was precious. Every second counted. He nodded.

*

Songkarn felt tired though he had no time for it. As he sat down onto his first-class seat, he tried to relax in the short time before the plane land in Bangkok. He had a short period of time without Anurak being near him.

Though everything was fine, happy and satisfying even. Every day was also torture. Every night he saw these sick dreams that made him sweat and struggle and feel panicky. Until he woke up in the morning. Until he felt Anurak beside him. Only then could he relax again.

Now it was time to deal with all of the things Anurak said they still had lots of time to figure out. Songkarn knew. They had almost no time anymore.

These months had been full of trips, adventures, the most beautiful and bizarre memories. They had gone to on a boat ride on the North Sea. Seen the Northern lights, swam surrounded by the whales in Norway. They had been to a two week trip without phones, no connection to the real world, in the autochthonous Kamchatka. It had been something Songkarn as a quite tech-savvy guy could not have imagined before.

Without Anurak he would never have gone there. But the way he saw it, Anurak belonged there. He turned into a Russian countryman. He knew how to survive in the wild. To live in a very-very rural countryside village. He probably would have made a fortune even living in a village-like that. There were a few things he felt awkward doing or didn't know how to do at all. Songkarn had some fun finding those things out. But from all of their trips together the most memorable was when they went to Canada, Banff National Park. It was another place that transformed Anurak. Though not as Songkarn could have ever guessed.

Anurak was working most of the time in there. It should not have surprised Songkarn. The amount of time Anurak had lived, how big his wealth was, how much he had created, how many places he owned in the world. Because in just a short time after they had entered the park someone was sent to collect their stuff. To take them to the cabin in the base of the Banff's mountains situated beside a clear blue lake.

The ride there took forever. Songkarn even fell asleep during it. But the cabin itself was the best clue on what was going on. First of all, it became immediately evident that this was not a normal place, where someone could live. It was clean and obviously taken care of, but one could see that it was not someplace where people came to stay. And when Songkarn looked at the study and the collection of memories. Pictures and keepsakes from the past. He understood. This was another personal place of Anurak's.

It shouldn't have surprised him, but somehow it still did. So, it actually came out that Anurak had helped to establish Banff Hot Springs Reserve. He himself had been one of the people who had tried to protect the place from commercial interests. But it had taken some calculation and managing until the current Prime Minister had agreed and helped him create it. Later they expanded the process by including Lake Louise and other areas extending north to the Columbia Icefield. Though it was never publicized, Anrak actually owned most of the park's land. Which was of course not under his name. It was all under some managing charity fund's name.