Exhausted, Khaotung dropped onto the bed in his room, his head still pounding, but it was more bearable than the stabbing pain before. "You're not crazy, not crazy," he kept muttering to himself as if he needed to convince someone. He rubbed his temples and then sat up to dig the photo First had given him earlier out of his backpack.
He turned it over in his hand, afraid of another headache, but he needed to take a closer look, needed to know what exactly was in that picture. Khao took a deep breath and turned the picture over. This time he didn't feel any pain, but the dull feeling in his head grew stronger as Khaotung lay prone on the bed, the picture in his hands.
The picture showed the royal family, the king, his wife, and a boy, a little younger than Khaotung was now. The signature of the picture read:
The royal family shortly after the coronation ceremony of their son, the newly crowned King Nopakhoon Rattanakitpaisan.
From left to right - former King Chatchawan Rattanakitpaisan, newly crowned King Nopakhoon Rattanakitpaisan, and the former Empress Supranee Rattanakitpaisan.
Shortly after Nopakhoon Rattanakitpaisan was crowned, he introduced monarchistic democracy, making him the last King to be crowned by blood status in the country.
Khaotung looked closely at the people in the photo, they all had impossibly stern expressions on their faces, and none of them looked as happy as one would have expected on the day of the coronation.
"Someone is missing," Khaotung muttered. "Someone is missing from the picture." He tilted his head, pondering why he was so sure someone was missing from the picture. Suddenly he snapped his eyes open and sat down on the bed. "I'm missing...but that.... 's completely impossible." His heart raced madly as he reached for his smartphone and dialed Book's number.
"Book please tell me you have time, I think I'm going crazy."
A short time later the bell rang and Khaotung opened the door to Book, who was loaded with snacks and beer.
"Okay, what's wrong?" Book asked worriedly as he made himself comfortable on Khaotung's bed and let the first chips slide into his mouth.
"This whole thing with my nightmares is getting weirder and weirder," Khaotung began. "I'm getting flashbacks and unbelievable headaches, and now I found this picture of the royal family and I feel like a person is missing." He took a deep breath. "And on top of that...Kanaphan also has nightmares, similar to those that I have."
"And you believe him ?"
"I know he's an ass, but why shouldn't I? What would he gain?"
"Maybe he's just trying to manipulate you that way." Replied Book.
"That would have been stupid of him because he was the one who brought up the topic in the first place."
"Oh."
"Yeah, I'm telling you, it's all getting pretty weird right now." Khaotung took a sip of his beer.
"So what exactly was with the photo now?" Khaotung held out the picture of the royal family to Book.
"This is going to sound crazy, but...I think someone is missing from the picture."
"You're right, that does sound crazy. What makes you think that?" Book asked, looking at the picture more closely.
"I...um, that's...well that's the family I always see in my dreams." You could read the astonishment in the expression on Book's face.
"And you're sure about that? I mean you have the same last name and everything, so maybe it's just because you're somehow related?"
"I'm very sure Book. I thought about that as well, but, I don't think it's that. I just fell like there should be someone else in that picture as well."
"That...is...crazy." Book flopped down on Khaotung's bed. "Completely crazy."
"I know." Khao ran his hand over his face.
"Your last name is the same, you could, I mean you sure are a descendant of them or something." Khaotung took a deep breath before turning to Book.
"I have no idea. But I wouldn't know who to ask either. Don't you think my family would have mentioned something along those lines if that were the case?"
"I don't know, but it could be and I think..." Their conversation was interrupted by the ringtone of Khaotung's phone - Kanaphan.
"Yes? What do you want?"
"I wanted to check if you were alright, after all, you weren't feeling well earlier." Kanaphan's voice sounded genuinely concerned.
"Yeah, um everything's fine. Book is with me." Something inside Khaotung was screaming at him to bring Kanaphan up to speed, it was like he couldn't help it. "Kanaphan, I think the family in the photo, the royal family, is the one I always have nightmares about." Book looked at Khaotung in horror and tried to make him realize with gestures that he must be completely out of his mind now.
"I hope it's okay with you that I brought up the topic with Sea and my brother, Force." Kanaphan gulped. "I think we should meet again, this whole thing is getting more and more crazy."
"Do you want to come to my place? Book's already here anyway, and I don't want to leave the house today." First agreed after asking if it was okay if his brother and Sea could come too.
"Have you gone completely crazy now?" Book hissed when Khaotung hung up. "This is Kanaphan. Do you remember? Bully and Jock?"
"I know, I can't explain what's going on either, but I have a feeling he's the key to sorting it all out with my nightmares." Book shook his head.
"I don't have a good feeling about this Tung, I know I should be standing behind you and trust you on this, but this is all pretty weird." Khaotung took his best friend's hands and looked pleadingly into his eyes.
"Please trust me, okay?"
"Okay, but I will personally remind you for the rest of your life if this goes wrong."
"Thank you," Khaotung whispered as the buzz of the doorbell sounded as well.
"Kanaphan," Khaotung nodded to the other as he opened the door.
"This is my brother, Force, and my friend Sea," Kanaphan introduced his two companions.
"Pleased to meet you both." Khaotung looked at the tall man in front of him, Sea looked so much friendlier when he wasn't hanging out with Kanaphan's jock clique. First's brother was brunette, muscular, and just as good-looking as his brother. "Come on in then, my room is right here in the front on the left."
Khaotung decided to get some more drinks and prepare some snacks and disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. A short time later, his angry friend, Book, stomped through the open kitchen door. "You might as well have told me Force was coming." Khaotung grinned widely.
"I wasn't sure if it was your Force, " laughing, he poured some beer into three of the glasses provided. "But your reaction just confirmed it for me."
"That still doesn't explain what he's doing here." Book had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was glaring at his best friend in annoyance.
"He's Kanaphan's brother," Khaotung explained. " I had no idea the two of them were related." All the color drained from Book's face.
"Brother? The two of them? No way." Book laughed sarcastically. "They don't even share a last name.."
"Things like that happen Bookie." Khao grinned. "I guess you'll have to get used to the idea. Will you help me with these things, please?"
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Khaotung apologized to his guests as he, along with Book, returned to his room. His 3 visitors stood indecisively in the middle of the room.
"Why don't you sit down, there are two bean bags here, there's also a seat at the desk, and Book and I will share the bed." Khaotung placed the tray of snacks and drinks in the middle of the room on the carpet. "What did Kanaphan tell you guys already?" He turned to Sea and Force after everyone had sat down. Sea explained that they only knew about the incident in the morning and that all of this had probably to do with the royal family, then Khaotung brought the newcomers up to speed on their latest realizations and also voiced his suspicion that the Rattanakitpaisan family's photograph seemed to be missing a member.
"That sounds crazy," interjected Force.
"I think Khaotung himself knows that." First hissed, immediately apologizing for his brother's cheeky remark.
"Don't worry, I'm aware of how crazy that sounds."
"Well I have something interesting," Sea interjected. "Mine and Jimmy's topic is "The noble families during the Rattanakitpaisan Dynasty", and I found something interesting." He dug something out of his backpack and placed the papers in front of him. Khaotung and Book had sat down on the floor in the meantime. First had left the desk chair and was now sitting next to Khaotung. "This family, the Puitrakul family, have a very interesting history, they were close associates of your royal family, ten years before the son of the last king was crowned, there seems to have been an event that drove a wedge between the two families. The Puitrakul clan had to flee into exile, in February of the year 1866, they remained there until monarchistic democracy was introduced in 1880, and the new head of state absolved them of their exile. The head of the family, Sabee-eng Puitrakul had never returned to his homeland, only his wife Kaeota, returned home with a few of her servants at the age of 70, and died thirteen years later, alone and without descendants." Sea placed a photo of the family before them. "As you can see they had a son, who unfortunately can barely be made out in this picture. I haven't found out what happened to him yet, but what I can say for sure is that he seems to have fallen off the face of the earth since the year 1866. Since that year there have been no more records in which he was mentioned."
"Just disappeared?" Khaotung picked up the photo of the Puitrakul family and looked at it closely. "Are there any other pictures of them?"
"Unfortunately not, photography was still in its infancy at the time. Photography wasn't invented until 1839 and because of that, the photos weren't really good, even though it was fascinating that...,"
"Force, hold your breath. I know you're studying photography, but dial down your enthusiasm a little, will you?" Laughing, Sea patted his friend on the shoulder.
"Sorry," mumbled Force.
"Well, I think that helped us immensely, at least now we know that the chance of getting another photo is relatively slim," Book interjected, earning a grateful smile from Force in return.
"I guess you're right, Book." Khaotung handed First the picture. "So what exactly does all this have to do with the nightmares now?"
"So your nightmares are about the royal family, right?" Sea turned to Khaotung, who nodded. "And yours First, are fuzzy?" First nodded as well. "Khaotung said that he felt that someone was missing from the picture of the royal family. So who is it?"
"Me," Khaotung glanced around. "I am missing." He told the others about his dream in all the detail he could remember. "And I can remember very clearly that I had a feeling toward the royal family like they are my family, even though I felt only hatred for the king and queen, toward the boy I felt only love every time."
"This is all so strange." Sea rubbed his temples. "How about Force and I take care of the Puitrakul family? We will research and with Jimmy's help hopefully find something. Khaotung, you and Book take care of the royal family. That way, maybe we can find a connection between Khaotung, you, and this whole drama."
"That sounds like a plan." First swallowed hard. "But honestly the whole thing is just totally crazy."
"I guess you can say that again," Khao agreed.
"I have to say I had you guys pegged a little differently, you know total idiots who can just bully." Book looked at First and Sea with a slight smile on his lips.
"I'll take that as a compliment then." Laughing, Sea took a sip of his beer.
They were perhaps a group that couldn't have been more different, and yet they all seemed to harmonize with each other. It was as if fate sometimes found truly unfathomable ways to bring people together who could benefit from each other.
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