Chapter 1. Arrival
The sun was already at its zenith when the silver airplane, having swept over the narrow mountain ridge, confidently spiraled down to the landing site at the bottom of a shallow ravine. The sprawling crown of ancient trees partially hid it from the view from above, but the pilot confidently found a suitable gap and in a few seconds the airplane rolled over the rocky ground, leaving practically no trace.
The brakes creaked. The airplane slowly turned around the edge of the rainforest, raising light clouds of dust, and then came to a halt, gently releasing speed.
As you could see, the guests had a warm welcome. A short thin man climbed out of a peeling dark green Landrover, modestly frozen under the shade of century-old crowns, and hurried to the plane, waving his broad-brimmed hat of palm leaves.
The man was unmistakably a native, but he was not dressed in the traditional panung, but in a cotton T-shirt and linen pants. A sincere white-tooth smile lit up his swarthy face, and his slanting eyes focused vividly on the transparent rim of the plane in an attempt to see people's faces. Perhaps, it was the traditional local hospitality, or simply a genuine interest in the guests, but, anyway, running up to the plane with his hat clutched under his arm, the Thai stretched out in patient expectation.
The lock of the door clicked, and gently lowered, it turned into a ladder. There was a rich, intoxicating smell of grassy herb in the faces of passengers, and a big European man sitting to the right of the pilot, hilariously wrinkling his nose, sneezed deafeningly. He moved his eyebrows in surprise, trying to get away from the scratching sensation in his nose, and covering his mouth with his palm, he sneezed loudly again. There was a short chuckle, and the man made a sad but hilarious face, as if apologizing for his lack of restraint.
His embarrassment, however, was short-lived. Making a comically important face, the guest asked the pilot something, and, satisfied with the answer, turned back.
Behind him sat a woman. With her hands on her stomach and the back of her head resting on the headrest, she listened indifferently to her companion's lengthy and merry tirade, and only raised the corners of her lips in a demure imitation of a smile. It seems that the woman's reaction was understandable without words.
Her persistent dejection made the man press his lips together sadly, but he did not sit still. He picked up a large frame backpack and a traveling bag from the floor, then stepped outside to offer his hand to the woman.
The guests could now be seen up close. The guest was tall, broad-shouldered, but slightly overweight, which did not spoil him at all. He had already stopped frowning and was looking at the picturesque surroundings with undisguised interest. His open, good-natured smile added charm to his appearance. He pulled up his crumpled indigo linen pants, put his things on the ground, and waved his hand in greeting. His response was the Aboriginal man's folded palms on his chest and a deep, traditional bow of greeting - wai.
It seemed that the local customs of hospitality were to the visitor's liking. With apparent pleasure, he made a few deep bows in response, raising his palms together almost to the back of his head, which earned him a skeptical sigh from his companion. She grinned disapprovingly and pressed her lips into a hard pucker, tapping her fingers eagerly against the strap of her purse hanging on her shoulder. The woman was incomparably beautiful, with delicate shoulders, a thin waist, and lovely eyes in which...
The Thai looked at her intently, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. She didn't seem to be in the mood, and more than that, she was definitely depressed about something. Her luxurious hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail; her face, frowning with obvious under-eyes and colorless lips, looked like a jade mask, and her expressive brown-green eyes were filled with unrelieved sadness. Apparently, the woman did not share her companion's ostentatious optimism, or, perhaps, it was not so, and the man just seemed to be like that. Who can tell them, Europeans!
Shrugging his shoulders perplexedly, the Thai watched with interest as the guest stopped bowing, said a warm goodbye to the pilot and leaned close to his companion.
The door clicked, the engine roared, taking the plane behind him, but the guest did not even turn around. With a soft, inimitable smile, he whispered something in the woman's ear, and her face immediately brightened a little, and a sly look appeared in her eyes. The guest raised her eyebrow questioningly, and then moved her eyes figuratively: with a lingering upward, then sideways and downward. With a sigh of relief, resolutely held out a narrow, wiry palm to the Thai.
- Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Castle! - Thais cordially squeezed the outstretched hand between his hands and now shook it finely, sparkling with a smile. - Very glad to see you in the sacred land of Siam! How was your journey? I am your guide, Luang Pho Chem, but you may call me Kelian!
- Hey! Is everything okay, Kelian? - Castle reached out his hand too, bowed his head in a friendly way. - How are you doing?
- I have a great joy! My son was born! - With undisguised pride Caelian raised his chin. - They are called Wu Cheng. Moa and I are always happy to welcome dear guests, Mr. Castle!
- First what we are here for, then we can visit! - Castle cheered up, but his smile came out a little stiff. - How long will it take to get there?
He put on his hat, looked at the sun disk, barely visible through the lush trees, and counted something, quietly waggled his lips.
- About four hours' drive and a half hour's walk. I have food and drinking water, and we will not go to the village. Please! - Caelian headed toward the car, which was not more than a hundred yards away. - Can you stand the bumpy ride, Mrs. Castle? - he turned to his companion with genuine concern.
She frowned, a shadow of dissatisfaction crossing her face and making her features a little sharper.
- Just call me Kate," Mrs.s Castle, adjusting the strap of her purse as she went. - I'm used to complexity.
- And you can just call me Rick, too! - her husband cheerfully lifted his luggage onto his shoulders. - Please don't let us get lost in the woods! Maybe there's yetis or something worse out there! We had a case...
- I've got a gun, and you've got a sat-nav and a sat-phone," Kate chuckled, interrupting Rick's inappropriate eloquence. - "At the very least, you could climb a tree and wave your hand signals. He was so excited to see if anyone would notice.
- Ha!" Castle grinned loudly, stepping slightly backward. - You can see a pretty boy like me from anywhere in the woods, can't you?
Kate responded to his boast with an understandable twitch of her eyes. She let out a short chuckle and climbed into the backseat.
- And here I thought your ego was in the safe, Castle, but it turns out you're dragging it with you. Why don't you fold your puffy wings of paradise and save the self-praise for the next presentation? They'll appreciate the colorful tattoos on the bronze tan of your shoulders," Kate snickered, leaning back on the worn leather backrest.
All Rick had to do was bow his head meekly. Throwing the bags in the trunk right out of the cabin, he sat down close to his wife and immediately hugged her shoulders gently. Kate was already holding a handkerchief in her hands. She blotted her sweat-covered forehead and temples, and trustingly hid her face on her husband's broad chest.
- I don't really like it here, Castle. It's stuffy, stinky, and the air is stale. And if you suddenly have any new ideas, let's save them for later.
- All my ideas are about you, and we must talk," Rick buried his nose in his wife's familiar-smelling hair and closed his eyes dreamily, ignoring the monotonous rumbling of the engine and the slight shaking, "because I continue to believe in the unexplainable, illogical and fantastic - in ...
- Us," Kate murmured somewhere in his heart area, "and so do I. But I'm...
- I'm only doing this for you, for us. Trust me, Kate, please! - Castle said firmly. - You promise?
- I never stopped," Kate rubbed her cheek trustingly against his shoulder, rejoicing at this familiar and desirable closeness. - You still want to surprise me, don't you?