Forest of Lost Souls I

[Sukhumvit]

There was no reason for Somchai to live in a small house in the forest. He had been born into a wealthy family in Bangkok. An only child, his parents had doted on him. Nothing was too much for him. He was their special child. He was particularly special since they had almost lost him to Polio as a youngster. An illness that had left him with a deformed leg and permanent limp. As a young boy he would sometimes sit for hours at his window and watch as the other children played. They would run, play and shout. How he envied them. He could never join them. Even if one of them had looked up at his lonely eyrie.

 

 

With no friends to play with and no outlet for his energies he turned to books. He would spend days poring over them. Especially natural history. His father would collect National Geographic magazines for him and although he could not read the language he would study the photographs. He grew to develop a love of nature and animals. Consequently when he was old enough he announced to his parents his desire to live in the countryside. They were naturally horrified. They did not wish him to move away to live in the country. His future was university and then public service. They were well connected and anything was possible. Plus, he would not need to worry about girls. They would arrange a meeting with a suitable girl and this would in turn lead to marriage. Until that time he would continue to remain at home and have his every need taken care of. If he required more independence, well of course they could provide him with his own apartment nearby. Whatever he wanted. As long as he stayed in Bangkok and lived a normal life.

 

 

Somchai knew that they wanted only the best for him. He loved and cared for them. But, no. Their vision for him was not what he wanted. His heart's desire was a simple, idyllic existence. Close to nature. He had not, however, accounted for the practicalities of such a rude existence. He had not thought about matters such as mosquitoes. Or insects. Or snakes. Even so, his mind was set.

 

 

When it finally became clear to his parents that he was firm in his wish they discretely viewed a parcel of land out where the jungle began and only a few hours from Bangkok. They announced to him that if he wished he could stay on the 'family farm' for as long as he wished. They secretly hoped that he would tire of such an exercise and as such when they arranged for a new stilt house to be built upon the land they specified to the builder that he should keep it as simple and rudimentary as possible in the forlorn hope that their son would soon grow to detest country life.

 

 

At first he had found the lack of airconditioning, or even a fan, to be almost too much to bear. Drawing his own water was both a new and a backbreaking experience for him. Luckily he did not have to walk too far as the well was conveniently situated. Which was good, considering his withered leg. However, tough as the early days were he was determined not to flee back to the comforts of Bangkok.

 

 

Time passed and although he suffered many hardships he became accustomed to the task that he had set himself. He took pleasure in growing his own fruit and vegetables. Nurturing the seeds, planting them and watching them blossom. He raised his own chickens and pigs teaching himself animal husbandry from the many books he kept. His only luxury. Soon he was proficient in carpentry and was able to carry out all of his own repairs without having to rely upon outside help. He grew to love the forest and all that it could provide for him.

 

 

His parents, although still hoping he would return to them, gradually accepted that he was happy. Their weekly visits to introduce charming young ladies from Bangkok diminished until finally they would visit him maybe once every few months. It was not that he did not like some of the girls that they brought to see him in his 'quaint abode.' He did. But whilst he had grown into a handsome, strong young man he was still painfully aware of his own shortcomings. He could never be sure that the chosen girl would ignore his deformity simply because of the wealthy background from which he came. Plus the fact that he had decided that the future for him lay in the forest and not in the salons of the metropolis, made him fear that if he did meet and fall in love with a society girl she would soon tire of the lack of variety such a life would offer and leave him.

 

 

So he comforted himself with the thought that maybe one day he would meet a village girl who would share his love of the rustic life. The reality was that the villagers, while curious about him, viewed him as something of an oddity. They respected him, almost like a forest monk. But they could not understand why someone would voluntarily give up a comfortable existence in the city for the daily grind of the life of a peasant farmer. He allowed them to cross his land and to collect firewood. Sometimes he would exchange fruit for salt fish or other delicacies he could not grow himself. The exchanges between him and the villagers were always pleasant. Sometimes he would catch a village girl staring at him shyly as he bartered in the village. But matters never progressed. Little did he know that most of the village girls looked to him as a possible means to escape their hard lives to the city rather than sharing his desire to remain tilling the soil. So, instead he spent night after night alone, engrossed in his books.

[Guest]

Good story ...keep going, I am enjoying this.

[Guest]

Excellent

 

Many more chapters we can only hope. "up"

[Central Scrutinizer]

Suk,

 

Thanks. Nice story so far. Looking forward to the next part.

 

Cent

[Sukhumvit]

N, LHL and C,

 

Thanks guys. Just posted the second part.

 

Suk