Chapter 19: A View Worth Keeping

Author's Preface

- Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat -

The "viewpoint stop" was supposed to be a simple idea.

A nice break.

A stretch for their legs.

A quick photo.

That was what Mr. Lang said with calm confidence while driving out of Lampang the next morning.

Mrs. Lang agreed enthusiastically, because anything with the word viewpoint sounded romantic, motherly and aesthetic.

Nathan said nothing, because Nathan rarely argued with decisions once they were made.

Knight was already suspicious.

Chen was already celebrating like they'd been invited to the royal palace.

And Ping- half-asleep, clutching Snowball- didn't even know what a viewpoint was, but he trusted Nathan, so he nodded like it was a sacred mission.

They didn't know it yet, but the viewpoint stop would become a memory so ridiculous and beautiful it would survive even the worst storms.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

The road into the mountains grew narrower the higher they climbed. The air shifted from warm city heat into crisp hill wind. Trees thickened. Fog began to cling to the edges of the forest like it was hiding secrets.

Then suddenly- white.

The mountain opened into a jaw-dropping sight: bright white chedis scattered across the peaks like small pieces of heaven placed by careless gods. The sky felt closer here. The clouds looked like a floor you could step onto if you tried hard enough.

Even Chen went quiet.

For two seconds.

Then he screamed.

"WE'RE IN THE SKY!"

Mrs. Lang gasped loudly like she was in a drama. "Oh my God- look at this! Look at this! Harold, this is gorgeous! This is where people propose!"

Mr. Lang didn't even blink. "We're not proposing, Dear. We're taking a photo."

Mrs. Lang ignored him. "Nathaniel would look so beautiful proposing here-"

"Nathan," Knight corrected without thinking.

Mrs. Lang's eyes narrowed. "Don't correct me, Young man."

Knight's soul left his body.

Nathan's gaze shifted. "Mom."

Mrs. Lang waved her hand. "Fine. Nathan. But still- this place is romantic!"

Ping clung harder to Nathan's sleeve instantly, alarmed by the word romantic.

Knight looked down at Ping and smirked. "Relax. No one's proposing to you."

Ping glared. "I don't want you to propose to me anyway."

Knight blinked. "Good. Because I-"

Nathan cut in calmly. "Don't."

Knight muttered, "I was going to say I wouldn't."

Chen charged past them toward the trail with the energy of a man seeing glory. "ONWARD!"

Jenn stepped forward, took one look at the steep uphill path, and said in her small voice, "I hate this."

Paola whispered like she was confessing a sin. "Me too."

Then she instantly ran forward anyway.

"LAST ONE UP IS A LOSER!" she screamed, sprinting like a mountain goat.

Mrs. Lang shrieked. "PAOLA!"

Ping panicked. "She's gonna fall!"

Nathan moved immediately- calm and fast.

Knight moved with him without being told.

Chen started sprinting too, not to protect, but because he was offended by the word loser.

"I WILL NEVER BE A LOSER!" Chen yelled.

Mr. Lang, still at the bottom of the trail, sighed quietly. "My insurance doesn't cover this."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

They barely climbed ten minutes before Chen began dying.

Not quietly.

Never quietly.

Chen stopped dramatically, hands on knees, breathing like he'd run from a tiger.

"THIS MOUNTAIN IS TRYING TO KILL ME!"

Knight didn't even look back. "Good."

Chen pointed at him, gasping. "YOU HAVE NO HEART!"

"I have one," Knight replied. "It's just not for you."

Ping looked back at Chen with genuine concern. "Chen, are you okay?"

Chen lifted a trembling thumbs-up. "Yes. Absolutely Fine," he claimed, like he wasn't dieing thirty seconds ago.

Paola- already ten steps ahead- spun around and yelled, "HURRY UP, WEAKLINGS!"

Chen choked. "SHE'S SIX! WHY IS SHE FASTER THAN ME?!"

Jenn passed Chen calmly.

He blinked at her like he'd witnessed betrayal.

"Jenn," Chen whispered. "You're not supposed to be athletic."

"I'm not," Jenn replied without stopping. "I'm just not loud."

Chen gasped. "THAT WAS PERSONAL!"

Nathan kept going, calm and steady. Ping clung to him halfway through the climb, whining dramatically like the climb itself was emotional trauma.

"Nate... my legs are dying..."

Nathan glanced down. "Walk."

Ping pouted. "Carry me."

Nathan was about to-

But Knight stepped in casually and lifted Ping like he weighed nothing, tossing him onto his own back like it was punishment.

Ping squeaked. "KNIGHT!"

Knight adjusted Ping's weight with ease. "Stop whining."

Ping glared from Knight's shoulder. "You're kidnapping me."

Knight replied, "Yes. Be grateful."

Ping clutched Knight's shoulders like a furious koala, Snowball dangling dangerously.

Nathan watched it, silent. Then he said calmly, "Don't drop him."

Knight snorted. "I'm not Chen."

Chen heard his name and screamed from behind them. "I HEARD THAT!"

Mrs. Lang was climbing behind all of them, already sweating, furious and theatrical. "Why did I agree to this? Who convinced me? Harold, I blame you!"

Mr. Lang's voice floated up from far behind. "You blame me for sunlight existing."

Mrs. Lang screamed, "YES!"

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

By the time they reached the highest viewpoint, even the chaos paused.

Because the view was... impossible.

The mountains rolled out like green waves. The clouds hung low and soft, drifting past the white chedis like they were bowing in worship. The sunlight made everything glow- bright and sacred and unreal.

Nathan stood still for a second, his eyes catching on the horizon.

Not because he was emotional.

Because it was beautiful.

Knight set Ping down, and Ping immediately ran to Nathan's side, hugging his arm possessively like a reminder of where he belonged.

Chen collapsed onto the ground like he'd survived war. "I HAVE ASCENDED," he wheezed. "I AM A LEGEND."

Jenn looked at him and said calmly, "You're lying on the ground."

"I'M RECHARGING MY SOUL," Chen claimed.

Paola posed dramatically near one of the white chedis like she was a celebrity being photographed for a magazine cover.

Mrs. Lang instantly pulled out her camera. "YES! PAOLA! GIVE ME FACE!"

Paola lifted her chin. "This is my moment."

Ping whispered to Nathan, "She's weird."

Nathan replied, "Our whole family is weird."

Ping giggled on that answer agreeing to it.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Mr. Lang finally reached the top, completely calm as if he hadn't climbed a mountain with six children and one dramatic wife.

He pointed to a flat area with the best view.

"Photo," he said.

Mrs. Lang clapped. "YES! FAMILY PHOTO! Everyone together!"

The children reacted like she'd announced imprisonment.

Knight sighed. "We're doing this."

Chen was already standing again like the ground had revived him.

"PHOTO TIME!" Chen screamed.

Mrs. Lang lined them up.

Immediately chaos started.

Ping latched onto Nathan's side like glue. "I stand here."

Knight stepped in on Nathan's other side, equally stubborn. "And I stand here."

Ping's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Knight shrugged. "Because-"

Ping puffed his cheeks. "Nate is mine."

Knight's grin turned evil. "Say that again louder."

Ping hissed, "Flame demon."

Chen shoved in from behind. "I STAND IN THE MIDDLE."

Nathan said calmly, "No."

Chen froze like he'd been stabbed. "BRO... WHY DO YOU HATE ME?"

Nathan replied, "You'll ruin it."

Chen gasped. "I am ART."

Jenn quietly moved to stand near the edge like a calm queen.

Paola tried to climb onto a rock for height and nearly fell.

Knight grabbed her collar. "No."

Paola glared. "I'm a model!"

Knight glared back. "You're a menace."

Mrs. Lang screamed, "EVERYONE STOP MOVING!"

They stopped for one second.

Mr. Lang held the camera up.

Mrs. Lang smiled. "Smile!"

Chen yelled, "CHEESE!"

Ping yelled, "NATE!"

Paola yelled, "I LOOK BEAUTIFUL!"

Knight muttered, "This is suffering."

Click.

The photo captured:

Ping mid-yell

Chen blinking

Paola's face half cut off

Knight looking like he wanted to kill someone

Jenn perfectly composed.

Nathan calm, but one eyebrow slightly raised

Mrs. Lang stared at the screen and screamed. "This is HORRIBLE! Again!"

Chen cheered. "AGAIN!"

Mrs. Lang reset them like chess pieces.

"Okay. Nathan and Ping here. Knight here. Chen behind. Jenn beside Paola."

They obeyed.

For one blessed second, it looked perfect.

Then Chen whispered to Nathan, "Bro... kiss Knight."

Ping's head snapped. "WHAT?!"

Knight burst out laughing.

Nathan didn't move. "Chen."

Chen smiled sweetly. "What? I'm just saying, they look like a couple and the scene demands romance."

Ping turned red. "NO THEY DON'T!"

Chen leaned closer. "They really do."

Ping exploded. "THEY DON'T!"

Knight leaned toward Ping with evil joy. "You're jealous."

Ping's face went nuclear. "I'M NOT!"

Nathan said calmly, "If you don't stop, we are leaving."

Everyone froze.

Mrs. Lang immediately slapped Chen's shoulder. "Rang! Behave!"

Chen sighed dramatically. "Oppression."

Click.

This one was... better.

Even Nathan's face softened faintly, because Ping was clinging to him in the photo like a loyal sunbeam, and Paola was smiling so brightly she looked like she could light up the chedis alone.

Knight stood close enough to Nathan that it looked natural.

Jenn's expression was calm but slightly amused.

Even Chen managed to smile without committing arson.

Mrs. Lang stared at the screen. Then her eyes softened.

"Perfect," she whispered, suddenly emotional.

Mr. Lang nodded. "Good."

The moment almost stayed warm.

Almost.

Then Chen shouted, "WAIT, WE NEED A FUNNY ONE!"

Knight groaned. "No."

Chen was unstoppable. "YES."

And before anyone could stop him-

Chen grabbed Ping and Paola and screamed, "POSE LIKE YOU'RE GETTING ATTACKED BY A TIGER!"

Paola instantly acted like she was dying.

Ping screamed for real.

Knight started laughing.

Jenn blinked once, then quietly held up two fingers behind Chen's head like horns.

Nathan sighed like the weight of the universe was in his lungs.

Click.

That photo became legendary.

Because it captured them exactly as they were:

A mess.

A storm.

A family.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

After the war finally ended, they lingered for a few minutes.

The wind was gentle.

The mountains were endless.

Mrs. Lang held the camera close, looking at the photos like she'd captured something precious.

Mr. Lang watched his children with quiet patience.

Chen climbed onto a rock and screamed into the void, "I RULE THIS MOUNTAIN!"

Paola screamed back, "I RULE TOO!"

Knight threatened to throw them both.

Jenn sat quietly, letting the sun warm her face like she didn't care about chaos.

Ping stood beside Nathan, holding Snowball, leaning his shoulder against Nathan's arm.

Nathan didn't move away.

Instead, he rested his hand lightly over Ping's head for a second- steady and warm.

Knight watched them from the side, expression unreadable. Then he scoffed softly like he was annoyed at feelings.

"Come on," Knight said. "Before Chen starts a religion."

Chen shouted, "I ALREADY DID!"

Mrs. Lang laughed.

Mr. Lang sighed.

And as they walked back down the mountain, the photo sitting safely inside Mrs. Lang's camera-

None of them knew that years later, that single image would feel like proof.

That once, for a little while...

They were all together under the sky.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

- Chiang Mai -

Chiang Mai didn't arrive gently.

It hit them like a dream slammed into reality- streets glowing gold, lantern stalls spilling light onto the roads, crowds moving like rivers of warmth and noise. The air itself felt different here- sweet smoke, roasted corn, flowers, and something electric underneath it all, like the city was holding its breath for the night.

Ping pressed his face to the window, eyes wide. "Nate look..."

Paola whispered, almost reverent, "It's beautiful..."

Even Jenn stayed silent, watching the lights like she was storing them in her bones.

Chen went quiet too- an event so rare it should've been recorded.

For exactly three seconds.

Then he surged forward between the seats like a possessed demon, pointing wildly through the windshield.

"THAT'S IT- THAT'S THE LANTERN PLACE- WE'RE HERE- WE'RE ACTUALLY HERE!"

Knight snapped, "Sit down before you die!"

Chen screamed louder, "I'M NOT SITTING DOWN IN THE PRESENCE OF DESTINY!"

Mr. Lang swerved slightly as Chen's head nearly smashed into the dashboard.

"CHEN!" Mrs. Lang shrieked. "SEATBELT!"

Chen ignored her, vibrating with joy. "TONIGHT I'M GOING TO RELEASE A LANTERN AND WISH FOR-"