7 years later

Fourteen-year-old Koygo walks out of the funeral supply store with his aunt Elayza Stonegrass, Max's sister, after selecting an appropriate casket for the now deceased Max.

"Ah, auntie. How could he allow himself to drown in the Lastbye? He swam in that river so many times... What happened to him now?" he asked, choking back tears.

"I don't know, my child. Some things must remain mysteries sometimes. Your brother was such a good swimmer that I would never have thought he'd meet this fate..." she said.

"He knew how to swim. He was an excellent swimmer. He taught me how to swim; I used to just flail my arms in the water before I started drowning. That's why all of this is so unclear to me. How, why?" he said as they walked towards their car in the parking lot.

"I don't know..." aunt Elayza said with a heavy heart. "Fate can be cruel, perhaps even divine intervention. It's the only way I can make sense of this..." She took her keys from her purse, opened the car door, and started the engine. Clouds of uncertainty quickly filled the vehicle, yet they continued to gently flow down the road towards home.

24 hours earlier

It was a clear morning. If one made an effort, they could sense the scent of hope swirling in the air. They were heading to the river for swimming, drinks, and a barbecue. Max, Koygo, Veronika and her husband Tai Kunshle, along with their daughter Doroti, Pory Emptyhat, who was Max's friend, with his wife Hilly and sons Gregor and Sondy, Dran Mutton, another friend of Max's, with his wife Sheila, their son Erry, and daughter Memosa. All together to relax and enjoy the beautiful Lastbye River, near Prettistown, by the village of Shantpass.

Four cars, picnic coolers full of beer, barbecue meat, and salads in the trunks, passengers with lifted cheekbones and excited smiles, charcoal, birch bark fire starter balls, waterproof matches, grill grates, parasols, small brooms, 5-liter water bottles, board games, frisbees, boomerangs, playing cards, drones, camera tripods. Too many things for three days. Fortunately, the four-person tents somehow fit together with all the gear. Due to the unfortunate circumstance of late Konny, they all fit in the back seats of Max and Koygo.

But they went on the trip to relax, bond, and enjoy nature's beauty. They parked the cars on a spacious meadow surrounded by conifers. There were several small gazebos around a stone monument related to preserving the surrounding nature, many benches placed in the shade of deciduous and coniferous trees, two small waterfalls, and one larger waterfall. A true paradise before their eyes. They unloaded their belongings and settled into two gazebos. There was a stone-ringed barbecue spot next to each gazebo. Comfortable wooden circular benches were placed under the roofs with a table in the middle.

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They placed the beer in the river to cool, took some selfies, set up cameras for group photos. They played with drones that captured them waving from afar until they became tiny dots on the grass, and then they continued using their high-resolution cameras to capture the vast landscapes of untouched nature. All that trees, the restlessness of clouds, the blue of the sky and water on the earth, the surrounding hills and mountains were so perfectly positioned all around that human eyes could only gaze and enjoy.

They decided to first take a refreshing dip in the river to cool off, and then continue to refresh themselves with food, drinks, and conversations in the shade of the gazebos. They got their towels ready, stripped off unnecessary clothes, and slowly stepped into the refreshing water. They had a few lightweight inflatable balls they tossed around; experienced swimmers like Max and Pory showcased their skills, while others splashed and played in the water, enjoying the watery atmosphere with their family.

At one point, Koygo took his waterproof phone to record a selfie video of himself and the others when he noticed on the phone that his dad was being dragged into the deeper part of the river. He thought his dad was just joking, so he didn't pay too much attention to it.

"Come on, Dad, don't mess around like that, please."

He didn't receive a response. Max was still submerged underwater. He started to approach him when Dran shouted, "Get away from there, Koygo, get away from that whirlpool!"

Now he realized that the swirling current of cold water had pulled his dad under, and he hadn't been joking as he initially thought. With a frightened expression on his face, he stood frozen in place up to his waist, until Pory swam over and pulled him to the shore. The whirlpool in Max's place began to expand; it was now three times larger in circumference than before, but fortunately, everyone was already safely on the shore.

Koygo sat defeatedly with his chin pressed against his bent knees on the bank, staring at the river without blinking. Occasionally, he felt different male hands touching his shoulders or the comforting embraces of women, but he didn't respond to them either on the surface or deep within himself. He just stared at the whirlpool, which after a while began to contract into a single point before ultimately disappearing.

At one point, he saw the river deposit a thin layer of crimson sand on the pebbles along the bank, initially very dark, but after a few rinses, that ominously bloody color vanished completely.

***

He saw that familiar tunnel again. He flew through it swiftly like an eagle, landed on the other side and transformed into a human. Everything already familiar yet surreal enough. He felt a strange pleasant energy enveloping his temples and then his whole body. And then he spotted her:

"Is that you, my love?" Max asked, not believing his eyes.

"It's me. Come," replied Konny's spirit, which stood out from the crowd of others. After that, the two souls embraced tightly and experienced the joyful seal of their reunion.