Being Richard

Being immortal has its downfalls. The recurrence of loss, the memories, and the continual need for a new identity before everyone questions why he looks so young. From the start he knew that Richard Ridley didn’t feel safe; dying in infancy, and apparently unloved. He has no intention of being Richard. But then a man turns up claiming to be from the Special Investigation Department; and he’s forced to take on Richard’s identity, or be locked up…forever. All the department wants is for him to help them find other immortals. He is terrified at having his life controlled by others, but cannot rest until he’s discovered why Richard’s short life upsets him so much. Defying the department’s instructions he sets about investigating his history. Uncovering Richard’s past proves dangerous, even for an immortal.

Some people live forever; being immortal has never been easy. Towards the edge of Surrey, near the Hampshire border, lies the rural village of Elstead. If you follow the River Wey Westwards you’ll arrive at Thundry Meadows, an ancient sacred site dedicated to the God Thor. It’s a place of beauty and mystery, where the river runs clean and owls hoot in the night. Over two and a half thousand years ago a man was born there, Sunbeerka, son of the swamp lord; bred to be sacrificed to Thor if the tribe was ever in danger, his destiny to give his life for the sake of his people. Some spirits refuse to die, and Sunbeerka lives on, quietly, near his birth place in Elstead. Being Richard starts with the hunt for a new identity, someone he can be for the next thirty years, but there are others who are hunting him. With modern technology it's become more and more difficult to hide, to maintain a low profile. The man from the Special Investigation Department who tracks him down says, "Records, Richard, records and photography, they really have been the bane of your life in recent years, even though you’ve proved extremely camera shy." Once found he has no option but to play along, but the identity he's had forced upon him isn't safe, and the more he digs into young Richard Ridley's past the more his own past comes back to haunt him. Despite himself, and the department's warnings, he can't leave Richard's past alone, but there are those who would like Richard Ridley to stay dead. Soon he's trying to shake the department off and keep himself alive. Dying is painful, even for an immortal.