The story of Mr Saiko our physics teacher is one that would not leave the history of our village in generations to come, though a genius in his field, insanely intelligent as we describe him, yet he was broken which made him involve himself in unorthodox methods and unpredictable behavior.
He would often take a moment to close his eyes and hum hmmm.... a long chant as if we were hypnotized by it also, as we dare not make a noise during his meditation We would instead exchange nervous glances, unsure what would trigger his next outburst, the first experience where he shot us red eyes warning did more than talking.
In his absence, we would mock him and some will even take same position imagining to be him, but when he stood before us, our jests turned to whispers. Ajasco, our class clown, would often crack jokes about Mr. Saiko's "communing with the dead," but even he wouldn't dare do it to his face.
It all started 6 years ago when Mr. Saiko lost his wife, rumor has it that they were also expecting, he was just a regular happy young teacher with his family and was soon to be a father, until tragedy struck. The villagers were sad and consoled him during the mourning period, hoping that he would get back to his normal life and maybe fall in love again, but he returned a broken man and even came up with the idea and was obsessed with it, the idea of another dimension, a world where his beloved wife and child waited for him.
He could only see them when he meditates but they couldn't see him, he had to find a way to meet and communicate with them , it was possible, he felt it, and he was going to find a way. His friends and family only shook their head in pity, the loss of his wife has drove him insane, how can you meet your dead loved ones unless maybe you follow same path, they would say in hushed tone among themselves but never in his presence, maybe that was his way of coping with his loss.
That day, Mr. Saiko concluded the physics practical with an unusual abruptness. as if he had just discovered something, you could see the light of hope in his eyes, he then adjourned the practical till the next period and asked that we all left the lab. what was suspicious was the way he hurriedly closed the lab door against us, and even went ahead to shut the windows.
"This craziness is becoming more serious" Ajasco said, as we laughed finding our way back to the class, his curiosity didn't let him continue, so he excused himself and went back through the path we were just coming from. it wasn't up to a minute when he came running back with his black coloured face, now looking pale as if he saw a ghost "he is gone!" he shouted through the hall, "he has found the door he always talked about". The hallway fell silent, our laughter dying on our lips. We stared at each other, unsure what to make of Ajasco's claim or was it one of his mischiefs.
The authorities were called, the lab door was broken open and they were met with an empty lab, Mr. Saiko was no where to be found, the chair he sat on still remained there, and also the last formula he had written on the board, they also discovered a piece of paper with Mr. Saiko's hand writing, "I WILL BE BACK" were the only words written.
Had Mr. Saiko truly discovered the gateway to another dimension, a world where his wife and child waited? The thought sent shivers down our spines, where did he go and how were the questions that remained unsolved but something tells me that formula is the key.