Memories

Waking up one fine morning of a Sunday, I got up to get ready to prepare for my classes on Monday. I also went through the assignments by my students. There was 2 honor roll student in my class, the twin's Jack and Mary. They were half American and Japanese. They were always on time in my classes and always walking back together when the bell rings. However, there is a dark secret about the twins that I did not know about. The twins would always take turns to clean up the class. Most of the students were afraid of them, and I never could understand why. Every time I called the twin's names in class the students would just whisper to each other.

             I turned 20 when I first moved to New York City to begin my job as a teacher at Summerlake High School. Every year the number of students of Summerlake High School increases. Summerlake High School was a reputable school for the rich and powerful kids, however, there were a few on scholarships who are handpicked by the principal because of their straight As, among them was smart Jack and Mary. There were rumors saying that Jack and Mary were orphans, but there were also rumors in the school that said that they were not blood-related, and there were eerie ones that the twins killed their biological parents.

             One fine morning, I was walking to the school corridor and I caught Mary murmuring to herself. I asked her what was wrong, but she stared at me blankly. Jack was nowhere to be seen. I asked the other students if they had seen Jack, but to no avail, nobody has seen him. As the lunch hours passed, I went back to the teacher’s office, to ring the Makoto’s family about Jack. However the family refused to answer my question and said that Jack was resting after a cold. It was quite odd to me because the day before Jack was walking around the school corridor as usual with Mary.

              The next morning, I went to class as usual to teach the students and this time, Mary was gone. I asked everyone where was Mary but nobody answered me. I found it strange that two of my students who always are on time in my class not show up. I took a day off and search for the common spots where Mary and Jack would be, but I could not find them. I rang the school, but they refused to answer me. I went back to the school to look for the students details to find Mary and Jack’s home. I rang the bell. A cold silence answered me. Hello?? I said, but my voice echoed in the hallway of the house. I knocked several times, still, nobody answered me. Then the door creaked open, inviting me in the quiet and dark house.

                In the old and dark house, I saw an old lady looking past the window. I called her ma'am is this Makoto’s residence. She turned and smiled at me and said yes this is Makoto’s residence. I asked her who was she and she said she was Mrs. Makoto. She proceeds to ask if I want a cup of tea. We sat on the couch, and she was silent for a while sipping her tea. I heard a loud bang on top, but she never fazed to the sound. I ask Mrs. Makoto if anything is alright? She broke into tears and told me that she couldn’t find her kids too. She said she reported to the police. but the police looked at her as though she was insane. I found that was strange too.

                After few weeks I came down with a cold, because I was so worried about Mary and Jack. The School finally decided to tell me about Mary and Jack. The principal called me to the office one fine morning and said Ms Sathia I have something to tell you. He started telling me how Mary and Jack were not in my class. I frowned and told him that cannot be sir, I clearly saw them in my class and they were helping me in my class. The principal shooked his shoulders and said Miss Sathia there is no Mary and Jack. He showed me the class picture we took the other day. I stared at the picture to where Mary and Jack stood, but there was no one.

                 I spoke to the oldest janitor in the school. He brought up that he knew Mary and Jack. Those two pitiful kids he sigh, they were enjoying their school life in Summerlake Highschool. They were always joining competitions and helpful with all the staff and students. One day Summerlake Highschool went on a camp with all the students and teachers. Mary and Jack went to the forest that night and they never returned. I asked the janitor why no one spoke about this. The school silence the media. Every students were forbidden to talk about Mary and Jack. A few kids came to me and apologized for not answering to me. They spoke up that they knew Mary and Jack from their siblings who went on the camp. The twins were nice, but they were scared that the lost twins will haunt them because they kept the secret. They did not want to keep the secret, but the school promise to give them whatever they need in exchange for not telling to the public.

                   The janitor told me which camp it was and I took a day off to drive to the camp. I switch on the torchlight and search for Jack and Mary. I heard whispers in the forest, then I saw Jack and Mary. I rubbed my eyes. I called to them. I rubbed my eyes again, I saw bones on the floor. Then I heard a whisper from the twins, thanks to Ms. Sathia, our soul were restless because we died miserably in the night. It was so unfair to us that the school did not open to the public about us. Mary and Jack sobs and says that they felt like they were forgotten. I called the police and they asked how I knew where Mary and Jack’s body was. It dawned to me that Jack and Mary wanted my help to uncover the truth of their death. I wept my tears as the police called the emergency unit to check on the bones. It took several days before the results came and true enough that it was Mary and Jack. The mother was sad but also a slight relief that her twins can now rest peacefully, and they will always be in her heart.

         It struck me that I’ve always been able to see wandering spirits since I was small. Even back when I was a child people called me special because I was always talking to the spirits. Sometimes the spirts tell me their grudges, stories, grief, happiness, and some were lost. I never understood why I was chosen to be special. I wanted a normal life just like everyone else. I learned that my whole family has the gift to communicate with the spirits. I did my best to communicate with the spirits and help them relief their grudges and grief. I felt like I was doing a part as a community to keep the place safe. It has been 12 years since I have been in contact with spirits. I will always keep in my mind that even if there are times I do not see them, they are always there. The incident about the twin brought back fragments of memories of the past in which I have encountered different spirits. My hope is that both spirit and human can live peacefully despite the differences.