The Formula

Thick dark clouds covered the once beautiful blue sky above our heads. There were a lot of people but only the sound of footsteps were heard along the long winding road. Once in a while, I could hear sobs of some people in the back. As they said, the goodness of a man is often measured by the number of people in his funeral. I don't normally believe in these kinds of things for it's not statistically proven but this time it's what's happening right before my eyes. We never sent out any announcement for Dr. Chan's funeral. But as we passed by around town, people started to notice and joined us. It almost felt like we were forming a mob towards his resting place. Dr. Chan served as a neurosurgeon for the past twenty-five years. This was his legacy.

"wow, all these people for Dr. Chan." Ed was amazed.

We arrived at my private cemetery just an hour past noon of MARCH 15, 2031. The place where I transferred the remains of my whole family. White flowers devoured the place, red carpets from the gates to the doorstep of the Villa we built for his grave; it's a small house made up of titanium steal and 1-inch thick glass. We decided to hold the service outside the Villa for the crowd. Cassandra and Gustavo commanded our drones for food distribution and security. We were born Roman Catholics so we followed its burial traditions.

"Hey, Ed. Where's Mrs. Chan? I haven't seen her even in the wake."

"Haven't you heard? They had a bad fight that led to their divorce a few months ago. It appears that it's a restraining order from the court that prohibits her from attending the wake and the funeral." Ed replied.

Damn, I didn't even know. I was too busy of the things around me that I overlooked the people that I care about. Again. I failed. I failed to save him from that truck. If only I had stopped him that afternoon and had a little more chat and even a dinner together, he would still be alive today. Autopsy reports showed that he died of excessive blood loss and concussion due to the impact of the truck that hit him at the parking lot just moments after talking to Dr. Castro. The truck driver also died of a heart attack.

"Condolences" Ariel arrived.

"Do I know you?" Ed interrupted.

"Ed this is Ariel. Ariel this is Ed." and there I was.

"Ariel as in "the" Ariel?" Ed pulled me about a meter away and whispered. Then I nod in confirmation.

"What the-- but how??"

"I'll tell you later"

The ceremony then took place. It was supposed to be only me and Ed to do the talking in front of the crowd but we agreed to give some people a chance to share how Dr. Chan affected their very lives. Tears began to fall from the sky and from the eyes of many as we looked back on the good days we shared with him. People whom he saved from the brink of death gave their testimonies of how he extended their lives and had never asked anything in return. Some revealed how he secretly helped in foundations by giving out medicines, goods, and cash for years and had never asked for credit. There was one guy who cried a river as he told everyone how Dr. Chan saved him from taking his own life in a subway station. Although, Dr. Chan never had a child but the fact that he saved hundreds of lives and helped thousands gave him an alternate purpose of living. Even at his final moments up here on the surface, he still never failed to amaze.

People from all walks of life gathered and had their own flower to toss into Dr. Chan's grave. Every flower carried their sympathies and endless gratitude to the man's kindness. A blessing that the heavens had given was now retaken.

Minutes after the ceremony, people started to disperse. Some went to us for some selfies and autographs, some went their way home. It was an hour later that only the three of us were left in Dr. Chan's grave. An awkward silence filled the Villa....

• • • • • •

~𝙵𝙴𝙱𝚁𝚄𝙰𝚁𝚈 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚈 𝙾𝙽𝙴

"Let's go home" Mr. Zellwinger tapped my shoulders.

My family's funeral had just ended. Before reaching this point, Ed and his dad took care of the wake and the ceremony. They helped me in every way possible that all I had to do was mourn. 𝑊𝒉𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝐼 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝒉𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝒉𝑒𝑚?

"Live with us, Joe." Mr. Zellwinger said.

"Yeah. After all, we're the only ones that's left. Might as well come together. What do you think, Joe?" Ed added.

I didn't know what to say or how to react. Yeah, I've known the Zellwingers for years but this is on a whole new level. For a while, I lagged in front of them; overwhelmed and shy.

"Hey, you're not just a friend to me. We already considered you a part of our family long ago. Right dad?" Ed tapped on my shoulders.

"Exactly. You don't have to be alone, son." Mr. Zellwinger added.

But I was too shy to accept their offer. I thought of it as too much already.

"Mr. Zellwinger, Ed. Thank you so much but I will be okay." 

I know it's hard being alone but I thought I should try not to be a burden to anyone else. They said their doors were wide open in case I'd change my mind. So I thought, What have I done to deserve these people?

A month had past since the brutal blow fate had given me and still, nothing felt right. Nothing.

Memories of the past haunted me every minute of everyday. Every moment I remember her and every moment I stayed at home remembering them were double-edged swords that dealt damage straight to the heart and mind. Countless empty bottles of beers could be seen around the house. Dirty laundries begged my attention every time I passed by our laundry room. Every corner of the house was dusty. I never liked those sights but in those times I seemed to be a different person. I was just living in hopes of dying naturally someday. Well, The world was ending at that point. Ozone layer depletion rose to 37%. Although it wasn't that destructive but it's percentage grows steadily over the years. News showed footages of ice boulders in the poles rapidly melting in a span of months. Insanely strong storms began forming once in a while in random parts of the world. The duration of seasons slightly changed. Drought in some areas replaced by storms and stormy areas experienced unexpected long drought seasons.

One rainy evening of March 2021, after finishing five bottles of beer.

"Mom?? Aika??" I suddenly saw them. There in my room. Smiling as if they weren't gone.

I immediately got up and rushed to the both of them. I touched them! It's real. All that had happened was just a bad dream. Tears began to get the best of me. I squeezed myself in between them hoping they won't leave me again. Before all those bullshit happened, I thought I could live alone. I thought I was strong enough. I was wrong.

"Why? Why aren't you moving? talk to me. Please?" I begged the both of them.

Then they both disappeared. Before even having to react about them vanishing in to thin air, I suddenly found myself floating. I looked around and I saw an endless and vast area. It was like floating in space without worrying about the lack of oxygen and the deadly vaccuum. It was dark. There were some occasional splashes of unknown red substances everywhere. It was more like a fume but giant ones. Then, all of a sudden I saw a man walking towards me. He's not floating like me. As he was getting closer. His identity became clearer.

He was me but a bit older. I got a lot of questions in mind but my mouth refused to speak in awe of everything that was happening.

He handed me a piece of paper.

It was a long formula. I never had seen anything like it. And just as I was about to ask about the strange formula...

That other me disappeared in thin air.

Then I woke up.

It all was just a dream. It wasn't even raining outside. A total disappointment. I really hoped that they were alive and well and those that happened were just a bad dream. But no, I'm back to the awful reality. Alone, cold, and hungry.

Then I remembered that paper. I don't understand what the whole formula was all about but I kinda know that it was somehow related to time and relative space so I rushed into my drawers to find a pen and paper. I wrote the whole formula down before it leaves my memory. I searched for it in the internet but I just can't find any results. I tried calling and emailing  some of my colleagues but none of them had encountered it. It was then that I remembered Ed and his father's offer. I never had thought that that formula was useless or just a random thing my dream gave me. I knew that it was something else. So, I made my move.

[𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍]