Anthony's Forbidden Melody

Chapter 1

The green trees covering the island gave a different hue in Rosette's hazel brown eyes. The clear blue sea danced in rhythm as the pump boat glided towards the shoreline.

Rosette busied herself capturing every scene and taking down notes for her new story. She studied everyone's physique and guessed their archetypes without putting a single detail behind. Just when the roar of the engine stopped, her phone replaced the sound.

Rosette answered it immediately without looking. "Yah, I just arrived." She connected her AirPods for a hands-free call and slid her notebook and pen into her backpack.

The guy on the other line, Collin Sardovia, instructed her on what to do and who to look for. He is the name author of her stories and the sponsor of her trips, which is why he had been keeping tracks of her.

Rosette met Collin in a bar when she started her writing career. She was brainstorming in a corner when the guy offered her a drink. He introduced himself to her and accompanied her that night. She felt at ease with him in an instant and ended up telling him about her new hobby.

Before they parted that time, Collin proposed to her to be the name author of her stories considering that he had a lot of exposure as a vlogger. She smiled at the thought of how their friendship had blossomed after they met.

Rosette stepped out from the boat without disconnecting the call and started looking for an old man in his mid 80's. She saw him on the other end of the floating dock.

The old man waved his hand while urging her to come near.

Rolly was wearing a yellowish white button-down shirt and crumpled gray slacks. His gold wristwatch flickered as the rays of the sun kissed it while he waved his hand. When Rosette looked down a little, the old man's bare sandy feet caught her attention. She returned her gaze abruptly to his face. His smile on the other hand made his wrinkles more defined... a typical toothless man of his age. And just like the other islanders, his sagged skin was tanned.

Mang Rolly greeted her in a dialect she understood and introduced himself. Then, he guided her towards the hostel where she would be staying for a month. It's a 15-minute-walk away. The call ended unintentionally when her connection started to weaken.

The sun was partly hiding when they reached their destination, and her network connection dropped down from one bar to none.

Rosette moved her eyes around as they entered the two-story building. It looked old with its wooden walls and old-style furniture. The floor and the staircase were made of vinyl with darker colors.

Her excitement overflowed. Although she wanted to roam around the place, she also could not wait to lay her back on a mattress after her long travel. She chose to take a nap first and followed Mang Rolly up to the second floor. The yellow lights that flooded the hostel intensified her dizziness. And as soon as her right foot touched the last step of the staircase, an eerie feeling succumbed her senses.

Rosette looked around, searching for prying eyes.

"Who's he?" she asked out of curiosity when she saw a guy sitting inside the first room, which door was purposely distanced from the hallway and was left open.

Inside was a man in his early 20's with pixie cut hairstyle. He looked pale in his white sweater paired with skinny jean of the same color. He was holding something on his left hand and caressing it gently with his right.

Rosette couldn't guess what it was as door hindered her sight.

"Do not mind him." The old man continued his steps and did not bother to look back. Mang Rolly seemed healthier than any man in his age. He was still shoeless and it gave him an advantage of walking without making a sound.

Rosette failed to move an inch and kept figuring out what the boy was doing when the montage in the room slowly moved his head, darted his milky eyes towards the open door, and found its way to her eyes... making an eye to eye contact with her. Or that's what she thought for a second.

She unconsciously gripped the straps of her backpack and managed to hide her shock.

Weird.

She was unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she knew exactly what his eyes looked like and what it meant.

"Why are you still there? Follow me!" Mang Rolly's hoarse voice echoed around. His forehead creased as he noticed where her gaze came from.

Rosette winced and followed him while taking a last look at the boy. His eyes were still fixed to where she was standing a moment ago.

Mang Rolly escorted her to the last room with the door facing the hallway and handed her the key to her room.

"There is always a power outage every ten o'clock in the evening and will resume at ten in the morning. Your breakfast will be ready at seven in the dining area with the other guests," he reminded. "And if you need anything..."

"I'll just look for your daughter Sally. She is always in the kitchen," she cut him. "Yah, I know... You already told me for the nth time." She refrain herself from rolling her eyes. "Thanks a lot!" She smiled before facing the door and inserted the key. She was about to turn the knob when Mang Rolly coughed gently that made her paused.

"And lastly, do not come near him... Anthony is like a death teller," he warned with his eyes fixed on her.

"What do you mean by that?" Her brows met. The last two words fueled her curiosity.

"Just keep your feet away from him. He does not want to be disturbed by visitors." The old man turned around and started walking.

"Is he blind?" she managed to ask in a whispery shout which made him stop.

"It is better not to know anything about him. Curiosity kills the cat," he murmured.

"Yah, but... satisfaction brings it back." She shrugged.

Mang Rolly ignored her completely and continued his soundless steps. His indifference filled her mind with questions about him and Anthony.

Three days of Rosette's stay passed by smoothly. Her luggage was delivered safely by Collin's staff a day after her arrival. For three days, she had enjoyed talking to people and listening to their experiences. She even started her new manuscript with the help of different life stories that she had collected.

Her fingers swayed in synch with the clattering of her keyboard keys. She was typing the third chapter of "On a Mission for Three Words" when her thoughts wandered and brought her back to the time when she saw Anthony. She paused for a while and pictured him in her mind, wondering why she never saw him again from that day.

A voice of a woman replayed in her ears.

"Have you seen a girl inside? It had been 10 years since I last saw her and Anthony. No one knew what happened to the girl after their parents died. They said she committed suicide, but someone saw her going out at night. Rolly never opens his mouth as to what really happened. Her absence became a mystery in this island."

The woman whom she had talked to the other day was their neighbor Annie, a middle aged woman with seven kids. A typical neighbor who loved to gossip. She kept on asking her if she saw a girl living inside the hostel, but all she could answer was none.

There were only seven rooms on the second floor and only four of it were occupied, including Anthony's room. The other two were occupied by some welcomed guests like her. A young couple and a man. She did not even know where do Mang Rolly and his family reside.

Rosette bit her lip and decided to take a look at Anthony's room. There was something interesting in him that made her wonder, especially after what Mang Rolly said to her. She wanted to know his backstory and why he always locked himself in a room. She believed that he could still live a normal life despite his disability.

She got off from the bed and closed her laptop. She did not feel the need to bring her notebook and pen so she just put on her robe before going out of her room. Upon closing the door, she had a second thought of bringing her cellphone with her but she gave up the idea in the end.

It was nine thirty-four in the evening and everyone's already in their rooms. The clacking of her flat sandals bounced on the walls as she stepped. She tried so hard to lessen the noise but she failed. The silence of the night intensified the beating of her heart along with the shortening of the distance.

She checked every corner first if there was someone along the hallway before she pivoted to the direction of Anthony's room. Her excitement overflew when she sighted that the door was ajar and the light inside the room was still on.