For Blossomfall, who created inspiring (parody) videos and also for that certain one that inspired me to write this. May you be happy in your other life.
ONCE
One
Silence was a rare thing in a music shop. Voices and musical notes filled the air. Promising talents sat on chairs of borrowed instruments as they tried to prefect the songs they have created from their souls, with wishes of sharing their insight of the world, for the world.
With a hand rested on her chin she listened to a particular melody that, to her, seemed to stand out among the rest. Every key felt rich, powerful, yet it still had this certain melancholic quality to it. It hid among the several melodies, as if it does not want to be discovered. Nonetheless she tried to listen, feeling a certain twinge of achievement as she absorbed each and every key that continued the last.
Then, it stopped.
At the same time, she blinked, as if she had just woke up from a dream. She looked around, trying to find the person that had played the melody. Suddenly, the bell at the door rang.
Slightly irritated for the interruption, she whipped her head to the cash register, a forced smile pasted on her face.
Instead of a face she was supposed to see, she was greeted with a pale blue sweater that was underneath the moss green jacket. She sighed, noting how God likes to rub in her lack of height, and then looked up.
She came face to face with a boy, who perfectly stood out among the crowd, a lost look visible on his face.
"Is there something I can do for you?"
Instead of answering her question, he ignored her, his eyes fixated on something (or somebody) that was behind her, and then his eyes scanned the whole shop. It was as if he was looking for something, either that or
He's a robber, she thought, carefully eyeing him as he walked around the shop. She noticed the guitar that hung on his back. Though he does not look like one. What would he even steal in a shop that sells instruments? He already has that guitar to begin with.
Then a thought came through her head.
Could it be that he's the one who…
He circled the small shop one more time before returning to the cash register. This time his eyes were gazed on her as he asked, "Did you see a girl here a while ago?"
She raised a questioning eyebrow. "Girl?"
"Uh, yeah," he averted her gaze, rubbed the back of his neck. "Brown eyes, long hair, orange blonde, with hairpins shaped like flowers on each side of her hair."
"Hmm..." she thought, as she tried to recall a customer who fits his description. "No. I'm sorry. Never seen anyone with what you just described."
But she realized that she had not even asked the name of the person he was trying to find. She pondered on questioning the man until he spoke:
"Ah, I see," as he frowned, disappointed. "Well, if you see her…"
Another ringing of the bell.
And he was gone.
Stacks of boxes and unorganized furniture scattered the apartment she just rented.
"Great," she sighed, cursing the hired movers as she tried to bring a big box to the other room. She thought of seeking help from her neighbors, but quickly dismissed the idea for the fact that she might just disturb them.
Cleaning up should have been simpler since it was such a small apartment. However, even after four hours all she did manage to clear up was the living room. The window now shown a black ink of the night, a few stars twinkled as it tried to outshine the white moon. Although she had a lot of boxes to be removed of its contents and furniture to organize her eyes betrayed to stay awake as the night breeze blew through her open window, giving her chills down her spine. Feeling very tired, she set down her futon in the middle of the room, making a temporary sleeping place just for the night.
Two. Three nights. Till after I finish unpacking all of these.
Even as she comfortably lay on her futon she still couldn't sleep. Something was keeping her awake. Rolling to one side she stared at one box that seemed to stand out among the rest. She thought of getting up but felt too tired to.
That has to wait.
Instead, she tried to remember the melody that she heard during her shift at the shop. It seemed to calm her, blowing away all her worries, her problems, her responsibilities, temporarily removing every single horrible memory she had in her. As she went into a deep slumber, the melody still kept itself playing, and it seemed louder than she remembered, as if somebody was actually playing it at that very hour.
Then she remembered the boy at the shop. His pale blue sweater under his moss green jacket, the guitar that hung on his back, his bright orange hair and his seemingly permanent scowl on his face. She wonders how she could still remember the boy clearly.
"Uhm…excuse me?"
She almost dropped the box she was carrying. Regaining her composure she turned her head to where the voice came from.
"Yes?"
"I'm very sorry for bothering you," she said. She had a soft voice, her face almost covered by her unusual haircut, a pair of blue goggles (that seemed like she uses as a headband) stood out among her auburn hair, she looked like they were about the same age. "I'm just here to give you your mail," she said, handing it out. "It seemed that the mailman switched it again. Good thing I checked it before going to my room, I already separated mine."
Putting down the box, she took the mail from her. Checking if one or two was still mixed up, she found none.
"Thank you very much," she said, as she turned her gaze back to her neighbor. She took a good look at her, noticing her (the neighbor's) eyebrows arched in such a way that she looked quite snobbish, betraying her very meek voice. It reminded her a little bit of her brother.
"Ah! I almost forgot!" her neighbor exclaimed. "I know this question is a bit…weird but have you heard the music last night?"
Her eyes blinked in confusion, "Music?"
"Yes," she responded, her eyes darting to the floor. "I just want to ask if you were the one playing it you know. But since it wasn't you then…"
"Wait. What did the music sound like?"
The girl looked back at her, hesitating, but tried to remember it anyway. "Well…I can remember hearing it at about midnight or so, that it sounded like it was being played on a guitar and," her eyes slowly gazed at something else. "It felt sad…"
A few seconds passed then she blinked, as if waking up from a stupor.
"Ah, I'm sorry," she said, turning her back to the other side. "Well, I should better get going now. I just hope I could sleep tonight." Murmuring her last sentence.
She didn't hear her, as she placed the mail on top of the box and lifted it both. It unsettled her, knowing that the time she tried to remember the melody was during midnight and that it was being played on the guitar as well.
Could it be? She thought, finally setting down the box inside her apartment. That it wasn't just me?
That there was actually someone playing it after all?
AN: I am not much of a fan of AUs but here I am, writing one.
I hate doing all this in an internet shop. Six more months to endure this torture.
I hope my terrible writing abilities won't fry anyone's brain.