The new semester opens with a bang that shocks the four Houses of QED University, an exclusive school for promising students of the science of deduction and art of detection.
The Holmesian Harriet Harrison never thought that the day would come when...
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HARRIET
I COULD not be mistaken! Someone's sending emergency signals through those flashes of light!
I ran against the wind, rushing to the abandoned clock tower. Tumingala ako sa tutok nito. Kung sinuman ang nandoon, inulit niya ang pattern na nakita ko kanina: Three short flashes. Three long flashes. Another three short flashes.
The characters in the Morse codes are represented by a combination of short and long signals, hence the dots and dashes. If you translate those flashes using that method, you will get three dots, three dashes, and three dots again. Kapag binasa mo, you will get SOS! A distress signal!
Wala nang oras na dapat sayangin. Whoever's up there might be in grave danger.
Hinabol ko muna ang aking hininga nang makarating ako sa tapat ng abandonadong tore. There was a DO NOT ENTER barricade tape plastered all over the entrance. Sa ganitong emergency situation, wala nang "do not enter." Kaagad bumigay ang pinto nang sinipa ko ito.
I took out my penlight as I entered the abyss. Naging maingat ako sa bawat paghakbang dahil baka biglang gumuho ang tinatapakan ko. A spiral stone staircase was the only way para makarating ako sa pinakataas.
Saktong paakyat na ako sa hagdan nang may marinig akong mga yabag mula sa itaas. Tumingala ako para silipin kung ano 'yon. Dahil sa sobrang dilim, wala akong nakita. Ipinagpatuloy ko na lang ang pag-akyat.
Who would dare enter this burnt tower?
Kinailangan ko pang itutok ang penlight sa aking dinaraanan dahil masyadong delikado. May ilang parte ng staircase na nawawala na o 'di kaya'y gumuguho na kapag tinatapakan.
I could just walk away and return to the Holmes Hall, but my curiosity got the better of me. Kung talaga ngang may taong nangangailangan ng tulong, mas dapat pa nga akong magmadali para sagipin siya.
After cautiously climbing the tower, I reached the last flight of stairs leading to the pinnacle. Nang itinutok ko ang penlight sa huling platform, may naaninag akong figure ng isang lalaki na nakayuko at tila pinaglalaruan ang doorknob.
"Sino ka?" tanong ko sabay tutok ng ilaw sa kanya. Naistorbo ko tuloy ang ginagawa niya at bigla niyang tinutok sa akin ang hawak niyang penlight.
I was greeted by the familiar face of a young man wearing scarlet blazer. At sa lahat ng estudyanteng pwede kong makasalubong dito, guess who he was? None other than Morrie.
"Nandito ka rin pala? What a coincidence." My eyes rolled as my mouth spew those words. Umayos siya ng tayo at itinago sa likod kung anuman ang hawak niya. I knew what he was doing earlier. He was trying to pick the lock of the door.
"What a pleasant surprise," he forced a smile at me. "I thought you would be sulking in the corner due to your House's defeat."
"I didn't come here to trade barbs." Lumapit ako sa pinto at sinuri ang doorknob. Dahil sa nangyaring sunog noon, halos ma-deform na ito. No wonder why Morrie had a hard time trying to unlock it. "You noticed the SOS signal from this tower too?"
