HAANI

Episode8

HAANI

Episode 8

The morning air in London still carried the dampness of the previous night’s rain.

A thin layer of water covered the streets, while the pale light reflected from the windows of the old university buildings, making the entire atmosphere feel even more mysterious.

The ancient university building stood tall and silent as always.

But that morning, Haani felt a strange heaviness in its silence.

She had barely slept the entire night.

Three things lay on the table in front of her.

First, the old envelope Eleanor had given her.

Second, the photograph she had found inside it.

And third—

The name Michael Johnson.

Haani picked up the photograph again.

Edward Johnson stood on one side, while a man named Yusuf Rahman stood on the other, holding a small book.

Why were they together in the same photograph?

What had happened in 1887?

And how had the secret reached Michael Johnson so many years later?

Haani slowly placed the photograph back on the table.

At that moment, Sophie and Emma entered her room.

Sophie looked at Haani’s face.

“Did you even sleep?”

Haani gave a faint smile.

“A little.”

Emma looked at the photograph on the table.

“I kept thinking about it all night.”

Sophie asked,

“Do you think Edward Johnson was actually Eric’s ancestor?”

Haani didn’t answer immediately.

“I don’t know. But Eleanor said that part of his records disappeared.”

Emma picked up the paper containing Michael Johnson’s name.

“And this?”

“That’s the strangest part.”

“Why?” Sophie asked.

“Because we didn’t find this name ourselves. Someone slipped this paper under our door.”

The three girls fell silent.

Then Emma quietly said,

“So someone is either helping us… or leading us somewhere.”

Haani nodded.

“And I don’t know which one is true.”

Suddenly, a message appeared on Haani’s phone.

Unknown number.

Only one line was written:

“If you want to understand 1887, find the room beneath the old chapel.”

Haani’s eyes widened.

Sophie immediately asked,

“What does it say?”

Haani showed them the message.

Emma stared at it.

“The old chapel?”

Sophie said,

“There is a chapel in the older section of the university.”

Haani looked at her.

“How do you know?”

“I saw it on the university map. That section has been closed for years.”

Haani immediately picked up the photograph.

“Then we need to go there.”

Emma looked surprised.

“Now?”

“No,” Haani replied. “First, we need to find out whether that place is even safe.”

She knew that after everything that had happened, they couldn’t simply walk into another unknown place without thinking carefully.

---

When the class began, the professor made an announcement.

“A new research student will be joining our historical project.”

The door opened.

A young woman entered carrying several books and a notebook.

“Everyone, this is Maya Anderson. She is a postgraduate research student working with the History Department.”

Maya smiled at the class.

“Hi.”

The professor gestured toward an empty seat.

Maya sat near Haani.

A few minutes later, the professor said,

“Since Haani, Sophie, and Emma are already working on the historical records, Maya will join their research team.”

Haani looked at Maya.

“Nice to meet you.”

Maya smiled.

“Same here.”

Then her eyes fell on the book Haani was holding.

She suddenly paused.

“Where did you get that book?”

Haani looked down at it.

“From the library. Why?”

Maya thought for a moment.

“It just looks familiar.”

Haani asked,

“Have you seen it before?”

Maya shook her head.

“Maybe.”

Her answer was short.

Haani noticed that Maya seemed to be hiding something.

---

During lunch break, Haani, Sophie, Emma, and Maya sat together in the university café.

Maya was quietly looking at her coffee.

Sophie asked,

“What kind of topic are you researching in the History Department?”

Maya replied,

“Religious history and social communities in nineteenth-century London.”

Haani’s hand stopped.

Maya immediately noticed.

“What happened?”

Haani shook her head.

“Nothing.”

Emma quickly changed the subject.

“Have you ever researched 1887?”

Maya remained silent for a moment.

“Yes.”

Haani looked directly at her.

“Have you heard of Edward Johnson?”

For a brief moment, surprise appeared on Maya’s face.

Then she quickly hid it.

“Yes.”

Sophie immediately asked,

“Do you know him?”

“Not personally. I’ve only read about him in some records.”

Haani asked,

“And Yusuf Rahman?”

Maya placed her coffee cup down.

This time, she couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Where did you hear that name?”

Haani didn’t answer.

Maya took a slow breath.

“Yusuf Rahman appears in very few records.”

“Why?” Haani asked.

Maya quietly replied,

“Because the records about him were later removed from the archive.”

Haani stared at her.

“By whom?”

Maya shook her head.

“That isn’t known.”

Then she looked at Haani.

“If you’re really researching this matter, remember one thing.”

“What?”

“The records from 1887 cannot be understood separately. Several families are connected through them.”

Haani immediately thought of Michael Johnson.

“The Johnson family too?”

Maya looked around before answering.

Then she said quietly,

“Especially the Johnson family.”

---

Meanwhile, in another part of the university, Eric was standing with his friends.

Jack looked at him.

“You seem worried again.”

Eric didn’t answer.

Leo said,

“The professor said the investigation into the archive has started.”

“I know,” Eric replied coldly.

Chris asked,

“Do you really know nothing?”

Eric looked at him.

“Why do you all keep asking me the same question?”

Jack answered,

“Because your reaction isn’t normal.”

Eric fell silent.

Then Jack suddenly asked,

“Have you ever heard the name Edward Johnson?”

Eric’s expression changed immediately.

For a few seconds, fear was clearly visible in his eyes.

But he quickly controlled himself.

“No.”

Jack stared at him.

“Liar.”

Eric’s voice became angry.

“Watch your language.”

Jack stepped back.

“Fine.”

Eric turned to leave.

But Leo suddenly asked,

“Who was Yusuf Rahman?”

Eric stopped.

He didn’t turn around.

For several seconds, there was complete silence.

Then Eric said quietly,

“Don’t mention that name again.”

And he walked away.

Jack, Leo, and Chris looked at one another.

Jack whispered,

“Now I’m sure he knows something.”

---

That evening, Haani stopped Maya before she left.

“I want to ask you something.”

Maya turned around.

“What?”

“You said the Johnson family had a special connection to the records from 1887. How do you know that?”

Maya remained silent for a moment.

“Because I read an old research paper.”

“Where?”

“In a private collection.”

Haani asked,

“Do you have that paper?”

Maya shook her head.

“No.”

Then she moved closer to Haani and lowered her voice.

“But I know a place where the original copy might still exist.”

Haani’s eyes filled with curiosity.

“Where?”

Maya replied,

“Beneath the old chapel.”

Haani froze.

It was the exact place mentioned in the mysterious message.

“How do you know about that place?”

Maya looked down.

“My grandfather researched there.”

Haani was surprised.

“And then?”

Maya hesitated.

“He never managed to finish his research.”

“Why?”

Maya didn’t answer.

She only said,

“If you go there, don’t go alone.”

Then she turned and walked away.

---

That night, Haani, Sophie, and Emma decided to visit the Old Chapel.

Maya agreed to come with them.

The old section of the university looked completely different at night.

The ancient stone walls had turned almost black from the rain. Tall tree branches moved in the cold wind. The lights of London could be seen in the distance, but the darkness around the chapel felt much deeper.

The four girls reached the chapel.

The door was covered with rust.

Maya took a small key from her pocket.

Sophie looked at her in surprise.

“You have a key?”

Maya nodded.

“It belonged to my grandfather.”

The door slowly opened.

Inside, cold air and the smell of old wood filled the chapel.

Faded paintings and ancient symbols covered the walls.

Haani turned on her flashlight.

“How old is this place?”

“Very old,” Maya replied.

They walked through the chapel until they reached a small wooden staircase.

The stairs led downward.

Emma whispered,

“It really is here.”

The four girls slowly descended.

At the bottom was a small underground room.

Old shelves covered the walls.

A wooden table stood in the center.

And on the table—

There was an old diary.

Haani stepped forward.

The name written on its cover made her heart stop.

Edward Johnson.

She was about to pick it up when suddenly—

Bang!

The door above them slammed shut.

All four girls jumped.

Emma immediately looked toward the stairs.

“Someone closed it.”

“Who?” Sophie whispered.

There was no answer.

Haani held the diary tightly.

Then a faint sound came from the other side of the room.

Something had fallen onto the floor.

Maya pointed her flashlight toward it.

An old wooden chest stood near the wall.

Haani opened it.

Inside were several old documents.

On top of them lay a photograph.

Haani picked it up.

It showed Edward Johnson and Yusuf Rahman standing together.

But this time, there was more written on the back.

A date.

17 October 1887.

And beneath it:

“The meeting that changed everything.”

Haani whispered,

“This is the day…”

Maya noticed something written in the diary.

“Look.”

The page contained a handwritten sentence:

“If my family ever searches for the truth, tell them that the answer was never hidden in a place. It was hidden in a choice.”

Haani read the sentence several times.

“A choice?”

Maya said,

“Maybe Edward was talking about an important decision.”

Haani turned to the next page.

But the next page had been torn out.

Only a few words remained.

“…and Yusuf knew the truth.”

Haani’s eyes widened.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps above them.

Someone was coming down the stairs.

All four girls fell silent.

A shadow appeared on the staircase.

A figure slowly descended.

A black coat.

A serious face.

It was Eric.

Haani stared at him in shock.

Eric’s eyes immediately went to the diary.

Then to Haani.

He said nothing.

Haani finally asked,

“What are you doing here?”

Eric answered coldly,

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Haani held the diary against her chest.

“This is Edward Johnson’s diary.”

Eric’s expression changed with obvious concern.

He stepped forward.

“Give it to me.”

Haani stepped back.

“Why?”

For the first time, Eric’s voice carried something other than anger.

It sounded almost desperate.

“Because you don’t know what’s written inside it.”

Haani stared at him.

“Then you do know?”

Eric remained silent.

Then he said quietly,

“I already warned you that some secrets can change a person.”

Haani looked directly into his eyes.

“And maybe you’re the one who is most afraid of what I might discover about you.”

Eric said nothing.

He only stared at the diary.

For the first time, Haani saw something in his eyes that looked less like anger and more like the weight of a painful past.

Somewhere above them, an old bell rang.

It was midnight.

And at that exact moment, Haani noticed a small folded page hidden between the diary’s remaining pages.

She pulled it out.

Only one name was written on it.

Michael Johnson.

Haani looked at Eric.

Eric saw the name.

His face suddenly went pale.

For the first time, Haani realized—

Eric wasn’t simply aware of the secret of 1887.

He was connected to it.

But how?

And what did Michael Johnson have to do with it?

The answer was still hidden somewhere inside that dark underground room.

To be continued…