Dream up a secret library. Write a story about an adventurer who discovers it. What’s in the library? Why was it kept secret?

Posted in Adventure on May 17, 2024

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✍️ 97 stories

“Gift of Knowledge” by Corey Melin

Submitted to Contest #251

We are all given a gift we can use to better everyone’s lives in this world. A world that desperately needs gifts to keep it from going into the dark ages. Ones who use their gifts for evil can bring such an event that unfortunately has occurred throughout history. It will continue to the end of time because of living in a fallen world, but never give up and strive to use your gift to better humanity and our planet. My name is Robert, and I use my gift to he...

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“Archeology Of Enlightenment” by Laurie Spellman

Submitted to Contest #251

July 17, 2164, Zion National Park, UtahDr. Jaden Reynolds A decade ago, during a research expedition in Thailand, I met my future husband while working on our thesis in the monastery of Wat Mahathat, also called the 'Temple of Relics.' We shared a lighthearted moment that marked the beginning of our relationship. As I stooped to brush the dirt off the ancient stone tablet, a voice behind me said, "Careful. Those tablets are known to cast a love spell on archaeologists." I turned around to see a charming smile on the...

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“The Library in the Wall” by Rozmarin Ideas

Submitted to Contest #251

I remember that there was a hole in the wall. The place was old, on the brink of being derelict. We were called in on contract work, hired by the renovators to make an initial survey and do an extermination run on any minor pests. My buddy was a surveyor, and at the time I was running an exterminator’s. I didn’t really do the kill work myself, but since Eric had asked me to come, I came.It was ancient, pre-war I think? Fifties at the latest, but probably forties or thirties. No one had lived there for at least twenty-five years, and le...

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“Witches Get Stitches” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #251

The teahouse was full of women sipping from cups and pouring from various teapots.Mona Heptinstall winced. She didn’t have any money to buy a drink. She didn’t have any money at all; she was only a young schoolgirl. But the sight of all these women put her at ease a little. And God knew that she needed somewhere to feel safe right now. Mona ducked into the shop, past the few tables outside occupied by little old ladies sitting in the shade.The aroma inside the teahouse was exotic and familiar, exciting and cosy. Steam wafted from the rims of...

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“Bibliothecha Magicae” by Myranda Marie

Submitted to Contest #251

“Alexa Claire Morrow! Aren’t you supposed to be reading?”A startled twelve-year-old Lexi nervously dropped her game controller to the floor and reached for the remote; hastily turning off the television. Busted. Lexi got up from the floor and sat on her bed. “Mom, I hate it when you use my full name. It makes me feel like I’m in trouble.”“You know you’re supposed to read a minimum of thirty minutes a day before you’re permitted to play video games. If you haven’t done so, which I suspect you haven’t, then you may just very well be in trouble...

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“The Temptation of Laura Marsh” by Katharine Widdows

Submitted to Contest #251

If temptation is the work of the devil, then why are the houses of God so full of it? It’s been five years since my baptism, and I’ve been thrown out of more cathedrals than I’ve been into confessionals. They have all these closed velvet curtains and little rope barriers between silver posts. They even have doors marked “Private”. How are you supposed to resist that? It’s like putting a big red button up with a sign that says: “Do not press”.My investigations started locally, with St. Peter’s – very apt since he’s the keeper of the keys, rig...

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“The Library” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #251

Jasmine slammed her laptop shut, the blank screen mocking her. She drained the last of her latte, its bitterness mirroring her frustration. Writing had always been her refuge, especially in retirement, but today, words eluded her like a cruel joke. Deciding a change of scenery might help, she left Lemon Drop Café and stepped into the unusually quiet main street.Turning a corner, she noticed a narrow, cobblestone lane she'd never seen before. Curiosity piqued, she ventured down the lane, her footsteps echoing softly on the smooth cobblestones...

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“THE SECRET LIBRARY OF MYTHRIA” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #251

Picture this, I found myself deep within the enigmatic Whispering Woods. It's where the trees whisper secrets like chatty grandmothers, “Did you hear about Oakley? She’s sprouting new leaves!”And the streams, oh man, they play practical jokes like they’re auditioning for a prank show. They wait until you’re not looking and—splash! —right in the face. It’s like the forest version of a whoopee cushion.Allow me to introduce myself. I am Finn, the adventurer. Or, as my companions affectionately dub me, “The one who stumbles upon treasure despite...

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“Books of Destinies - Vol. #1.5” by Martha Kowalski

Submitted to Contest #251

Somewhere in this village is a Library – hidden, out of sight. No one knows where to find it because no one searches for it; no one have ever even heard of it. But in this Secret Library, hundreds of thousands of Books live. Their pages magically pulse with life – a heart beating in the chest of a hardcover – while their words speak volumes to those who wish to listen. Nobody listens; nobody hears them; nobody even knows they exist.Except.A man led his six-year-old son into an office-type building that looked inconspicuous to the rest of the...

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“Uncle Arthur’s Many Secrets” by Thomas Wetzel

Submitted to Contest #251

From: James Benson (jben****@gmail.com)To: Anders Westbrook (ande****@cornell.edu)Time/Date: 5:36pm, July 18, 2024Subject: This weekendHey Andy,Just letting you know that I can’t make your BBQ this weekend. I was looking forward to having a few beers with you and the guys and maybe playing a few hands of poker once the eating is done, but I have to head to Albany in the morning.Remember my Uncle Arthur? Don’t worry, I don’t either. (Well, a little.) Anyway, he passed away a few days ago and his sister - my Aunt Bonnie out in Wisconsin - cont...

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“The Witness” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #251

Dmitri disembarked from the plane at about 1 am. He hated the red eye. ‘I’m getting too old for this,’ he thought. Except for his fellow passengers, the cavernous terminal stood empty. Signs in the local language directed him to baggage claim and customs. He took the steps down. There was no escalator. With his backpack slung over his shoulder, he joined the throng at customs.Dmitri mulled over the cryptic email he’d gotten the previous day from his old friend Matthias.‘Need you to take a walk. Do not contact. You don’t know me. Visa, ticket...

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“A Love To Read” by Timothy Rennels

Submitted to Contest #251

A LOVE TO READ Tommy McBrighter loved booksSince he first started reading at threeHe could lose himself in the storiesThe one place he really felt freeTommy’s books were his entertainmentEver since the TV’d been hockedAt night he’d read under the coversAt night he would keep his door lockedHis mom had a lot of “boyfriends”“It’d be best you stay out of the way.”So he’d hide in the books he was readingUntil the stranger would go away ****Margaret Baxter once worked in the libraryUnfailingly…every dayShe vowed to continue her ...

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“Ch. 2 & 3: The Cabal; The Secret Library.” by Ken Cartisano

Submitted to Contest #251

“Are you sure about this?”“Yesss,” he replied.“It really doesn’t look like much of a…”He stopped and turned, “It isn’t much. I told you that.” It was the size of two city blocks, no more. They were headed toward a slight mound of earth at the far end of the park.“But I thought it was a fort.”“It was not a fort.”“But…”“It was never a fort. Ever.”“Then why did they…”“I don’t know, Cage. I wasn’t here.”A man clearing his throat disrupted their bickering. “Is that you, Cathy?”Norman turned to look at her but couldn’t see her face blushing in the...

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“The Library of...” by Jack Lacey

Submitted to Contest #251

John Thompson blinked awake, his vision slowly adjusting to the thick, enveloping fog that surrounded him. He sat up, his head pounding with a dull ache, and looked around. The city was deserted, the streets eerily silent. Buildings loomed out of the mist, their shapes distorted and ghostly. John had no memory of how he got here, or why he was alone, but something about it felt awfully familiar. The name Sarah sprung to his consciousness, and as John tried to put a face to the name, rain began to fall from the heavens above. He reached up t...

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“I Think, Therefore... ” by E.M. Ansley

Submitted to Contest #251

If he never saw another rock again, he’d be flipping thrilled. “I found something strange on Google Maps and had to check it out!” Gray smiled at his phone and hoped he disguised how absolutely done he was with this trip. Someday soon, the footage would go out to his thousands of viewers, but right now he had no service, no Wi-Fi, and no feeling in his arm after hours recording his hike up the rugged mountain. At least it wasn’t the jungle. The last time he did one of his ‘spontaneous discovery’ videos, it took him two week...

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Dream up a secret library. Write a story about an adventurer who discovers it. What’s in the library? Why was it kept secret?

Submissions are closed

✍️ 97 stories

“Gift of Knowledge” by Corey Melin

“Archeology Of Enlightenment” by Laurie Spellman

“The Library in the Wall” by Rozmarin Ideas

“Witches Get Stitches” by Joshua G. J. Insole

“Bibliothecha Magicae” by Myranda Marie

“The Temptation of Laura Marsh” by Katharine Widdows

“The Library” by Stevie Burges

“THE SECRET LIBRARY OF MYTHRIA” by Darvico Ulmeli

“Books of Destinies - Vol. #1.5” by Martha Kowalski

“Uncle Arthur’s Many Secrets” by Thomas Wetzel

“The Witness” by John K Adams

“A Love To Read” by Timothy Rennels

“Ch. 2 & 3: The Cabal; The Secret Library.” by Ken Cartisano

“The Library of...” by Jack Lacey

“I Think, Therefore... ” by E.M. Ansley

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about discovering a lost manuscript. It can be from a famous (or infamous) author, or an unknown one.

Your protagonist is a writer who discovers a new favorite author. How does their writing, or even their own personality, change as the protagonist falls under the writer’s influence?

Write a story about a future academic (or another influential person) “rediscovering” a book that, in its time, was dismissed. The book can be fictitious or real.

Your protagonist is a voracious reader. Lately, they’ve been noticing odd synchronicities in the books he or she is reading. What does the protagonist discover is happening?

Contest #251

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

235

Contest entries

76

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: