Set your story in a library, after hours.

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 253 stories

“Autumn Rain” by Yolanda Wu

🏆 Winner of Contest #91

Trigger warning: Talk of self-harm and suicideHave you ever had this feeling? Like you’re a helium balloon with your string cut. A rotting piece of wood adrift in the vast ocean.Does saying it like that make me sound too pretentious? Thinking I’m some kind of literary youth. Of course I’m not. I’m just sad. Sad people tend to be under the impression that they’ve been possessed by Li Bai and suddenly know the gruesome secrets of the universe through a few lines of poetry.Second year of university; my life is great. All the sad things from the...

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“La Tempestad” by Zilla Babbitt

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #91

Spring, 2021 The end of the day begins when the roar of the vacuum starts up in the back rooms of Lakewood Library. It blends into the familiar sounds of the two librarians on the last shift reshelving books and swiping old cards, before locking the glass doors behind them. It blends into the sounds of rush hour passing by and heading home to dinner or to night shifts. It signals to my brain that the day is over and there is one last thing to do before I can go home, fold the laundry, count the bills, and make dinner.The vacuum is old and we...

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“LibraryWork” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

Submitted to Contest #91

Lizzy liked nothing better than walking over to the public library immediately after school. As the other schoolchildren had collectively decided she was weird, she ignored them in return, preferring to go down Oak Street, turning left on Maple Avenue, and taking a quick right on Sycamore Lane. On her way to the library, invariably her ratty shoes would come untied or she’d lose her jacket, but Lizzy didn’t mind the cold. Her stepmother would yell at her about the jacket, but Lizzy knew her stepmother didn’t need that as an excuse to be...

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“The Book reader” by The Cold Ice

Submitted to Contest #91

The library was very silent and there wasn’t anyone inside. The librarian was very sad that nobody came to the library. It was night and closed the library. The next morning, the librarian came and opened the library. One man came and he asked if he could read in the library. Then he paid some money, took some books and the librarian noticed that he was a very slow reader..The librarian was going to see if some people would come or not. The man started reading and he was only on the first page for half an hour. The man turned just one page a...

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“the physics of magnetism ” by KED KED

Submitted to Contest #91

With a long-suffering sigh, Leila put her pencil down next to her open notebook, closed her eyes, and began the arduous process of massaging out the cramp at the base of her right thumb. Taking a moment to breathe, her mind, which was already exhausted from a day full of demanding lectures, struggled to catch up with all the material she’d written down for her upcoming project. The library was about to close. Luckily for her, working part time as an aide in the library did come with a few perks. She promised the ...

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“Home” by Amany Sayed

Submitted to Contest #91

A clock somewhere in the city struck twelve. Maybe somewhere else, it was morning.Somewhere else wasn’t important though. The books on the shelves shifted, their pages begging to be turned, their covers to be worn and loved. Their ink slowly slipped away, fading every day a little more. No one noticed. No one would notice until it was all gone, leaving behind dusty paper that could crumble in your hands when you touched it.“You can come out.” The librarian was short, somewhere in his twenties. People joked that he knew everything about ...

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“Slaughtering Silence” by Charli Britton

Submitted to Contest #91

I shouldn’t be here. But that doesn’t stop me. It’s a dangerous thing being out after hours. After curfew. My mother always warned me, “Stay inside. You don’t need to go out now. It can wait until morning.” My Father always chided me when I came back late— or early, depending on your point of view. I never listened, and They took it out on my family. My three sisters are gone. My four brothers, gone. My loving parents… they’re gone too. And it was my fault. Who is They? You ask. It’s a secret. Why? You ask. I’m not telling. It’s also a...

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“On Ancient and Gentle Things” by Alex Gray

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #91

It turns out that his name is Evan and he’s a med student, originally from Nebraska where his kind are few and far between, where all kinds are few and far between. He is also very lonely, something I have gathered from nights spent observing the way he hunches over his books and notes as the light of the moon inches across his hardwood floors. He makes himself coffee - obsesses over it really, collecting latte machines and espresso drips and French presses and three different models of old-fashioned coffee makers that take turns occupying t...

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“Till then...” by Keerthana Viju

Submitted to Contest #91

No one knew I came here. Sneaking out from house wasn't a problem, well as long as going out through the main door could be called 'sneaking out'. The home was supposed to be a place where you feel like you belonged. In the spiritual sense at least. And I was never home at my house. One thing I was waiting for was to break out of my house, live somewhere away from anyone who knew me, someplace where I could carve out my own niche.No, my parents were perfectly happy and in love with each other. The kind of love where you feel incomplete witho...

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“A lost book” by Madhurima Datar

Submitted to Contest #91

"A history of the Neanderthals! Would you read the title for once, Kresimir?"Kresimir shrugged and smiled mischievously, "I don't know, Alan. I thought I was supposed to just write about it."Alan rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. Cheeky bastard. He wouldn't stop talking, would he? Who would've thought that both of these weirdos would get along so well?"You need to read something to write," Alan said as he glanced at the titles of books before him."Then I'd love to write about you," Kresimir said with a smirk.Alan's cheeks turned p...

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“Night at the Library” by Chiante Guretzki

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #91

She flicked the lights. Off, on. Off, on. It was the signal, like a bit of morse code for the patrons. Time to leave. Unhurriedly, the patrons packed the belongings they had spread across tables and desks. They tucked away snack wrappers that they weren’t supposed to have in the library at all, doing so as discreetly as one can with a crinkly noise maker, crumbs falling on the way and so leaving traces of their minor infractions. They unplugged their electronics, wrapping the cords of their headphones and sliding them into backpacks and ba...

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“Behind The Scenes” by Gip Roberts

Submitted to Contest #91

Mark did things the old fashioned way. It took longer, and it was more work, but like grandpa had always said: You can't turn a lump of coal into a diamond with a pair of pliers. Mark was the lump of coal. Inconsequential to the world. A Senior in high school, but a Freshman in life, going nowhere. And now that grandpa was gone, he felt like a fish out of water, going through the flapping motion of trying to plan a future.The library was about to close, and he was on his way out with a stack of "recipe" cards covered front and back in nervou...

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“Library Books and Reflection” by Michael Boquet

Submitted to Contest #91

I love that at the library anyone can find a book to suit their taste. It’s a place where people can privately explore secret interests or openly celebrate their favorite passions. For me, the library is a place of comfort, discovery, and sanctuary. Where I can be alone with my thoughts or tucked away in a corner with a Beloved book. This haven of books and the magic they hold will always be my home base.I have fond memories of visiting the library as a kid. Sitting between the shelves, reading comics with my friends. The joy of discovering ...

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“Invisible to the Devil” by Esther Rose

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #91

It was in this moment, about halfway through Nella Larsen’s novel “Quicksand,” that Andrea realized that she had left her husband. She was sitting in a red-lined ornate chair at a carved mahogany table at the Chicago Grand library, a thing she did most Saturday afternoons. But unlike many other Saturdays, she had packed a small satchel of her personal effects, especially things she might sell. She had given herself an alibi, claiming that she would be spending the weekend at her cousin’s estate. All she had known when she left the house was ...

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“Quiet, Please” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #91

Barbara Males waited for old Mr Bina to shuffle through the door.“Buh-bye, Mr Bina!” she said. “See you tomorrow!”But she wouldn’t.Rafiq smiled and waved and said, “Not if I see you first.”A few minutes had ticked past their seven o’clock close time, but she didn’t mind. Ever the gentleman, Mr Bina. He looked after the books he read. He asked insightful questions and held pleasant conversations. He never dragged the exchange on too long, and always got the hint when she needed to get back to work. And — most of all — he never made too much n...

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Contest #91

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This week's theme: No Talking in the Library

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Ended on 23:59 - Apr 30, 2021 EST

Won by Yolanda Wu 🏆

Title: Autumn Rain

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Set your story in a library, after hours.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 253 stories

“Autumn Rain” by Yolanda Wu

“La Tempestad” by Zilla Babbitt

“LibraryWork” by Deidra Whitt Lovegren

“The Book reader” by The Cold Ice

“the physics of magnetism ” by KED KED

“Home” by Amany Sayed

“Slaughtering Silence” by Charli Britton

“On Ancient and Gentle Things” by Alex Gray

“Till then...” by Keerthana Viju

“A lost book” by Madhurima Datar

“Night at the Library” by Chiante Guretzki

“Behind The Scenes” by Gip Roberts

“Library Books and Reflection” by Michael Boquet

“Invisible to the Devil” by Esther Rose

“Quiet, Please” by Joshua G. J. Insole

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about someone going to extreme lengths to return an overdue library book.

Start your story with a stern librarian scolding two characters for making noise in the library.

Write about a character who meticulously catalogs everything in their life, until something disrupts their system.

Write about a character stumbling upon a library book that changes the course of their life, for better or worse.

Contest #91

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

769

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: