Set your story in a library, after hours.

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 254 stories

“Panic! at the Library. ” by Anna Tishchenko

Submitted to Contest #91

Our school is not really like other schools. We have all kinds of things in the building other than the school which we pass every day but are not allowed to use. Imagine walking by a swimming pool every day knowing that you could not swim in it. To enter the building, you had to walk by security, and I had long since made friends with those guys. Then down the long hall past the restaurant and then the pool. Up on the second floor you could hear the exercise machines and the people using them. Luckily, the smell of the over chlorinate...

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“Library Monster” by Millie Rader

Submitted to Contest #91

4/27/21 Millie Rader millierader@yahoo.com Reedsy Prompts “Set in the Library after hours” Library Monster Annie had been driving since sunup and though it was only the middle of the day, she realized that she wasn’t going to make her destination before dark. Her article was due tomorrow and she had yet to even start the rough draft. She knew that she would have to find a library soon. Swinging into a truck stop, she hopped out to fuel her van, and the Arizona heat hit her like a blowtorch. While the pump ...

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“After Hour Secrets” by Rutu Ruparel

Submitted to Contest #91

“May I know what we’re doing here? I mean I’m not complaining, but is it really necessary to break into the library after hours? If you wanted a book so bad then you could have gotten it before the library closed.”“Shut up, Nessa. I have some work here.” I rolled my eyes at Ace. He was such a doofus sometimes. “The only work I've seen you do is makeout with your girlfriend…’s.”“They’re not my girlfriends, they’re my making out partners. They knew what they were getting when they agreed to kiss me.” Ace puckered his lips; many girls would fin...

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“A Home at Last” by Beth RL

Submitted to Contest #91

Mr. James jolted forward suddenly, awoken by the strange man who jumped out at him from an alleyway in the nightmare his mind had concocted. He grasped the arms of the chair, steadying himself in the real world once again. The room was dark, with only the moonlight and the glow of some street lamps down below dimly shining through the expansive windows. As he looked around the room, he squinted his eyes, forcing them to adjust to the darkness. He could make out only shapes at first. Then, as his mind caught up with him, he was able to add co...

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“The Bright Spots” by Christina Wooten

Submitted to Contest #91

The restroom reeked with the pungent smell of Lysol mixed with aromatic bathroom freshener. The single bulb that dimly illuminated the room blinked on and off, on and off, like an oscillating fan, in a dizzying, inconsistent cycle. Adam had gotten used to the winking of the light and paid it no heed as he swept. Back and forth, back and forth, with the same tedious repetition as the flashing bulb. Sometimes, to amuse himself, Adam would attempt to time his sweeps with the light. But usually he wanted to finish working as quickly as possible ...

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“The library” by Noir P.

Submitted to Contest #91

The library was a wonderful place. In fact, this certain library was quite exceptional. It was the type of library that could quiet even the loudest trouble makers. An unsaid hush fell in the air like a weightless blanket and dust hung in the light seemingly unmoving. It was as if you could frame this library in a photo frame and no one would notice any movement. Not only that, but the windows that stretched almost the entire wall let in the brilliant colors of a setting sun, orange and red and purple casting a glow on the surfaces of the ...

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“The Library” by Chris Culpepper

Submitted to Contest #91

Little Macy loved going to the library. Exploring all the shelves of books both fiction and nonfiction could easily occupy an entire afternoon. But today's trip would be different. Today's trip would change her life. Looking back, she should have recognized this trip would be different. Normally, she and her mother would end their Wednesday errands by stopping at the library. Her mother enjoyed coffee and a good book while Macy went from shelf to shelf picking her favorites. "Remember, Macy," her mother would remind her, "only 3 boo...

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“Mysterious Guest” by Walinda Pollard

Submitted to Contest #91

Lights off, sounds of heels walking toward the door. Alarm turning on, door quickly open, door shut, and lock is turning. You hear the alarm going beep. It is quiet, and not a person in sight. This is the best time of the day!Psst, it is time to wake up everybody. Dorothy is jumping out from Wizard of Oz book. She ran down the green aisle to D street. There she is, opening a book for Daniel’s Marching Band. Dorothy ne...

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“After Hours” by Mia MayaMay

Submitted to Contest #91

“Dang it”, I muttered under my breath.I looked down to find it under my miscellaneous clutter overflowing on my desk. I had forgotten to return my library book. There it was, in my mess of missing homework assignments and textbooks that still had the plastic covering on them. This was not the first time. I’m a forgetful person. I can't help it, even if my mom thinks I can. It’s impossible, dare I say, part of my nature, but she doesn’t care. If my mom found out again that another one of my books was overdue, I would be grounded for a week. T...

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“Lights of the Night” by Alice Watson

Submitted to Contest #91

My breath hitched as I heard the old librarian move around the bookshelves. I moved silently behind another shelf and crouched down. I tried to contain my excitement, but I could feel my body beginning to shake in anticipation. I watched quietly as the old woman scanned the rows of books, looking for movement. I saw a look of exhaustion on the woman's face as she finally sighed and moved towards the front door. I kept moving as well around the bookshelves, easily staying out of her line of vision. The woman turned the...

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“The Little Girl in The Aisle” by Rex Baker

Submitted to Contest #91

Joshua let out a long sigh. He had signed up for overtime and now had a mountain of paperwork and late books. He knew what he was getting into from the start, that doesn't mean he enjoyed it. In fact, he hated his job a lot. It was boring, he should've chased his dream of being a doctor. Joshua brushed off his want for another job, instead deciding to make the best of his current job. But as Joshua finished up another long paper, he heard something. It sounded like a thud, which immediately alarmed Joshua. No one else was in the building.....

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“The Library After Hours” by Darrelle Beaudry

Submitted to Contest #91

It’s such a cold night; the snowflakes are pretty though. How I love the different seasons. What am I thinking, in this moment, oh yes, how important it is to live life with all five senses. A slight smile tiptoes across my lips. Suddenly, my pocket vibrates, what I’m thinking now is how much I hate cellphones but it’s my sister from Tennessee. She can run hot and cold so it’s hard to ignore a call when I get the honor of receiving one. “Hello.” Her greeting never changes, “What are you doing?” I can be too honest sometim...

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“What Lies Underneath” by N K

Submitted to Contest #91

Dear Robert, Thank you so very much for your letter. Don’t let it get to your head, but I might’ve even liked it better than the shirt signed by Michael B. Jordan. Possibly. Speaking of that dreamboat, I read that they’ve cast Angela Bassett to play his mom. Please, please, please get me her autograph. I’ve got one page left on that autograph book we got at Disney World and I’ve already reserved it for her. Before you think up an excuse, I can imagine you and the entire crew are barely spared a moment for such frivolous activities as fulf...

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“Evernight Library” by Giselle Anastasia Asra

Submitted to Contest #91

Death is the ultimate end to any person. It is one of the common constants between any person no matter what gender, race, or social class. What happens after death is a question that most people would have thought about at least once, perhaps in passing or even pondering upon its imminence late at night. I never thought that life after death would like this. My afterlife is cold and quiet. Endless halls surrounded by darkness, unable to do anything but wander aimlessly. It's lonely. I can't believe this. I'm a ghost and for some reason, ...

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“I See Him” by Theodore Gerbot

Submitted to Contest #91

She held a finger up to her lips. I responded and ceased whispering to her. We were crouched behind a bookshelf, as we had decided to hide in the library until nighttime. We had hoped to explore the vast expanse of shelves. A glance at my watch showed me that it was approaching midnight. The realization sent a chill up my spine. The last librarian should have left at least three hours ago. However, not even ten minutes ago, we heard footsteps echoing throughout the library. I grabbed her hand, and as her eyes flew open, I shoved my wrist in ...

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Set your story in a library, after hours.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 254 stories

“Panic! at the Library. ” by Anna Tishchenko

“Library Monster” by Millie Rader

“After Hour Secrets” by Rutu Ruparel

“A Home at Last” by Beth RL

“The Bright Spots” by Christina Wooten

“The library” by Noir P.

“The Library” by Chris Culpepper

“Mysterious Guest” by Walinda Pollard

“After Hours” by Mia MayaMay

“Lights of the Night” by Alice Watson

“The Little Girl in The Aisle” by Rex Baker

“The Library After Hours” by Darrelle Beaudry

“What Lies Underneath” by N K

“Evernight Library” by Giselle Anastasia Asra

“I See Him” by Theodore Gerbot

🌟 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

770

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: