Set your story in a library, after hours.

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 254 stories

“Midnight Meeting” by Emma Windsor

Submitted to Contest #91

In 7th Grade, when Mrs. Kurdy was on pregnancy leave and our class had a lazy sub who couldn’t care less about what we did, we watched different episodes of The Magic School Bus on the fuzzy box tv. One always caught my attention: Mrs. Frizzle and the gang were going through a tunnel, and, when trying to stay quiet, used the bus to get through without making a sound. I wish I had a noise-canceling, flying school bus right about now. The hall I was carefully tip-...

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“Sooths From a Library Shelf” by Kees Chan

Submitted to Contest #91

*Note: All the titles and mentioned plots in this story are made up or intended to be used fictitiously. I must have uncanny guessing powers if a matching book and plot mentioned here actually exist in the real world. Though I think that the books I’m describing would be fun to read. WINK WINK*“You’re angry.”The one with long dark hair, Moida, sighed, throwing a glare at her companion but not denying the statement.“How can I not be? My parents are forcing this oh so charitable donation for the library so that I have ‘no excuse to keep wastin...

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“Save Dr. Seuss” by Rebecca Foster

Submitted to Contest #91

The library in Pine Ridge wasn't big. It was a single story building with three rooms. The main room, reference room and the children's room. It was neat, clean and well-lit. You could find books about almost anything in the main library. The reference room held various history books and maps along with encyclopedias. The children's library was for reading to small children and books for those just learning to read. It was colorful with posters of storybook characters telling them the benefits of reading. The librarian was a middle-aged ...

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“After Hours” by C. Vale

Submitted to Contest #91

The library was completely and utterly still after hours. The only thing that could be heard was my boot lightly tapping the leg of the desk and my frenzied pen scratching my journal. 22 hours. This was how much time I had before my story was due. I had procrastinated until I could no longer postpone it and now suffered an awful case of writer's block. The task ahead of me was to write a cultivating article about a new art gallery that had recently opened in the city. In theory, it didn’t sound like a hard...

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“The Bumblebee” by C Banubula

Submitted to Contest #91

At 6:42pm, the last book was checked out of the library for that day. It was a book about bumblebees. The book-borrower, a young girl, had noticed the bees beginning to appear in her yard and this had set her to wonder. Where do they live? Do they live in hives? She had read somewhere that they live alone in small holes in the ground. Do they envy the other bees who live in big hives, wagging their tails at each other all day? She threw the book into her bag, hopped on to her bicycle and meandered across the small town. The town had a...

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“Trapped Escape” by Megan Q

Submitted to Contest #91

Cramming myself onto a bookshelf is more uncomfortable than I thought it would be. My long hair falls in my mouth, but I spit it out. I try to shift my weight more into my heels than my knees, but it’s no use. The dull ache in my knees from the old wooden shelf is just something I’ll have to deal with. I do have enough room to reach inside my backpack and grab the sheet and tape that I brought. Carefully, I rip three pieces of tape off with my teeth, using them to tape the sheet on the bookshelf above me. The sheet drapes down, covering...

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“My Active Imagination” by Alexander Wurster

Submitted to Contest #91

There is something about an old building that I love, there is a history that so many of us will never know about. If you sit still you might be able to hear the ghosts tell their stories. The walls ache with knowledge of secrets and adventures. As a child, I have always been fascinated with history. I like to find out the facts about animals, wars, how families moved to a different country to start a new life. I would ask to go to museums and slowly walk through reading all the displays. At a library my mom would let me ...

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“Fact or Fantasy?” by Jessie Redneck

Submitted to Contest #91

Never would I have guessed that one overdue assignment would lead me to such a fascinating discovery. I don't even know how it happened; I've always been the stereotypical straight-A's, goody-two-shoes, by-the-book student. Never got into trouble, never late for class, and absolutely never missed an assignment. How this one got away from me I may never understand, but honestly...I'm glad it did. If it hadn’t, I never would have had to sneak into that library and I never would have met him.A strange circumstance to be sure. I thought fables a...

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“A Mouse Tale” by Karen Estep

Submitted to Contest #91

“The last time we did this, Harold, the humans set out the loud traps. They think they are so smart, those humans do; putting cheese or peanut butter on that board so we will try to eat it, then SNAP, you’re dead. I don’t like those traps, Harold. Why, we lost Uncle Ediie to one a few months ago. That mean lady with the glasses just picked him right up in that trap and threw him in the trash can. I don’t want to die like that, Harold, and if you go looking for food, that’s what’s going to happen.” “For goodness sake, Evel...

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“Building B ” by Taylor Viv

Submitted to Contest #91

The scuffing of my shoes against the glass tile only adds to the pressure of sneaking into Building B of the Informational Library. Here in Merryweather, citizens aren’t allowed access to this information. Everyone here has grown used to the restrictions and overabundant rules, except for me. I used to live outside of these walls, or to the citizens here “the dead zone”. This government has gotten everyone to believe that anywhere outside of the barbed, electric fences is dangerous. They have convinced these people that there are no other sa...

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“Anabelle and the Mouse” by Kristen Robles

Submitted to Contest #91

The librarian shot her a sympathetic smile as she closed the door. This wasn’t the first time Anabelle had been locked in with her studies, and it was unlikely to be the last. There was something both serene and disconcerting about being alone in here. The quiet, the dim lights, the soft hum of the air conditioner when it cycled on – these Anabelle found comforting. But she couldn’t let her thoughts wander, or she would overthink the nook she sat in into a tomb. ...

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“Anniversary” by Laura Villagomez

Submitted to Contest #91

… The dark knight took the enchanted sword after passing the trial of the pyramid. Now he was ready to defeat the demon at the island. Lucas lifted his eyes from the book, no matter how excited he was for the next chapter he knew he would have to leave it for the next day. It was late, later than he was aware of. He got out of his little hiding spot, the only place where could really read alone. He looked around as his heart started bumping faster. The library was completely dark, the chairs were placed above the table and the only...

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“Crystal Mae; Another World” by Eryn 003

Submitted to Contest #91

“Hello?” My voice echoes as I tip-toe into the dark library. There’s no reply so I shut the heavy wooden door, making a loud creaking sound. I wince at the noise.Dark shadows stretch across the walls and bookcases, created by the light of my lantern. I shiver as a breeze comes from the Banned Books section that belongs to Master Edward, his wife isn’t allowed to read the books there, let alone his children. He even dusts and cleans the bookcases himself which is absolutely absurd considering a man of such high status is known to do nothing b...

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“The end of an era and the start of the beginning of it all” by Daniel Harris

Submitted to Contest #91

Thelma typed away at her computer, feeling just as bored as the email she was sending with her reasons. Opening the top drawer of the desk for a sticky note her eyes fell upon a date stamp, a barcode scanner and an ink pad, according to the return date they hadn’t been used for at least ten years. The policy used to be that people could borrow books for up to three weeks and renew them up to five times if they weren’t on the waiting list. Thelma took a sip of her fruit tea and set the mug down, it was true, nobody was really supposed...

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“Below” by Amy Musselman

Submitted to Contest #91

“Do you think the stories are true? Don’t you want to find out?” She asked. I didn’t but sometimes when you love someone, any semblance of self-preservation goes out the window. The stories started a long time ago, whispers that there was something lurking underneath the town library. A monster? Ghosts? Honestly, it depends on who you ask, but anybody would be foolish to say there wasn’t something weird happening at the library. Sometimes people walk out of th...

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Set your story in a library, after hours.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 254 stories

“Midnight Meeting” by Emma Windsor

“Sooths From a Library Shelf” by Kees Chan

“Save Dr. Seuss” by Rebecca Foster

“After Hours” by C. Vale

“The Bumblebee” by C Banubula

“Trapped Escape” by Megan Q

“My Active Imagination” by Alexander Wurster

“Fact or Fantasy?” by Jessie Redneck

“A Mouse Tale” by Karen Estep

“Building B ” by Taylor Viv

“Anabelle and the Mouse” by Kristen Robles

“Anniversary” by Laura Villagomez

“Crystal Mae; Another World” by Eryn 003

“The end of an era and the start of the beginning of it all” by Daniel Harris

“Below” by Amy Musselman

🌟 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: