Set your story in a library, after hours.

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 254 stories

“Hide and Seek” by Elizabeth Inkim

Submitted to Contest #91

Roslyn knew she shouldn’t have been in the Library of Atlantis after hours, and yet there she was, strolling down the hallowed halls of Atlantica’s most treasured archive, with nothing but lockpicks and her wits.Shadows flickered against the walls; their flames had burned low in the midnight hour. Enchanted to illuminated rather than burn, the firelight licked hungrily up the towering shelves as if they were Tantalus himself, yearning to devour. The Hellfire hearth in the centre of the library had been put out for the day as most of the scho...

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“Curiosity” by Arham Ishraq

Submitted to Contest #91

The warm yellow light illuminated the large room, the blasting AC blowing as if loudly whispering a secret into Andre’s ears. The librarian sitting at the customer service pulled the shutters down, the loud fluttering of the impact signaling the end of Andre’s 6-hour visit to the library. As he got up to leave the building, he noticed that one of the windows had been left open, and since everyone else had left, there was nobody other than him to close it. He advanced toward the window. The wind howled through the open casement, the plea...

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“Book talk” by Quin Parsons

Submitted to Contest #91

The sun is slowly setting, while I am moving at the speed of light. The book I need for tomorrow’s test can only be found in one library: the one across campus. Ten minutes till it closes and I still have to look for the book. I’ll be there in five, I hope ... The librarian looks at me with that familiar look of hers; she knows me and knows that I am not the most organised person in the world, unlike her. “Normally, I would have the book ready for you Jenny, but not this time. This time you can look for it yourself,” she s...

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“Library Dreams” by Emery Hull

Submitted to Contest #91

Library Dreams I stumbled in to the one place I could call a refuge. I scanned once more for any stragglers. ‘They don’t belong here anyway,’ I think to myself, babying the door until it shuts, ‘This is my library.’ I eagerly crawl up the stairs to the novel section, my favorite. I pick another classic from the rows and rows of rich, thick volumes. I breathe in the booky smell, my hands glide over the cover, I cherish the sound as I hear the binding crack open. I begin to read, getting lost in the worlds, Victorian Engla...

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“Trapped in Books” by Tatiana Zimmer

Submitted to Contest #91

My hands were positively aching after so many hours writing non-stop. It was my fault for leaving the essay for the last foreseeable minute, but at least I was finally finished and dare I say the result wasn’t any bad, probably a 9.5, 10 if I haven’t spelt anything wrong, which I might have given the rush.It wasn’t until I’ve put all my pens and the excruciating amount of pages neatly into a folder that I noticed how difficult it was to see, for some reason; the reason being it was night time. How in heavens was it night time? I checked my p...

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“Rough Couple of Days” by Maddison Buch

Submitted to Contest #91

They weren’t quite running, but they weren’t taking a leisurely stroll through the stacks either. It was dark inside the library; it was a moonless night and none of the indoor lights were on, save for the small lamp in the library office that never seemed to go out. The bookshelves were illuminated by the streetlights in the parking lot and Emma could see the dust particles floating through the air, but the musty smell of her favorite place in the school other than the locker room or the soccer field did nothing to calm her nerves. She coul...

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“THUMP” by Lana Bivens

Submitted to Contest #91

All of the days start seeping into each other after the first few weeks. Wednesday or Saturday, summer or autumn, it makes no difference. Calendars hold no meaning aside from beautifully preserved images and random numbered boxes. But the clock, that’s quite different. The clock is the measurement tool of all importance, with every little tick, seconds like our breaths, counting down to the last. It is the difference between light and dark, good, and evil, sight or none. Laurence Welch is my name, but most call m...

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“The Midnight Scheme” by Mubina Masood

Submitted to Contest #91

The storm picked up, the terrors of the night howling owls celebrated the reunion of the 'A' group, gathered in one lonely corner of the library. Their whispers had lured the young librarian to fall into a cozy sleep, as they picked on the empty silence to fill it with their malicious schemes. "Are we doing it?" "No!" Saima, the tallest from the group, snapped. "You are doing it." "What if she finds out?" "You have been prolonging this for a month, Shaheera." Saima scowled, worry echoing in her tone. The group of five sat down arou...

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“Night Time Rendezvous ” by MD Guerrero

Submitted to Contest #91

The fire crackled softly in the waning afternoon on the mountain side. He had just woken up from a peaceful nap on the reclining sofa whose legs pointed in the direction of the stone fireplace of the cabin. “It’s almost time” he thought. Stretching his legs out, he mustered a powerful yawn that did wonders in shaking off the lingering restfulness. As his feet reached the floor, he delighted in the soft rug that hugged the crevasses of his toes. With a slow walk, he made his way to the kitchen area. The kitchen sat in the corner of the squa...

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“Wolcott Street” by Helen Ross

Submitted to Contest #91

I can smell you, pressed up close against me like sardines in a tin. Your heartbeat is fast, ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum, like a hummingbird - and I am your wings, wrapped tight around you, keeping you safe. Somewhere, far away, I can hear the whistle of the bombs. Here, I can hear your breathing, I can feel your warmth. We will keep each other safe. The library on Wolcott Street is large and grand, a showy building which belies the deprivation of the surrounding area. I had you in the flat we still live in today, a dingy, grey building, surround...

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“Night at the Library ” by Chris Buono

Submitted to Contest #91

“Hey,” my girlfriend, Lynne, says to me. “This looks like a pretty good one.” She hands me a beaten copy of a horror paperback. It’s titled Summer of Sadness and the back tells that the novel is about of group of preteen boys discovering and battling a monster in their small hometown in 1963. It’s an adult book despite the characters. Summer of Sadness falls from my hand- now shaking- as the volume hits the ground with a dull flop. My legs...

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“An Assignments' Horror” by SpaceHuman 🌌

Submitted to Contest #91

SpaceHuman's Note: *TBH, I didn't have much time to submit this, so it is kinda rushed. I kinda like the plot, but as I said, it could have been done better. If there are any grammar mistakes, feel free to let me know. K bye :)* I bang the keys on the library computer, almost killing my enemy, but they continue to jump around the map and eventually shoot their bullets. They hit me in the head, and my avatar falls to the ground. I moan and go back to the homepage, ready to play a rematch. Suddenly there is a soft tap on my shoulder. A middle ...

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“Death is a Strange Thing” by Kylee Haverty

Submitted to Contest #91

Valentina¨ Ok, so what are we going to do with it?¨ I ask because I seriously have no idea what we are going to do with a dead body. ¨ And why did we have to meet in a library? In the middle of the night no less.¨ ¨ Because we have no where else to go. Unless you have any other ideas?¨ That shuts me up because I really don't have any idea how to get rid of a human body. I stare a his lifeless body for what seems like the millionth time. He is dead. Like, really dead. I avert my eyes before I have the chance to pass out. ¨ Are you ok Val?¨ I ...

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“Trauma Bonds” by K A

Submitted to Contest #91

“Hey...Hey!”I woke up abruptly, drool on my sleeve, my glasses halfway down my face. Completely forgetting that I had been in the library, I panicked. I jumped up, looking around wildly.“Oh sorry,” a high-pitched voice said behind me. I jerked my head around to face her. A small Asian woman in a white button-up top waved at me sheepishly. I adjusted my glasses just in time to make out ‘library assistant’ on her shirt. “I’m just about to lock up. I didn’t want you to get trapped in here.” She jingled the keys she held. I rubbed my eyes,...

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“Mystery Book” by O J

Submitted to Contest #91

Sofia has been breathing slowly as if the air around her was scarce. Her ears strained, searching for a noise signalling the presence of another soul. But the library was deader than before. There were no more human beings roaming the endless aisles of books that no one read anymore.She’d gotten in just before closing time. And quickly made her way to the far end of the second floor, which housed books mostly about politics and history. The general public did not seem to have an interest in those anymore. The gateway to the past, the annals,...

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Set your story in a library, after hours.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 254 stories

“Hide and Seek” by Elizabeth Inkim

“Curiosity” by Arham Ishraq

“Book talk” by Quin Parsons

“Library Dreams” by Emery Hull

“Trapped in Books” by Tatiana Zimmer

“Rough Couple of Days” by Maddison Buch

“THUMP” by Lana Bivens

“The Midnight Scheme” by Mubina Masood

“Night Time Rendezvous ” by MD Guerrero

“Wolcott Street” by Helen Ross

“Night at the Library ” by Chris Buono

“An Assignments' Horror” by SpaceHuman 🌌

“Death is a Strange Thing” by Kylee Haverty

“Trauma Bonds” by K A

“Mystery Book” by O J

🌟 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 🏆

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