Set your story in a library, after hours.

Posted in Horror on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 254 stories

“Markus and a Billion and One Stories ” by A. Balla

Submitted to Contest #91

After all was said and done, Princess Amelie had an abundance of fond memories, memories of adventures she’d never forget. The End. What ensued next was nothing more than a pit of darkness for our dear friend Amelie. As the pages closed shut, it would be a while before they’d be opened again. It would be a while before new hands would clean the dust off the leather cover. A while before, new minds would breathe life into the young and audacious heroine once more. Needless to say, The End would be the last words she was to hear for a while....

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“It's True, What They Say About Librarians... ” by Amy Jayne Conley

Submitted to Contest #91

“Hush!” The dark corridors seemed endless. The room itself was large, meaning even the smallest sound could carry, but in the darkness, it felt like a veritable cavern. The rows upon rows of books did something to dampen the sound a bit, but it didn’t stop the feeling of paranoia that lent itself to being somewhere they shouldn’t have been. Enveloped in near pitch-blackness, the smallest breath sounded like an exaggerated gasp. Two figures crept silently along the ceramic tiled floor on worn leather soles. Two clicking sounds of headwear ...

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“That night in the library.” by Leila BunnyLover (Kinda Inactive.)

Submitted to Contest #91

(This is all fake, and fiction. NOT true events..) "Okay, be quiet, we made it," Tommy whispers. "Now we need to find a place to be unnoticed.." "I get it. Tommy, why are we doing this again?" I say. "Shhh! We are doing this because I don't wanna look like a chicken to Gabe and his 'minions'. Okay?" "Ya ya, I get it. You know you didn't HAVE to say yes. You should've just ignored him." I say sleepily "He triple dog dared me though." Tommy whines. "SO!? Ignore him! It's that simple." I respond, a bit loud. I hear an echo. "Why did you have t...

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“Peace Reigns In The Library” by Iona Cottle

Submitted to Contest #91

The rain thunders down, an endless drum-roll, and the world holds its breath as it waits to find out what the big reveal will be. The occasional flash of lightning breaks the gloom inside the building, and every time it does the shadows are a little bit different. Free from the eyes of the world, the books sleep and dream.Peace reigns in the library.Something slams into the front door, rattling it in its frame. The library inhales, every bookshelf holding its breath as it waits to see what’s happening.Another impact, but this time the window...

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“Greek Togas and Cabbages” by Loxie Oaks

Submitted to Contest #91

Kiana flipped the sign on the door over, from open to closed, and let out a huge sigh of relief. She turned around and started walking through the aisles, running her fingers across the weathered spines of the books. The Kettlefore Library was the oldest library in town, tucked in and neatly hidden between several new and updated buildings that had been added over the years. It was a small library, but full of thousands of books, mostly old, stacked up onto the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, surrounding the entire room. There was a ...

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“After Hours Love Letter” by Shadow Novak

Submitted to Contest #91

It would have been funny if it hadn't been so damn cliché. Cramming for finals shouldn't be like the movies—shouldn't have the libraries stuffed to capacity, desks and stacks full of zombified bodies running exclusively on caffeine and stress. Shouldn't have people falling asleep slumped over their textbooks because they'd been awake for fifty-two hours studying. Shouldn't have him waking up locked in the library after hours. He had glared at the blinking light of the alarm system as he dropped his hand from the lock and turne...

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“Steven has the last laugh” by Sadie Paige

Submitted to Contest #91

The sun had set, flood light of green and red lit up the three story brick building. The central stairway led to tow large Victorian wooden doors with roman arches. Windows on all three floors had a traditional look, with modern assembly, never to open , but pleasing to the eye. The two women were chatting as the head librarian locked the deceptively ancient doors. ‘’l don’t care what Steven said, there is no way that, that table moved during the night, he’s trying to upset everyone with his stories. Look, he thinks hes a joker, don’t pay a...

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“An elf in the library” by Jackie Wilson Asheeke

Submitted to Contest #91

It was the perfect hiding place. The Aryan crew, the Taylor Street Ballers, and the cops want me dead. I am secreted in the old forgotten Beckley Library at the center of City Park praying that I will survive.I lived on Capital City's streets for 10 years because I lost my job and my house. So, it has been the street life for me.My life living rough in the park is not completely unpleasant because I have a part-time job flipping burgers and share an off-the-beaten-path grotto with four close friends. We have to endure the violent gangs ...

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“Evening chatter” by Mindy Brooks Overturf

Submitted to Contest #91

Beacham corners was a small town which most people drove straight through. They only had one stop light, one firehouse a police station and one school. In the center of town nestled between the coffee shop and the copy shop stood the library. It stood tall and proud. The building was an old school house.. Tall and white, the entrance lead you many different ways..The first section was all best sellers All, you would have to go downstairs to see the children's section, classics were upstairs behind the librarians desk.. All walks of life come...

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“Plotting in the Library” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #91

It was dark. The library was closed for the night. It should have been quiet inside. But it wasn’t. Sounds could be heard if you walked closely beside the north side of the building.It was Monday night. Earl was taking his dog for a walk, as he did every night. She (her name was Louise) was an energetic dog that require a great deal of exercise. Their Monday night walk took them past the library. There was a path there that leads to a trail in the woods. As they walked past the building on this one par...

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“Inside” by Rochelle Smith

Submitted to Contest #91

The old fragile paper made a loud crisp sound as Lily's fingers turned the page. She only had a few pages left. Squinting her eyes, she realized it had become darker and it was now harder to read. How long has she been here? Lily glanced up for the first time since she opened the book hours ago. The story had consumed her. The sun was making its descend, throwing the last bit of rays through the small eastern windows. Lily turned her head, listening. There were no low whispers, or the soft sound of pages being turned, or a gentle cough or th...

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“Witching Hour in the Citadel” by Lauren Boyd

Submitted to Contest #91

The creaking library doors were the only thing to wake her. Drea had sunk deep into the worn armchair in the stacks. Della had already shook her awake once already and she promised she was making her way to the entrance. Drea stood, and slung her worn messenger bag over her shoulder. She remembered sitting back down to pick up a dropped pen when her favorite Mozart concerto 21 started. She leaned back, got lost in the melody and awoke to the doors closing. Drea’s feet skidded over steps as she raced down the central staircase and across th...

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“The Big Kerfuffle” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #91

She closed the heavy front doors of the old library and sighed with relief. It had been a busy day for the librarian, she was tired, a little cranky and ready to go home for some R&R. Her day had been filled with noisy children, riff raff off the street using the library as their personal office space, people with lame excuses as to why they weren’t able to return a book and worst of all - a dreaded BOARDROOM MEETING that seemed to last for hours and hours. The most frustrating part of the meeting was that little had been resolved and ...

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“Book Wyrm” by Felicity Neeley

Submitted to Contest #91

As the last parent and her child left through the great glass doors of the Oakreach Library, Ms. Griffith took a deep breath. It was a good day, a productive day. Now that the summer programs have started up, attendance has almost doubled within the week. It warmed her heart that children still found solace and adventure within the pages of a good book. The more children read, the more books they will take out, and eventually, the more books that need to be shelved. But this was not a problem- not for a book lover. However, if Ms. ...

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“The Librarian's Friends” by Rachel Hudson

Submitted to Contest #91

If you fear your imagination, don’t visit the library after dark. They say it is haunted. Children chase each other around the schoolyard with the phrase, and teenagers dare their friends to sneak in after hours, trying to mask the fear in their own eyes at the prospect. However, I knew none of this as I stumbled toward the massive stone building that night. Jobless, homeless, and racked with fever, I had very little to lose. A failed interview had left me far from my makeshift bed when night fell, and the darkness closed in around me as sta...

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Set your story in a library, after hours.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 254 stories

“Markus and a Billion and One Stories ” by A. Balla

“It's True, What They Say About Librarians... ” by Amy Jayne Conley

“That night in the library.” by Leila BunnyLover (Kinda Inactive.)

“Peace Reigns In The Library” by Iona Cottle

“Greek Togas and Cabbages” by Loxie Oaks

“After Hours Love Letter” by Shadow Novak

“Steven has the last laugh” by Sadie Paige

“An elf in the library” by Jackie Wilson Asheeke

“Evening chatter” by Mindy Brooks Overturf

“Plotting in the Library” by John Steckley

“Inside” by Rochelle Smith

“Witching Hour in the Citadel” by Lauren Boyd

“The Big Kerfuffle” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

“Book Wyrm” by Felicity Neeley

“The Librarian's Friends” by Rachel Hudson

🌟 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: