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

Posted in Middle School on Oct 26, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 207 stories

“My life ruined for the better” by Dan Lipme

Submitted to Contest #91

Who am I kidding strolling through this library? I don't read. Unlike most people who choose Netflix over books, my reason is I'm too depressed to invest the time needed in reading. But here I am, strolling. I stay next to the librarian. I don't go for the returned items shelf, since it gets filled by the librarians. I want to see the person returning the book. It gives me the motivation to read the returned book. It's as if I'm fulfilling the start of a strange porn video, where a man waits for a woman to return a book just like me, but t...

0 comments 0

Read story

“To the friends of Nicholas Culpepeper.” by Ashlee Osborn

Submitted to Contest #91

I crossed at the lights in to the busy stairwell of the public library. It's presence was isolated and weatherbeaten. It desperately needed a new paint job, and the play ground needed some TLC. I don't have any feelings at the best of times but something just doesn't feel right. I checked behind me, to see a slight shadow not thinking any thing of it at first. I kept walking. I reached for the door and turned the handle. Inside was a picturesque anthology of books. I stumbled over to one of the biggest sections in the library. All the wa...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Twin Stranger” by Erin F

Submitted to Contest #91

Erica felt herself being lured into the library after noticing a display in the window promoting local authors. The recommended books were at the far end of the library, directly across from the front doors, and feeling it was sacrilegious not to browse the aisles as she walked down them, she let her eyes scan the spines and covers neatly organized on the shelves.Seeing her own face on the back cover of a book caused Erica to freeze. She felt the world tilt as it does when your brain is presented with information that should not be possible....

0 comments 0

Read story

“The Beginning of Common Sense Spence” by Jayke Luland

Submitted to Contest #91

'The beginning is always the hardest part, and sometimes, you need to rid yourself of shit to get to where you wanna go.' Spence Spenceforth - 2036 15 Years Earlier 'Maybe I can leave now and make the next Glass Animals concert?' Spence Spenceforth said to himself. He was a young bassist from Newtown who had just performed a gig for his transgressive noise band, 'The Collection of Men with Scary Inflections', and was looking to make the next Glass Animals gig at the Enmore. With little time to waste, he was looking to make a swift exit fro...

0 comments 0

Read story

“PAYBACK WITH INTEREST” by Debbie Curtin

Submitted to Contest #91

Things had been off the radar for a while after the horrible situation that happened to Monica. Sonya and Trae were the only two trusted with what seemed like such a bizarre story, however it was totally true. No one else would know anything since Monica’s family would be put in harm’s way. There was never any mention in any local police report, newspaper or radio of this man and business owner, who mysteriously disappeared. IRON Press On was suddenly reopened and the business was now, ‘under new ownership’. Monica, Sonya and Trae were the o...

1 comment 1

Read story

“Chances Are” by Joe Swanson

Submitted to Contest #91

“You can’t do that.” “What?”“What do you think? You can’t reach into the drop slot an attempt to steal a book and think no one is going to object. Is there something wrong with you?”“I wasn’t attempting to steal a book. I went to slip a book into the slot. My watch band got caught on the door clasp and the watch fell into the book depository. I was just attempting to retrieve it.”“You ever hear of knocking?”That’s how it began. I wish I could tell you it had a conclusive ending, or at least an ending I coul...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Metamorphosis” by Jennifer Claire Pulling

Submitted to Contest #91

Do you believe in synchronicity, those meaningful occurrences labelled as coincidence but not actually due to chance? The psychologist Carl Jung who coined the name believed they were related to the observer’s mind and served to provide insight direction and guidance. Caroline knew none of this. A coincidence in her view was just that, a coincidence occurring without rhyme or reason. Amusing perhaps but not to be dwelt upon. That was until the day at her local library when things took a surprising turn. &...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Birds of a Feather” by Rebecca Thibodeaux

Submitted to Contest #91

Rummaging through the overstuffed closet, Nella wondered to herself how she got roped into this. She should have followed her brother's advice, get in, hug everyone, make up an excuse, get out. Nella just couldn’t cut herself off from the family like that, especially not in this situation, it was a funeral for goodness sake. Her Gran had passed away from “old age” as the doctors described it, but Nella thought it had to be something to do with her dementia. Gran just kind of lost it one day, like a switch flipped in her head. She sta...

0 comments 0

Read story

“My Story Before Me” by Jose Gonzalez

Submitted to Contest #91

I am very bored, I am done with my work, I am done watching TV, I have no idea where I am even bringing this thought to be completely honest. I might as well just go for a walk and see where I will end up. As I get out of my house I notice the beautiful blue sky, the amazing breeze, the-the... who am I kidding it was a Tuesday and there was nobody on sight, not even a goddamn pigeon, but, oh well, I moved on with my stroll. Well, I walked so far that my playlist ended and I was in front of a library- I had also stepped on shit, but that is n...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Thing's can always be worse” by Glenn Etzwiler

Submitted to Contest #91

A man in his mid to late thirties was walking down the street. Nothing was going right in his life could not figure out why. So after a while of walking he came upon a library. He figure why not maybe he could get a laugh from a book. Maybe he will feel a little better he walks up opens the door. Goes in takes a look around at all the books on the shelve the librarian sees him. Librarian : ( Sir may I help you.) Man : ( Hi uh yes my name is Mike. I was wondering if I could just read some of the books here.) Librarian : ( Sure b...

0 comments 0

Read story

“What Am I?” by Jesse Stimpson

Submitted to Contest #91

The Berber carpet caressed my hands as I slipped into the brisk library on that cold autumn night. My brother and I made our way through the long rows of stiff books with rough edges, as though the people who’d borrowed them previously had not cared for them as they should’ve. Bryan, my brother, and I would never do such a thing to a book. We thought of books as gifts, beautiful and wise. “Come on, Volcano,” Bryan whispered from the end of the aisle. I tried my best to speed up, but I had an illness, disability of some sort. I was slowe...

2 comments 2

Read story

“No Talking Thinking allowed” by Stan Allen

Submitted to Contest #91

Sam’s raincoat was dripping water at the library entrance. He waited long enough for most of the water to drip off before entering that sacred place. Sam just wanted to get in out of the storm. Reading was not the young man’s most favorite activity. Sam decided since he was there, he would take advantage of the situation and do a little exploring. A lightning bolt caused him to start counting and clap of thunder told him he would be there of a while. One second between the two events is a mile. He counted to four and knew the storm was almos...

0 comments 0

Read story

“Escape?” by Ellita Styles

Submitted to Contest #91

The Sun sets over the sky which is now a palette of orange, yellow, and purple. The stars glimmer timidly across the colorful waves of the cloud, like sparkling dusts. Beneath is a plain green grass plain, with deep foliage and trees. Your eyes adjust to the scene before you- it is breathtakingly beautiful…. And equally horrifying. “Where am I?” you mumble to yourself as you scan the landscape before you. You could no longer feel the warmth of an old edifice, the fragrance of age-old books and the sweet, sweet scent of the warm mil...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Unremarkable Book” by Adeline Glory

Submitted to Contest #91

My eyes were swollen, my bones ached, and I felt an unfamiliar turn in my gut. I had not slept for three days, and it was starting to take a toll on my body. I looked around, embarrassed someone would notice, if they would pull me into strings and throw me out of this beautiful lonely place. The books always made me feel better. I noticed the grey gloomy walls of this library seem to camouflage themselves according to my mood. Raking my fingers along with the covers of neatly arranged books, I walked from one shelf to another, stumbl...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Eveline howse” by Dona Jean

Submitted to Contest #91

Eveline Howse was bored. staring down a lone crow on the cobblestone street beneath her modest, run-of-the-mill flat. She opened a book a died after stumbling upon a sketchy library and inhaling the drugs that lined her "how to be a good cat owner" book. Eveline howse suffered a heart attack later that day. Richard the house cat left through the window and lived on the road afterwards. The end! filler words begin now! it it it the the the copy and pasting the same sentence now! it it it the the the copy and pasting the same sentence now!it...

1 comment 1

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

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

High School – 131 stories

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

Middle School – 116 stories

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

Middle School – 59 stories

Set your story in a library, after hours.

Horror – 254 stories

Contest #91

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: No Talking in the Library

$50

Prize money

770

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 30, 2021 EST

Won by Yolanda Wu 🏆

Title: Autumn Rain

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 207 stories

“My life ruined for the better” by Dan Lipme

“To the friends of Nicholas Culpepeper.” by Ashlee Osborn

“Twin Stranger” by Erin F

“The Beginning of Common Sense Spence” by Jayke Luland

“PAYBACK WITH INTEREST” by Debbie Curtin

“Chances Are” by Joe Swanson

“Metamorphosis” by Jennifer Claire Pulling

“Birds of a Feather” by Rebecca Thibodeaux

“My Story Before Me” by Jose Gonzalez

“Thing's can always be worse” by Glenn Etzwiler

“What Am I?” by Jesse Stimpson

“No Talking Thinking allowed” by Stan Allen

“Escape?” by Ellita Styles

“The Unremarkable Book” by Adeline Glory

“Eveline howse” by Dona Jean

🌟 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.

Set your story in a library, after hours.

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: