Library Woes

Have you ever wandered into the woods you’re not supposed to be in, found a well and a person who really shouldn’t be there, and get dragged back to the library by your friends, who want to find out who the maybe-ghost is? And then get stuck in the library after closing? No? Just me? Well you’re no fun.  

So, as the one this line up of events has happened to, I’d assume you’d be curious about my fascinating experience. Sit down and get ready to hear an amazing tale- sit down, I don’t care if you’re not interested right now, you will be once I get going. 

We weren't supposed to be in the forest. Kennyson is a very small town, and I was really bored that day, and Benny started wondering about ‘what's in there that's so interesting that they want kids to keep out?’ So of course we had to grab Hen from the drudgery of chores and check it out. 

What we found was not normal. In the middle of the forest, we stumble on this clearing with no warning. 

I know clearings can’t shout warnings you little miscreant, I mean that you couldn’t see the clearing coming up on it. With normal clearings you’d see gaps in the trees and bits of green (or brown) grass even eight or so trees away from it.  

We didn’t notice that. I mean, we were screwing around so it was probably just us being distracted by terrible forbidden woods stories. 

Probably. 

Why am I talking about that, that’s not the scary bit. See, the clearing wasn’t quite empty. Off of the other side of the clearing, tucked into a corner, was this weird line up of stones. My first thought was ‘what monon thought building a wall here was a good idea?’ Followed by realizing it wasn’t a wall, it was some kind of well. Which doesn’t make any more sense. Also it was filled with these big chunks of stone that were slotted together in a spiral pattern. 

And that’s why we rushed to the library; to find out why some idiot made a very dumb well-related decision.

The thing you have to understand about libraries in tiny towns like Kennyson is that they close early. Like, five in the afternoon levels of early. Going by Benny’s watch (the only sign of responsibility on him) it’s about four by the time we stumble out of the woods, so I drag us into a sprint to get there in time! 

We stagger into town with much wheezing, and go to the library. I get Benny to pull out his watch again, and we’ve lost an entire twenty minutes! No time to stop dying, everyone had to drag themselves off the floor and run into this room Benny insisted would contain the answers of the universe. 

An incredibly dingy, tiny room, with way too many shelves full of papers that are probably moldy.     

“Does the Universe,” gasp for breath, “not have a sense of smell?” I ask; “Because I can’t imagine why else it would put it’s secrets in such a mouldy place-”

“No!” he melodramatically wailed, then sucked in a breath before continuing. “Don’t insult the poor newspapers! They’re sensitive souls.”

Hen’s apparently recovered from the sprint, cause she starts snickering at our very serious argument, because she’s a rude child.

“But they are!” He insists, rounding on her as she fails to stifle the laughter. 

“Their souls could do with being less smelly though.” I throw in. “They’ve got mold in them, don’t they?”

“No!” his freckled face scrunches up for a moment, then he reluctantly says “Maybe…”   

Before I can gloat, he barrels on. “That’s not the point, they’re still incredibly useful for research purposes.” 

Time stumbled on between stacks of newspapers, that were less mouldy than expected, and the flickering ceiling light. At some point Hen shuts the door, presumably so no one asks why a bunch of middle schoolers are digging through newspapers. 

Then the light died between particularly pathetic flickers. 

“Who turned out the lights?” Benny asked.

“No, I think they just died.” I said as I dumped my current newspaper on the ‘what even’ pile, because that’s as good a place as any for a half read paper. I couldn’t exactly finish it in pitch darkness.  

I heard someone shuffle around, and the door creaked open, letting in enough light to see Hen push it the rest of the way open. Though not as much as expected. What happened to the lights?

And there aren’t any people here either? That’s strange.

“Benny? What time is it?” Hen asked in a wavering voice. 

“It’s...oh, it’s ten after five.” 

A cold shiver went down my back. The library closed when we weren’t looking! “All right” I say with all the fake confidence, “let’s see if the front door is unlocked or something.” 

“I really don’t think that’ll happen,” Benny says, “Mr. Tenon’s still scarred from living in the city; he always locks the books up.” 

I was about to suggest we did that anyway, when we heard a loud crashing sound from the newspaper room. What? 

I leaned around a frozen Hen to see- someone coming up through the tiles? Oh no, they moved a tile first, that must have been the clang- 

No wait, that actually raises more questions that ghosts would.

Benny made a high-pitched noise behind me, which was actually appropriate for once, despite getting the attention of the tile girl. 

“Oh! I didn’t expect to see anyone; isn’t the library closed now?” She asks, looking...anxious? 

“Yes” I say, instead of any of the questions on why she was here-

She’s breaking into the library isn’t she. From underground. Somehow. 

This is really bad, isn’t it?

“Why?” Hen asked, sounding strangled as she backed away from tile girl. 

“I mean, so the people running them can go to sleep? If they couldn’t do that the library wouldn’t be a very pleasant place to be-”

“That’s probably not what she meant” Benny told her, voice sharp. 

“Anyway, I’m looking for a secret room, which might be in the floor;have you guys seen any odd cracks or carpets around here?”  

“What.” How else do you react to something like that? 

Why does she think our teeny library has space for a room like that? Well, maybe if it was in the basement, where no one actually goes...

“Come to think of it,” tile girl brushes past the three of us into the library proper, “why are you three in here? This place is definitely closed.”

“We got locked in. Accidentally.”  

Why did he say ‘accidentally’? That makes us sound shifty somehow.

“Hm, if you help me I can break you out.”

Hen made an adorable squeaking sound as Benny said “deal” like his irresponsible self.  

We don’t even know what she’s looking for! It could be bombs, or creepy books! 

It was too late to argue though, so search we did. 

Most of the library. While the light outside slowly faded to fainter and fainter shades of gold. It’s prettiness didn’t make up for the fact it made searching very hard. Luckly, Hen found it before the light totally disappeared. 

We all stared in disbelief at the newspaper room, and the entire wall of shelves that had been on well hidden wheels the entire time. Inexplicably, this hidden wall, that no one sees is covered in paintings. One of which tile girl is currently removing. 

This feels like stealing. But at the same time, that is a genuinely bad place for a painting, putting it where no one will ever see it. 

Also, the painting’s kinda very creepy. Like, there’s this vague human shape tucked to the side, so it takes you a moment to see it, and then there’s something off about the brush strokes. 

Maybe it was hidden on purpose?   

She set the painting by the door, and shoves the shelves back into place. “Well, I owe you three a breakout; lead the way to the door!”

Oh right, that is why we agreed to this. We head up, Benny suddenly gaining the nerve to ask her several questions, all of which she rudely ignores. 

We reach the side entrance, and she casually tugs on the door. 

It comes open in her hand. 

We all stare at it in disbelief, then Hen wheezes and starts giggling really oddly. It is funny in a way, isn’t it?  We should have just checked the door.