Library Nightmare

Greetings on October eve!

As a collector of stories, I have spent some time creating my own.  I have a children's book in the works, I compose poetry and love to concoct creepy tales.  The stories are a combination of things that I have heard, written about and remember from my own nightmares.  I'm in the process of finishing another story based on a recurring dream I have about a library.

In a small town long forgotten there was an old, five-story library made of gray and white stone.  This building can only be seen by children.  There are gargoyles that guard the massive structure and they only move when they are not being watched.  The library is filled with millions of books that come to life; they sing, tell you stories and challenge you with philosophical queries .  This library is very haunted.  The higher up you go in the library, the more haunted each passing floor is.  In order to make it to the next level, you must answer a riddle asked by a ghost at the foot of the stairs.  The answers can be found in the books on each level but you must charm the book into revealing the desired answer.  If you answer the riddle correctly, you may pass.  No one has ever made it to the fifth level.  At the fifth level, there is a grand staircase which leads to a beautiful haunted mansion above the library.  At midnight every night, the ancient grandfather clock chimes.  This summons all the ghosts to the grand hall of the mansion where they dance together until sunrise.  Legend has it that anyone who makes it to the mansion at midnight to watch the ghosts dance may have a wish granted.  A young brother and sister will explore the building.  Each of them make a great friend out of two of the books they find.  With the help of the books they answer all the riddles correctly and pass up to the fifth level.  They will have to fool the ghost at the mansion stairs in order to get in.  The children will see the ghosts dance at midnight.  It is a beautiful sight to behold.  Just before sunrise, the lady of the house will approach the children and grant them each a wish.  The children each ask to take one book from the library home with them.  Their wishes are granted and the books are delighted to go home with the children.  Until the end of time, the books are passed down from generation to generation, these special books that sing and love. 

This story comes from a dream that started as a nightmare.  Each time the dream reoccurs, it gets less frightful.  When I was a child I went to the library as often as possible.  I coveted books, collected them, befriended them.  The library was my passion and sanctuary for many years.  I would fantasize that there were hidden doors within the library that would lead to magical secret rooms.  This story that I am creating is a fusion of some of my deepest passions and sweetest memories.  I hope that something will come of it.

Until next time,

~Story Siren