It was a wet October evening. The wind howled outside the old library as Nancy locked the heavy front door. She was the only staff member working late that night. The library was always different after dark. The bookshelves looked taller, the lights seemed to flicker, and the place always felt much cooler.
Nancy told herself she was not afraid, but the silence made her nervous. She spent the next fifteen minutes tidying and turning off the computers, then, just as she was about to put her coat on and go home, she heard a voice. It came from the far end of the reading room.
“Hello?” she said, her voice shaking.
But there was no answer.
She walked slowly toward the sound. Her shoes made quiet taps on the wooden floor. The voice came again. This time, it was clearer. It sounded soft but urgent:
“Help me.”
Nancy stopped. She knew the library was empty, as she had seen the last person leave over an hour before. Puzzled, she took her phone out of her pocket and turned on the torch. As the beam of light moved across the back wall, revealing a narrow line half hidden by one of the shelves. After removing some heavy books, Nancy was able to push the shelf aside. It was then that she realised the line was part of a door.
Nancy’s heart beat fast as she reached for the door handle. The door creaked open. Inside was a small, dark room. It smelt of old paper and damp wood.
In the room, she saw a single wooden chair and an old book on the floor. Even though the air was still, the pages moved slowly.
“Help me,” the voice whispered again. This time, it came from the book.
Nancy moved closer. The letters on the page moved. She could read them clearly: I am trapped. Take my place.
Cold fear ran through her body. She wanted to run, but she could not move.
Suddenly, cold hands grabbed her shoulders. She tried to scream—but no sound came out. The pages turned faster. A dark shadow rose from the book and pulled her toward the pages.
Her vision blurred. The room turned. The last thing she saw was the open page—with a picture of herself inside the book, looking out.
Early the next morning, a new librarian arrived. As usual, the place was quiet, yet something felt different. Suddenly, she noticed that one of the bookshelves was out of place. As she made her way towards it, she saw the open door. Curious and excited, she put down her books and went inside.
On the floor lay a phone with its torch still shining. Next to it was an old book.
It was not a book she recognised. … And it seemed to be crying out for help.
📒 Key vocabulary
- howled – made a loud, long sound, like wind or an animal
- flickered – shone with an unsteady or moving light
- faint – very quiet or weak
- torch – flashlight
- damp – slightly wet
- trapped – unable to escape
- shadow – a dark shape made when light is blocked
- blurred – not clear or hard to see
🤔 Comprehension quiz
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