The Screeching Librarian | Teen Ink

The Screeching Librarian

December 23, 2008
By Anonymous

It was October 30th in Manchester, Ireland. Fourteen year old Eoin Counkeyer was picking out a costume for the All Hallow's Eve Festival.
"What do you think I should wear this year, Ivan?"Eoin asked his older brother.
"What do you feel like wearing?" Ivan said.
"I don't know."
Ivan thought."How about we find a costume of the Screeching Librarian
Eoin shuddered."I want to be scary, but not that scary."
Outside the village of Manchester, there was an old abandoned library. There was a legend about about the library. It said that the Librarian is a vampire banshee, a ghostly kind of creature that feeds on blood and has a screech so horrible that any unlucky soul that hears it dies instantly. The banshee only comes out at midnight, save for Halloween. On Halloween, the banshee comes out all day, careful to stay in the shadows, to inspect her library. If any person goes into her sight, she hunts that person down until she kills him or her.
"I'll pick this one,"Eoin said.He picked out a mask of a zombie clown.
"You're such a wuss," Ivan said. "I bet that you would be too scared to stay at the library for at least fifteen minutes tomorrow night."
" Well, I bet I can."
"I bet eighteen dollars you will be too scared."
" I bet twenty I won't."
"Deal."
They shook on it. Both brothers then walked out to the center of the village for the festival. There was a lot of food, especially candy and apples. Also, there were games and dancing. After a whole day of fun, the festival ended. The Counkeyer boys got to their house and went to bed.
"Tomorrow's the day," Ivan reminded.
" I know," Eoin siad. He gave a shudder and went to sleep.
Eoin started to dream. In his dream, he was walking through a section of the library. As he walked, he heard moaning. There was someone (or something) in the next section, its grey eyes staring at Eoin through the bookshelf. The banshee slowly approached Eoin, carefully avoiding the light. It opened its mouth, showing its fangs, and let out the screech of a raptor. Eoin covered his ears, but he could still hear the screech. Eoin fell to the ground; he was dead. After a while the screech turned into the ring of an alarm clock. Eoin woke up in his bed. It was 5:40 AM, and the boy had to get ready for school. After showering,dressing, and eating breakfast, Eoin grabbed his lunch pail and ran to school.
"You'll never make it," said Haggus.
"Yes he will," said Darla.
Noey agreed with Darla and Eliza agreed with Haggus, so all of Eoin's friends bet amongst themselves.
Hours later, school was over. Eoin said goodbye to his friends, and Noey and Darla wished him good luck so they would not lose their sixteen dollars.
He slowly walked back home.
"What did I do?" Eoin questioned himself."What if the vampire banshee gets me?" But then his tough side kicked in."Come on, don't be a wuss. You can do it!" Eoin ran home more confidently.
"So, you ready?" Ivan asked as Eoin went in through the door.
"Yes," Eoin answered.
"Okay, you are to find one place and stay there for fifteen minutes. If you chicken out and leave before the fifteen minutes are over, you won't get your twenty dollars."
"Fine, see ya." Eoin walked out of the house. It was time. Careful not to let anyone see him, he walked through the backyards of the villagers.
As soon as he was out of the village, he saw the library entrance. The library was small, grey, mossy brick castle. Eoin approached the library. He pushed the gate open and saw many dusty shelves, but barely any books. The remaining books were torn up, dusty, and covered in cobwebs.
"Don't be a wuss," Eoin whispered to himself.
He walked down an aisle. The silence and darkness was eerie. He was grateful to find an old chair lit by the moon light going through a shattered window. Eoin sat in the chair. He took out the bag he had been carrying his mask and bucket in. He put on his mask and dug through the air in his bucket.
"Wow, I should have gotten candy first," he said in a hushed voice.
Eoin stayed in his seat, trembling the whole time. He heard noises high above. Whatever it was drifted around for a while, then it landed. It stayed behind a bookshelf. Eoin just stayed in his seat, paralyzed by fear. The thing creeped out from behind the bookshelf, but finally drifted towards Eoin.
The banshee was a skeleton in a grey cloak. It had black eyes and large claws. Behind the banshee was silver, tangled hair covered in black blotches.
Eoin took out a pair of earplugs and a pocket knife. He had come prepared. The young boy quickly inserted the plugs into his ears. The banshee was standing over Eoin, in the light!
"This isn't worth twenty dollars!" Eoin shouted as he ran out the library like he had never run before.
Back in the library, Ivan unhooked his banshee dummy from his fishing pole. He was laughing hysterically.
"That poor sap."
Ivan turned to the gate and saw a horrible hunchback figure there, tilting its head side to side.
The figure had pale skin, but it was so thin it looked like a skeleton. It wore a tattered black cloak, and it floated. It had long, bony fingers with long, chipped nails. Its white hair floated as if it were underwater, but worst of all, it had no eyes and sharp, bloodstained fangs.
Ivan stared into its eyeless sockets.
Eoin was back at the village, still trembling from what he had seen. He felt safer now that he was surrounde by many lanterns, lights, and people.
As Eoin walked back home, he heard a muffled screech that sounded like an eagle screeching and nails scratching ona chalk board during a tornado. Every person around him fell to the ground.

THE END



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This article has 1 comment.


JKeys said...
on Jan. 9 2009 at 3:58 pm
I am so impressed. This is awesome, Jonathan!