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Congratulations to the Short Story
Contest Winners!!!
Below are the first, second, and third place short story
endings for you to read. Congratulations to the authors
of these stories, and thanks to all who entered the Teen
Advisory Board's short story contest.
First Place
Christmas Ghosts continued
by Naomi Adinkrah
Terri walked up to the library circulation desk to check
out a book. It was a book on ghosts of the holidays. While
she waited at the front desk for someone to come and check
her materials out, she looked through her books. She looked
at the pictures of the Headless Horseman, all the ghosts
from A Christmas Carol, and ghosts from other holidays that
she could not name.
Then she heard a large noise from behind a shelf not too
far away, and slowly, all the lights in the library went
out, one by one.
"Who - who's there?" she stammered.
"Why, I am Denis Smith!" the voice exclaimed.
Terri watched as someone stuck his or her head out from
behind the shelf. Terri let out a sigh and set her books
on the counter. It was a boy about her age with large, round
glasses and sandy blonde hair. He wore clothes that were
out of style - to Terri, and he had a big smile on his face.
He looked deathly pale, though. He walked over to her and
held out his hand.
"What be your name?" he asked.
"Teresa Moore, but call me Terri," she replied.
Terri shook his hand. She noticed it was icy cold, and pulled
it back. Denis' smile grew, and he rubbed his hands together.
"It's pretty cold" he said.
Terri nodded. "Yeah, must be…"
There was an odd silence as Terri looked around the dark
library. There were no lights at all, and it looked creepy
in the dark. The bookshelves rose high, and looked acceptably
scary in the dark.
"It must be Christmas Eve.." Denis suddenly stated,
making Terri jump.
"Yes. Yes, it is Christmas Eve. Didn't you know that?"
she asked.
"Sorry, stupid question," he said.
"Well, Denis, looks like we'll just have to leave.
I don't want to be in here anyway," Terri said.
"Front door won't open," he said. Terri turned
to him. "I mean I've already tried! It must be locked
from the outside… or something," he added quickly.
Terri could tell this boy was nervous, but she ignored it
and put on her brave face.
"Well then! How do you suggest we get out of here?"
she asked.
Denis thought.
"Is there a back door?" he asked.
Terri shrugged.
"I've never seen one," she said.
Terri and Denis walked back to the front and hopped over
the desk. Terri tried the doors behind it, but they wouldn't
open.
"That doesn't work either. Um, Terri, I have to go
get someone," Denis said.
Terri turned to him with a confused look on her face.
"You can't leave me here!" she exclaimed, forgetting
her braveness.
Denis shrugged.
"If you want to come, then let's go!" he said.
Terri followed him to the back of the library. She found
her coat along the way, and put it on. She wondered if Denis
had a coat, but soon forgot when they found a little girl
reading a book. She held a match up and looked real interested
in the book.
"Jean! Why are you reading in the dark?" Denis
asked.
The girl looked up, smiled, blew out the candle, and then
closed the book. The book she had been reading amazed Terri.
It was something about the science of the world or something.
But all Terri knew was that it looked really advanced for
a girl her age.
" Just reading! I was scared when the lights went out,"
Jean replied.
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"Well,
you shouldn't read in the dark. It could hurt your eyes,"
Denis scolded.
"But we've been here for yea-"
"It could hurt your eyes!" Denis interrupted.
Jean was silenced, and Terri looked at the two of them. Jean
looked to be about six or seven and had sandy blonde hair,
just like Denis. She wore an old-fashioned dress and had small
glasses. She also looked pale.
"Oh, this is Terri. Terri, this is my little sister Jean,"
Denis said.
Jean curtsied, and Terri's eyebrows shot up.
"Okay you two. We need to find out how to get out of
this creepy place," Terri said, her voice braving up
again.
Jean smiled and jumped up and down.
"Let's try the basement!" she cried.
"Basement?" Terri asked.
Her voice lost its braveness again, and it seemed to get higher.
Denis laughed, and Jean cocked her head to the side.
"Yes, the basement. What are you scared of, ghosts or
something?" she asked.
Denis gave her a look that told her to stop, and Terri shook
her head. She found her courage, and she stood up straight.
"Any ghost can try me!" she exclaimed, and led the
way deeper into the library.
Terri stopped after a while. She didn't know where she was
going. Denis and Jean bumped into her. They fixed their glasses
and looked up to her.
"What's wrong?" Denis asked.
"I have no idea where we are going," Terri replied.
"I do!" Jean exclaimed, and marched on.
Terri and Denis shrugged and followed Jean. She led them to
a door and opened it. There were some stone steps and a torch.
Denis grabbed the torch and led the way down. It got even
colder, and Terri shoved her hands in her coat pockets. She
walked down and noticed that they weren't even trying to warm
themselves up. Terri finally gave up and put on her mittens.
At the bottom was another little thing of steps. Those steps
led to a door. This door was wide open, and Jean ran right
out and right into the snow.
"It seems like years since I've seen this stuff!"
she cried out happily.
She spun around in it. Denis grabbed her hand and spun too.
They grabbed Terri's hands, and the three of them spun around.
Terri laughed, but in her mind she wondered why she could
still feel the coldness of their hands, even with the mittens
on. They still had no coats on.
Soon the three were out of breath and ready to move on. Terri,
Denis, and Jean said their goodbyes, and Terri went up the
hill in the opposite direction they were going. She walked
home and totally forgot the books she was trying to check
out.
"I'm home Mom! Sorry I'm late!" Terri yelled when
she walked inside.
Her mother poked her head out, smiled, and nodded. She was
in the kitchen finishing up some little things for Christmas,
the next day. Terri hung up her coat and took off her mittens.
As she warmed her hands up, she looked at her dining room
table. There was the newspaper, but something on it caught
her eye.
It was a story about the library- the library she had just
escaped from. But the thing that got her was the people it
was talking about.
Christmas Deaths
Today's main article is about the death of Denis Harold Smith
and Jean Louise Smith. They were found dead in our library
in 1954 on Christmas Day. Denis was 15. Jean was 7. Denis
loved to go on adventures, and Jean was very smart for her
age. Both loved going
to the library. They say the library is cursed, and every
Christmas
Eve their spirits rise up, and try to get out…
Terri's eyes grew wide at the old picture of the two young
people. She couldn't believe it. They were the same two people
she just met! She quickly shook her head, but then again…
That would explain why they were so cold… and so pale…
Maybe they were ghosts… |
