Congratulations to the winners of our Flash Fiction Challenge! Students in grades 6-12 were invited to complete the writing prompt, "It was a dark and stormy night when I found myself trapped in Bremen Public Library."
Winners:
Mason Hale – 12th grade
Sara Boyer – 11th grade
Cody L.N. Fritz – 10th grade
Brylee Murphy – 10th grade
Isiah Sarille – 10th grade
Hanna DePoy – 9th grade
Emma Heller – 7th grade
Amanda Hohulin – 7th grade
Braden Unruh – 7th grade
Katie Wilson – 7th grade
Watch our blog in the days leading up to Halloween to read the winning stories. Today we are featuring stories by Cody Fritz and Katie Wilson.
Stories appear as submitted by the authors, unedited.
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Cody Fritz, 10th grade
The Key of Wisdom
It was a dark and stormy night when I found myself in the Bremen Public Library. I was
down stairs in the corner with the Book of All-knowing. The one thing that they were looking
for, and I had it. They weren’t just looking for the book though. They were here for the same
thing I was here for, and I was going to stop them from getting it. I was here for the Key of
Wisdom. The one of only three items needed to complete the puzzle that is needed to open the
vault door to ultimate knowledge. I knew that I was close to the key, but they were coming this
way closer and closer. I heard them pulling book by book off the shelves not in a coordinated
way but instead just looking. I had to find the key, and soon.
I just had to peek around the corner, just a small look to see how close they were to me.
As I looked around the corner of a bookshelf, right there was a boot. A ripped worn down boot
that must have been weathered for ages. It was like it came right out of a story book. I couldn’t
figure it out why it looked familiar but I did not have time either to be asking questions while
my head was exposed to the open. I was not about to be spotted not now, not when I was so
close. I slipped my head back around with my heart beating faster than I had ever felt in my life.
I had to move and quickly, I had to find the key.
I didn’t know the exact location of this majestic relic, but I knew the look of it like the
back of my hand. It matched the cover of the book which was slightly worn and had a grand
bumpy spine that held your figures in place as you held it. Carved into the cover of this grand
book was a crescent moon inside of a grand sun that seemed as if it rotated right on the book.
The key, on the other hand, was shaped to fit into the cover and then later set onto the pedal
stool with a scroll that had a cast that was to be said to unlock the vault.
I was looking everywhere while I was being conscious to not get caught. I checked every
corner under every rug until I could not think of any place else that I had not checked.
“There!” I blurted out not thinking twice. I could barely see it through the glass case that
had been shattered by the men that I had been hiding from this entire time.
Just then behind me a bookshelf was over turned with great force and power by a large
man standing at about seven foot three, and radiating with anger. I knew he wasn’t the only
one here so, but he was the only one I saw at the time. Without thinking twice I grabbed the
key and ran up the stairs turned right to go out the back and smacked right into a hard, solid
wall, but no not wall a person. A solid person figure that was as strong as ten men and stood
taller than the roof of the library causing him to hunch over. Even though he was still towering
over me. I flew back onto my back with the key going one way and the book going the other. I
had to get them both, and get out of this place. The book was the closes so I grabbed for it, but
I was pulled back and up toward the towering man by the ankles until I was face to face with
what seemed to be a troll. These guys were literally forming out of fairytale books.
The thing luckily had me by only one foot, so with my other I landed a blowing kick once
right in the center of his head which stunned him for just enough time to give me the chance to
twist around and get out of his hold on my leg. I grabbed the book and key and bolted for the
front door. Now that I was out I just needed…
Again “really” I said winded from running into what seemed to be another wall, but
instead it was that beast of a man. He followed me up the stairs and was blocking the last
remaining exit on the main level. The only other place to exit from was the Conjuring tunnels
that was entered by opening the book cases. So I went for it, I spun around him and slid down
the railing to the downstairs. I bolted to the back book case and pulled it away from the wall
revealing the tunnels that laid behind.
I knew that if I went in there, there was a terrible possibility I could get lost and never
return. Although, at the same time I knew that if they followed me in then I could get out and
they could get lost wondering the tunnels. It was a chance I was willing to take. I sprinted into
the tunnels and didn’t look back. I had two of three pieces to the puzzle and now I was on my
way to get the third and final piece to this long and tiring quest…….
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Katie Wilson, 7th grade
It was a dark and stormy night when I found myself trapped in Bremen Public Library. Finding the door locked i decide to look around the library for another exit. I couldn’t Find one that was unlocked and lucky me my phone was dead. I decided to go down stairs to the children's section. To only find it Wrecked from the children that were just here. I felt exhausted after all the stress of being locked in. I start to climb in the bathtub with all the pillows but something stirs me to the big doll house.
Hmm
There's dolls in there i don’t remember dolls. I turn back around toward the bathtub and fell asleep. It felt like five minutes later but with the crack of lighting i snap awake only to find that it was 1:00am it had just been 10 o’clock. I jumped out of the tub only to find the shock of all the computers were on. They didn’t have or say anything on them but it crept me out. I quickly ran upstairs to try find at least something to do. Wait i pull out my phone only to remember it was dead. I go to a computer only to see yet another one turned on. I try doing something with the computer anything nothing it said there's no Wi-fi. What i'm guessing they turn it off when they leave. But not the computers weird.
I decided to go back to sleep in the downstairs bathtub But as i'm walking down the stairs i trip on something and go hurdling down. Ouch my lips bleeding i taste my blood and quickly scramble back up the stairs i find myself to have tripped on a…… Doll what. How did this get out that dang doll house.
Not carrying i through it in the trash and i march angrily back to the tub and try to go to Sleep. I end up waking yet again with a loud noise but not from the thunder from up stairs. I get to my feet run up the stairs and see if someone's here for me. I get to i think where the noise was only to find another doll. This time i don’t pick it up because too many weird vibes. I feel like it’s watching me staring at me and that's when i noticed it was the same doll i threw away. No No no this can’t be happening. I jolt down stairs only to find one thing that feels awake the dollhouse. I run to the tub and cry myself to sleep. Cause i feel like there is no way out. Why does this bathtub feel hard as a rock i open my eyes and see a ceiling that it’s different. I sit up look around i'm in a house. Wait something's not right i look off into the distance and find that the clock reads 2:54am. Almost the devil's time 3:00am I walk down the stairs only to have myself more creeped out i don’t fully go down the stairs i because i see the doll. The same one i tripped on the one i threw away the one i ran from. I trip up the stairs and run to the room where i was sleeping in. No way get me out of here let me leave i’m shaking by this point. 2:57am i here clatter i start down the stairs one more time in the dining room there all set up like little mannequins in a shop i quickly check the clock 3am well nothing happened yet so. Snapping back to the dolls only to find all there black lifeless eyes staring at me and then stunned i couldn’t move. Tears started flooding my eyes as they got up and i fainted Waking up. To find library lights on and red and blue lights the cops what i couldn't move i felt like wood but i was standing up staring at myself. In the glass window and i was a doll a wooden doll i saw my mom threw the glass. Crying i tried to scream say i'm here but i couldn't speak one single tear came running down my new face. And in my mind i said I love you mom.
To bad you can’t see me. Two weeks later i saw a bunch of children going in and out but one day a special little girl came in with hair dyed blue and beautiful green eyes and a pale complexion.
She stared at me me individually nothing else but me. “Can you see me” i spoke. She took a step back And replied with a “yes”. “What's your name” i asked the small child. “Abbi” she replied. “Abbi would you like to come in my beautiful house” That spluttered out of my doll mouth like a natural thing. She quickly said yes and and minutes later i was in her body. That day i walked out and now she's trapped in that house. So beware when you go by that dollhouse and don’t ever stay too long.
As 2017 winds to a close, I look back at the year we’ve had in the Young Adult department and reflect on thankfulness. Far more than can be listed, but a Top 20 is in order.
