CHAPTER-12 (PART-1)
853 Words
Library at Midnight
Part One
Blackwood University had two completely different personalities.
During the day...
It was loud.
Students hurried through crowded hallways with backpacks slung over one shoulder. The cafés overflowed with conversations, the basketball court echoed with cheers, and professors hurried between lectures carrying stacks of papers.
But after sunset...
Everything changed.
The noise disappeared.
The old Gothic buildings stood beneath the moonlight like silent guardians watching over generations of forgotten stories.
The wind whispered through the oak trees.
The stone pathways reflected the soft glow of antique lamps.
And at the very center of the campus...
The Blackwood Grand Library remained awake.
The library was the oldest building on campus.
Its towering wooden doors had welcomed students for more than a century.
Inside, endless rows of books stretched toward the ceiling.
Ancient wooden shelves held everything from modern biomedical journals to centuries-old scientific manuscripts.
A spiral staircase connected four quiet floors, while enormous stained-glass windows painted colourful patterns across the polished wooden floor.
The smell of old paper, coffee, and polished oak filled the air.
To most students...
It was simply a library.
To those who loved learning...
It felt almost sacred.
8:15 P.M.
"Why..."
Ryan Parker sighed dramatically as he dropped three enormous books onto a table.
"...are books getting heavier every year?"
Noah didn't even look up.
"They're the same weight."
"No."
"They absorb stress."
Mia laughed quietly while opening her laptop.
"Ryan, you've complained for exactly twelve minutes."
"I've only been here ten."
"See?"
"You're complaining efficiently."
Ara arrived a moment later carrying five medical journals in her arms.
Ryan stared.
"You actually found those?"
She placed them on the table with a soft thud.
"I had to climb two ladders."
"You climbed library ladders?"
"I also survived."
Ryan folded his hands dramatically.
"Our condolences."
Logan appeared with a tray holding six steaming cups of coffee.
"The café downstairs was still open."
Ryan immediately reached for the largest cup.
"I've never respected you more."
"You said that yesterday."
"I mean it more today."
For the next hour...
The table disappeared beneath notebooks, research papers, laptops, coloured sticky notes and empty coffee cups.
Noah drew detailed diagrams.
Mia organized references into neat folders.
Logan searched for medical case studies.
Ryan...
Had somehow become responsible for snacks.
"I contribute emotionally," he declared proudly.
Ara rolled her eyes.
"You contribute calories."
"They're equally important."
At 9:30 P.M., the library had become almost silent.
Only the occasional turning of pages disturbed the quiet.
Outside...
Rain began tapping gently against the stained-glass windows.
Ara leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes.
"My brain officially refuses to function."
Ryan nodded immediately.
"Mine resigned three years ago."
Even Noah laughed.
"Take ten minutes."
"We've earned a break."
Mia closed her laptop.
"Finally."
"I thought you'd forgotten what breaks were."
The group wandered toward the library café on the ground floor.
Warm lights reflected against the polished wood.
A handful of students quietly studied in the corners.
Behind the counter stood Mrs. Rosa Martinez, the café owner.
She had worked at Blackwood for nearly twenty-five years.
Every student knew her.
Every professor greeted her.
And somehow...
She remembered everyone's usual order.
Ryan smiled the moment she saw him.
"Late-night study session again?"
Ryan nodded.
"And emotional suffering."
Mrs. Rosa laughed warmly.
"The usual chocolate cookies?"
"You understand me."
She handed him a plate before he had even finished speaking.
Mia smiled.
"How do you remember all of us?"
Mrs. Rosa winked.
"When you've watched thousands of students grow up..."
"...you learn their stories."
Ara smiled politely.
"Iced coffee?"
Mrs. Rosa had already started making it.
"I knew you'd ask."
As they returned upstairs...
The library lights flickered.
Just once.
Nobody paid much attention.
Old buildings had old wiring.
It happened sometimes.
Or so everyone believed.
Back at the table...
Noah frowned at one of the journal articles.
"This reference is incomplete."
Logan looked over.
"The full paper might be in the archive section."
Ryan looked horrified.
"The basement?"
Noah nodded.
Ryan swallowed.
"I've heard stories."
Ara smirked.
"What stories?"
Ryan lowered his voice dramatically.
"They say..."
"...the basement shelves are haunted."
Mia laughed.
"By what?"
"Overdue library books."
The group burst into laughter.
Mrs. Ellis, the elderly librarian, looked over her glasses.
"Quiet, please."
Five voices immediately answered together.
"Sorry."
Ten minutes later...
Ara stood alone near the spiral staircase.
She volunteered to find the missing journal in the archive basement.
The others stayed behind organizing notes.
The staircase creaked softly beneath her footsteps as she descended.
The air grew cooler.
The lights became dimmer.
Long rows of metal shelves stretched into the distance.
Boxes of old research journals filled every corner.
It was silent.
Almost...
Too silent.
She switched on her phone's flashlight.
The beam swept across faded labels.
Biochemistry
Immunology
Genetics
She searched patiently until she finally found the correct shelf.
As she reached for the journal...
She heard something.
A sound.
Very faint.
Like...
A metal door closing somewhere deeper in the basement.
Ara froze.
She slowly turned.
The library was empty.
Or at least...
It appeared to be.
- Writer
