The Library holds a Secret!

Chisom – Year 9

The Library holds a secret.

"Yeah, that’s what he told me," I said and laughed. So, did Bersabeh and Frankie. I looked in my bag and decided to sneak a peek at my messages when a little girl approached me.

"Are you Chisom?" she said.

"Um, yeah… why?"

"Jill needs you."

"What? The librarian?"

"Yes," was all she said before walking away. I looked at my friends, and they just shrugged. I sighed, grabbed my bag, and made my way to the library.

The thing is, I’ve hardly ever been to the library, once or twice at most, and every time I was there, it felt like the books perched on the shelves were going to come alive. There I was, standing right outside the library door. The door was basically see-through, so you could see everything happening inside.

I opened the door to the library, and as my feet touched the floor, it suddenly swallowed me.

What?!

Before I could even process what was happening, I saw myself falling into a black hole. My anxiety spiked. Soon, my bum hit solid ground, grassy ground.

What the hell?

I stood up, dusted off my clothes, and realised I was in a rice field. I touched my shoulder to feel for my bag, but it was gone. Panic surged through me. My bag had my phone. I couldn’t lose it.

Just as I was freaking out, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around. It was an old man.

"Are you lost?" he asked, his voice frail.

"Yes, I am. Where am I? And where is my phone?" I asked.

"Phone? What’s a phone?"

You have to be kidding me.

"What year is this?" I asked.

"1761. Why?"

What the hell?! There was no way I had travelled almost 200 years back in time.

"Wait… if this is 1761, then what country is this?"

"America."

No way.

"So, that means… oh no."

"What?"

My eyes scanned the field and landed on a horrifying sight: Black people farming. Some were being whipped under the hot sun.

"Miss, I’m sorry, but I have to go. If you need help, speak to the white masters. They’ll give you something to do… and stay safe," the man said before walking off.

There was no way I was really in 1761. Slavery hadn’t been abolished yet, not even my grandfather had been born. I needed to get out of here.

I scanned the area for an exit or shelter and spotted what looked like a castle in the distance. I made my way toward it, pushing through overgrown weeds. Just as I stepped out of the field, a man on a brown horse approached.

"You there! Where do you think you’re going?" he yelled.

"Home!" I shouted and took off running. I knew one thing: if I stayed any longer, I’d be whipped or worse.

"Seize her! She mustn’t escape!"

I heard them all shouting behind me. I burst into the house and spotted a small cabinet. Without thinking, I climbed inside.

Footsteps echoed outside.

"She couldn’t have gone far," one voice said.

"Search everywhere and find her!"

"She must be executed for this scandal."

Great. They were already planning my execution, and I didn’t even belong here. I peeked through a hole in the cabinet, waited until the coast was clear, and stepped out. I needed to get out of here before I completely disappeared.

I reached for the door, but my hand went right through it.

What the heck? My hand was literally disappearing.

That’s when it hit me: I was stuck in a book about slavery in America. And not to mention, I’m Black. I’m either going to end up dead or disappear for good.

I looked around anxiously and saw a familiar face. No way… I slowly made my way toward him.

Oh my gosh, my great-great-grandfather. He was standing there, being humiliated by the overseers. I tiptoed behind a pillar and watched.

"You, lazy slave!" a man shouted, whipping him. "You can’t get anything right!" The man hit him over and over until he was silent and covered in scars. I only recognised him because my grandad had shown me a photo of him and now here he was, in real life.

As the overseer pushed him into the house, I followed quietly.

"Hello, sir," I whisper-shouted.

He turned around, startled, but I kept walking until I stood in front of him.

"Sorry," I said. "I know you probably don’t know me, but I’m your great-great-granddaughter."

He stared at me like I was speaking a different language.

"Okay, so basically I’m your son’s great-granddaughter. Your grandson’s granddaughter."

"But… I don’t have a grandson," he said, looking more confused than ever.

"Oh, but you will. In like… a couple hundred years."

"Never mind that I need to get home as quickly as possible," I said.

"By home, do you mean the fields?" he asked.

"No, I need to get back to the future, well, at least to the year I come from before I fully disappear," I said, showing him my fading arm.

He finally looked at me, starting to understand what I was saying. He grabbed my shoulder, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and whispered in my ear, "You're the one."

I looked at him, confused. Then he asked, "What year do you come from?"

"2025," I responded with a nod.

"So, you're from the two thousand.   You see that path follow it and you’ll find a time machine the masters keep hidden."

"Thank you so much, Grandpa," I said, and we embraced in a big hug.

Suddenly, as I stepped onto the path, a flash of light engulfed me. Seconds later, I heard voices saying, "Where have you been?"

As I looked around, I saw I was back in my school library, with the book ‘Mary Prince: My Story’ resting on my lap.

Toby – Year 9

It was a bright, luscious Tuesday morning, the first morning of April, and it was period two. I strolled over to the library, expecting a relaxing lesson. I opened the doors and…

Bang!

A white flash. I thought to myself, Has the sun exploded? Is this an April Fools’ prank?

I opened my eyes.

The streets were crowded. I was outside, in a vast, futuristic city. Was I rich? I looked down and was immediately disgusted, my shoes, my clothes, my face, I was filthy. Homeless, was my only guess.

My library book at the time was Stone Cold. I wondered.  Have I been put into my book? If that was the case, I feared Shelter, the villain, would be after me.

And how right I was.

Nightfall came. I slept with one eye open, as terrified as a cat after seeing a cucumber. I kept waiting, waiting to be kidnapped into Shelter’s house. As I began to doze off, I saw a shadow, a dark figure approaching me.

Without hesitation, I ran. As far as I could. But strangely, I wasn’t being chased… followed, but not chased.

A red bus stopped next to me. Self-explanatory, but I leapt on. The driver looked normal, nothing creepy. It was a double-decker bus; I prefer the upstairs, so that’s where I headed.

Just as I reached the top... there he was. That same shadowy figure. Sitting at the back, staring straight at me.

I couldn’t get off the bus. He only saw me from behind earlier, I thought. I’m on a bus. Surely, he won’t know I’m homeless.

Still, I moved. I went back downstairs and sat.

Thudding came from above. He was coming down. His tall, masculine figure peeped around the corner. He came and sat down, right next to me. Not in one of the 50 other seats. Right next to me.

To my luck, the bus stopped. I got off.

So, did he.

The place looked familiar, not from memory, but like something I’d read before.

Shelter’s house.

He grabbed me tightly, took me inside, and gave me a warm bowl of soup.

Not a word was said.

Once I’d finished, he took the bowl. Finally, the silence was broken.

He asked what I was doing in London.

I replied coldly, “Nothing.”

He told me I had a boring answer, then led me to a room. He pulled something from his pocket.

And suddenly, I was back.

Back in the library.

I don’t know, and never have known, whether I fell asleep and dreamed, zoned out and imagined it all, or if it really happened.

Does the library hold a secret?

Archie - Year 8

The bell rang, school was over. I wandered off to the library to choose a book for my English project. I walked up to the double doors, pushed one open, and stepped inside.

Quickly, I maneuverer my way past the non-fiction section and headed toward the fiction shelves. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a book titled ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’. I reached for it and opened it.

As I flipped it open, a strange hand suddenly leapt out and pulled me inside!

I found myself in a classroom. Before I could make sense of anything, I heard a voice call out, “Archie, Archie, hello, are you there?” I blinked twice, trying to make sure I was really seeing what I thought I was. Then, a tall woman with brunette hair and glasses appeared, leaning over my table!

She began questioning me about why I hadn’t answered. “What does PETAL stand for?” she asked firmly.

“I’m not very sure,” I replied quietly, as several students at the front of the class began laughing and whispering about me. My mind was racing.The teacher frowned and said she expected better from me. I was completely confused. Before I could speak, the bell rang, and the other students rushed off to the lunch hall. I just sat there, still trying to figure out what was happening.

As I walked out of the room, a small boy approached me and introduced himself. Apparently, his name was Trevor—and to my surprise, this was my first day at this school. I thanked him, but everything was happening so quickly I could barely process it.

I felt overwhelmed. Why was I here? What was going on?

Then, I looked down at myself. I was someone completely different. My hair was blonde instead of brown, my skin tone was darker, and my eyes were blue. I stared in disbelief.

Suddenly, my vision blurred, and I felt someone tapping my shoulder.

I opened my eyes, and I was back in the library at my own school, still holding the book.

Quickly, I turned around. The small librarian chuckled. “Sorry, but the library is closing now. Looks like you got lost in your book.”