Pride Before the Fall

Hello again,

There is something liberating about knowing the truth isn't there? I can see you finally realizing that despite how dark or horrifying it may be, the truth is invaluable. I assume you seek to acquire more truth about the University of Oklahoma. Well, rest assured, I have plenty more . The next story I have is the tragic story of how a student lost their life in the Bizzell Memorial Library.

The Bizzell Memorial library, or The Bizz, is loved because of its value to the university and the rich history it contains. Along with this rich history, tragic history joins in tandem. To protect the family of the late student I will refer to him as John throughout this retelling. John was a student at the University of Oklahoma during the 1940s and enjoyed studying in The Bizz when necessary. This student had transferred to OU after having trouble sustaining a healthy social life at another university. Unfortunately, John excelled so much academically and was socially awkward, making him a prime target for vicious bullies.

John made an effort to build a personal friendship with his professors and ask questions during class. John was very competitive so he prided himself in doing all he could to succeed in class. This rubbed many students the wrong way. Several students resented John and bullied him constantly. Sometimes John would leave a study room to go to the bathroom and come back to find all of his study material in the trash, or that his packed lunch had been eaten. The bullies never confronted him directly, but as the semester wore on, the actions of the bullies became more ill-willed. John had grown irritated with this group of classmates as well. The bullies would usually study in the Great Reading Room, a room known for its silence. Sometimes John would quietly go in this area and crack open the door. He would then shoot rubber bands at them very discreetly, watching as it would snap each one in the neck.

The next week the class received one of their midterms back and to no one's surprise, John received the highest score. John made sure to let the bullies know about his success too. He asked the professor what the highest grade was and acted shocked when the answer was his close-to-perfect score. He then told the professor that he was always available to tutor struggling students if necessary. The bullies became irate and promptly roughed him up after the lecture. The group berated him with insults as they shoved and even punched him until he had visible bruises and cuts. John went home initially in a somber mood but gloom soon turned into rage.

Although the class had just gotten their test back, they had taken that test several weeks ago. This meant that their next test was just around the corner. The bullies were in their usual spot "the Great Reading Room" and John was ready to get his revenge. John started out by snapping them with the usual rubber bands that had the same bite force as your average ant bite. The bullies were confused and irritated especially because they couldn't tell exactly where the bands were coming from. John was great at ricocheting the bands off of nearby objects so that his location would not be easy to figure out. To top it all off, John pulled out a small and thick roll of paper and readied to launch his final projectile. Back in his high school days, his classmates had nicknamed this shot "the wasp" because when it hit you it felt like a painful sting that would sometimes result in bruising or bleeding. John whipped the band back, which he used to fire the wasp, as far as he could. WHAP! The wasp hit one of the bullies with a sound as loud as a clap. The bullies turned to see John in the doorway and immediately chased him.

John ran all through the library and could not lose any of them. He finally reached the Library decks, famous for their glass floors and low ceilings. John weaved his way between shelves but could not create any distance between him and the bullies. With a final attempt, John quickly scooted a mobile column of books in between him and the bullies. The bullies did not have enough time to stop and ran into the shelf, knocking it onto John who fell through the glass floor. The bullies stood shocked as they viewed their dead classmate who had snapped his neck on impact below them. The fallout from this event was great as the university struggled to keep this from the public. Everyone wondered about how the hole in the Library decks got there, but very few entities are above bribery. As far as what happened to John, a rumor began that he had transferred again and was no longer a student at OU. The bully who was shot came from a Forbes-list-like wealthy family, who assisted in paying off whoever necessary.

Today, students have, on several occasions, reported that they feel an eerie presence when they enter the Library decks. Some have even gone as far as to say that they have seen a wandering ghost on the Library decks. One witness even reported that one night when she was looking for a book on the decks, an entire row of books fell right before her as if pushed by someone. The decks has been notoriously labeled as a hot spot for paranormal activity. The most suspicious part of all is that students have been reported to occasionally leap up in pain when studying in the Great Reading Room. Students consistently report that they feel a sharp sting on their wrist or neck. The spirit of John is still roaming the Library decks. If I were you I would be careful........wouldn't want you to get stung.

Your Guide,

The Alumnus