I was grateful my manager, Mrs. Hopper let me keep my job. I didn't get home until later in the evening. I was so exhausted. But I didn't want to go to sleep just yet. I wanted to get out of my work uniform and take a warm shower. I knew I must be stinky from working so hard.
After taking off my work uniform and getting out of the shower, I dried off with a bath towel. I got my cozy pajamas and walked into my bedroom. I expected to get another reply from the school librarian with more further information about the book club meeting on Halloween at midnight in a couple of weeks from now.
I walked to my desk and opened my closed smart laptop computer on my desk in my bedroom. I wanted to work on writing a new manuscript for a scary story submission for the Sorcerer's Storyteller's Club meeting.
After I opened my smart laptop computer, I wasn't expecting anything unusual to happen to me tonight. I couldn't concentrate on writing. My mind was drifting off to space. I needed to take a break from my computer. I would have another week to finish the short story for the book club meeting. I don't know how long it would take me to finish something really new and exciting. That's never been told before.
I wanted the story to be very scary, too. It gets more creative when I let my imagination go places I've never been before in my mind. I didn't want to go to bed right away. I wanted to read from a new book I borrowed from the school library. It was a collection of short stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe.
I know how dark and entertaining Edgar Allan Poe can get in his storycraft writing. Opening the book, I wasn't expecting to read much. Just a short couple of pages. When I opened the book, all the pages were blank!
I couldn't believe what I was seeing! I walked over to my bookshelf of other paperback books in my collection. They were all drained! No words in any of the storybooks I had collected over the years from my school library. This wasn't making any sense!
As I angrily went through my bookshelf, taking one book off the shelf at a time, opening them up, and seeing them drained. I didn't know what to think. Who could have done this to my storybook collection?
I started sweating and grabbing hold of my oily hair and screamed. I didn't have an explanation. I grabbed my cellphone off the bedside table. Put it in my pocket. And walked out of my apartment.
I got on my bicycle and hurried through the cold, windy streets to the school library. I knew they would be closed. Because it was Saturday. No school on the weekends. But I had to talk to the librarian about what was happening to me.
As soon as I got to the library, I hopped over my red bicycle and hurried into the dimly lit school. Walking through the dark, shadowy hallways. I stopped in the middle of the hallway.
I heard somebody walking through the principal's office. I opened an empty locker, quickly climbed into the locker. And closed the lid on me. Looking out the hole in the locker, I peered into the darkness. I saw the principal, wearing headphones and humming loudly to himself as he walked out of the dark, empty school.
At first, I thought everybody was gone. I slowly started to open the locker handle. I gasped when the locker swung open quickly. I stared at the fear-stricken principal standing before me.
He quickly roughly grabbed me by my shirt and took off his headphones. "Mr. Wart? What are you doing here at this hour? School's closed," the principal said. I was shaking and sweaty. "Don't worry, my boy. I'm not going to hurt you. Just get out of here before I give you detention," he said.
I nodded and agreed. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask the school library about the book club meeting on Halloween night," I said, honestly. The big, friendly principal nodded and smiled at me.
"Of course, I understand," the principal said. "I'm so happy you are taking in the little talent agency. Only a few selective students were chosen for the writing opportunity. You're going to do great, Mr. Wart. You can see the school librarian after school on Monday afternoon, okay, kid?" asked the principal, smiling at me.
I was starting to feel calm and relaxed. "Okay, I will," I said nervously. "I just can't wait to attend to book club meeting. I know how important reading and writing can be. And I want to make the school librarian proud of my writing goals," I said.
The friendly principal smiled and patted me on my right shoulder. He walked me out of the shadowy, moonlit school hallways. Into the front of the school building. "You take care, Mr. Wart. See you in school on Monday morning," the nice principal said.
"Okay, bye!" I said in a booming voice. And waved good-bye to the friendly principal. As I watched him climb into his sports vehicle in the school parking lot.
I hopped on my little bicycle and peddled as fast as I could. I wanted to go home before it started raining and lightning on me. I almost forgot to stop on the sidewalk at the red stop sign in front of me. When an angry, howling, black stray cat leaped out at me from some trash cans on the side of the empty, dark house.
Scratching my eyes and face, the howling stray cat was not happy to see me. Using all my strength to pry the wild black cat off my face, I grabbed hold of it by its waist. And opened the lid to the silver trash can in the house apartment, sidewalk. Then, shoved the wailing animal inside the messy, half-full trash can and slammed the silver, metal lid of the trash can.
I kicked the trash can with my foot, making the cat let out a howling yowl of surprise. Everything went silent again. It started to lightning from the dark storm clouds above the sky.
I looked at the street, next to the sidewalk, when I saw my red bicycle on the side of the street. I quickly picked up my bike. Hopped on it and drove quickly the rest of the way home.
Just as soon as I got home to my apartment, it started to rain on me. I unlocked my apartment door and walked inside. I turned on my light switch.
Looking around, I left all of my blank and empty storybooks I liked to read from my bookshelf were still on the floor. I didn't know what to think. I wanted somebody to explain what was going on here.
Then, I turned over to look at my desk. As I watched with horror. As I saw my smart laptop computer slowly start to open by itself. I didn't know what to expect. But I wanted to hurry and run out of my apartment to get some help.
As I watched the laptop open on my desk, a blank screen started flashing on the screen. Suddenly, it hummed. An image of a screen came to life. It was a video email screening of the school library, staring at me!
I started to run over to my apartment door and open it. My hands were so shaky and slippery. I couldn't open the apartment door fast enough. Suddenly, I turned and watched the video image on my desktop computer let out a high-pitched cackle.
"You shouldn't be afraid of me, Mr. Andrew Wart!" cackled the school librarian on my glowing computer screen. "If you are getting this video message by now, Mr. Wart. I must warn you, I have decided there will be only one student chosen to be of the Sorcerer's Storyteller's Club meeting on Halloween at midnight. Nobody can tell original, bone-chilling stories like you, Mr. Andrew Wart. If you noticed, I drained all your storybooks of their knowledge. Because I want your mind to be clear and sharp. Once you get the special notebook in your mailbox, you should know what you want to write about for the book club meeting. See you soon! Bye," the wicked school librarian cackled. Then, the screen went black.
My heart was racing. I was breathing in quick, weasy gasps. Could she be what she seems? Or was this going to be some kind of joke? I couldn't get the image of her cackling out of my mind. She wasn't going to get the best of me. I wasn't going to let her scare me to death. I wanted to prove to the school librarian, I was the best storyteller there ever was.
Running out of time.