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The Midnight Hour
Angus J.
Term 4, 2022
Chapter 1
An Unexpected Visitor
The clock had just struck midnight. Why on earth would a mystery door-knocker be knocking on my door?! I covered my ears and tried to ignore the knocks. But they just kept getting louder.
I tip-toed down the stairs and opened the door. But no one was there. Just a piece of paper on the welcome mat.
It read:
Angus,
Good things will happen to you if you meet me at the State Library tomorrow night. Good things such as lollies and love. Be there when the clock strikes midnight.
See you there,
Tobias B. Senyard.
It was creepier than last Halloween when all the kids were dressed up as vampires and werewolves! But that was then. This was now. I had been left with a tough decision. Should I go or not? Should I trust my old schoolmate or not? It had been ten years since I had last seen him. Maybe I shouldn’t go. But I did…
******
The tall sandstone building of the David S. Mitchell library was staring at me. I suspected it was staring at me because I was staring at it. The library seemed to be saying, “Come inside. Come closer. You know you want to…”
I started to get the feeling that maybe I’d made the wrong choice. But I had come to far to turn back. I took a step closer to the building. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I had climbed the shallow steps toward the State Library.
I jumped in fright as the clock tower across the road rang twelve loud bells. It was midnight.
The tall wooden doors in front of me had old, chiselled images on them. They looked as if they were… alive.
Okay, definitely the wrong choice. I wanted to run back to 99 Cook Street, but my feet were glued to the ground! The old doors suddenly creaked open. By themselves! I could see a vast tiled floor with a weird looking map on it. Above it, there was a railing with a clock on it. A pair of double doors stood right in front of me, only about 5 metres away. I had no idea whatsoever where they lead.
I gulped down the huge lump in my throat and tip-toed cautiously to the doors. Old dusty writing was carved upon them. It read: 'David S. Mitchell, Reading room'.
I pushed them open and I was greeted with thousands of dusty old books all lined up neatly on the huge shelves. There was old frayed carpet underneath my feet, a perfect home for cobwebs.
I swallowed hard and walked forward nervously. I had only walked a few paces when, “Oi! Look where you’re goin’!”
Chapter 2
The Discoveries
“What the?” I asked, more confused than a polar bear playing (or trying to play) tennis.
“Can’t you see me? I’m literally right in front of ya!” said the deep male voice.
“Uh… no…”
“Oh yeah! I totally forgot! I’m a ghost!” the voice said, and a misty figure appeared in front of me!
“AARRGGHH! Who in the name of Taylor Swift are you?!” I screamed.
“Why, I’m David S. Mitchell, the founder of this magnificent library!” the ghost announced proudly.
“Riiiiight… why are you still here?”
“I got trapped in the freezer,” David said cheerfully.
“Okay…”
“Yeah.”
“Right.”
“Uhh, why are you here?” asked David, more curious than a beaver in a hotel.
“This,” I said, pulling the note from Tobias out of my shirt pocket and showing it to David.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’d go home ASAP if I were you.”
“Why?”
“All people who have entered this library because of mysterious notes requesting them to come here, are in their graves!” said David, creepily.
GULP! “A…a…are you sure?” I stammered.
“100%.”
“Oh, help me LORD!” I said, falling to my knees.
“Um…okay…”
It took what felt like forever for me to get over it, yet it was only 20 minutes.
“Um…would you like me to guide you through this glamorous library?” David said, his voice raising proudly.
“Uh, sure!” I said, my hopes raising a little bit.
“Alrighty, so first…”
*** 30 MINUTES LATER ***
“…And here we have some ancient diaries from well-known people, such as Dorothea Mackellar, Henry Lawson, Roald Dahl and more!”
“Hold on! Can I please have a look at one of these diaries?” I asked, more excited than the King on his 105th birthday.
“Knock yourself out! Not literally.”
“Thanks!”
I walked over to the diaries and picked up the one marked ‘Elwyn White’. I flicked it open to a random page. In unusual cursive writing, it read:
‘YOU’RE DEAD MEAT! Signed, Tiobas’
I read it out loud to David.
“Who’s Tiobas?” I asked.
“Who knows? It could be Lady Ga-Ga for all I care!” said David.
“Tonight, I die!!” I cried.
“Stop being such a baby!” exclaimed David, as he pushed me into the wall.
Suddenly, I was at Tobias’ house!
“What the…?!”
The old building looked heart-stoppingly creepy in the moonlight. How did I get here?
I turned around and walked forward. Then, I was back in the library!
“Where’d you go?” asked David.
“Tobias’ house!” I said, a little dazed.
“Aaahh…how?”
“The wall.”
“Riight.”
Chapter 3
Blood & Death
“What’s that sound?” I asked David, dreading the answer.
“Oh, ploomfizz!” he said.
“What is it?” I asked, more frantic than a worm in a bird’s mouth.
“It’s the Blood and Death!”
“What in the name of Taylor Swift is that??!!” I screamed.
“Shushy!! If it finds you, it’ll rip your limbs off one by one like me!”
“Riiiiight…”
“Oh, for the love of Hank Marvin! It found us! RUN IF YA WANNA LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” David screamed.
I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me. David was floating along beside me. “Where in the world do we go?!” I half-asked, half-screamed.
“The basement! Blood and Death never goes down there! It’s too wet!”
“Right. Where’s that?”
“Right below us! Duh!”
“Hmm. Makes sense.”
We both ran… (well, I ran…. David floated) … to a sandstone stairwell which was darker than a Dementor.
After about 10 or so minutes of jogging down the stairs, we came to a room lined with empty white shelves. “Hallelujah!” cried David.
RAAAAHHHH!!!!
“I spoke too soon, didn’t I?”
“Yep,” I said.
The grey, terrifying creature advanced down the stairs with its arms outstretched.
“So that’s what it looks like,” I muttered to myself.
“Luckily for us, Blood and Deaths aren’t the fastest movers in the world,” said David.
DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! DRIP!
“What’s that?” I asked David.
“Oh, there’s been a lot of rain this week. Leaky roof.”
“But, aren’t we underground?”
David shrugged. “Beats me.”
“Whatever,” I said. I picked up the three-quarter full bucket up and threw it on the Blood and Death’s face.
All the hair melted away to reveal… Tobias B. Senyard!
“You!”
“Me,” he said calmly.
“Yes, you! How could you do this?!”
“To kill you,” Tobias said.
“To kill me?”
“Yes. To kill you. And every being who sets foot in this building.”
“But why?”
“Well, I once cut myself on page 97 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and ever since then, I’ve been destroying all books and book-lovers! Including you. You’re dead meat, boys!”
“AARRGGHH!! What do we do?!” whispered David.
“We call the police!” I said, as I whipped out my mobile phone.
“Don’t be so sure!” said Tobias, and he stomped on my phone.
“Rats.”
“There’s a telephone upstairs!” said David, more frantic than a worm in a bird’s mouth.
“But how do I get up? Tobias is blocking the stairs!”
“Then climb over the shelves!”
I did as David suggested, climbed up the sinister stairwell and darted over to the reception desk.
“Darragh! These old telephones!” I said, as I spun the numbers on the porcelain receiver.
Finally, I got through!
“Can I please get a police squad at the State Library ASAP?!” I yelled into the phone. “Thank you!” I slammed the phone down.
All was silent. All except for sirens in the distance…
Chapter 4
Back To Normal
All was well. Tobias (AKA Blood and Death) was thinking it over in jail cell 476 at Sydney City Prison, and the State Library had been repaired.
For some reason, on the 5th of December, I decided to tease Tobias in prison.
“Tobias Senyard, please,” I said to the warden who was dozing in his chair.
“476,” he murmured sleepily.
I climbed up to the fourth level and walked past the thousands of cells. “474, 475, 476!” I exclaimed. But something was wrong. And that something was that jail cell 476 was empty…
TO BE CONTINUED…
Angus J.
Term 4, 2022
Chapter 1
An Unexpected Visitor
The clock had just struck midnight. Why on earth would a mystery door-knocker be knocking on my door?! I covered my ears and tried to ignore the knocks. But they just kept getting louder.
I tip-toed down the stairs and opened the door. But no one was there. Just a piece of paper on the welcome mat.
It read:
Angus,
Good things will happen to you if you meet me at the State Library tomorrow night. Good things such as lollies and love. Be there when the clock strikes midnight.
See you there,
Tobias B. Senyard.
It was creepier than last Halloween when all the kids were dressed up as vampires and werewolves! But that was then. This was now. I had been left with a tough decision. Should I go or not? Should I trust my old schoolmate or not? It had been ten years since I had last seen him. Maybe I shouldn’t go. But I did…
******
The tall sandstone building of the David S. Mitchell library was staring at me. I suspected it was staring at me because I was staring at it. The library seemed to be saying, “Come inside. Come closer. You know you want to…”
I started to get the feeling that maybe I’d made the wrong choice. But I had come to far to turn back. I took a step closer to the building. Then another. And another. Before I knew it, I had climbed the shallow steps toward the State Library.
I jumped in fright as the clock tower across the road rang twelve loud bells. It was midnight.
The tall wooden doors in front of me had old, chiselled images on them. They looked as if they were… alive.
Okay, definitely the wrong choice. I wanted to run back to 99 Cook Street, but my feet were glued to the ground! The old doors suddenly creaked open. By themselves! I could see a vast tiled floor with a weird looking map on it. Above it, there was a railing with a clock on it. A pair of double doors stood right in front of me, only about 5 metres away. I had no idea whatsoever where they lead.
I gulped down the huge lump in my throat and tip-toed cautiously to the doors. Old dusty writing was carved upon them. It read: 'David S. Mitchell, Reading room'.
I pushed them open and I was greeted with thousands of dusty old books all lined up neatly on the huge shelves. There was old frayed carpet underneath my feet, a perfect home for cobwebs.
I swallowed hard and walked forward nervously. I had only walked a few paces when, “Oi! Look where you’re goin’!”
Chapter 2
The Discoveries
“What the?” I asked, more confused than a polar bear playing (or trying to play) tennis.
“Can’t you see me? I’m literally right in front of ya!” said the deep male voice.
“Uh… no…”
“Oh yeah! I totally forgot! I’m a ghost!” the voice said, and a misty figure appeared in front of me!
“AARRGGHH! Who in the name of Taylor Swift are you?!” I screamed.
“Why, I’m David S. Mitchell, the founder of this magnificent library!” the ghost announced proudly.
“Riiiiight… why are you still here?”
“I got trapped in the freezer,” David said cheerfully.
“Okay…”
“Yeah.”
“Right.”
“Uhh, why are you here?” asked David, more curious than a beaver in a hotel.
“This,” I said, pulling the note from Tobias out of my shirt pocket and showing it to David.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’d go home ASAP if I were you.”
“Why?”
“All people who have entered this library because of mysterious notes requesting them to come here, are in their graves!” said David, creepily.
GULP! “A…a…are you sure?” I stammered.
“100%.”
“Oh, help me LORD!” I said, falling to my knees.
“Um…okay…”
It took what felt like forever for me to get over it, yet it was only 20 minutes.
“Um…would you like me to guide you through this glamorous library?” David said, his voice raising proudly.
“Uh, sure!” I said, my hopes raising a little bit.
“Alrighty, so first…”
*** 30 MINUTES LATER ***
“…And here we have some ancient diaries from well-known people, such as Dorothea Mackellar, Henry Lawson, Roald Dahl and more!”
“Hold on! Can I please have a look at one of these diaries?” I asked, more excited than the King on his 105th birthday.
“Knock yourself out! Not literally.”
“Thanks!”
I walked over to the diaries and picked up the one marked ‘Elwyn White’. I flicked it open to a random page. In unusual cursive writing, it read:
‘YOU’RE DEAD MEAT! Signed, Tiobas’
I read it out loud to David.
“Who’s Tiobas?” I asked.
“Who knows? It could be Lady Ga-Ga for all I care!” said David.
“Tonight, I die!!” I cried.
“Stop being such a baby!” exclaimed David, as he pushed me into the wall.
Suddenly, I was at Tobias’ house!
“What the…?!”
The old building looked heart-stoppingly creepy in the moonlight. How did I get here?
I turned around and walked forward. Then, I was back in the library!
“Where’d you go?” asked David.
“Tobias’ house!” I said, a little dazed.
“Aaahh…how?”
“The wall.”
“Riight.”
Chapter 3
Blood & Death
“What’s that sound?” I asked David, dreading the answer.
“Oh, ploomfizz!” he said.
“What is it?” I asked, more frantic than a worm in a bird’s mouth.
“It’s the Blood and Death!”
“What in the name of Taylor Swift is that??!!” I screamed.
“Shushy!! If it finds you, it’ll rip your limbs off one by one like me!”
“Riiiiight…”
“Oh, for the love of Hank Marvin! It found us! RUN IF YA WANNA LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” David screamed.
I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me. David was floating along beside me. “Where in the world do we go?!” I half-asked, half-screamed.
“The basement! Blood and Death never goes down there! It’s too wet!”
“Right. Where’s that?”
“Right below us! Duh!”
“Hmm. Makes sense.”
We both ran… (well, I ran…. David floated) … to a sandstone stairwell which was darker than a Dementor.
After about 10 or so minutes of jogging down the stairs, we came to a room lined with empty white shelves. “Hallelujah!” cried David.
RAAAAHHHH!!!!
“I spoke too soon, didn’t I?”
“Yep,” I said.
The grey, terrifying creature advanced down the stairs with its arms outstretched.
“So that’s what it looks like,” I muttered to myself.
“Luckily for us, Blood and Deaths aren’t the fastest movers in the world,” said David.
DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! DRIP!
“What’s that?” I asked David.
“Oh, there’s been a lot of rain this week. Leaky roof.”
“But, aren’t we underground?”
David shrugged. “Beats me.”
“Whatever,” I said. I picked up the three-quarter full bucket up and threw it on the Blood and Death’s face.
All the hair melted away to reveal… Tobias B. Senyard!
“You!”
“Me,” he said calmly.
“Yes, you! How could you do this?!”
“To kill you,” Tobias said.
“To kill me?”
“Yes. To kill you. And every being who sets foot in this building.”
“But why?”
“Well, I once cut myself on page 97 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and ever since then, I’ve been destroying all books and book-lovers! Including you. You’re dead meat, boys!”
“AARRGGHH!! What do we do?!” whispered David.
“We call the police!” I said, as I whipped out my mobile phone.
“Don’t be so sure!” said Tobias, and he stomped on my phone.
“Rats.”
“There’s a telephone upstairs!” said David, more frantic than a worm in a bird’s mouth.
“But how do I get up? Tobias is blocking the stairs!”
“Then climb over the shelves!”
I did as David suggested, climbed up the sinister stairwell and darted over to the reception desk.
“Darragh! These old telephones!” I said, as I spun the numbers on the porcelain receiver.
Finally, I got through!
“Can I please get a police squad at the State Library ASAP?!” I yelled into the phone. “Thank you!” I slammed the phone down.
All was silent. All except for sirens in the distance…
Chapter 4
Back To Normal
All was well. Tobias (AKA Blood and Death) was thinking it over in jail cell 476 at Sydney City Prison, and the State Library had been repaired.
For some reason, on the 5th of December, I decided to tease Tobias in prison.
“Tobias Senyard, please,” I said to the warden who was dozing in his chair.
“476,” he murmured sleepily.
I climbed up to the fourth level and walked past the thousands of cells. “474, 475, 476!” I exclaimed. But something was wrong. And that something was that jail cell 476 was empty…
TO BE CONTINUED…