Writetober 2024, Horror Haven: Day 24: The Animate Alphabet

Freyr, the kind guide robot, blinked his silver eyes, a curious glint catching the dim light filtering through the stained glass windows. Jay, his human companion, stood beside him, a look of bewilderment etched on his youthful face. 

The library was a place of solace, a sanctuary of silence, a tomb of tomes. ..Or so it had been. Now, it was a battleground between books and flesh. The air was thick with the scent of old paper and fear.

A cacophony of rustling pages and muffled cries shattered the serene ambiance. Patrons were fleeing the onslaught of suddenly animate books. Rachel, the violinist, her bow poised, stood frozen in terror as a hefty textbook lunged towards her.

Clarice, a bold girl in a purple sweater, stood her ground, her eyes wide with  fear. “Freyr,” she stammered, her voice barely audible over the.. attacks, “what’s happening?”

“It seems the books have come to life,” Freyr responded, his voice calm despite the chaos. “Perhaps they’ve been yearning for a bit of adventure.”

Jay muttered in response, “Adventure? They’re attacking people!”

As the pandemonium intensified, Freyr and Jay, along with Clarice, found themselves trapped in a corner, surrounded by a circle of books.

After freezing from fear, Rachel suggested something. “Perhaps a little music will calm them down,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. She raised her violin and began to play a haunting melody. To their astonishment, the books seemed to pause, their pages fluttering in time with the music.

As the last note faded, the books returned to their inanimate state, their pages falling open and closed with a soft rustling sound. The library was once again silent, save for the lingering echo of Rachel’s music.

Freyr, Jay, Clarice, and Karl stood in stunned silence, their hearts pounding in their chests. They had survived the attack of the animate books, but the memory of the terrifying ordeal would haunt them for years to come. And as they left the library that twilight night, they couldn’t help but wonder what had triggered the strange attack, and what secrets lurk in the walls of the library.

written by Zoe