Sannidhya Chowdhury, a student of class 5, shares this chilling tale of Emily Wilson, a student at Epic Public School who encounters the terrifying ‘Study Monster’ in the depths of the library.
As the day wore on at Epic Public School, a peculiar tension seemed to hang in the air. It wasn’t just the usual pre-exam jitters that plagued the students; it was something more sinister, something that had started as a whisper and had now grown into a full-blown legend: the tale of the “Study Monster.”
Rumours had it that deep within the school’s ancient library, a creature lurked—a being born from the stress and desperation of students who had procrastinated too long. The story went that if you spent too much time in the library, poring over your notes and textbooks late into the night, the Study Monster would emerge from the shadows to claim you. It wasn’t your body it was after, but your mind. It would devour your sanity, leaving you a hollow shell of the person you once were.
Emily Wilson, a diligent junior known for her sharp wit and steady nerves, had always dismissed these tales as nothing more than childish gossip. She had heard it all before—stories concocted by upperclassmen to scare the younger students. But as finals week approached and the pressure of maintaining her grades mounted, Emily found herself spending more and more time in the library. Each night, she stayed a little later, her focus solely on her textbooks and notes.
The library, usually a place of refuge for her, began to feel different. The air grew heavier, and the shadows seemed to stretch further, reaching for her as she walked past the tall shelves. But Emily shook off the eerie feeling, blaming it on her lack of sleep and the stress of the looming exams.
One fateful evening, as the sky outside turned a deep indigo, Emily was the last student left in the library. The librarian, a kind but somewhat aloof woman, had long since retired to her office, leaving Emily alone amidst the towering bookshelves. The fluorescent lights above flickered intermittently, but Emily paid them no mind. She was deep in her studies, determined to ace the next day’s exam.
Then, without warning, the lights dimmed to almost nothing. A chill swept through the room, and the once-familiar smell of old books and polished wood turned into something acrid, like burning paper. Emily’s hand froze over her notebook as she felt a presence behind her, something watching her with an intensity that made her skin crawl.
Slowly, she turned her head, and her breath caught in her throat. Emerging from the darkened corner of the library was a grotesque figure, a creature unlike anything she had ever seen. Its body was a twisted amalgamation of torn textbooks, frayed papers, and broken pens. Pages fluttered in the air like the remnants of students’ forgotten work, and its eyes—two burning embers—glowed with a malevolent intelligence.
The Study Monster loomed over her, its form towering and suffocating, as if it were the embodiment of every sleepless night and every ounce of pressure she had ever felt. Emily’s heart pounded in her chest but she couldn’t move. She was paralysed by the creature’s gaze.
Then, in a voice that was both ancient and filled with the weight of countless regrets, the Study Monster spoke. Its words were a low growl, resonating with the anguish of every student who had ever fallen prey to its curse. “You have neglected your studies for too long,” it hissed, its voice like the rustling of a thousand pages. “Now, you will never leave this place.”
Emily’s mind screamed in terror, but no sound escaped her lips. The creature’s long, twisted arms reached out, wrapping around her like the tightening coils of a snake. As she was dragged into the shadowy depths of the library, the last thing she heard was the monstrous laughter of the Study Monster, echoing through the empty halls.
The next morning, when the librarian arrived to open the library, there was no sign of Emily. Her books and notes were still scattered across the table where she had been studying, but of the girl herself, there was no trace. The only clue left behind was a single, crumpled page lying on the floor, its words smudged and unreadable, as if it had been through the wringer of some unimaginable horror.
From that day forward, the legend of the Study Monster became more than just a story to frighten first-years. It was a warning, passed down from student to student: never linger too long in the library, and never, ever neglect your studies. For in the heart of the library, the Study Monster waited, hungry and patient, ready to claim the next soul who dared to challenge its wrath.
And on quiet nights, when the wind howled just right and the moon cast eerie shadows through the library windows, some claimed they could still hear Emily’s desperate screams, a chilling reminder of the fate that awaited those who ignored the warnings.
