The Library — A Webisode Series Pilot

by Tom Farr

I wrote the following script as a potential web series pilot just to see if I could do it. I’d never written a webisode script before and I thought it would be fun to tell a shorter story in a small format. There’s no plan to add to it. It was just a fun speculation story. Medium doesn’t do screenplay formatting, so I had to modify it a bit. Thanks for reading!

INT. LIBRARY — DAY

ASHLEY STEWART, 22, pretty and looking smart in designer glasses, sits at the circulation desk, reading a book. The library is mostly empty of people.

CONNOR MORGAN, 22, a muscled meathead in a college letterman jacket, walks up to the desk.

CONNOR: Hey, Ash.

Ashley looks up from her book, surprised.

ASHLEY: Connor. Interesting seeing you in a library.

He leans forward, resting his arms on the counter. Looks her in the eyes.

CONNOR: Books aren’t the only thing you can check out at the library.

Ashley blushes.

CONNOR: What time do you get off?

ASHLEY: I’ve actually gotta work late tonight.

Connor looks disappointed, and Ashley notices.

ASHLEY: But I’m off tomorrow.

She smiles.

He returns the smile.

CONNOR: Great. How ‘bout we get together?

GARRET (O.S.): Ashley, have you have ever seen this book before?

GARRETT BRADEN, 22, slightly nerdy but impressively dressed, walks up to the desk with an old hardback book in hand.

Ashley looks at him, annoyed.

ASHLEY: Can you give me a second, Garrett?

Garrett looks at Connor, then Ashley.

GARRETT: Trust me, Ashley. You want to see this.

Ashley gives Connor a look of apology.

CONNOR: I’ll see you around, Ash.

Connor bumps Garrett’s shoulder as he walks away.

Ashley turns to Garrett.

ASHLEY (frustrated): What is it, Garrett?

Garrett pushes the book toward her.

GARRETT: I found this book in the reference section. It’s about ghosts, which I thought was odd. It was sitting behind some other books.

Ashley glances at the book.

ASHLEY: I don’t get what’s so important.

He opens the book to a page that has writing scribbled in the margins.

Ashley looks at it, then to Garrett.

ASHLEY: So the book’s damaged. That’s what you wanted to tell me so bad?

GARRETT: Read it.

Ashley picks up the book and begins reading it.

ASHLEY (reading): Ignore the fluff printed on these pages, and let me tell you a real ghost story.

She stops and gives him a look that says, “Is this for real?”

GARRETT: Just keep reading.

ASHLEY (reading): On March 13, 2015, Colene Michaels disappeared. No one has been able to find her, and no one ever will. Not alive, at least.

She stops, concern on her face. Looks at Garrett who gestures for her to keep reading.

ASHLEY (reading): Few people realize there’s a secret room in the basement of the library. It hasn’t been used in years.

Ashley’s breathing becomes labored.

ASHLEY (reading): But it’s where I took Colene, tortured her until she begged for death, and left her corpse to rot.

Ashley looks up at Garrett, terror written across her face. She glances around the room, paranoid.

ASHLEY: Who would write this?

GARRETT: Somebody who knows what happened to Colene.

ASHLEY (frantic): She’s been missing for months. Surely, you don’t think this is really a confession of what happened to her.

GARRETT: Well, there’s really only one way to find out. But first, you should probably read that last sentence.

Ashley looks down at the book again.

ASHLEY (reading): And it’s exactly what I plan to do to the pretty new librarian next.

She looks up, horrified.

FADE OUT.

THE END