Have you ever wondered what happens after the Elmer Library closes?
After the night falls and all the doors are locked,
After the last book is taken home, and the time is 8:30 on the clock,
After all the good-nights and good-byes are said,
Two tiny little creatures yawn and rub their googly eyes as they get out of bed.
They are library gremlins, very odd things.
Their bodies are like pinecones.
And their feet are like strings!
Each night they have a special task,
To keep the library safe until nighttime has passed.
But, the library gremlins have a secret they just can't keep.
Instead of guarding the books, all they do is read, read, read!
Library gremlins love books a lot,
Once they start reading, they never want to stop.
They take them off racks. They take them off shelves.
Library gremlins love having all the books to themselves!
In this library, there are only two of these critters,
One cool older brother and a sweet little sister.
The brother's name is Spooksley.
He loves the colors orange and black,
And his favorite thing is his long, tall top hat.
He likes books with mysteries and lots of monsters too.
His favorites books are ones with ghosts that go boo, Boo, BOO!
He also loves pranks, and although he cares...
He sometimes likes to trick his sister and give her a scare.
His sister loves bows, cupcakes, and sprinkles.
She also loves sparkles so much that her name is Twinkle.
Her favorite books are adventures to faraway places,
With princesses riding to castles or astronauts traveling to far outer spaces.
She hopes one day to be an explorer and see wonder-filled sights.
But, for now, she's okay reading fairy tale books and pamphlet tour guides.
Both brother and sister love reading, it's true.
But, they can get messy with all the reading they do.
They leave books out on tables, on floors, and on chairs.
They'd leave out their books just about everywhere!
When one Friday evening, while the two were deep in their books,
A jingling sound outside gave them each frightened looks.
It was the librarian! What was she doing here?
As she came in the door, they both scurried in fear.
The librarian unlocked the door and was shocked by the sight.
So many books out of place, what had happened this night?
She just came back to return a forgotten key,
But, now she saw she had to solve this new mystery!
As she picked up the books and put them back in their spots
She knew she couldn't rest until the mess maker was caught.
She looked high and low, from the front to the back,
Still, she couldn't find who had unloaded the book racks.
Until just when she thought she wouldn't be able,
She found the two little gremlins hiding under the table.
"Who are you two?" the librarian asked, now that the two mess-makers had been unmasked.
"I'm Spooksley," said one.
"I'm Twinkle," said the other.
"She's my sister, and I'm her brother."
Little Twinkle pleaded, "Oh, please, Miss Librarian, don't send us away!
We love this library. It's our home, where we read, and we play!"
"I can see you love reading," said the librarian with a smile. "But, you have to pick up your books after a while."
"We always do," said Spooksley, chiming in.
"Does that mean you'll let us stay?" He asked with a grin.
"Of course," said the librarian with a gentle laugh. "But, please remember before sunlight to put all your books back."
The two gremlins let out a "Hip! Hip! Hooray!" As they'd get to live in the library another day.
Now knowing there wasn't any risk of book theft,
The librarian called out, "Be good, little gremlins!" as she left.
The gremlins continued reading until all their books were done.
And put them back just in time to greet the new morning sun.
With books taken care of and hearing the early bird's cheep,
Both little gremlins went back to their beds to go get some sleep.