Hungry Little Bookwyrm

By Matthew Dewar

If proud bookworm Syd could dive into a book and become the main character, she wouldn't hesitate. A warrior princess, a swashbuckling pirate, or a witch-in-training would be infinitely better than her boring life.  

When Syd develops headaches that only get better when she reads, the doctor thinks she's lying, and worse, her mum

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew Dewar
• Release date: Oct 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9780648079941

Matthew Dewar

Matthew lives in Perth, Western Australia, where a chance encounter with a victim of a monster attack changed the course of his life. When he's not investigating and writing about the terrifying monsters and creatures that share this world with us, you might find him working as a physiotherapist, teaching group fitness classes, entertaining his dogs, baking in the kitchen, or making the most of Perth's glorious weather. You can connect with Matthew online: Website: www.nightmarestories.com.au Facebook: Matthew Dewar Author Twitter: @WriterDewar Instagram: @nightmarestories_books

Book preview

Hungry Little Bookwyrm

Matthew Dewar

This is a work of fiction. All characters, organisations, and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

For information, contact:

https://www.matthewdewar.com.au

Text Copyright © 2022 Matthew Dewar

All rights reserved

Book Cover Design Copyright © 2022 Matthew Dewar

All rights reserved

ISBN:

ONE

Syd drew her sword with a deadly whisper of steel against leather. Let the prince go!

High above her, at the summit of a giant mountain of treasure, the dragon snorted. His amber scales pulsed with a glowing light that came from deep within him. He turned his spiked head to the dark skies peeking through the ruins of the old castle and screeched.

Excruciating pain tore through Syd’s ears and bounced around inside her head as if the dragon’s cry was made from millions of razor blades. All she needed to do was drop her sword and cover her ears and the pain would stop. But that’s what her enemy wanted. She couldn’t leave herself defenceless like that. Instead, she set her jaw and squared her shoulders defiantly, remembering her time with the mountain priestesses who healed her injuries from a ferocious band of trolls two years ago.

Pain is just a feeling. A temporary moment in time that is merely a distraction from my goal. The meditation worked now as it did back then. The pain in Syd’s head and ears melted away. I have full control over how my body responds to pain. I am stronger than I realise.

The dragon’s spiked spine arched as his screech intensified. The crumbling walls of the ancient castle shook. Dust and rubble rained down from above. All the while, Syd meditated and stood her ground.

The dragon shuffled to the edge of his nest and huffed down at her. With a swish of his clubbed tail, he spun and stalked over to the prince, the sharp ridges along his spine catching the beams of moonlight lancing through the ruined ceiling.

Help! the prince shrieked from the dragon’s nest. Help me!

What do you think I’m doing here? Syd snarked back. Sweat dribbled down her back underneath the heavy armour. She searched for a way to the prince that didn’t involve climbing the treasure mountain. She would be too easy a target from an aerial attack, and although it looked secure, one wrong step could set off an avalanche that would bury her under tonnes of riches. There was no other way. She needed to lure the dragon down to her...

Actually, you keep the prince, she called to the dragon. I’ll just take some of this treasure and be on my way.

What? No! You need to save me! the prince screamed as Syd pocketed a jewel-encrusted dagger from the dragon’s pile.

The dragon growled like the world’s largest dog defending his favourite bone. The air vibrated with his anger, etching large cracks in the remaining walls of the old castle. He paced around his nest, agitated. It was working, but she needed to push him further.

She stole a sparkling diamond the size of her fist.

The dragon snorted and grumbled, steam billowing from his nostrils.

As she reached out for a third treasure, the dragon launched himself into the air with a fearsome roar.

Thin shafts of moonlight illuminated the dragon’s silhouette as he circled above her. Blue veins spider-webbed through his leathery wings, like an old map drawn on parchment.

Tucking in for a dive, the dragon swooped, sharp talons clawing at Syd.

She dove out the way, sprang back to her feet, and sprinted deep within the castle ruins. While she was being hunted by the world’s largest and most deadly predator, the prince could escape.

She ran into a narrow tunnel and then ducked into a little alcove, pressing her back hard against a half-demolished wall. She hefted her sword above her and lay in wait like a human guillotine.

With a loud whoosh and a ground-shaking thud, the dragon landed. His claws clicked on the stones as he stepped closer and closer to her ambush.

Her plan was working. He was still a fearsome dragon with armoured scales, sharp teeth, sharper claws, and fire breath, but her smaller size had the advantage here on the ground in these narrow tunnels. Quietly, she waited, ready to behead the monster.

A blast of flames barrelled down the tunnel, scorching the old walls.

The heat radiated inside her armour and sweat pooled inside her suit. Another minute like this and she’d be roasted alive. 

The dragon inched forward. The horns and spikes on his head now visible. Syd held her breath. Another step or two and she could behead him—

Goodnight, Sydelle, Mum’s voice pulled Syd out of her book.

In an instant, the dragon, the crumbling ruins of the ancient castle, the heat, the sweat, her armour, her confidence, all disappeared. A whiplash of disappointment hit her. She was normal Syd again, in her bedroom, brought back to her normal, boring life.

Please let me finish the book! Syd begged. I only have one more chapter and it’s right at the best bit. She’s about to behead the dragon! Please! Syd glanced down at the words on the page that were calling her back to the story. Even though it was just black words on a white page, Syd could see the story in her mind as if it were a memory. The dragon, the castle, the adventure, it all seemed so real. It was the same with every book, but especially this series. The Princess Kimberly books felt like they were written for her—as if she could have been Princess Kimberly in another life.

Yes, the character’s name was really Princess Kimberly, not Syd, but when she replaced the name with her own, it turned the story into something real and gave her the chance to feel extraordinary. The series followed Princess Kimberly and her unknown nemesis known simply as The Evil Illustrator, who infused illustrations with dark magic, bringing them to life to terrorise Kimberly’s people. In earlier books, she had fought a menagerie of monsters; from trolls to manticores and vampires to ogres. Her latest adventure saw her needing to rescue a prince in peril from a treasure-hoarding, fire-breathing dragon.

No, Sydelle, Mum cautioned, using her stern voice. I’ve already let you read past your bedtime. You can finish the book tomorrow.

Syd grumbled under her breath and sandwiched a bookmark between the pages. She placed the book on her bedside table next to her alarm clock.

Mum kissed her on the forehead. Goodnight, sleep tight.

Unable to find the motivation to add the ‘good,’ Syd replied with a simple, Night.

Mum turned Syd’s bedroom light off and went to her own bed to read. Syd couldn’t wait until she was a grown up and could stay up as late as she wanted reading. She had already decided that her future house would be made with bookshelves instead of walls. Every room would have a theme. The living room would be full of mysteries, the kitchen adorned with cookbooks, obviously. Fantasy and science fiction would add a colourful flair to the dining room, and she would save the best adventure stories for her bedroom. Every day would bring new possibilities as she lived the lives of her favourite characters. She’d never have to face the fact that she was just a boring person without a shred of magic or adventure to bring colour to her life.

Tossing and turning, sleep was the last thing her brain wanted. Mum had to be kidding if she thought Syd could fall asleep during the climactic fight. Every time she closed her eyes, she replayed the scene in her mind where the princess was luring the dragon into a trap. She needed to know how it ended. Obviously, Kimberly would slay the dragon and rescue the prince, that’s what she did, she succeeded, but Syd needed to read it and experience the adventure in all its glory. She scrunched up her pillow and tried to force her body to go to sleep. The sooner she did that, the sooner she’d wake up and could read the ending. 

It was no use. Her brain refused to switch off. In fact, it reminded her with little pokes and taunts that her life was never going to be as adventurous as Kimberly’s or any of her other favourite characters. She would never discover she was secretly a princess in hiding, or experience the endless possibilities of learning magic. She would never befriend a talking animal on a quest, nor would she ever travel to another world where fantasy creatures roamed free. Syd hated it when her brain reminded her that real life was very different to the lives of the characters in the books she loved. But she could trick her brain for a moment. When she read, it was like every word on the page filled her with the promise that maybe—one day—she could be the main character in her own extraordinary story.

The thought popped into her mind like someone whispered it inside her skull.

She had never disobeyed Mum so purposefully before. This wasn’t exactly something terrible like lying or stealing or cheating. She was only reading an extra chapter. It would take ten minutes at most and then she could get a restful night’s sleep. In fact, by not reading, she was disobeying her mum’s order to go to sleep because her brain couldn’t switch off. Realistically, reading the final chapter would help her fall asleep which is what Mum wanted her to do. 

She listened to the noises of the house. The fridge whined and the roof made a groaning sound as it cooled down after the warm spring day. Dad was still on the computer, laughing and talking loudly to his internet friends about a quest with goblins and invisibility spells. The dice rolled noisily on the wooden table and Dad cheered. Every now and again, Syd heard the faint scratching of paper as Mum turned a page in her own book. If either of her parents got up to check on her, she’d hear the floorboards creak and she could quickly pretend to be asleep.

Syd reached for her book and then very carefully and quietly pulled out her torch from her bedside table. She buried herself under the covers and returned to the adventure.

The soft mattress transformed into hard stone. The blanket overhead melted into the twinkling stars watching her through the gaps in the ruined roof. The light of her torch turned into the flames of the dragon. Her pyjamas morphed into her blisteringly hot suit of armour. Syd was home!

The dragon’s nostrils flared, sniffing the air.

She kept perfectly still, waiting for the best moment to strike.

The dragon inched forward. Tiny beady eyes appeared around the wall, darting around in search for his prey. His scales were smooth and shiny like a snake’s, reminding Syd of the royal python in its enclosure back in the castle. Fortunately, the dragon wasn’t real. He was an illustration brought to life by dark magic. She could never kill a living creature.

As the dragon took another step forward, Syd spied the softer flesh of his neck exposed between his tough scales. She swung her sword down with all the power she could