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Defeating The Black Worm
Matthew had fallen so far, so quickly. The anxiety and panic had overcome him suddenly, and he couldn’t find a way back. In desperation, he sought solace in doctors and psychiatrists, but no-one could (or would!) help him. He loses everything to the hunger and appetites of the Black Worm.
But then, at his lowest point, and with nothing left, Matthew finds aid in the most unexpected of places…
But can the Black Worm be defeated?
(with a cover by Adrian Baldwin; illustration based on an original leatherwork design by Sonia Price of Gaia Art Books)
But then, at his lowest point, and with nothing left, Matthew finds aid in the most unexpected of places…
But can the Black Worm be defeated?
(with a cover by Adrian Baldwin; illustration based on an original leatherwork design by Sonia Price of Gaia Art Books)
34 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 31, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 25, 2021
The Turn of the Worm...
No spoilers. 5 stars. One day Matthew Kincaid woke up as normal. His dreams that night had been untroubled but...
... for some reason he felt afraid like like never before...
The black worm had entered him... he could feel it turning in his stomach... growing... his body was being taken over by the worm...
The worm turned often inside him and soon he was unable to work and he lost his job... then he was evicted from his apartment and out on the streets...
Sometimes the worm spoke to him and he tried to ignore it... doctors couldn't help him...
... he eventually became a derelict sleeping on the streets half naked and hungry... still the worm turned within him...
Then an old bum called Jeremiah... King of the Bums in the hidden city of the homeless took him home to his encampment of makeshift tents...
Jeremiah fed Matthew who slept after his tinned chili con carne dinner... As Matthew slept, he began speaking in an ancient arcane language which Jeremiah recognised...
When Matthew woke up, Jeremiah told the boy what he had said and took him to see a witch called Nona to help him stop the turn of the worm...
This was an excellent story that kept me turning (a little pun there) the pages until the end. My only criticism, and it's really a back-handed compliment to the author, is that it was too short!
No spoilers. 5 stars. One day Matthew Kincaid woke up as normal. His dreams that night had been untroubled but...
... for some reason he felt afraid like like never before...
The black worm had entered him... he could feel it turning in his stomach... growing... his body was being taken over by the worm...
The worm turned often inside him and soon he was unable to work and he lost his job... then he was evicted from his apartment and out on the streets...
Sometimes the worm spoke to him and he tried to ignore it... doctors couldn't help him...
... he eventually became a derelict sleeping on the streets half naked and hungry... still the worm turned within him...
Then an old bum called Jeremiah... King of the Bums in the hidden city of the homeless took him home to his encampment of makeshift tents...
Jeremiah fed Matthew who slept after his tinned chili con carne dinner... As Matthew slept, he began speaking in an ancient arcane language which Jeremiah recognised...
When Matthew woke up, Jeremiah told the boy what he had said and took him to see a witch called Nona to help him stop the turn of the worm...
This was an excellent story that kept me turning (a little pun there) the pages until the end. My only criticism, and it's really a back-handed compliment to the author, is that it was too short!
January 6, 2021
** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **
I always love when Demain Publishing announces another batch of upcoming releases for two things. I love to see authors I’m familiar with get to share their good news about a new book and I love to see what new authors will get discovered.
Paul Flewitt falls into the second reason for me. I’m not familiar with any of his works and truthfully (and apologies on this one Paul) I’m not even sure if we’ve ever interacted much on any of the social media platforms.
What I will say – once you read ‘Defeating the Black Worm’ you’ll be like me and want to seek out his other releases.
What I liked: ‘Defeating the Black Worm’ is an interesting piece in that it starts off with a sudden bang. Seriously. Paraphrasing here, but it essentially opens with “And one day the Black Worm wiggled in my head and there it was.” No rhyme, no reason, just bang. Possessed. From here Paul leads us on a story of a man becoming more and more crumbled, a shell of his former self, until he is wandering the streets and comes across someone who may help him.
I loved the two parts of the plot here. We get the initial decay of our main character’s mind and we get the fantastic, brutal attempt to relieve him of his unseen hitchhiker.
Flewitt really wrote this with a flare I wasn’t expecting. It hummed along and the ending was truly superb. I loved how it played out.
What I didn’t like: For me, while the start was great and I loved this sort of starting block gun going off and we took off in a sprint, I wished we would’ve learned more about how this came to happen. Minor, I know, but some rhyme and some reason would’ve been lovely.
Why you should buy this: A fantastically dark piece in the ever-growing Short! Sharp! Shocks! series and one that I hope will introduce Flewitt to more readers. This one was a ton of fun and the lore that is used is something that hasn’t been done to death. Great stuff.
I always love when Demain Publishing announces another batch of upcoming releases for two things. I love to see authors I’m familiar with get to share their good news about a new book and I love to see what new authors will get discovered.
Paul Flewitt falls into the second reason for me. I’m not familiar with any of his works and truthfully (and apologies on this one Paul) I’m not even sure if we’ve ever interacted much on any of the social media platforms.
What I will say – once you read ‘Defeating the Black Worm’ you’ll be like me and want to seek out his other releases.
What I liked: ‘Defeating the Black Worm’ is an interesting piece in that it starts off with a sudden bang. Seriously. Paraphrasing here, but it essentially opens with “And one day the Black Worm wiggled in my head and there it was.” No rhyme, no reason, just bang. Possessed. From here Paul leads us on a story of a man becoming more and more crumbled, a shell of his former self, until he is wandering the streets and comes across someone who may help him.
I loved the two parts of the plot here. We get the initial decay of our main character’s mind and we get the fantastic, brutal attempt to relieve him of his unseen hitchhiker.
Flewitt really wrote this with a flare I wasn’t expecting. It hummed along and the ending was truly superb. I loved how it played out.
What I didn’t like: For me, while the start was great and I loved this sort of starting block gun going off and we took off in a sprint, I wished we would’ve learned more about how this came to happen. Minor, I know, but some rhyme and some reason would’ve been lovely.
Why you should buy this: A fantastically dark piece in the ever-growing Short! Sharp! Shocks! series and one that I hope will introduce Flewitt to more readers. This one was a ton of fun and the lore that is used is something that hasn’t been done to death. Great stuff.
June 11, 2022
What if you thought crippling anxiety was just that? Crippling anxiety. What if it wasn't? What if something has taken residence inside of you making you physically ill? Yeah, that would suck. It's a short, so I won't say much, but I absolutely loved the ending
January 3, 2021
I prefer reading physical books over digital, but a definite advantage of digital books is the instantaneous use of a dictionary (which I used two or three times while reading this short story).
This story begins with an immediate sense of foreboding dread and never lets up. With each twist & turn of the worm, you know something sinister is going on, and you're not wrong.
This story begins with an immediate sense of foreboding dread and never lets up. With each twist & turn of the worm, you know something sinister is going on, and you're not wrong.
April 8, 2021
Flewitt delivers a fast-paced, dislocated narrative that keeps the reader guessing. The characters are solid and relatable, making this a worthwhile experience.
Overall, a neat short story that approaches mental health themes in a sensitive manner; a factor that I always want to see in horror fiction.
One gripe, I wish I could’ve spent more time with these characters; this would’ve made a cracking novella.
Recommended.
Overall, a neat short story that approaches mental health themes in a sensitive manner; a factor that I always want to see in horror fiction.
One gripe, I wish I could’ve spent more time with these characters; this would’ve made a cracking novella.
Recommended.
June 1, 2021
Defeating the Black Worm” is a short story that follows the trials of one man as he succumbs to what he thinks are crippling panic attacks and depression. Matthew suddenly wakes up one day, with unbridled fear plaguing his every step. Panic attacks soon follow and it's not long before he is missing work and looking for excuses to not leave his house. His symptoms become worse with each passing day and he is unable to keep down food. He is being consumed from the inside by the black worm, or as he feels it, anxiety ,panic and depression.
He gets a doctor involved but does not want to take the meds that he is prescribed.
The thing living inside him soon begins to speak to him, insulting him and laughing at his weakness with whispers inside his head.
Within a few short months, Matthew finds himself being evicted, and he flees his house with nothing on but a trench coat. He finds himself sleeping on the street, beaten up and injured with nowhere to go. A kind man named Jeremiah Quimby finds him and takes him back to the homeless camp where he lives in an old shack. There is more to Jeremiah than meets the eye, and he quickly tells Matthew that he thinks he can help with his problem. Matthew is getting sicker by the day and he humbly accepts.
This only leads to a series of events that Matthew does not see coming, even at his lowest moment, but what does he have to lose? Either there is a cure or there isn’t.
This is a short read, very fast-paced and well-written. I typically prefer a bit more detail in stories and this did leave me with a few questions but overall it was a quick, well-done horror story with a surprising ending. I am giving this four stars and I will be interested to see other pieces by Paul Flewitt.
He gets a doctor involved but does not want to take the meds that he is prescribed.
The thing living inside him soon begins to speak to him, insulting him and laughing at his weakness with whispers inside his head.
Within a few short months, Matthew finds himself being evicted, and he flees his house with nothing on but a trench coat. He finds himself sleeping on the street, beaten up and injured with nowhere to go. A kind man named Jeremiah Quimby finds him and takes him back to the homeless camp where he lives in an old shack. There is more to Jeremiah than meets the eye, and he quickly tells Matthew that he thinks he can help with his problem. Matthew is getting sicker by the day and he humbly accepts.
This only leads to a series of events that Matthew does not see coming, even at his lowest moment, but what does he have to lose? Either there is a cure or there isn’t.
This is a short read, very fast-paced and well-written. I typically prefer a bit more detail in stories and this did leave me with a few questions but overall it was a quick, well-done horror story with a surprising ending. I am giving this four stars and I will be interested to see other pieces by Paul Flewitt.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews