At University,  Instructor Shelly burdened her students with unearthing the origins of the term, "Novel". Her reasoning was such that aspiring writers should be intimately familiar with the item which we were coveting the creation of.  

I quickly found myself in the university's vast library awaiting the use of the largest dictionary on our eastern coast.  It was housed in small room surrounded by windows, Librarian Vestow would  occasionally call the name of the next person upon her long and unending list. So was the process of accessing the most prized item within the library, for it was on permanent loan to Barry College from Oxford  University.

After an indeterminate amount of time, "Lueaine," was called by Vestow . Upon my approach Vestow smiled a broad and friendly smile which warmed her gaunt features, "There is my little bookworm," she addressed me. "Fourth time in as many days, if I recall correctly," she continued. I smiled back apprehensively, I was unaware my attendance at the library had been noticed.

"Instructor Shelly diligently attends to our time away from class," I said in what I hoped was a warm and jovial reply.

"Shelly you say? Am I looking at someone who's greatness might adorn my shelves in the not so distant a future?"

"If the lord wills it."

"Indeed," she smiled again,  gestured toward the door with a sweeping arm.

I entered the glass adorned room and gazed down upon the large book. It must have been six to eight inches thick. No marks of identification decorated the leather bound cover. The paper within was yellowed, thin and frail, calling to mind the skin of an onion,  in defiance of its appearance, no pages of which I surveyed  revealed even the slightest crack or tear. 

My mind hearkened to the encounter which I just endured revealing the odd and unwarranted feeling of embarrassment of being unknowingly observed. She used a term I wished to study upon the completion of the chore at hand.

I turned and surveyed each page the until I located "Novel," this particular words origin was founded in the French "Novelle," Latin "Novella," and "Novellus," meaning new or original  story.  Thought over the logic of the discovery, I immediately transcribed the finding into my notebook.  While I still possessing access to this wealth of knowledge I turned my attention to my side project, located the "B" section but to my dismay it was to reveal to me very little. "Bookworm" had no know point of origin in any language. The term was defined and noted the merging of the terms "Book" and "Worm"

This disparity was the catalyst for the creation of this particular journal. I fully  intend to derive the truth of it. For if I'm to be called a "Bookworm" I should know it fully which is in accordance with professor Shelly's unimpeachable logic.

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- D.Alan