Denise Willis
Bio
I love art as much as writing, and when the world feels dark, I get out my paper and colored pencils and draw while listening to music. When my husband and I were going through a divorce, journaling is what got me through that..
Stories (119/0)
Can Time Really Fly?
I was drifting into sleep when I felt a slight tickle on my left ankle, reached down to scratch it, and noticed my shoe felt odd, large, and clunky, unlike the slender pumps I had put on this morning when I left my apartment for work. Oh my God! Where was I? This train isn't the commuter train I had boarded ten minutes ago! I always slept on the commuter train until I felt it stop at the station, but this train was racing out of control, shifting me back and forth in my seat. The seat covers were old and torn, and dirt on the floor accumulated in the cracks of the rubber matting in the aisles. The window next to my face reeked of earth, and it was hard to see out, but from what I could see, old cars driving past the train had to be from the 1950s!
By Denise Willis17 days ago in Fiction
Death Touched Me When I Was Eight
The story and the child in the picture are fictional, and the account of what happened that day at Rob Elementary school is a fictional account of what a child may have seen. Nineteen students and two teachers died at the hands of an unbalanced young man with no parental guidance to fall back on. He shot his grandmother before going to the school to attack innocent children and posted it on social media.
By Denise Willis2 months ago in Fiction
It Was Complicated
I never knew my father with anything but silver hair. He was fifty-seven when I was born. My father had an almost genius IQ, but he also had many problems that kept him from succeeding. He was a paranoid schizophrenic at a time when there was no medication for the mental disorder. My father was also bipolar, and being bipolar myself, I can tell you it is a complex disorder.
By Denise Willis2 months ago in Families
Screams Filled the Night Air
The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. "Burn little flame, make me whole, and I can drive people crazy again!" the creature chanted, drawing strength and energy from the tiny flame from the candle burning in the window. "I need some blood," the evil thing cackled, running a lizardy tongue across rotting teeth.
By Denise Willis2 months ago in Horror
The Cold Water Cut Through Me Like A Knife
The water was cold, so cold it sent shivers up my spine as I swallowed a big drink of it and sank into the darkness of the lake. Dirt swirled around my face, and I couldn't move, although I kept trying to swim up to the surface. I tugged and pulled at my scarf, adrenaline kicking in and fear coursing through my body. I couldn't get free! My scarf was stuck on something but the water was so dirty I couldn't see what. I squirmed and tugged with the last of my strength until I finally lapsed into darkness.
By Denise Willis3 months ago in Fiction
Norwalk the Wizard
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Now there was a new one every day, looking lost, confused, and turning an odd black color. The old wizard squinted his eyes and stared into the distant forest, some of it black now, instead of the beautiful green it used to be before his spell went wrong. He blinked and nodded at a dragon passing by when a strange sound could be heard in the bushes behind him. Curious, he turned to see a pair of deep, green eyes looking at him, darting behind the bush to hide when he looked over at the creature.
By Denise Willis3 months ago in Fiction
The $5 Shoes
Dear Mom, I know how much you look forward to receiving letters in the mail, but that's not the only reason I'm writing to you today. See, Mom, I think it's time to let you know who I really am. I'm not your good little girl anymore, Mom, and now it's time to come clean.
By Denise Willis3 months ago in Confessions
We All Deserve Better
Why I did it I don't know. I graduated number one in accounting in the state of Colorado, and then went on to earn my Masters degree in psychology, earning all A's. That wasn't good enough, apparently. I still had no self-confidence, and no self-worth. So, I let a younger man sweet talk me into moving in with him. I guess I was desperate for someone to love me, because in spite of all the red flags that week I went to visit him, I still let myself believe his constant stream of lies.
By Denise Willis4 months ago in Confessions
Starting Over After A Divorce
Jessie had her mother's ashes in a small urn in her purse, $20 her husband gave her when she left, her 32 special under the drivers seat, a bag of salted peanuts in a plastic container, and an energy drink. A tear slipped down her cheek, then dropped onto her t-shirt. She brushed the tear away and began thinking about the way David, her husband, had behaved when she left this morning, his breath reeking of strong alcohol, his eyes swollen from too much booze, and his last words as she left, which were I don't know why you are leaving.
By Denise Willis4 months ago in Humans
Loving What You Do
Come sit with me a while while we talk about what really makes you explode with happiness. Maybe you want to be a singer? If you wake up in the morning thinking about singing, sing all day and your heart longs to sing more, then you are a singer, no matter what anybody tells you. And, if this is your life long desire, then what are you doing behind that desk?
By Denise Willis4 months ago in Motivation
