Tammie Williams

“Even the lost can be found.” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #276

(Trigger warning: This story depicts mental issues, drug abuse and homelessness.)It was early evening when my phone rang. I answered to the frantic voice of my ex-girlfriend's current partner. "I need your help. Dee has been gone for three days." My heart sank.I knew before she told me Dee must be on a binge. Dee had a drug issue. When we dated it was alcohol, but after the break-up she turned to harder stuff. Of course she tried to blame me, the breakup, anything to not take accountability for her own actions. ...

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“Blue Lakes” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #244

The sun was just starting to rise off the crest of the mountains, fog lifting from the valleys below when Tianna opened her eyes. Stretching as much as she possible in her one-man tent, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and peered through the netted window. Shards of light peeped through the mist and birds were starting to sing. The shuffle of little feet outside her tent let her know the squirrels were finding the peanuts she had left for them the previous night. Squinting her eyes as she crawled out of the small...

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“The storm” by Tammie Williams

“Hold on!” I shout over the sound of the wind whipping the windows open. Looking around desperately I reach for the broom, pushing the window shut allowing me to reach it, then snap the lock.  Jadyn, my sixteen-year-old grandson was gripping the edge of the seat staring out at the sea.  Waves at least twenty feet high were pounding into the side of the lighthouse with gale force winds topping One hundred and twenty miles an hour. Or at least that is what the dispatcher had told me over the radio. This&...

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“The Valentine Dress” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #237

“HEAVENLY GATES NURSING HOME” Normally just hearing the words brought a sense of peace, but today the tightening in my chest did not subside. I knew what was waiting for me beyond the white wooden doors that held a wreath with the words WELCOME in the center. Rocking chair porches lined the front of every entrance of the large brick building, where an assortment of elderly people sat with warm fuzzy blankets across their laps. They would usually wave at me as I crossed the parking lot for my weekly visit. &...

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“Shooting stars” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #232

Blackness surrounded me as if even the sky understood what I was going through.  I could barely make out the foam that formed on the edge of the sand as the tide rolled in, bringing with it an array of shells that early morning beachcombers would delight in picking up. By midmorning this area would be filled with noise and bodies of every shape and color. But tonight, it was just me, a few crabs and a starless sky. "Why?" My body shook as an icy wind surrounded me. I pulled my jacket tighter and lifted my hoody over my head. January...

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“Flowers” by Tammie Williams

Sniffing the freshly bloomed flowers Jadalynn stood and took in her surroundings. She had bought the house toward the end of summer the previous year, when so many of the flowers had already lost their blooms. Now spring was here, and she was getting to admire the work the previous owners had put into the landscaping.  Tulips and Irises were peeping their colors, while Hosta’s pushed forth from the earth bringing greenery to a once dull bed. It had been a long frosty winter and even though Jadalynn enjoyed the fireplace her new hou...

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“As if I care.” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #172

Hmphhh. That was my attitude towards all of them. They didn't care about me, so why should I care about them? Most people see me as a happy go lucky kinda girl. Always the one planning the outings, the one who is the life of the party. If I had a dime for every time someone mentioned how strong I was, and how it seemed I just take everything in stride I might be able to afford the counselor I so desperately need. But the truth is, I'm really screwed up. No one knows the depth of the darkness I hold inside. Because, let's face it, no one real...

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“The Wreck” by Tammie Williams

We had split up and mended our splits so many times I had lost count. She lied, she manipulated, she scammed, and she melted my heart. Every, single, time! This time she wasn't going to get away with it. She was living five hours away and claimed she missed me. I thought it quite odd that she showed up at my job, knowing I worked six to ten p.m. dressed to the nines as a surprise for me. It wasn't as if I could just walk away from my cash register to go with her. It didn't take long for the truth to reveal itself as she accidentally slipped...

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“The library saved my life.” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #91

TW: suicidal ideation   Life as I knew it, or at least how I wanted it was over. That’s what I told myself that day as I gathered up the library books that I knew needed to be returned. I was at least going to be responsible before ending my life. I had always been meticulous in my planning. From deciding which college I would attend to the type of woman I would attract to be my mate. My life was perfect. Until it wasn’t. I can’t really pinpoint exactly when or even how my world started to unravel. I had my graphs and spreadsheets laid ...

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“Jillian” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #60

When I first came upon Jillian I thought she was one of them. You know, The Dead. Well at least half-dead as some like to call them.   Dead things don’t walk, growl and eat I heard someone say once. I suppose he was right. But I wouldn’t exactly call a human being with half-his brain shot out and limbs missing exactly alive either.  So I zombies would be a fitting name. Neither dead or alive. But voracious. These things ate everything in sight that had warm blood pumping through them.  So no one c...

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“City lights” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #59

The rooftop of my apartment building at 1 a.m. was my favorite place to be and my favorite time to be there. The bright lights of the city shine like yellow diamonds against dark buildings that caught reflective shadows and shared them eerily with the world around them. Although I loved living in the city, I hated city life. The noise, the people, the hurriedness of humans who always seemed to shove their way through every crowded street.   No one made eye contact, or if they did, it was to look at you like you were despicable...

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“Karaoke queen.” by Tammie Williams

Submitted to Contest #56

  There we were, just like every other Friday night, singing our hearts out at our favorite karaoke bar. And just like every Friday night, it was the five of us. There was Ali, with her long blonde hair and steel blue eyes, Shel, with a smile that people noticed from across the room, Skylar the tallest of the bunch and the comedian, and Terry with her shiny brunette hair and sensible ways. Then there was me. I have always loved to sing, and karaoke with this crew was my favorite way to unwind at the end of a hard week. There was never a...

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