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The Playground
A woman struggling for survival after the death of her husband leaves her hometown to make a fresh start for her family and stumble upon Willows Grove, a town with an evil past and steeped in folklore. Unable to find work, she and her daughter take shelter in an old church, and adjacent playground believed haunted by townspeople and meet an inescapable horror.
Seventeen years later, Jillian and a group of friends head out to the playground aiming to disprove townspeople superstitious beliefs. But what they find may challenge everything they've ever believed.
Seventeen years later, Jillian and a group of friends head out to the playground aiming to disprove townspeople superstitious beliefs. But what they find may challenge everything they've ever believed.
ebook
Published May 29, 2017
22 people want to read
About the author
E. Denise Billups
15 books128 followersE. Denise Billups is an American author born in rural Alabama, raised in New York City, formed by a multicultural environment. Previously a Wall Street Portfolio Analyst, Denise now writes haunting paranormal mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. The rigors of ballet shaped her childhood and earlier years — a discipline she carried into her writing. Today, Denise lives in New York City, where she’s a fitness fanatic by morning, a writer by day, and an avid reader during her free time. When she’s not penning her next thriller, she’s lost in the pages of a book, indulging her passion for literature or surrounding herself with friends and family. For more insight into Denise’s world of fiction, visit her website at edenisebillups.com.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 8, 2021
A good short story is difficult to write. E. Denise Billups has perfected it. A dash of horror. A sprinkling of mystery. A dollop of fear. An amazing plot that just makes you want to know immediately what's really happening underneath the surface. With The Playground: A Supernatural Short Story, Billups manages to show you her writing chops in less than a few thousand words. I've admired the author for a few years, and when she can lure you in with a mother and two children who disappeared, only to show up again in various forms years later, there's an elaborate but wonderful connection between reader and writer. I enjoyed this one immensely, and my quest to devour all the short stories in her vast collection is quickly coming to a close. I can't wait to say I've finished reading everything Billups has published, and be ready for what I'm always assured will be her next best release - she's truly someone who keeps you wanting more and always feeling thrilled and excited by what you've read.
April 23, 2021
Great cover but the story didn't fully fulfill my expectations. Will Jill and discover what secret is behind the black cloaked figure at the burnt out church of Willows Grove? What about the poor mother who hid there with her daughters? Why is the place haunted? Bit by bit the author reveals more details in her slightly confusing tale. The ingredients aren't new under the sun and the storytelling didn't compensate that either. It's wasn't creepy either. Even the ending was a bit predictable. Well, not my cup of tea. Maybe something for younger readers.
June 1, 2018
I like good a good mystery, one that keeps you guessing and wondering until the very end. I like to feel that I'm right in the middle of a story, a story where I can actually hear, see and feel what the characters hear, see and feel. And most of all, I like when the writing sings, which I think is a rare talent for an author to possess. E. Denise Billups does all of this within a few pages.
Billups creates compelling characters, high tension, and suspense in a hurry. She brings your heart into the mix straightaway by revealing a family already in distress and crisis and then ups the ante. And only when you think you've settled in does she flip the script and the twist comes in a big way, as it should, with a satisfying resolution that makes you ponder the past, our past. My only disappointment was turning that last page and having no more words to experience. The good news is I get to read more from this new author. Yay!
Billups creates compelling characters, high tension, and suspense in a hurry. She brings your heart into the mix straightaway by revealing a family already in distress and crisis and then ups the ante. And only when you think you've settled in does she flip the script and the twist comes in a big way, as it should, with a satisfying resolution that makes you ponder the past, our past. My only disappointment was turning that last page and having no more words to experience. The good news is I get to read more from this new author. Yay!
October 1, 2018
The Playground is a fast-read, short story that does a great job of evoking the ominous atmosphere of the sleepy, historic towns dotting the Deep South. The places that still exist off Old Highway 17 or 90, west of New Orleans. The one’s that as living in this area myself -- I tend to gas up in when I’m driving alone to meet a friend for lunch and prefer to leave quickly thereafter.
“I thought we’d found a new home, but instead, we found death.” There’s an inexplicable evil that lurks in this place a woman moves to with her daughter from current misdeeds or is it ghosts of the past?
Willows Grove, like many small towns anywhere in America doesn’t have a lot to do for young people. It also has its share of local legends of haunting or urban legends. The most feared story centers around an old church with a playground that becomes a meeting place for local inhabitants to come of age, and make new friends. On one terrifying evening, it becomes a place to discover dark secrets when a group of young people accidentally solve the town’s biggest mystery, once and for all.
Jillian the main character is a young woman who is headed off to college. She is fearless as she moves towards the future, and yet still wonders about the old church… a place her mother seems to honestly fear by closing the blinds to not have to look across the street when the sun goes down, walking by real fast -- you get the idea, but when pressed about her behavior exclaims that, ‘She doesn’t believe in the supernatural.’
Fate and ongoing curiosity brings her daughter front and center with the truth. “A faceless black mass stares back. An old Southern spiritual fills my mind.” This was my favorite line because it ties in so well to the imagery the reader receives before this moment and may also give a little insight into how a bonafide southerner might react to stumbling across something horrific, which is clearly not a herald of good tidings. The plot twist of who or what this is became the perfect lead in to finish the story and helps the reader understand what lies beneath and even more importantly, why young Jillian was chosen to discover it.
I have now read all of E. Denise Billups writing and she has an innate ability to speak of ghosts and strange happenings in a way that uses realism to combine the paranormal and supernatural into memorable, believable stories.
She’s a talented writer with a unique style all her own. I look forward to reading her next one.
“I thought we’d found a new home, but instead, we found death.” There’s an inexplicable evil that lurks in this place a woman moves to with her daughter from current misdeeds or is it ghosts of the past?
Willows Grove, like many small towns anywhere in America doesn’t have a lot to do for young people. It also has its share of local legends of haunting or urban legends. The most feared story centers around an old church with a playground that becomes a meeting place for local inhabitants to come of age, and make new friends. On one terrifying evening, it becomes a place to discover dark secrets when a group of young people accidentally solve the town’s biggest mystery, once and for all.
Jillian the main character is a young woman who is headed off to college. She is fearless as she moves towards the future, and yet still wonders about the old church… a place her mother seems to honestly fear by closing the blinds to not have to look across the street when the sun goes down, walking by real fast -- you get the idea, but when pressed about her behavior exclaims that, ‘She doesn’t believe in the supernatural.’
Fate and ongoing curiosity brings her daughter front and center with the truth. “A faceless black mass stares back. An old Southern spiritual fills my mind.” This was my favorite line because it ties in so well to the imagery the reader receives before this moment and may also give a little insight into how a bonafide southerner might react to stumbling across something horrific, which is clearly not a herald of good tidings. The plot twist of who or what this is became the perfect lead in to finish the story and helps the reader understand what lies beneath and even more importantly, why young Jillian was chosen to discover it.
I have now read all of E. Denise Billups writing and she has an innate ability to speak of ghosts and strange happenings in a way that uses realism to combine the paranormal and supernatural into memorable, believable stories.
She’s a talented writer with a unique style all her own. I look forward to reading her next one.
October 15, 2017
This story begins with the heart gripping telling of the deaths of a homeless woman and her two young daughters. In just a few paragraphs I had already become invested in these characters and needed to know what had led to their tragic end. The answer to that question told a story even more compelling and heart-wrenching. The story of Jonathan Smalls, a pre-2oth century slave who had been murdered by the ancestors of Willows Grove. Well before the stories end I found myself slightly angered and in tears, but the ending proved to be a happy one. Billups is an immensely gifted author who knows how to keep her readers engaged through simple yet deeply profound language, vivid imagery, and visual scene setting.This was a short story that felt and read like a full- fleshed novel. In all 'The Playground' is was one of the most riveting short stories I've ever read. A much deserved 5 stars! I highly recommend this story!
November 8, 2021
A short review, for a short read. This story took me less than thirty minutes to read and it was fantastic! Very quick, eerie, creative and easy to devour super fast. A woman lost her husband to a tragedy and was forced to sell all of their belongings in order to get by and raise her two small children. When they came across a small town with an endearing church to stay at for a short time, they were met with a very unfortunate fate.
You see, there is a dark entity there, one with a grudge and a very dark determination to seek revenge for what happened to him and his family several decades prior. The woman and her children suffer greatly.
Years later, a group of teens are out to prove to the community that their superstitions are purely that - and that no man in a cloak is there to haunt the town, nor is there anything strange going on at the playground across the way... Oh were they so very wrong! What they find is bone chilling!! 5 stars for me. I highly recommend this story, especially to anyone who uses KU!
You see, there is a dark entity there, one with a grudge and a very dark determination to seek revenge for what happened to him and his family several decades prior. The woman and her children suffer greatly.
Years later, a group of teens are out to prove to the community that their superstitions are purely that - and that no man in a cloak is there to haunt the town, nor is there anything strange going on at the playground across the way... Oh were they so very wrong! What they find is bone chilling!! 5 stars for me. I highly recommend this story, especially to anyone who uses KU!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews