Willa ***spoilers***

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Christine62

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2013
493
3,127
62
Oklahoma City
In the movie, The Sixth Sense (one of the few movies I wasn't able to second guess) the little boy discovers with the help of a psychologist that he can talk to dead people--and that's okay--because nine times out of ten the dead are just like the living-- trying to figure things out. The neat little twist to this story is the psychologist is dead but he just doesn't know it. These dead people the little boy sees "don't know they are dead." "They see only what they want to see."

Stephen King takes this idea of the oblivious dead and explores it in his short story, WILLA, the first tale in the Just After Sunset collection. What King does so well here is not describe flesh-eating zombies, or demon-possessed trains but regular people's reactions to unusual events--like realizing you're dead.

The story opens with a group of folks waiting for a train except David soon realizes that his fiance, Willa is missing. Against the advice of every well-drawn character in the station, David ventures out in the dark, among the wolves, to find Willa.

So at this point the story I'm thinking this is a tale is about demon-possessed wolves or that maybe Willa will turn into a She-Wolf and eat David. But none of that happens. David discovers Willa at a bar with a loud band whose singer reminds him of Buck Owens.

The terror here is understated but still very real. WILLA is an exploration of fear of the unknown, denial of reality and acceptance of what can't be changed. This is everyday experience set in an afterlife backdrop. There are those who wait for something to happen and those who make something happen.

Maybe hell's waiting for a train that will never come and just maybe heaven's dancing for eternity to band with a Buck Owens twang. I'm kinda hoping for the latter, truth be told, I've had a crush on ole Buck since I was twelve.
 
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rudiroo

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2008
474
1,898
London, England
The terror here is understated but still very real. WILLA is an exploration of fear of the unknown, denial of reality and acceptance of what can't be changed. .

You got it.
& mentioning The Sixth Sense reminded me that I couldn't (wouldn't) watch that film until I'd gone into hospital & had an operation.
I felt I'd be tempting fate.

Fast forward 14 years and now I'm more frightened of hanging around too long, in too much pain.

Ayuh.
SK = lessons in living well and dying better.
(OK, most of us knoweth not the hour, but some of us do, approximately. . )
 

Kurben

The Fool on the Hill
Apr 12, 2014
9,682
65,192
59
sweden
In the movie, The Sixth Sense (one of the few movies I wasn't able to second guess) the little boy discovers with the help of a psychologist that he can talk to dead people--and that's okay--because nine times out of ten the dead are just like the living-- trying to figure things out. The neat little twist to this story is the psychologist is dead but he just doesn't know it. These dead people the little boy sees "don't know they are dead." "They see only what they want to see."

Stephen King takes this idea of the oblivious dead and explores it in his short story, WILLA, the first tale in the Just After Sunset collection. What King does so well here is not describe flesh-eating zombies, or demon-possessed trains but regular people's reactions to unusual events--like realizing you're dead.

The story opens with a group of folks waiting for a train except David soon realizes that his fiance, Willa is missing. Against the advice of every well-drawn character in the station, David ventures out in the dark, among the wolves, to find Willa.

So at this point the story I'm thinking this is a tale is about demon-possessed wolves or that maybe Willa will turn into a She-Wolf and eat David. But none of that happens. David discovers Willa at a bar with a loud band whose singer reminds him of Buck Owens.

The terror here is understated but still very real. WILLA is an exploration of fear of the unknown, denial of reality and acceptance of what can't be changed. This is everyday experience set in an afterlife backdrop. There are those who wait for something to happen and those who make something happen.

Maybe hell's waiting for a train that will never come and just maybe heaven's dancing for eternity to band with a Buck Owens twang. I'm kinda hoping for the latter, truth be told, I've had a crush on ole Buck since I was twelve.
Willa was my fave in the collection. Really liked the, i don't know, perhaps atmosphere describes it, that hung over the whole story.
 
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SutterKane

Well-Known Member
Jun 7, 2014
297
1,891
41
I just started reading this collection. So far, "Willa" is the only story I have read but I liked it very much. I keep wondering what those ghosts in denial are gonna do when the demolition crew smashes down their train station.
 
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