By Sean Dempsey, 08/08/23 Seven year-old Anna was sneaking on her tiptoes to avoid the cottage flooring from creaking as she slipped out into the frosty air of the front porch. She was up remarkably early, startled awake by dark dreams she couldn’t fully remember. The morning light was just starting to dispel the night; […]
Short Stories
The Dance
By Sean Dempsey, 07/27/23 Near dusk, the old man sat at a weathered table in the back corner of a busy diner, fumbling awkwardly with metal tongs used to crack his lobster. There was a gentle buzz of conversation in the air all around. It was nearly impossible to distinguish one conversation from another without […]
The Cage
Chapter 1: Minor Annoyances World War II wages in the unseen distance. In a battlefield far to the west, men fight and die. Men collapse in the mud as nations clash: But here, in the dark and godless corner of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Jacob lies in dirty rags on a metal cot. 4:18am, rising […]
The Bishop
By Sean Dempsey, 7/15/23 ‘The lives of the benevolent are perhaps the most besieged.’ The Archbishop of Cheshire whispered madly into the darkness as he made his way between foul-smelling passageways and across dirty streets. Hot tears fell from his eyes and he beat his fists against stone walls as he trudged — almost stumbled […]
The Pastor
By Sean Dempsey, 7/2/23 The Pastor awoke from a violent dream, and realized he could not move! He desperately tried to will his legs out of bed. He begged his arms to raise from where they sat placidly against the bedsheets. His body lay completely motionless; only his head would yield to his control. Panic […]
The Bank
By Sean Dempsey, 7/1/23 The arduous task was done. The property was finally his. It has sapped nearly all John’s energy, but he could now call himself a homeowner. He had a place of his own to plant his flag, to ‘sow his oats’, so to speak. The signatures on the papers were still wet […]
A Crisis of Meaning
by Sean Dempsey, 6/28/23 The damned clock struck 6pm. Again. As it always seemed to do each day with far too few words unwritten—and far too few coherent thoughts on the page. Evelyn was exhausted. Her serene study was tucked away within the corners of her 19th century Victorian home. She had written her last […]
The House Carpenter
By Sean Dempsey, 6/26/23 (Written as an homage to the song of the same name by Nickel Creek. The story is haunting and demanded to be told in full…) In a quaint coastal village embraced by the ebb and flow of the sea, there dwelled a young woman named Lily. Her radiant beauty and gentle […]
Parable of the King’s Rule
by Sean Dempsey, 6/25/23 Once upon a time in a far away land there lived a mercurial king. The people adored their king for the simple reason that he was their king. One day, driven by a peculiar whim, the King passed a decree that all citizens must wear a large hat adorned with a […]
Casus Belli
By Sean Dempsey, 6/24/23 His people were anxious. That much couldn’t be denied. Every day it seemed his power was threatened as social unrest swelled to new crescendos. One morning the Emperor concocted a bold plan. He knew his tenuous grip on power was fading, but by keeping the people focused on an external enemy […]