Short Stories

The Storm

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 […]

Short Stories

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 […]

Short Stories

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 […]

Short Stories

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 […]

Short Stories

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 […]