Short Stories

Two Canadian Brothers

by Sean Dempsey | 04/06/24 There once were, in a certain indistinct corner of a Canadian kingdom whose borders were always expanding on paper yet never visited in person, two brothers who came into possession of adjoining lands. Yet possession in such a place was a delicate word; for everything, in truth, already belonged to […]

Philosophy Short Stories

A Writing Exercise

by Sean Dempsey “At the beginning of a fine May day, a svelte equestrienne, mounted on a sumptuous sorrel mare, was riding, in the middle of flowers, the lanes of the Bois.” – Joseph Grand (Camus) =========== After the Trilogytes attacked, the earth stood still, weeping at the indescribable carnage. Bitter and anguished cries shook […]

Short Stories

The Obsolete Mr. Malum

By Sean Dempsey, 03/28/2025 This echo-filled chamber of judgment was not built to house men, but to erase them. Its walls were clean, without seams, without windows, without warmth. Light spilled from hidden fixtures like surgical lamps—cold, clinical, sterilizing. Every sound echoed twice. Each breath of the men and women in this dim legal sanctuary […]

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 […]