A glorious table of feasting charlatans sit circling a bonfire of feigned justice. The raging fire is stacked high with dangerous literature and is lorded over by Great and Powerful men. But these men who burn books are no longer men; they are brutes. They are monsters. The ecstatic cries from the sickeningly drunk mob, […]
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 […]
Plague in the Darkness
By Sean Dempsey 6/23/23 Thunder exploded in the night sky. The rain didn’t seem to stop falling for a second. Nor did the sirens stop wailing. A sad cacophony of noise that was at once sublime yet bristled the soul—simultaneously sweet and sour in a way that made the confused sounds unbearable. Oliver was petrified. […]
Justice
By Sean Dempsey John awoke with a start as his bedroom door was kicked open. In a blur of confusion and panic, he found himself dragged out of bed by burly Policemen who blindfolded and transported him, half-naked, to a parked car. It sped off into the night immediately. At last the vehicle stopped and […]
The Ukrainian Hero
By Sean Dempsey, 06/09/23 Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant land of Uzhok, Ukraine, deep in the Carpathian mountain range, there lived a courageous father named Ivan and his 16 year old son, Roman. They lived alone, just the two of them, as the boy’s mother had died when Roman was very young. They […]
Rich Man at The Well
This story is loosely based on the brief “Czech Crime” tale within Part 2 of The Stranger by Albert Camus. While the story is not unique, the the tale is now refined and laid more bare… In the picturesque village of Český Sněžný in Czechoslovakia, nestled amidst rolling hills and pristine landscapes, a young man […]
The Hangman
He helped the wretch rise to his feetWhen thrice had stumbled he;With a gentle pull on tattered rags,The bondsman made no plea. “Come now, poor soul; I’ll try to lead…”He whispered, almost cried—Yet cloudy orbs of muted thanksWas the wretch’s sole reply. I watched this scene from noisy crowd.The contrast was quite stark:Youth and age […]