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 […]
When Can We Get Underway, Dammit!
There perhaps is no more apt analogy for our current financial crisis than the USS Titanic. Mr Ismay with his fateful line “when can we get underway, dammit!” embodies current American sentiments like “we can’t let this crisis slow us down,” “how can we fix this?” and “the USA’s banking system is just too robust […]
Dear Hubris
Saint Paul knew us best when he called us Children.We are much worse than that, however;We are fools. We praise and erect to the highest courts in our land princes and kings of fools.We deign to call these men our leaders simply because they are the most debased and vile;The more senile they become, the […]