Despair

by Hope Barrett

Despair is the kind of friend you would rather not have, because he never says 'I understand' but "I told you so. Why are you so blind? It was there in front of your face." Or, if he is feeling really good, "You're stupid, you know."

For once, I would like Despair to just be quiet. Shut up.


THIS SHORT TALE of one-night with Despair is the first in author Hope Barrett's Black Series. A must-read on emotions for students of creative writing, Despair rebels against form and expectation by being light and fun reading.


From the Author
Despair was written in one night, without a moment of angst or pause. It was created without rhyme or reason; expressing its desire for life by offering the writer the one thing he or she seeks the most: inspiration.

By comparison, Despair's perfect accompaniment in the Black Series ~ Diabolical ~ took close to a year to reach the finish line; to find and express itself. As for Deceit, it still hides in nooks and crannies. Somedays it looks like we might actually be having a dialogue, but most of the time it's just pretending to be real, and we have to start all over again. ~ Hope B., Feb 2014

12 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2012

About the author

Formerly a reporter with the Hong Kong Standard, then freelancer for publications such as Style Magazine, Singapore Straits Times' New Paper, and the South China Morning Post, Hope Barrett moved to the west coast of Canada, where she took up the mantle of publisher for five years with the comic anthology OH... The downturn in the comic industry in the mid 90s ensured that such megalomania was punished with a dose of penury.

What the author did with the next decade of her life is now forming a part of North Door 37 Publishing's collection. Unless, of course, it is a murder mystery. Then we're talking fiction.