“I hope dear old Lalage finds peace of mind. I hope those dying of despair have something they can hold on to. I know. It makes sense. When you’re holding a knife to your own throat for an hour in the half light of morning the only thing that’s going to make you choose to live another day is hope. So I’ll say it again. I hope dear old Lalage finds peace of mind.”
Excerpt from a short story inspired by conversations I’ve had with a helpline. The name Lalage I borrowed from Edgar Allan Poe - in his unpublished play Politian, one of the lead characters is named Lalage.