Hi guys, I've been writing a collection of short-stories based around mental illness in children, and I'd really appreciate some feedback on the formats, and how I've tried to belnd the comedy into the tragedy. So here's a little piece for your amusement.
Title: How to Save a Life
Summary: Arabella has seen enough Jeremy Kyle to know about the issues surrounding suicide and depression. So what will she do when she gets a call from a 17-year-old standing on a bridge, ready to jump?
Rating: T
How to Save a LifeAlex, I think I’m going to kill myself.
OMG :(
Please help me, am at bridge
Im in cinema ttyl
But I’ll be dead
:(
Agatha, please help me, am at bridge, love you so much, am suicidal, want to hear from you PLEASE
Darling, you have so much to live for! x
Really? x
Yes. Am in cinema, speak later x
Arabella had worked as a consultant on the suicide hotline since the Woolworths in Bath had closed. As she said at the interview, she had no personal experience of suicide, but she watched a lot of shows that dealt with the issues surrounding it, such as Jeremy Kyle, and felt that she had a lot of accumulated wisdom to offer the community.
“Hello, you’ve reached the NHS suicide hotline thank you for waiting, your call is important to us and may be monitored for training purposes.”
“Hello?”
Arabella paused with her diet coke half-way to her lips. “Hello,” she repeated.
“H-h-h-hello?”
( Read more... )