From Hades Lord of the Dead: "You have to fight it!"


"Hold on, Inspector!"

The Inspector held onto the edge of the roof with his white-knuckled fingers, his legs dangling dangerously above the cobblestones far below. How he'd found himself in such a precarious position is a long story (and one better served by Watson's experts pen). His constable remained chasing after the fugitive with Holmes while Watson and a second police officer peered anxiously up at the dangling man who'd somehow lost his footing on his rooftop perch.

"Just hang on a little longer," Watson called up, worry lines creasing his brow. "The fire brigade are on their way with their ladders and nets. I've even sent one of the Irregulars to look for his colleagues and bring a blanket just in case."

Inspector Lestrade could no longer feel his hands. His upper limbs strained under his body's weight.

"I think I'm slipping," he yelled as he felt his sweaty palms slip a centimetre.

"You still have a decent amount of edge under your fingers, Inspector. I know your hands must be numb and cramped. Keep fighting the urge to let go though! Think about your family… your friends who care about you."

The Inspector gritted his teeth against the agony in his limbs. He forced his mind to remember his family, especially his little daughter, Lily, who just turned two years old. She was already toddling around the house. Just the other day, she'd practically ran when he came home from work. Her chubby baby legs wobbled and she stumbled headfirst into his open arms. Her giggles of glee still echoed in his ears. She was more than worth every ounce of strength he could muster in his limbs. He fought against the fatigue, the pain, the hopelessness he felt dangling from the precipice. He determined he would see his Lily grow up.

"I see the fire brigade. Just a minute longer, Inspector," the constable called up breaking Lestrade out his reverie.

In minutes, the Inspector was safely captured in the nets of his rescue team. His fingers ached and his fingers bled but he was alive. He'd fought the urge to give up. Love for his family had sustained him to fight another day.