Tears — Matt Shaw

A Collection of Matt Shaw's heartbreaking dramas Matt Shaw does not just write horror. In fact, when asked what his favourite books are, he often names the tales collected within this set. Stories of heartbreak, loss and grief - all with an element of hope... A hope we often forget when dealing with grief. Contained within this collection Heaven's Calling BOY: Built to Love The Missing Years of Thomas Pritchard (unpublished short story) Alone Heaven's Calling Josh and Holly could face anything thrown at them all the time they had each other. Their love would conquer anything and the world was their oyster. But when a tragic accident tears Josh away from Holly she realises that, without her husband, she cannot cope and her world begins to crumble; her loss being more than she can handle. Until, that is, she receives a phone call. Her late husband. The same time every day; he doesn't appear to know what has happened to him and Holly can't bring herself to tell him. She isn't even sure if it really is him calling or whether it's all in her tormented mind. Especially seeing as the calls only happen when she is alone. Is it all in her head, has she gone mad, or is heaven really calling? Boy: Built to Love No parent should have to bury their own child and yet that was exactly what they had to do. Stillborn; a young boy never to open his eyes to take in the world around him. And now Lucy and Jack's marriage was on the verge of crumbling under the strain of the grief they struggled to cope with. A grief made worse when the doctors tell them they'll never be able to have a child of their own due to complications from the last pregnancy. But what if it didn't have to be that way? What if there was a way of using science and technology to create a son they could love? What if Jack was able to use Artificial Intelligence to create A Boy: Built to Love? Is the answer to their problems to be found within the world of science-fiction or are they setting themselves up for yet more grief and sadness? The Missing Years of Thomas Pritchard August 3rd. 6:03am. The tranquil summer's morning was shattered by the desperate screams of Thomas' mother echoing down the near deserted suburban street. The few people milling about outside getting ready for their daily business had said they couldn't make out what the cries were about when they were interviewed. Not initially. Not until Anne, a pretty woman in her early thirties with shoulder length blonde hair, spilled out onto the street wearing nothing more than her dressing gown and slippers anxiously calling out for her five year old son, Thomas, to come out from wherever he was hiding. Eye witnesses reported Anne was closely followed by her husband Bill - a professional, clean-shaven man in his late thirties with dark, short hair - half dressed for work in his suit trousers and unbuttoned white shirt, and that he too looked just as frantic as the mother did. The year was 2003; the year Thomas disappeared from his home without a trace. * * * * * August 3rd. 6:03am. A young, fragile looking hand knocked confidently on the white PVC of the front door to number twenty-two. The hand belonged to a smartly dressed, skinny fourteen year old, fresh-faced boy. Whilst waiting for an answer to his knocking he slid a brown leather satchel off his shoulder down onto the floor as though the weight was too much for him to bear any more. He went to knock again but stopped himself when he heard the sound of footsteps from the other side of the door as the freshly woken homeowner came to answer his initial knocking. There was the slightest of pauses as keys were twisted in locks before the door opened as much as the strong, gold, security chain would permit it to. “Can I help you?” asked the homeowner, a frail looking woman in her late sixties. “Where's my mum?” asked the boy. The year was 2012; the year Thomas came home.