Just a Boy: An Inspiring and Heartwarming Short Story

Just a Boy: An Inspiring and Heartwarming Short Story
Casey Watson

A heartwarming short story from bestselling author and foster carer Casey Watson.A digital-exclusive short story from Casey Watson, plus a sneak peek chapter from Casey’s highly anticipated next title, Breaking the Silence, and sample chapters from each of Casey’s five moving and inspirational titles.Although he isn’t with them for long, Cameron immediately touches the hearts of Casey’s whole family. A sweet boy with a great sense of humour, he seems different from the other children she’s cared for. But after a disastrous and embarrassing family trip, Cameron disappears. Casey fears the worst. Will her fears be realised?

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Copyright (#uedeb0b1f-79ba-55ce-a98d-c53670a76abe)

This book is a work of non-fiction based on the author’s experiences. In order to protect privacy, names, identifying characteristics, dialogue and details have been changed or reconstructed.

HarperElement

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First published by HarperElement 2013

FIRST EDITION

© Casey Watson 2013

Casey Watson asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.

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Ebook Edition © May 2013 ISBN: 9780007529353

Version 2016-10-21

Contents

Cover (#uf1adec8a-53e5-50ba-8e72-186777f2d7ec)

Title Page (#ulink_66feb0b4-e451-53d0-8e5d-45f3f9c827eb)

Copyright (#ulink_07be668b-e680-5267-b14a-aaa0ebc9877b)

Dedication (#ulink_59f28342-2c99-544d-8489-7032a6b7fa5e)

Just a Boy: An Inspiring and Heartwarming True Story (#ulink_5fde0f85-3517-59e7-b91e-f54b4d26688b)

Exclusive preview of Casey’s next title Breaking the Silence (#ulink_69895e1f-2a8b-5beb-9879-da48e95f69f5)

Sample from Casey’s heart-rending debut title The Boy No One Loved (#litres_trial_promo)

Sample from Casey’s shocking 2nd book Crying for Help (#litres_trial_promo)

Sample from Casey’s 3rd harrowing memoir Little Prisoners (#litres_trial_promo)

Sample from Casey’s poignant 4th title Too Hurt To Stay (#litres_trial_promo)

Sample from Casey’s latest inspiring true story Mummy’s Little Helper (#litres_trial_promo)

Casey Watson (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

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To my wonderful and supportive family

Just a Boy (#uedeb0b1f-79ba-55ce-a98d-c53670a76abe)

Kindness is a language which the deaf

can hear and the blind can see.

Mark Twain

Dropping my shopping in the hall, car keys hanging from my mouth, I ran through the house to get to the phone before it cut off.

‘Hello,’ I spluttered, trying to catch my breath.

‘Casey, hi there,’ said a familiar voice. It was John Fulshaw, my fostering-agency link worker. ‘You sound puffed,’ he observed. ‘Are you okay to talk?’

‘To you?’ I replied, laughing. ‘Anytime. Do you bring me good tidings?’ I felt a ripple of excitement about why he might be phoning. Mike and I were between placements at the moment, a state of affairs I became bored with very easily. Perhaps John had a new child for us. Now that would really make my Wednesday. ‘Well?’ I finished.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I do.’

I was just about to ask him for chapter and verse when he continued. ‘But only of a temporary nature. It’s a fourteen-year-old boy who lives with his elderly grandparents and needs a place to stay just for a couple of days.’

He went on to explain that this boy, who was called Cameron, wouldn’t be one of our usual kind of children, who mainly came from terrible backgrounds or were already in the care system. This was different. It was a lad who lived in perfectly agreeable family circumstances and who needed a place to go only because his grandmother had been taken ill and hospitalised. Apparently, Granddad, who was disabled, wouldn’t be able to manage on his own, which was why a place needed to be found right away. He also needed to be able to spend time with his sick wife, John finished, and obviously couldn’t be in two places at once.

‘And our lad’s a bit too much of a handful to be home alone then, is he?’ I chortled. I knew what fourteen-year-old boys could be like.