The church bells rang in the gray morning light as Mommy tightly clutched my hand. Today we were going to the graveyard to visit Grandpa for the first time since the funeral.

I could sense Mommy looking down at me and glanced back up at her. “What is it?” I asked at the sight of her teary gaze.

She sighed and said, “Just making sure you’re okay. This isn’t easy for me, Honey.” 

I gave her my biggest hug right then and there because I love when she calls me “Honey” and I hate seeing her sad. Sometimes when I give people hugs I imagine that I’m squeezing all of the sadness out of them. Thinking of this again, I wondered if I that would work for Boo, too.

Boo. This was the first time I was seeing him since the funeral and I was beginning to doubt the whole thing had been real. The thought that it might have all been a dream made me upset because I wanted to be friends with Boo, but I remembered it more like a dream than reality.

We walked through the scary gates and I clutched my mother’s leg tightly to protect me from them. Mommy walked me to Grandpa’s grave and crouched before it with me at her side. In my head I said hi to Grandpa and read the engraving on the headstone to him, asking him if he liked it. I didn’t hear any answer, but decided that he probably did. Getting antsy, I turned to my mommy and saw her red-rimmed eyes staring where the grass cradled the smooth stone.

The more I looked at her, the more I realized she was having a moment and wanted to be by herself. I tugged gently on her sleeve. “Mommy, can I walk around a little? Grandpa doesn’t like when I’m antsy.”

She smiled through silent tears that were beginning to flow. “Sure, Cassie,” she answered softly, “Just don’t leave the cemetery.”

I nodded, gave her one more tiny hug, and slowly made my way among tombstones.

It wasn’t hard to find the place where I had first seen Boo. I remembered hiding behind the tree and peeking out at his gray figure that seemed to blend in with the morning mist. More than anything, I wanted to see my new friend there again.

There was no ominous mist today, only a sheet of clouds across the sky. I called out for Boo, trying not to say it too loudly. I don’t know what I was afraid of, but I couldn’t say it in more than a whisper.

“Boo, where are you?” I asked one last time, holding my breath hopefully. No more than a second after, I felt a cold touch on my shoulder and jumped to the clouds.

I realized who it must have been and turned to face him. Whenever I saw him it was like peering into a fog that slowly drifted away, leaving him standing. I wondered why he was so different like this.

The gray of his eyes shined with happiness I had never seen him show. “You came back, Cassie! You are a true friend.”

He really must not have had any friends if that was his reaction to seeing me. I wanted to hug him because I loved making people that happy, but at the same time I felt hesitant. Instead I gave him my biggest smile.

“My mommy came to visit Grandpa,” I said, “which means I can also visit you!”

Boo shuffled uncomfortably in his ashen shoes. They blended in with the pale morning light that made everything look sad and dusty. Suddenly I felt sad thinking of Grandpa.

“What do you think happened to him, Boo?”

When his face fell it didn’t bother me as much this time; I guess that was just his normal expression. He sat on the grass and I sat next to him. His gaze was far away for a while and I got curious about what he was thinking all those times he went silent and didn’t answer me for a while.

“There’s no saying for sure what could have happened,” he said vaguely. “There are all different layers, good, bad and in between.”

“In between?” I asked. He never answered that one.

Boo stood suddenly. I noticed that none of his movements were fast and springy like how the other kids my age were, but they weren’t slow and deliberate either. It reminded me of someone floating in water or what it would look like if you walked on a cloud.

“Can we play a game?” he asked. “I used to love games.”

My big smile came back and I looked around excitedly. What games were there to play in a cemetery that weren’t scary? I was sure I could come up with something.

I found myself studying a gravestone near me. It was old and moss-covered, but it was almost the same size as me if I squatted down a little.

“Let’s play hide and seek!” I suggested. “I count to ten while you hide somewhere, then I come and look for you.”

Boo’s little smile appeared, but there was something wistful in it too. “That sounds like a good idea,” he said. “I used to like playing games like that.”

I ran to the nearest tree, covered my eyes, and leaned up against it so there was no chance I would cheat. Sarah, the girl next door to me, always cheated in every game we played and it annoyed me so much.

“Nine…Ten…Ready or not, here I come!” I called out excitedly. I looked around me and started for a section of taller, fancier tombstones. The gray of morning was leaving, but it was so cloudy I still couldn’t see the sun. I almost felt a little scared for a second as I wandered around. I was alone in a graveyard while I played hide and seek with my new friend.

As I looked around for any sign of Boo, I thought about how he was always wandering around the graveyard by himself. It seemed like something my mother would say was unhealthy for kids, but I kind of liked thinking about him just walking listlessly and reading all of the tombstones. I wondered if he made up stories about the people buried there and their pasts.

I finally came to a little crypt that I had never come across before. Past it, I could see a hill rising with more gravestones and a small church just beyond it. I hoped Boo wasn’t hiding in the crypt. I felt too scared to look inside of it.

I tried to listen for anything as I made my way around the crypt walls—a laugh, someone shifting in the grass. There were no sounds but the wind and a mourning dove.

Then there was me giggling because I had just spotted the toe of Boo’s gray shoes around the corner of the crypt.

“I found you!” I cried victoriously, jumping in front of him. He smiled brightly and let out a little laugh that reminded me of bells. I liked it the best when he was laughing.

“Is it your turn to hide now?” he asked, acting more childish than usual. It made me smile to see him more at ease.

Soon Boo was counting against a tree and I was hurrying to find a hiding spot behind one of the many gravestones.

I was so caught up in the game that I screamed when I ran right into someone. Looking up in alarm, I saw that it was just my mom.

“Cassie, what on earth are you up to?” she asked, but her voice was soft. The tears on her face were gone and she looked a little less sad now.

“I was playing hide and seek!” I told her.

She instantly looked puzzled. “With whom?” she asked looking around.

“Boo!” I answered, jumping in excitement.

“Ready or not, here I…”

I turned and saw Boo’s face looking out from behind the tree trunk. Finally, my mom could meet my new friend! But he seemed to see the excitement on my face and he shrank back shyly and shook his head at me.

“Boo who?” Mommy asked, still confused.

I looked sadly at Boo, wondering why he wouldn’t want to meet my mom. Maybe I would be able to fine out next time.

“Don’t cry!” I said, playing it off as a joke. My mommy smiled and gave me a hug, saying it was time to leave.

She held my hand as I walked, but I managed to turn and give Boo a small wave good-bye. Being friends with Boo was a constant game of hide and seek, only I was the one who always had to look for him as he hid. I didn’t mind though, because I always was happy to find my new friend.