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My mom didn’t like me to walk very far by myself, but she let me walk the few blocks to school. When I asked her if I could walk to the cemetery she said no at first.

“But Mommy, it’s only a few blocks away! I know how to get there and I won’t be too long,” I argued. I desperately wanted to see Boo again and figure out why he didn’t want to meet her.

She sighed and looked at me worriedly. “You go off by yourself when we go there and I don’t know what you do!”

“I just like how peaceful it is,” I said, remembering hearing Daddy say it once. “And Daddy tells me about cemeteries in books and history.”

It took a little more convincing, but she finally agreed to let me go only for half an hour. I decided to talk to Daddy about it when he was home from work because he would probably understand more.

Now that it was autumn it was getting chilly out and I had to bring a jacket. I walked quickly to the graveyard, eager to see Boo and question him. At first I hesitated to enter because the jagged iron gates still frightened me. I held my breath and slipped past them.

Before looking for Boo, I was sure to stop at my grandpa’s grave and say hi and that I missed him. I thought of him watching me playing in the cemetery and wondered what he would think. I had always told Grandpa about wanting a best friend, so maybe he had asked for one for me?

I walked farther into the cemetery, letting myself get distracted by the various tombstones and names. I wondered why Boo was always at the graveyard whenever I went there. He must have gone there an awful lot. Maybe his parents didn’t think it was so weird.

“Boo?” I called out, looking all around me. There was no response right away and I decided maybe he wasn’t there all the time. Frowning, I turned to leave.

“Cassie!” I heard someone calling. I smiled and ran in that direction. So Boo was there again!

I spotted him and stopped, still smiling. He looked happy to see me, but it seemed as if something were bothering him too.

“Hi, Boo!” I greeted. “I thought maybe you weren’t here. Why are you always here?”

His eyes flickered away and I could tell he didn’t like the question. It was brighter out than it had ever been before in the cemetery and his blond hair shone strangely and faintly.

He sighed and ran his pale fingers along a cracked headstone covered in moss.

“This is my secret place I like to go to,” he answered. “No one bothers me here.” Boo looked around at the graveyard lit by the rust-colored sun. “And now I get to see you here!”

I jumped around excitedly at this. Then I thought of what I had meant to ask in the first place.

“Boo, since you are my friend you’re supposed to meet my parents!” I said. “So why wouldn’t you meet my mommy?”

The wind stirred the dying leaves around our feet. Boo’s mouth folded into a small frown and his gray eyes grew darker. I was always fascinated at the way he transformed when there was something that made him sad. It was easier to tell with him than the other children, even though he was so quiet.

“Cassie, remember how I said this is my secret place? I want it to stay my secret place. That means no one else knows about it.”

Part of me wanted to ask why he needed a secret place so much, but I could tell my questions were making him upset. “I wish you could meet her,” I mumbled, unable to keep my disappointment at bay.

Boo was watching me sadly. “I’m sorry, me too.”

We fell silent for a while, walking among the tombstones side by side. Autumn is my favorite season and I love the noise the crinkled leaves make as I step on them. I looked over to see if Boo stepped on them like I did. He must have moved very softly, since the leaves beneath his shoes made no sound and were barely disturbed.

Another gust of wind caught me off guard and I zipped up my jacket. Boo always wore the same outfits—the faded collared shirts and trousers with old fashioned-looking shoes. He didn’t seem bothered by the cold.

“It’s getting chilly out, Boo. Aren’t you cold?”

He laughed, but it didn’t sound happy. “I don’t get cold easily,” he replied.

We had stopped in front of a pile of leaves that someone must have made. I grinned at Boo, took a running start, and leapt into the air. The sound of the leaves crunching as they caught my fall was always so satisfying to hear.

Boo finally looked at ease and started laughing. He ran for the spread out leaf pile and landed beside me with a rustle.

“This is my favorite part of autumn!” I exclaimed, tossing red leaves into the air. “Don’t you love jumping in the leaves?”

He stood and helped me form the leaves into a pile again. “I can’t remember ever doing it! At least, not in a long time.”

It was always strange at first to see him acting so excited when he was usually mellow, but making him laugh was the best part of playing with him.

“What do you do during recess at school?” I asked suddenly. I pictured him sitting on the swings like I did.

His face fell for a moment, but he quickly recovered his smile. “I don’t go to a school,” he said.

I stared at him in shock. Here was a boy who wore old clothes, played in a cemetery, and did not go to school. He was my friend, yet there were some things about him I just couldn’t understand.

“But…you have to go to school, don’t you?” This was what confused me the most about him. “Are you homeschooled?”

Boo stared at me for a long time, mirroring my confusion. “Y-yes,” he answered finally. He turned and lunged for the leaf pile again. His light laugh filled the air as he landed.

“My brother always used to jump in the leaves with me, but now he says he’s too old,” I told Boo. “So I’m glad you like to!”

I sprinted as fast as I could and jumped heavily onto the pile, sending the fiery leaves flying everywhere. I searched the scattered leaves until I found a red one that almost looked pink. That was my favorite color.

“These are the ones I like best,” I said, handing it to Boo. He smiled and examined it. As he held it in the light, I saw it was browner in color than I had thought.

I stretched out among the leaves and fanned my arms and legs up and down. “Look, I’m making a leaf-angel!” I laughed.

Boo didn’t seem to get it, but he joined me and was laughing pretty soon too. When I sat up there were leaves and twigs all stuck in my hair and he had to help me get them out.

“I wish I could stay and play in the leaves with you, but I promised my mom I wouldn’t be long.”

He walked with me to the gates of the cemetery. He stood back from them, looking nervous. I glanced up at the spiky posts, stretching up from the ground like bony skeleton hands.

“Do they scare you too?” I asked. Boo’s gray eyes were wide as he looked back at me and nodded.

“Will you come back soon?” he asked hopefully.

“I will as soon as I can!” I answered, smiling at my friend. I had only played with Boo a few times, but already it felt like I had found a new best friend to spend time with.

As I passed quickly through the gates again, I looked back one more time and saw that Boo was still holding the leaf I had found in his hand. I was surprised to see it was crumpled and dead. I tried to find more red ones as I walked home, but only brown leaves crunched under my feet.