Well meeting is the most interesting part

When I first met Autumn, I was maybe five or six. We were the same age and his family moved in next door to me, and we would play games together. Cops and Robbers, Dodgeball, ( I will never forget that incident with the basketball, no matter how many times you apologize, Autumn.) Imaginary games in my back garden, like there was this one he invented that was like a magic kite and it took us to wherever we wanted and we more often than not had to survive on an island. I was a little bossy and made us drink water from a bottle rather than the lake (like he wanted.)

Sometimes my dad would let him stay over and we would just talk about nothing in particular. His parents were business people, their lives were with their work mostly... They traveled a lot. We were as good as family to him really. They would just dump him on us and say they'd be back in a week. It made me sad for him, but he never complained to us. He said that they were always busy and that he didn't miss them much. It's funny now I think of it, I remember the shy, infinitely creative boy with the tawny hair and green eyes, and me, oozing self confidence and being far too book smart for my own good.

We were eleven when we first saw him... This Slenderman... It was on Halloween, my parents are gravely against it but, well, Autumn decided to look out for me. He successfully got me to change into a fairy costume, jumping out of my bedroom window and we were off. Exploring the suburbs with candy galore. I remember his face as he told me. "Come on Summer, they'll never know..."

We were walking down another street when we saw it. Or rather him. He was tall, taller than I had ever seen, his limbs were out of proportion with his body and wearing a suit that fitted him. He had no face.

It was a beautiful costume. I walked toward him, looking up. I smiled at him, told him that his costume was scary.

He said nothing. He just turned and walked away. He smelled odd, like... I don't know. Like old people, like pipe smoke the kind my Uncle smoked.

Autumn came after me, a little confused. "Who was he?"

I smirked at him. "A stranger."

"You shouldn't talk to strangers Summer, it's bad." He frowned at me, matter of factly.

Of course I knew he was right. But I was an obnoxious ten year old.

When we got back, my parents grounded me for two weeks, they forbade us from seeing each other.

As you can tell, that worked out incredibly well for us.

Summer