Oh, the boy became a ghost and was stuck at the place his dad buried him and he didn't know he was a ghost. He saw his family eat through a window, and no one saw him.
He stays this way for ages(not kidding, the book said so and normal cars became a thing) and saw his family die, his old home becoming a ruin and was always stuck outside in the cold nights and rainy days. He eventually managed to get candy and found it disgusting however it also became the end of his ghost time.