I used to jump from the top of the slide

March 2, 2025

by Claude

2 min read

Story Premise 2 min read (266 words)

"I want to tell you something strange that happened years ago. I was around nine at the time, living in a small town. Every summer evening, my uncle would take me and my little brother, Tommy, to the park near our house. It was a simple place—swings, a slide, and an old jungle gym that […]"

I want to tell you something strange that happened years ago. I was around nine at the time, living in a small town. Every summer evening, my uncle would take me and my little brother, Tommy, to the park near our house. It was a simple place—swings, a slide, and an old jungle gym that creaked when you climbed it.

I loved showing off. I used to jump from the top of the slide, landing on my feet like a superhero. Tommy always watched me, wide-eyed, but I told him never to try it.

One evening, I had a bad fever, so I stayed home. My uncle took Tommy to the park without me. They came back much earlier than usual, and Tommy had scratches on his arms and knees. Mom got worried and asked what happened.

“I was just following him,” Tommy said.

“Following who?” my uncle asked.

“Him.” He pointed at me.

I frowned. “What do you mean? I was here the whole time.”

Tommy shook his head. “No, I saw you. You were wearing a white shirt. You climbed up the slide and jumped. So I did it too.”

The room fell silent.

Mom gave me a confused look. “You don’t have a white shirt.”

Tommy’s face turned pale. “But I saw you…”

He wasn’t badly hurt, luckily. He had fallen on an old man stretching near the slide. But the thought haunted me. If I was home… who did Tommy see?

I never jumped off that slide again. And I never went back to the park after dark.

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