Compilation Of Horror Stories

14: The Dripping Man

When I was very little, I met my very best friend.

I was quite the fearless little child, so I wasn’t afraid of him. Though, I do think most little kids might’ve been. But, I was a boy, and by my logic that meant I wasn’t supposed to be scared of anything. Even if I was little, I was still a boy.

I met him when I was five. I was at a park with my twin sister, Abby. I had just made my way down the slide. That was one of my favorite things. Feeling the wind in my face, the thrill of the fall, even if it were just a gradual slope that lasted two seconds at the very most. I popped right back up after getting to the end and whirled around to run right back to the ladder that would again lead me to my second long thrill.

That was when I saw him. He lingered in the shade of a tree at the edge of the park, peeking out behind the trunk. Everything my mother had told me about not talking to strangers flew out the window as I turned to look at him.

“Hi! My name’s Tyler. I’m five whole years old, and I can count to fifteen all on my own!” I cheered, giving a typical five year old’s greeting. Something about being little, you just want to be the biggest show off you can.

He was very quiet. He didn’t say a word in response to me, which to me at the time was pretty rude. Maybe he was just shy. Yes, that must’ve been it. I looked to the slide and then back to him. He was still there. In fact, he seemed to have come out a little more. I could see most of him now, when before I’d only seen his head and his shoulder.

“Do you want a turn?” I asked calmly.

He didn’t say anything, but he did respond with a very slight shake of his head.

“No, huh? Well that’s your loss, I guess.” I considered turning back to the slide, but that’s when I got a great idea.

I would ask this fellow to be my friend! Yes yes! That’s just what I’d do. I didn’t quite know why I wanted this man to be my friend, or why I felt so drawn to him. Maybe it was that his skin, slimy looking from what I could see, was pitch black. Maybe it was that where his face should have been was just a smooth surface. No dips for eyes, not a bump for a nose. A blank template, is what I could best describe it as. As for the rest of him, he didn’t seem to be clothed. He didn’t seem to have any genitalia, but I knew he couldn’t be a girl. He didn’t have those bumps on his chest that my mom and all other mom’s seemed to have. And his skin, just like that on his face was smooth and slimy.

“Weeelll.” I lingered on that word. “Do you wanna be my friend?”

He seemed excited by my question. He stepped out from behind the tree. He was nodding vigorously.

Looking back on it, I’m fairly sure other kids would’ve either cried, or have pissed themselves. Most probably would’ve done both. But I didn’t. I felt quite the opposite of either of those things. I just knew me and this man would be very good friends.

My sister and I had always been very, very close, so logically I was thrilled to introduce the two.

I beckoned my new friend to follow me with a wave of my hand, and I turned to run across the park to the swings, my sister’s favorite spot. When I got there, though slightly out of breath, I spoke quickly. “Abby! Abby! I want you to meet my new friend!”

Abby looked up to me. “Where is he?”

“Right here!” I exclaimed happily, turning around to face my friend. It was then I discovered he wasn’t behind me like he should’ve been. She giggled. “We’re gonna be in first grade soon, Tyler. You should know imaginary friends are for babies.”

I furrowed my brow. My friend certainly wasn’t imaginary. But where could he have gone?

Ah. There he was. Back behind his tree. His head poking out had given him away to me. He must’ve some how seen I was looking at him, as he raised one hand, shiny with slime, and waved at me.