THE EMPTY PLAYGROUND

FILE SUMMARY

RF-001 concerns an abandoned playground located several miles outside █████. The site appears
normal during daylight hours but has been linked to repeated reports of children playing after dark despite
the area having remained vacant for decades.
Photographs recovered from the site contain recurring anomalies, including the repeated appearance of an
unidentified child whose face cannot be clearly observed.
RF-001 is considered the Archive's first confirmed investigation involving a Depth-classified location

DESCRIPTION

The Empty Playground was discovered following reports from local residents who claimed to hear children
laughing in the woods at night.
The reports were initially dismissed.
The nearest residential development was more than three miles away, and county records indicated the
playground had been abandoned since the late 1970s after the closure of a nearby community center.
The first Archive survey team arrived shortly before sunset.
Investigators found a small playground consisting of a swing set, slide, merry-go-round, and several
benches in varying states of decay.
Nothing unusual was observed during the initial inspection.
The atmosphere changed after dark.
At approximately 8:43 PM, multiple team members reported hearing distant laughter coming from the tree
line.
The sounds continued intermittently for nearly forty minutes.
No source was identified.
Motion-sensitive cameras later recorded movement throughout the site despite no individuals being
present.
Several recordings captured swings moving independently during periods of complete calm.
No mechanical explanation has been identified.

INVESTIGATION RECORD

Witness Statement

Interview Subject: Local Resident
Date: 03/29/2014
The following statement was collected before Archive involvement.

“I used to play there when I was little.”

“At least I think I did.”

“I remember the swings.”

“I remember the trees.”

“But every time I try to remember who I was with, there’s just… nothing.”

“Then one night I heard kids laughing out there.”

“I went to look.”

“There was a little boy standing beside the swings.”

“I couldn’t see his face.”

“The strange thing is…”

“I felt like I knew him.”

Research Notes

Analysis of photographs recovered from the site revealed a recurring anomaly.

In seventeen separate images taken across four visits, an unidentified child appears somewhere within the
frame.

The child’s position changes between photographs.

Attempts to enhance the images have failed.

Facial features remain obscured regardless of image quality.

Investigators reviewing the photographs frequently report a sensation that the child should be
recognizable.

No explanation has been found.