The Playground

Charles Underhill is a widower raising his very young son with help from his sister. He becomes obsessed with the local playground and with the violence, cruelty, and humiliation he believes children face there.

When his sister urges him to let the boy play and learn to handle life, Charles resists. His fear is tied not only to his own painful memories of childhood but also to his overwhelming need to protect the last thing he loves.

As he confronts the playground's strange overseer and makes a desperate decision, the story shifts into supernatural horror. The ending turns the question of protection into a disturbing bargain with a terrible cost.