diff --git a/lib/buffer.js b/lib/buffer.js
index bab4a12c1ed..2aac14caa73 100644
--- a/lib/buffer.js
+++ b/lib/buffer.js
@@ -83,10 +83,12 @@ function Buffer(subject, encoding) {
   if (this.length < Buffer.poolSize / 2 && this.length > 0) {
     if (this.length > poolSize - poolOffset)
       createPool();
-    this.parent = sliceOnto(allocPool,
-                            this,
-                            poolOffset,
-                            poolOffset + this.length);
+    var parent = sliceOnto(allocPool,
+                           this,
+                           poolOffset,
+                           poolOffset + this.length);
+    if (this.length > 0)
+      this.parent = parent;
     poolOffset += this.length;
   } else {
     alloc(this, this.length);
@@ -373,8 +375,9 @@ Buffer.prototype.slice = function(start, end) {
 
   var buf = new Buffer();
   sliceOnto(this, buf, start, end);
-  buf.parent = this.parent === undefined ? this : this.parent;
   buf.length = end - start;
+  if (buf.length > 0)
+    buf.parent = this.parent === undefined ? this : this.parent;
 
   return buf;
 };
diff --git a/src/smalloc.cc b/src/smalloc.cc
index 4b33c756f93..a48fd7c88a1 100644
--- a/src/smalloc.cc
+++ b/src/smalloc.cc
@@ -124,15 +124,16 @@ void SliceOnto(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   size_t source_len = source->GetIndexedPropertiesExternalArrayDataLength();
   size_t start = args[2]->Uint32Value();
   size_t end = args[3]->Uint32Value();
+  size_t length = end - start;
 
   assert(!dest->HasIndexedPropertiesInExternalArrayData());
-  assert(source_data != NULL);
+  assert(source_data != NULL || length == 0);
   assert(end <= source_len);
   assert(start <= end);
 
   dest->SetIndexedPropertiesToExternalArrayData(source_data + start,
                                                 kExternalUnsignedByteArray,
-                                                end - start);
+                                                length);
   args.GetReturnValue().Set(source);
 }
 
diff --git a/test/simple/test-buffer.js b/test/simple/test-buffer.js
index 40b8e7bebb3..91b38422f51 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-buffer.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-buffer.js
@@ -947,6 +947,13 @@ assert.throws(function() { buf.readInt8(0); }, RangeError);
     assert.equal(buf.slice(-i), s.slice(-i));
     assert.equal(buf.slice(0, -i), s.slice(0, -i));
   }
+  // try to slice a zero length Buffer
+  // see https://github.com/joyent/node/issues/5881
+  SlowBuffer(0).slice(0, 1);
+  // make sure a zero length slice doesn't set the .parent attribute
+  assert.equal(Buffer(5).slice(0,0).parent, undefined);
+  // and make sure a proper slice does have a parent
+  assert.ok(typeof Buffer(5).slice(0, 5).parent === 'object');
 })();
 
 // Make sure byteLength properly checks for base64 padding