 Welcome to Microterrorz. Scary stories for kids. Where it's always the spooky season. Full of chills. Thrills. And spine-tingling spooks. Microterrorz are family-friendly frights for those ages 8 and up. And while our stories are for younger years, we are still talking about things that go bump in the night. And some children may not be able to handle what others can. Parental consent is recommended. Now, for tonight's Microterrorz. Two will air right here on Microterrorz. To conclude the story, please head on over and subscribe to Kid Stories Podcast, where you'll be able to hear episodes 3 and 4 when they air. You can find the Kid Stories podcast by visiting kidstoriespodcast.com. We've also placed a link to their website in the episode notes. The Toy Maker, episode 2, written by Phil Bechtel of the Kids Stories Podcast, presented by Microterrorz Scary Stories for Kids and the Kids Stories Podcast. Ben Ben and Tatiana crept closer to the cottage in the woods. They were both surprised that they had never noticed this place before, but it was well hidden among this dense collection of trees. There was a creepy silence here, interrupted only by the occasional rustle of leaves or distant hoot of an owl. The two had chased a dirty old doll to this cottage, and they had no idea what could be inside. Approaching the little house, they moved with the stealth of seasoned ninjas, their senses heightened, and their minds alerted. The cottage was clearly old and dingy, but not completely rundown. It was clear that someone, or some thing, was living there. They snuck up to a window where a pale light was shining out. Inside, an old man hunched over a workbench working on something. His back was to the window, obscuring his face from the young ninjas, but the presence of an ominous black book beside him caught their eye. This black book was open, and they noticed it had black pages, and the words were gently glowing white. The ninjas watched as the old man reached out to turn a page. His fingertips were all stained black. A sinister black smoke wafted up from the pages, twisting into the air. The scene sent a shiver down Ben Ben's spine. That book looks evil, he whispered to Tatiana. Suddenly the old man shifted, revealing a toy robot moving all on its own. The little robot looked down to its hands as if seeing and moving them for the first time. The little robot lifted its legs and walked in a tight circle. The ninjas clearly saw thin lines of black smoke trailing from the evil book to the robot. So do we go for the book first, or the old man? Asked Tatiana. I don't know. Ben Ben whispered back. I don't know how to defeat an evil book. We need to capture them both. Maybe Old Witch Tubes will know what to do with the book. Old Witch Tubes often helped the ninjas in the ways of magic. She lived nearby, and if the ninjas could get the book tour, she would know how to handle it. Ben Ben and Tatiana leaned back from the window and turned to creep into the cottage, prepared to capture the old man and leave with the book. But as they turned their attention away from the window, they realized they were not alone. Before they could creep into the front door, a soft creaking sound made them freeze, turning slowly. They found themselves surrounded by a group of animated toys, dolls with blank stares, toy soldiers with little weapons, teddy bears and other stuffed animals. So, any chance these are fun, happy toys? Just looking for someone to play with them? Joked Ben Ben nervously. I'm guessing these are more the evil toys possessed by demons looking for someone to destroy kind of thing? Answered Tatiana as the standoff continued. A few long seconds ticked away, and as the ninjas leaned to step toward the front door, the toys attacked. All at once they leaped for the ninjas. Three identical dolls with matching dresses jumped up at Ben Ben, and he sliced through them with one tight swing of his katana. A gang of stuffed animals rushed Tatiana. She kicked a few of them off into the trees, and they kept coming. She threw stuffies off her body and threw them out into the woods. Ben Ben felt tickling near his ankles and discovered little toy soldiers trying to climb up his legs and attacking with their little wooden swords and spears, their sharpened tips digging into his skin. Ben Ben and Tatiana would never have assumed that fighting toys would be so difficult, but there were so many of them. The ninjas realized that they were going to have to completely destroy these toys. They seemed to feel no pain. So the ninjas fought off the attackers with their swords, slicing the toys into pieces or stomping them into the ground. Finally, sweating through their clothes and covered in scratches, they finished off the toys and leaned against the outside wall of the house. Well, the old man sure knows we're here now, said Ben Ben. Probably no need to sneak. They slowly stepped into the little cottage, ready for anything. After snooping through the old man's little house, Ben Ben and Tatiana ended up in front of a big hole carved right out of the ground in one of the rooms. Stairs were carved into the earth down in this hole, and it led somewhere underground. They could see the faint flickering glow of torchlight coming up from the man-made tunnel. Oh my gosh, this guy dug an underground tunnel in his house, said Tatiana. This must have taken years. Yeah, there's probably like something super evil down there, right? asked Ben Ben. So what are we going to do? asked Ben Ben. We're going to go punch it in the face, said Tatiana. Ben Ben sighed, hoping there wasn't another army of toys down there. Thank you for listening to Microterrorz. Join us each Saturday for another scary story. For more fun, visit our website at microterrorz.com, where we will also have spooky games you can print out and play, like wicked word searches, mysterious mazes and more. Microterrorz.com is also where you can find us on your favorite social media, and even send in your own scary story for us to tell. Plus, you'll learn more about our author, Scott Donnelly, who has other horrors for both young and old. I hope you'll join me again soon for Microterrorz, scary stories for kids.