 This is a special Listener Terrors episode. The stories sent in by you are like the terror listeners. Send in your own story at Microterrors.com. Welcome to Microterrors. Scary stories for kids. Where it's always the spooky season. Full of chills. Thrills. And spine-tingling spooks. Microterrors 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 Microterror. Glitches by Ella Peterson, age 9. January was cold, as usual. But as usual too, fortunately all the snow was gone. So that meant that Samuel Croft could go play. The remains of last night's soft rain were disappearing. Like Sam's disappointment that he couldn't go to his big sister, Ruth's birthday party. She was 18, and she was going to a bar. Leaves lay scattered on the ground, and as Sam swayed down the sidewalk, rushing leaves out of the way with his stained muddy sneakers, he realized he did not have a care in the world. Once crossing the street to the park, Sam surveyed the park like a battlefield. In front of him, the big park including the monkey bars and three big slides. To his side, the dangerously close basketball pavement area. To his other side, the huge hill they called Mount Teske. No one knew why. Popping onto the swing set to his left, Sam started to pump when a familiar voice called behind him. T-T-T-Sam! Whipping around with a smile on his face, Sam beckoned for his friend Emily Palmer, a thin, unhealthily pale girl with dark, almost black, brown hair swishing down around her like a long curtain, concealing her kind, green eyes. Emily was born with Delcinehausen disorder, which caused difficulty in breathing and caused her to stumble with words, and as her family called it, glitch. Running up to Sam, Emily smiled and asked politely, What are you doing here? Playing, answered Sam happily. Wanna play tag? L-l-l-l-l-last one onto the top of the... Playground is it! cried Emily, racing to the top of the playground. Sam let her win. Over the next hour, they played and played and played until their limbs hurt and ate from the cold. Sitting down on the benches, Emily and Sam gasped for air as they laughed about the game. I-I-I was too-too-too fast for you, Emily giggled. No, I was too fast for you, Sam laughed. Hey Sam, Emily! A voice called suddenly. It was Harrison and Holly, the two twins that were always with their friend Natalie, a boy who was always the most popular kid in everything, even though he had a girl's name. The three were Emily and Sam's best friends. Hey, come join us, Sam yelled. Parking their bikes, Harrison, Holly and Natalie came strutting over. Eh, did you even bother to brush your hair, Emily? Holly scoffed, but she smiled at Emily and Emily glared back, although her mouth looked just about to smile and her eyes twinkled. Together they played a fun game of tag until evening set in. Everyone stopped at the benches and took long slurps of water as they sat down for a break. Hey, did you ever hear about that TikTok sensation about the mythical creature, the sound? It's said to visit this park all the time in January. There have been videos of sightings, but I bet it's just Photoshop, Harrison said with a shutter, although it looked terrifying and what's more, the person who posted it was named Unknown Evergreen and then a week later they posted a video of them hunting it and then the video stopped right as the poster was about to see it. And on the news, it said Lely Evergreen died in a freak accident. Someone or something had killed her right in this park. I don't think we should be here at night or at least not after dark. Oh, Harrison, don't spoil the night. Holly frowned at him while applying yet even more red lipstick, making her lips look like a thousand needles. It just punctured it and blood had stained her lips. She stared at the mirror, twisting it so she could see everyone until she bit her lip. Where's Emily Sam, who was arguing about hockey with Natalie and in the middle of saying, No, if you score on the Oilers, I will kill you stopped and looked around. Emily was nowhere to be seen. The park was deserted. I bet she probably went to go get a drink or the bathroom. Harrison suggested. She lives half an hour away. She would have told us Sam said concerned. Come on, let's go to the top of Mount Chesky and look. Natalie set off followed by Sam and the twins. After the agonizingly long and anxious walk up the steep hill, everyone reached the top and sat down blocking the sun with their hands and scanning the playground trees beyond and everywhere else. Emily was gone. Suddenly Natalie broke the silence. Look, it's Emily. Emily standing right in front of the large moon beginning to rise was silhouetted by the strong white light. Her black form against it was hauntingly alarming and she was clearly agitated. She was twitching all over her arms slapped against her sides and she looked about ready to fall over. Her legs were shaking so hard. Emily, are you okay? Sam called out urgently to her. No response. Suddenly stepping out of the circle of moonlight, Emily disappeared into the darkness. Guys, this is getting scary. Holly whispered in a small frightened voice. It echoed around creepily. Emily, stop. You're scaring us. Harrison cried. He was curled up in a small ball resting against the grass shivering with the cold fear Sam could tell was seeping into everyone. Then a voice echoed around the park. The shadows seemed to move. The veil of darkness shifted. It sounded like Emily though even more glitchy than before and it was as if she had died and then risen again. Her voice was gruff and squeaky. Holly peeped with fear. Suddenly Emily appeared right in front of them. She was deathly pale. It seemed she had risen back from the dead. Her hair was black. Her eyes dark and her form seemed to be shifting in and out of focus. Emily was glitching. Not just her voice, but her body itself. Shrouded with shadows and the faint neon blue and red of her glitching. Emily came closer black as the crows did that peck the boys eyes out. She mumbled coming closer. Her aura even more dark than before and glowing with her glitching effects. Suddenly a close scream echoed through the park. Natalie had fallen to the ground wailing with agony. He twitched on the ground until he went still gasping with horror. Holly turned him over and screamed. His eyes were gone. Now just shadowy sockets on his face starting to sprint Sam Holly and Harrison dashed across the field and down the hill. Holly stumbled and fell. She gasped as a deafening crack sounded. Her ankle was broken red as the ribbons that you you you wearing your hair. Emily whispered hoarsely again. Sam watched in terror as ribbons appeared out of nowhere spinning like a whirlpool and sucked Holly up into them running faster. Now Harrison and Sam ducked into the bushes blood was staying the grass tonight. Suddenly Harrison started to gasp. Harrison Sam whispered starting to scream Harrison fell to the ground and writhed upon the grass one by one thousands of needles burst from him. Harrison shrieked shuttered and finally fell still mouth open Sam started to run. Emily was right behind him swishing past the three dead bodies like a ghost her skirt brushing the now dark dead grass wherever Emily stepped death seemed to penetrate anything within her body's grasp. Suddenly Sam ran into something with an oof groaning in pain Sam realized he had run into a fence bestrewed with sharp edges turning so his back was against the fence he looked frantically around. Emily was nowhere to be seen abruptly though Emily appeared out of nowhere in front of Sam her forehead inches away from Sam's nose. She was smaller and shorter but the way she stared up at Sam made him feel two centimeters tall. Thank you for help helping me live in the human world you sustained into me dear Samuel will but now for the sake of my hunger you must perish so that I can live live on. I will miss our gleeful for friendship but humans have grown too annoying. I have been suffering for so so long. Surrounded by humans there's smell coming off so strong. How I loved the smell of your flesh oh so tasty. That was us us the only thing sustaining in us now good bye bye Samuel. Emily opened her mouth and let out an ear piercing shriek that echoed around the park and revealed the most terrifying thing Sam had ever seen Sam fell to the ground seconds later in horror as the Emily he once knew pulled off her own skin and revealed a monster with crazed eyes as big as dinner plates and black dots for pupils so small they were barely there it's mouth was like a giant hole inside were hundreds of shiny teeth more than two inches long it was like a hunchback with leathery spruce colored skin big bumps along its back and huge abnormally long arms that dragged on the ground seemingly too heavy in large to just lay at the monster's sides its legs were stubbly and barely noticeable with long feet that had blisters and scabs and fingernails that looked to be infected by literally every sickness possible in the world the creature screamed as Sam bearing its teeth again just as the creature was about to devour Sam a light burst between Sam and the creature hey a policeman's voice echoed around the park silencing the creature's howls it bounded away into the night they found Sam writhing on the ground shutters coursing down him making him shake on the ground like a fish out of water his eyes were round and open wide terror taped onto his face two months later Samuel Croft woke up from his coma with a scream and almost injured his mother and father by swatting at them with a terrified gasp after he settled down for hours the doctors tried to get Samuel to talk but he wouldn't let out a peep the doctors diagnosed him with traumatic shock he would never speak again the policeman that came across Samuel found out that there had been three other victims that night but they were never found also another family mysteriously disappeared the day after Samuel was found the Palmer's Angela and Johnson and their daughter Emily banished where they are now is anyone's guess thank you for listening to micro terrors join us each Saturday for another scary story for more fun visit our website at micro terrors dot com where we will also have spooky games you can print out and play like wicked word searches mysterious mazes and more micro terrors dot com is also where you can find us on your favorite social media and even sending 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 from micro terrors scary stories for kids a weirdos be sure to click the like button and subscribe to this channel and click the notification bell so you don't miss future videos I post videos seven days a week and while you're at it spread the darkness by sharing this video with someone you know who loves all things strange and macabre if you want to listen to the podcast you can find it at weird darkness dot com slash listen