 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 eight 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. The Falc Monster The following story is based on events that took place in Falc, Arkansas in early May of 1971. Some of the details have been slightly altered for storytelling purposes. Elizabeth Ford lay on the couch asleep. The window beside her opened only a couple of inches to allow the cool night air to flow through her home. During the day, the mugginess of living in the swampy area known as Boggy Creek took its toll on the house, and nighttime was the perfect opportunity to let the cooler air in and relieve the house of its humidity. Normally, though, she'd have the windows all open, and not just one cracked open a couple of inches. However, things hadn't been normal in Boggy Creek lately. Something was out there. Something large was stalking the swamp. She and her husband, Bobby, had heard it a week earlier, and then again only a couple of nights ago. It made harsh, grunting noises as it lurked around their home at nighttime. It took heavy footsteps, leaving large, three-toed imprints in the mud. Elizabeth was convinced it was a bear until she saw the footprints herself. Bears don't leave tracks like this, she thought, when she and Bobby investigated their property a couple of mornings earlier. Bears don't have only three toes. Nothing in the area had only three toes. But on this night, with the growing anxiety of it returning to their property at any time, Elizabeth and Bobby remained vigilant. They'd sleep in shifts in case the mysterious creature returned. Elizabeth was asleep on the couch, letting the cool air from the window blow in on her. In the next room, Bobby sat at the kitchen table with his brother Don playing cards by candlelight, each of them with a hunting rifle at their sides. They played their game in silence, both wary of what lurked out in Boggy Creek. Only the soft, musical chorus of crickets and bullfrogs played throughout the house, amplified by the open window in the next room. As Elizabeth restlessly slept, her nose caught a hint of something foul, a skunk? No, trash maybe. She sniffed and the odor became instantly more wretched. She opened her eyes and sat up, smelling the pungent odor as if it were right next to her. She turned and faced the open window. Two red eyes burning like hot coals stared in through the blackness behind them with a loud harsh grunt. A massive hairy arm crashed through the screen and glass of the window, grabbing at her. Elizabeth screamed, trying to scramble off the couch, but it was too late. The creature wrapped its hand around the back of her neck and pulled her toward the window, its grip tightening the more she struggled. Elizabeth kicked and screamed until she saw Bobby and Don race into the room with their guns drawn. Bobby rushed to his wife and tried to pry the creature's hand off her neck. Don ran to the window and pointed the barrel of his rifle out through the ripped screen. He pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through Boggy Creek. He fired again, this time startling the creature enough where it loosened its grip. Bobby was able to pull Elizabeth away and have her hide in the living room before returning to the window. Where is it? Bobby shouted to his brother. It's running away. Don said with a smirk, we scared it. Bobby looked out the window, trying to pierce his gaze through the thickness of night, but all he could hear were the creature's heavy footsteps and trees rustling. That's not good enough, Bobby said to his brother. Come on, we have to kill that thing. After making sure Elizabeth was safe in the living room, Bobby and Don left their small swamp house, rifles and flashlights in hand. They ran around to the side of the house where the creature had fled. Look, Don said, aiming his light on the ground. There were fresh footprints in the mud, retoed and larger than any man's. Bobby trained his flashlight ahead on the tree line. The leaves on the trees were just settling from a disturbance. Come on, he said again. The brothers rushed the tree line and entered the woods. Their lights bounced around from tree to tree, bush to bush. They scoured the area, coming up empty at first, but then something caught Don's eye. There, he shouted. Bobby saw it next. The large, hairy creature crouched down. If they didn't know better, it would have easily been mistaken for a heaping pile of dead leaves or brush. Bobby and Don both aimed their rifles, but were stopped by an icy chill that ran through their bodies when they heard Elizabeth screaming bloody murder back at the house. Go get her! Don shouted. Bobby didn't hesitate. He turned and ran back through the woods, yelling out to his wife that he was coming. Don stayed behind and fired his weapon at the creature. Bobby broke through the tree line and rounded the corner of his house where he saw the front door to the house broken in, hanging by its damaged hinges. The chilling sounds of his wife screaming inside frightened him into hurrying even faster. He ran into the home and was met by a sight of pure terror. There were two creatures inside, trapping Elizabeth in the corner of the room. They were large, over seven or eight feet tall, covered in long, black, matted hair. Both of them turned and faced Bobby upon his entry. In the candlelight, he saw their glistening teeth showing. Their eyes were red hot and they expelled a nauseating odor that immediately twisted Bobby's stomach into knots. He aimed his rifle and fired, hitting one of the creatures. It roared in pain and then scurried away into the next room. The second creature charged Bobby, growling angrily. It all happened so fast. Before Bobby could fire another shot, the creature slashed its claws at him, cutting his face and shoulder. Bobby hit the ground, rolled over quickly and then fired a second shot, but missed. Elizabeth, run! Bobby screamed. Elizabeth stood to her feet and ran out the front door. The creature briskly followed her. Bobby stood up and fired two more shots at the beast as it chased his wife. A horrible howl erupted in the night, letting Bobby know his shot had made contact. He ran outside when we saw Elizabeth duck behind their fishing boat. He saw the creature next, retreating into the woods. The second beast from the house came barreling out from around the side and followed his companion. Bobby blindly fired off another couple of shots at the monsters, not sure if he hit them again or not. The scampering sounds of them running off became more and more faint, eventually ceasing to exist. The chaotic mayhem of screams and gunfire was then replaced by the softer, more comforting sounds of crickets and bullfrogs. There was no blood found at the scene. However, scratches on the house were documented and Bobby was treated for his wounds. Over the next few months, sightings of the Falk Monster continued, and in 1972 a pseudo-documentary horror film called The Legend of Bobby Creek was released to theaters and drive-ins. The film, which has since gathered a cult following, as well as countless other documentaries, books and movies, have solidified Belk, Arkansas as one of the most infamous locations in the world for Bigfoot enthusiasts. Thank you for listening to Microtarrers. Join us each Saturday for another scary story. For more fun, visit our website at Microtarrers.com where we will also have spooky games you can print out and play, like Wicked Word Searches, Mysterious Mises and more. Microtarrers.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 Microtarrers. Scary stories for kids. Someone you know who loves all things strange and macabre. If you want to listen to the podcast, you can find it at WeirdDarkness.com.