 Welcome to Microtarrers. Scary stories for kids. It's the Halloween season. Time for chills. Thrills and spine-tingling spooks. Microtarrers 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. For rental consent, he is recommended. Now for tonight's Microtarrer. One Piece of Candy. Dead leaves continuously falling from the trees, a cool breeze stinging his face in the smell of a burning fire from somewhere nearby. These were the staples of Halloween as far as Brandon was concerned. He slipped his mask down over his face, a creepy werewolf this year, and walked the cracked sidewalks of his neighborhood. Daylight was fading fast, and a flood of trick-or-treaters began to rule the streets. Before the quest for Candy could start, however, Brandon needed his right-hand man at his side. He would be dressed as a pirate this year, an eye patch and hook hand would hopefully complete the look. And when the pirate opened his front door, Brandon wasn't disappointed. Captain Dead Bones at your service, Blood Wolf, the boy addressed Brandon. He was wearing the expected garb, a red and white striped shirt, baggy black pants, a hook hand eye patch, and a red bandana on his head. Matt, you look awesome! Brandon exclaimed. Matt put his hand up to stop Brandon from speaking any further. Tonight, I am Captain Dead Bones, and you are Blood Wolf. Matt and Brandon don't exist on this spooky Halloween night. Brandon, uh, Blood Wolf, smiled. He could definitely get on board with that. They would be feared throughout the neighborhood. Dead Bones held up his black bag, appropriately printed with a skull and crossbones, and announced, Let's go! We shall inherit all the Candy! Captain Dead Bones and Blood Wolf vanished into the sea of trick-or-treaters, going door to door, filling their bags so full that they threatened to burst at the seams. As the next hour passed, the night grew darker. The air became colder, and the amount of trick-or-treaters dwindled to just a few lonely stragglers. The jack-o-lanterns that glowed vividly on porches faded in their radiance. Some burned out completely, leaving only thin plumes of smoke to swirl out from their eyes and mouths. In a dead oak tree, an owl hooded hauntingly, as Captain Dead Bones and Blood Wolf walked by. Their candy bags were heavy in their hands, but they had one last house to tackle. It was one they had heard whispers about during the course of their evening. It was an old house that sat in complete darkness, but offered a large, unguarded cauldron of candy on the porch steps. Neighborhood legend told of an old woman who lived there. During the year, she was known as the old lady who paid kids to mow her lawn and shovel her sidewalk. But on Halloween night, she was always referred to as the creepy old witch who watched the children from within her darkened home, carefully picking out which ones she wanted to eat. None of that's true, Blood Wolf said as he discussed the witch with Dead Bones. I raked her yard last weekend. She gave me five bucks. It's all true, Wolf. Of course, she acts normal the rest of the year. She has to hide the fact that she's an evil old witch. Doesn't she have grandkids that go to our school? They're zombies. Blood Wolf just stared at his friend. He wasn't sure if Dead Bones was digging further into the lore of the witch, but he was just too deep in character. Surely she wasn't actually a witch. They weren't real. The boys finally approached the house. It was on the outskirts of the neighborhood, tucked away behind a row of dead, skeletal-like trees. Blood Wolf swallowed hard. Whether the legend was real or not, this place gave him the creeps. The house was dark, not a single light was on inside. It was tall, made out of old, dark wood. Its shape seemed to bend and contort from where it buckled over time and stone gargoyles protected the rooftop, perched in numerous spots, staring down at whoever entered the property. At the top of the stone stairwell was a large, black cauldron that sat in front of the door. Captain Dead Bones and Blood Wolf now stood before it. It was brimming with candies, all wrapped in shiny coverings. Some were green, some were purple, but the majority of them were silver and orange. Next to the cauldron was a handwritten note propped up on a small table. It said, one piece only. Blood Wolf was the first to take a piece, a shiny orange one. He put it in his bag. Captain Dead Bones then reached in and grabbed a handful of the candies. What are you doing? Blood Wolf asked. It says to only take one. Dead Bones shrugged. He was around. She really wanted kids to take one piece. She'd be out here guarding it. Plus, it's the end of the night. There's barely anyone else out here. I know, but how will Captain Dead Bones and Blood Wolf be feared throughout the land if we're only taking one piece of candy? Trust me. Dead Bones shoveled an extra hand full into his bag and then stepped away for Blood Wolf to take his share of the loot. Blood Wolf hesitated for a moment, looked up at the house specifically at the windows. He remembered the whispers about the old witch watching the children from inside, picking out which ones she wanted to eat. Were children just candy to her? He didn't see anyone in the windows. The house was completely dark. Blood Wolf caved under the pressure and grabbed a couple of handfuls of candy, forcing them into his already full bag. Let's go! Blood Wolf whispered, sprinting away and down the stone stairs. Dead Bones followed him with an ornary laugh and the two of them walked back into the neighborhood. As they walked on the cracked sidewalk, it became clear to them that there was absolutely no one else out anymore. The streets were dead quiet, completely bare, and the lights from the street lamps flickered with a soft buzzing noise. Nerves set in as they picked up their pace. Just then an icy breeze blew against them, stopping them in their tracks. The cackle of a frail old woman erupted behind them. Dead Bones and Blood Wolf turned around slowly to see the outline of a shadowy figure standing on the sidewalk. They stared at it, both of them afraid, waiting for the figure to move. But it didn't. It just stood there, hunched over with its stringy hair fluttering in the cold breeze. You forgot one. The figure whispered. The closest street lamp flickered to life, shining its light down on the figure. It was a small old woman. Her face was mostly covered by her hair and she wore a dark-colored nightgown that fluttered against her body in the breeze. She held out both of her hands and opened her fists. Laying on each palm was a piece of candy wrapped in a shiny red wrapper. The boys didn't say anything. They just stood there, staring at her. You took a lot of my candy, she said. What's one more? Are you going to eat us? Blood Wolf asked with a nervous gulp. The woman cackled again. Now why would I do that? Because you eat kids! Dead Bones added. The woman laughed. I don't eat kids. An eerie silence between them followed. Only the strained sound of the wind could be heard. She walked closer to them. Captain Dead Bones and Blood Wolf grabbed each other's hands. They were scared. They didn't know what the woman wanted. She saw them start to cower and stopped walking. But she was within arms reach now. She spurred, showing off her rotting teeth. She held her hands out further, offering up the red, wrapped candies again. Please, she said. I insist. Make an old woman very happy tonight if you take these. The boys were now shaking, afraid of being eaten by the old woman, the old witch. They both quickly snatched the candies from her hands. She smiled again, drawing back her arms and resting them by her sides. Good, she whispered. Enjoy those little treats, boys. Her smile vanished, and then a cold wind blew in, swirling leaves around them, branches of the trees. Dead Bones and Blood Wolf looked behind them, where a particularly large branch bent to the point of nearly snapping off. When the boys turned back around, the old woman was gone. In her place was nothing but a few spinning, orange leaves. Later that night, after the eerie experience with the old woman, the boys returned to their own homes. Blood Wolf, uh, Brandon, ate a few selected pieces of candy from his bag, knowing he didn't want to wake up sick in the morning, he decided that one more piece wouldn't hurt. He scoured through the mound of candy on his kitchen table, and his eyes were caught by the shimmering, red wrapping of the last piece of candy he received. The one from the old woman, the witch. A witch, Brandon laughed to himself, nonsense. I ranked her yard last week. I used the five dollars she gave me to buy a used video game. Brandon unwrapped the candy and looked at the small chocolate truffle inside. It looked fresh, like it was made that very day. Extra chocolate was drizzled around the ball of chocolate, making it look like a fancy Christmas ornament. He sniffed it. It smelled fine. He took a bite. The chocolate seemed to melt in his mouth. It was so creamy and rich, the best piece of chocolate he had ever tasted. Brandon tossed the rest of it in his mouth, picked it up, swallowed it, and chased it with a swig of cold milk. Hopefully, Matt doesn't want his, Brandon said, wondering if Matt was too spooked to eat it. By midnight, Brandon was asleep in his bed. Daylight creeped through his bedroom window the next morning. He heard the birds chirping outside. Brandon's eyes fluttered open and immediately something felt weird. There were hairs poking his eyes. He winced and raised his hands to his face as to rub out what he assumed was a random eyelash. All he felt, though, was hair. Fur. He squinted, wondering what he had slept on. As he crawled out of bed, his toenails dug into the carpet. He looked down. His legs and feet were covered in fur. His toenails were claws. I'm dreaming, Brandon thought. He rushed to the mirror, hanging on the back of his door and was instantly stunned by what he saw. Head to toe, he was covered in fur. His face protruded into a canine-like snout. His eyes were swirls of yellow and red. He screamed, but only the howl of a wolf came out. Across town, Matt was waking up to a similarly horrible sight. He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was dirty, dark, pokey stubble on his face. The eye patch he wore for trick-or-treat was on again. He lifted the patch with one hand, seeing a gaping hole where his eye should have been. He lifted his other hand to his mouth to stop himself from screaming, but was met with the cold steel of a hook. The black base of the hook was surgically attached to his skin. He had become Captain Dead Bones. At the edge of the neighborhood, the creaky old house sat in front of a sea of dark woods. Inside the house, the old woman rocked back and forth in her rocking chair, staying warm by the fire. A purring black cat sat on her lap. She looked up at the clock, ticking loudly in the otherwise silent room. She smiled, exposing her rotting teeth. They should be waking up now, she said to the cat, never again to take more than one piece of candy. For more fun, we also have Halloween-themed games that you can print out and play, like a wicked word search, a mysterious maze and more. We've placed links to these free printouts in this episode's description, along with a link to our Facebook page and information about our author, Scott Donnelly, who has other horrors for both young and old. I hope you'll join us again soon for Microtarrows. Scary stories for kids.