 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. You 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. Alright ninjas, listen up, hollered master Momo. The ninjas sat on the ground, huffing and sweating after a morning of training. Looks like we've got some weird stuff going on in town. It turns out that there have been multiple reports of toys coming to life and doing strange things. Like what? Asked Benben. Master Momo looked down at his morning notes, like jumping out of windows and scaring kids by suddenly walking around and chasing pet dogs and scurrying around the park at night. And let's be honest, pretty much anything a toy does is creepy and needs to be investigated. Check out the potion shop on the north end of town. Their kids were the first to report weird toys. Tatiana and Benben preferred more information before heading out on a mission, but sometimes the mission was to gather information in the first place. The two ninjas went straight to a potion shop called the Cracked Cauldron. Two grown-ups stood behind a counter checking out customers and three kids were helping restock items. Benben and Tatiana talked to the parents and the kids, but didn't get much new information. You should have seen it, man! One of the younger kids explained, my teddy bear knocked everyone's breakfast off the kitchen table and I tried to catch it and my brothers and sisters were totally freaking out and my dad whacked the teddy bear out the front door with a broom and it just ran off away from town. It was crazy! Uh-huh, said Tatiana. Do you remember where you got the teddy bear? My favorite ice cream is strawberry, said the kid. Yes, okay, but what about the teddy bear? Repeated Tatiana, getting annoyed. Do you remember where you got the teddy bear? Do you have ice cream? Said the kid, completely fixated on ice cream now. An older sibling walked by carrying a tray of jars filled with rare flower petals. He doesn't know, none of us do. It didn't come from a birthday or friend or anything. We couldn't figure it out. The replies were pretty much the same at the homes of other people who had recently experienced toys coming to life. Okay, so what do we know? Benben asked Tatiana, recapping their day of investigation. We know I'm never having kids, said Tatiana sarcastically. They're so annoying. Seriously, said Benben. Okay, seriously, we don't know much more than we did before. Toys have been coming to life, they all run away, and no one remembers where they got them, said Tatiana. The two ninjas sighed. They knew what the next step in the investigation had to be. We're gonna need to do a stakeout, aren't we? Tatiana asked. Benben nodded. I hate stakeouts, he said. The two ninjas then found a good hiding place near Valley Town's downtown area. From their spot, they could see down many streets. They kept an eye out for anything suspicious as the sun went down and everyone went home. Eventually, the streets went quiet. It was kind of serene as the ninjas tried to stay awake and keep an eye out for toys. Finally, they saw two cats streak out of an alley and across the street. A moment later, from out of that alley, walked a filthy doll. That's so creepy, whispered Tatiana. The doll turned its head from one side to another, slowly. Then it broke into a run through Valley Town. Tatiana and Benben followed, making sure to keep their distance. The doll kept going, running down the empty sidewalks of Valley Town. It reached the edge of town and continued walking out through the fields north of town. Does it even know where it's going? Benben thought out loud. What if it's just walking mindlessly until it gets to the coast? Then I'm gonna kick it into the ocean, said Tatiana grumpily. Luckily, the little doll didn't walk all the way to the coast. The ninjas followed the doll into a dense collection of fir trees. The moonlight barely penetrated the thick foliage and the ninjas crept very slowly. Soon, there was light coming from a clearing among the trees. It was the faint glow of windows and a modest little cottage. Did you know this house was here? Benben asked. Tatiana shook her head. Nope, it's pretty well hidden here among these trees. Do you see the doll? Benben shook her head. Nope, but I think we know where it went. Silently, slowly, Benben and Tatiana crept up to the cottage to get a better look. Tune in next week for Episode 2. Thank you for listening to Microtarrows. Join us each Saturday for another scary story. For more fun, visit our website at Microtarrows.com where we will also have spooky games you can print out and play, like wicked word searches, mysterious mazes, and more. Microtarrows.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 Microtarrows Scary Stories for Kids. Thank you for watching.