 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. Manics the Mutant Leprechaun by Scott Donnelly. In the green forest that surrounded a little Irish town known as Dulensale, there lived a small group of mischievous but friendly leprechauns. These leprechauns were known for their love of pranks and their ability to impress the locals with magic once thought to exist only in fairy tales. Children from all around Dulensale adored the leprechauns and were always eagerly awaiting their next bout of playful surprises and tricks. One spring evening as the sun sank over the North Atlantic and the fireflies began their nighttime flitters, a group of Dulensale's children gathered near the edge of the green forest on the outskirts of town. They were determined to catch a glimpse of the mischievous leprechauns in action. St. Patrick's Day was only a day away and rumors were swirling that the leprechauns were planning one of their biggest pranks yet. That intrigued the children and they wanted to get a first-hand look at what the mischievous little beings were up to. The children all quietly tiptoed through the green forest only using the glow of the fireflies as their source of direction. They kept their eyes wide and their attention primed. They didn't want to scare the leprechauns or give away their own mischievous slinking. If they were caught, the leprechauns might get spooked and refuse to unleash their most epic prank yet. Suddenly, the children found themselves entering a hidden glen. It was unlike anything they had ever seen in real life. Once again, something they'd only seen or read about in fairy tales or mythology. The glen was bathed in a green, ethereal glow and the air was thick with a sense of enchantment and magic. Old Irish music was playing from somewhere nearby and along with it, jolly singing and banter from the leprechauns. They're here, one of the children whispered to the group, a large smile on his face. But just as quickly as they had discovered the hidden glen, the music, the singing, the banter and laughter from the leprechauns, it all went away. The forest went silent, not a hoot from an owl or a chirp from a cricket. Then, silhouetted by the green glow of the glen, the children watched as the leprechauns dashed and darted through the trees. A few of them hopped out of the shadows and presented themselves to the children. Mischievous glints in their eyes and dressed to the nines in their green suede suits and shimmering top hats. Follow us, one of the leprechauns said in a small, high-pitched voice. Feeling as if the leprechauns were inviting them to see or perhaps even join them in the planning of their epic St. Patrick's Day prank, the children all followed. Through the green forest, the leprechauns led the children deeper, their tiny feet barely making a sound on the soft, moss-covered ground. However, the deeper they ventured, the green forest took on a more unsettling identity. The trees appeared taller and more daunting. They loomed and arched over the children, casting eerie shadows across the forest floor. The air felt thinner, colder. The children shivered, but even though their hearts were pounding a little faster, they still trusted the leprechauns that had always brought so much joy and spirit to Doolin's sale. The children continued to follow their tiny leaders. Finally, they reached a clearing, another enchanting glen where a flickering bonfire in its center illuminated the night sky. The leprechauns instructed the children to remain at the tree line and then proceeded to all form a circle around the fire. Their tiny forms silhouetted against the wild, high-reaching flames. One of the leprechauns, a plump little man with a red beard who the children had come to know as Bitty Fergus, turned and faced the children as the rest of them began to hum soft, haunting notes. Bitty Fergus began to tell a tale that sent chills down the children's spines. Long ago, Bitty began, in the old times of the leprechauns, our kind were not always as friendly as we are today. Long ago, in those old times, a particularly mischievous leprechaun named Manix had stolen a powerful magical artifact from East Cobbshire, which is now known as Doolin's sale. It was said that anyone who possessed the artifact would gain unbelievable powers, but they would come at a great cost. Manix would forever have to roam the Green Forest as a mutant leprechaun. The children listened with baited breath. Their eyes as wide as saucers, their hearts pounding in rhythm to the haunting hums of the leprechauns. Bitty continued the story. Once every century, us leprechauns have a truce to fulfill. We must feed Manix. In return, he allows us to remain in the Green Forest. He allows us to fraternize with the Doolin's sale locals. He allows us to be free. But as you know, everything comes at a cost. The children all gulped. Tonight, Bitty said, we shall honor our truce with Manix. Tonight, Manix shall dine on you. Suddenly, surging out from the trees behind the children, a leprechaun with a horribly deformed face appeared. He leaped over the children, landing in front of them, and then, spinning around to face them all, he crouched slightly. His arms extended out to either side of him and growled, Feed me! The children all screamed and tried to frantically flee from the glen. But they stumbled and tripped, bumped into one another, and it lost all sense of direction. Even if they ran back into the woods, they would have no way of knowing how to get home. But then, their screams were interrupted. Not by the hungry growls of Manix the mutant leprechaun, but by the laughter of all the leprechauns. The children all stopped screaming and, wherever they were, turned to face the little men. Manix was doubled over, laughing uncontrollably. He pulled off his face, which turned out to be a mask and tossed it to the ground. Bitty, catching his breath from a hearty belly laugh, approached the children. Oh, wow! You Dulin salians never cease to amaze me! You fall for everything! When he was finally able to speak without crying tears of laughter, Bitty continued, So what do you all think? We're planning to unleash the legend of Manix the mutant leprechaun upon Dulin's sale for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow. Think we can prank the entire town? The children rejoiced. They were relieved and thankful that the leprechauns had not turned dark on them. It had all been just a prelude to a prank. And if it went over half as well on St. Patrick's Day as it had in their Green Forest dress rehearsal, then the children of Dulin's sale had no doubts that this would be the leprechauns' most successful prank yet. Thank you for listening to Microtarrers. Join us each Saturday for another scary story. For more fun, visit our website at www.microtarrers.com where we will also have spooky games you can print out and play, like wicked word searches, mysterious mazes, and more. www.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. Also with someone you know who loves all things strange and macabre. If you want to listen to the podcast, you can find it at www.weirddarkness.com.