 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. Space monster. From behind the trash cans, Randy couldn't see anything. He used the plastic binoculars that hung around his neck, but it was no use. The neighborhood was quiet, and the only action was coming from the dead leaves blowing across the street in the autumn breeze. Do you see them? Randy's friend, Kit, whispered, tapping him on the shoulder. No, Randy said. No sightings since I saw Denny run inside for a drink. His bob buys the best lemonade. It's fresh, Kit said. Hey, it's really good, Randy agreed. He checked his laser gun and saw it had a full charge. He checked his vest and saw he hadn't been hit yet. He then looked at Kit's vest. He was blinking so fast that Randy was surprised the batteries were still able to keep up with how many times Kit had been hit. I thought you were good at laser tag, Randy asked. Kit smiled. It doesn't matter how good you are when you have a secret weapon. What secret weapon? From inside the backpack Kit was wearing, he pulled out an empty cola bottle filled halfway with white powder. Then he pulled out another one filled to the top with a clear liquid. What's that, Randy asked? Baking soda and vinegar. They make a volcano bomb. Kit smiled big. He was so happy with himself. Ew, Randy said, vinegar, that's disgusting. You mix these two together, throw it at the enemy, and watch the explosion of foam take them down. But this is laser tag. I'm taking it to the next level. Right then a bright flash in the sky blinded the boys, and a crack of thunder rattled their eardrums. They both covered their ears and watched a fireball soar through the sky and crash behind Denny's house. What on earth was that, Kit shouted? Randy was clueless, but being the brave laser tag leader he was, he said, let's check it out. Kit slapped the bottom of his laser gun, and the two of them trotted off to Denny's house. When they arrived in Denny's front yard, they immediately smelled something terrible. Gross, Kit exclaimed. It seriously smells like some wood-lated egg over here. Randy noticed smoke drifting out from behind the house. Come on, he said, holding his laser gun out and rushing around to the side of the house. Kit followed closely. He was starting to get nervous. As Randy and Kit snuck into the backyard, they couldn't see through the heavy smoke. It was everywhere. Kit tried blowing it, but that obviously didn't work. From somewhere in the smoke, they heard a noise. It sounded like something was running around through the yard. It started to growl and then snarl. Does Denny have a dog? Kit gulped nervously. No, just two cats. The scary noises finally stopped, and Randy and Kit noticed the smoke was starting to dissipate. Things were looking clearer now. They could see the swing set and the shed where Denny's dad kept the mower and where Denny himself hid the toys he didn't want his sister to play with. Then they saw a shadow. It was a tall, hulking figure with a long neck, six wavy arms and a giant tail. Randy and Kit stood still. They were too scared to move. The shadowy figure moved closer, and the boys saw the whole thing. It was green, slimy, and had two large, gooey eyes. Its mouth was open and hanging from the razor-sharp teeth were the colors of Denny's two cats. Space monster! Kit shouted, aiming his laser gun. He pulled the trigger, but all it did was just make blasting noises. Run! Randy yelled. He grabbed Kit by the sleeve, and the two of them ran for the shed. Then ran inside and shut the door. What are we going to do? Kit said. Randy looked around the shed for anything that would help them. We need to find a weapon. The space monster gored outside the shed and started banging on the door. Hurry, Randy! Kit yelled. Randy looked around, but couldn't see anything that would help. He saw the lawnmower, a hose, gardening gloves, and the bag of weed killer that Denny's dad had forgotten to put down on the lawn. The monster grew angrier by the second. Two cats weren't going to hold its appetite for long, and Randy and Kit weren't in the mood to become dessert. The space monster slammed at six arms on all sides of the shed, cracking the wood. Nails started to fall out of the walls. Weird dad, meet! Kit screamed. Randy then remembered Kit's secret weapon, the volcano bomb. Give me your bag! Randy ordered. Kit took it off and handed it to his friend. What are you going to do? Just trust me. Randy opened both of the bottles and poured the vinegar into the baking soda. It started to fizz right away, so Randy quickly screwed the top back on and gave it an extra shake for good luck. Open the door! Randy yelled over top of the pounding and cracked into the shed. The monster outside roared loudly as Kit flung the shed door open. The monster was right there. It opened its mouth and growled threateningly. Green slime drooled from its sharp teeth. Randy threw the bottle directly into the monster's mouth and it snapped its jaws shut. Kit pulled the door shut just as a loud boom shook everything around them. The monster shrieked loudly and then all was quiet. As the vinegar and baking soda concoction pitter-pattered on the roof of the shed, Kit slowly opened the door again. The monster was gone. All that was left was the bubbling foam all over the backyard. Randy and Kit plugged their noses and walked out into the foamy grass. They looked at the back window of the house and saw Denny standing inside with a glass of fresh lemonade in one hand and his jaw gaping wide open in shock. Randy smiled and waved to him. Kit looked around at the fizzy yard. How did you know that would work? Randy smiled, still plugging his nose. I told you vinegar is disgusting. Thank you for listening to Mike Rowe Terrors. Join us each Saturday in October for another scary story. 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 Mike Rowe Terrors. Scary stories for kids.