Speaker 1: Welcome to micro Terrors, scary stories for kids where it's
always the spooky season, full of chills, thrills and spine
tingling spooks. Micro Terrors 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 tonights micro Terror.
Speaker 2: Stardust by Fiona Cosgrove. Enzo nibbled the edge of his pencil,
side eyeing Mika as she copied down the sequence of
planets from the Sun. Mister Wong was giving the class
an extended explanation about the former planet Pluto and its
unfortunate demotion back to dwarf planet status. In his exuberance,
he had accidentally knocked the pull down projector screen, and
half of it was now covering the last of the
planets on the board. Mika craned her head left and
right Saturn. Enzo whispered, then Urinus, then Neptune. Thanks. Mika
chewed on a stray piece of her black hair as
she scribbled down the last of the planets. Mister Wong
is so obsessed with space. He is the science teacher,
said Enzo. So teach us about science, puffed Meka. Chemical equations, anatomy,
molecular biology, even not Mika, not to the front, where
mister Wong had moved on to the composition of the
rings around Saturn. Does anyone know what makes up ninety
percent of those wide spanning rings, asked mister Wong. Roberta,
a round girl who was mostly nose and eyeballs, raised
her hand. Mister Wong nodded. Water and ice, said Roberta.
With trace components of rock, Trace components of rock, Mika repeated,
rolling her eyes. How do people know this stuff? Enzo
shuffled in his seat, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth.
You don't think space is even a little bit interesting,
Mika shook her head before Enzo had even finished his question.
It's all the way up there. She waved her hand
in the general direction of the vast infinite galaxy with
as much interest as if she was shooing away a fly.
And who can remember what the planet of Mars would
feel like? Asked mister Wong. Vera, a blondhaired girl who
sat next to Roberta, raised her hand. Yes, verra Vera
gently tucked her blonde hair over her shoulder, then, with
a wistful look in her eyes, said, dusty quiet enormous
in its morphology, but gentle in its stride. Mika rested
her forehead on the table. I hate science, very astute
via one of the planet's closest to Earth, with perhaps
the most potential for terraforming. Vira seemed to flinch at
the suggestion, but before she could say anything, Miss Cisly
entered the room. Sorry to Mado repped, Miss Cisly said,
I was just wondering, mister Wong, if you had any
spare whiteboard markers. Mine seemed to have grown legs and
wandered off and a cad very well teach musical documentation
without well documenting it. Of course, of course, mister Wong
ushered her inside, both of them walking over to his desk.
The rest of the class took the unexpected intrusion as
a sign to drop their pens, leaned back in their seats,
and open their mouths. Pippa, who sat in front of
Enzo and Mika, was one of the first. Pipa towered
over most kids in class. Her limbs gangly and sharp.
She had delicate fingers with unnaturally long extensions, making it
easy for her to reach out and pluck Mika's paper
from her desk Pipa. Enzo hissed, reaching for Mika's notes.
Pippa held the notes higher into the air and easily
out of Enzo's reach and just looking geez, why so sensitive?
Pipa leaned back against her desk and surveyed the list
of planets. Keep it, said Mika, crossing her arms. Not
a fan of the wonders of the universe, are we?
Pippa smirked. Who is, said Mika. I think it's pretty cool,
said Bruno, a smaller kid with messy curls of brown hair.
I'd bed not batas stardust right. Enzo looked at Mika,
her brow ever so slightly inching upward. Star dust, she repeated.
Bruno nodded, I heard it, not a podcast. It's all
around us, every atom of oxygen we breathed carbon, and
our muscles and calcium and our bones. It was all
created inside its star way, before the Earth was even born.
Mika held her hand in front of her as if
trying to see the actual stardust. After a few flexes
and twists of her palm. She shook her head. No way,
that doesn't make sense. It's true, Enzo jumped in. He
pointed to the periodic table hanging on the wall, which
stars explode. They create a bunch of the elements on
that table, including the ones that make up every life
form into universe, each and every one of us. Mika's lips, nose,
and brows scrunched into a ball on her face. What
no way, yeah, said Pippa, tossing Mika's notes back onto
the desk. No way, that's true. Sounds like some interstellar
mumbo jumbo like aliens and UFO's. Pippa's mouth pulled into
a satisfied grin. Mika snickered, Little green men with antenna,
it's slimy fingers. Bruno shrunk back. Enzo's chest tightened. Who
knows what's out there? And Soo said, it's a big,
wide world, and this planet is only a tiny part
of it. We don't even know if there's an end
to this universe. Mika rolled her eyes. Come on, hands,
you think we're being visited by alien life forms?
Speaker 1: Enzo shrugged.
Speaker 2: Would he be so bad? I bet They're probably nice,
just looking for a place to rest or or somewhere
to call home. Mika shook her head, looking up to
the front, where mister Wong was walking miscisily out of
the classroom. Well, they get skip earth. This is all
I'm saying. We're full. We don't need any globby looking
slime balls crawling around here looking for a home of
their own. They had a home, so stay in it.
Pipa snorted, Hey, you telling Mick's Pippa looked at Enzo
as she turned around. Keep on moving slimeballs. That goes
for six foot insectoid creatures too, Mika threw in with
a laugh. I saw that on a reel the other night,
insectoid alien beings. She chuckled. Some more people are so dumb.
Pipa paused me swivel in her seat, and for a
second it looked like she was inching to turn back around,
but mister Wong was already addressing the class.
Speaker 1: All right, everyone, where were we at?
Speaker 2: He tapped his chin with his finger, something about that action,
apparently jogging his memory, because a second later he clicked
his fingers ah Saturn's rings. Enzel watched to make a
scribble down the rest of mister Wong's notes. Enzel left
his paper blank. An oily pitt had settled in his stomach,
and he didn't feel much like taking notes on the
planetary wonders of the world, not even when mister Wong
mentioned Neptune. By some accounts, a harshly cold and unforgivable planet,
said mister Wong. No surfaces, we know it, just storms
of supersonic winds and methane clouds made of ice crystals.
But here is always the diamond rain. Enzel felt something
twist in his gut, diamond rain. In a flash, he
was back there, shimmering sparkles of diamonds, crystallized in swirls
of deep blue clouds, spinning like a gemstorm, refracting turquoise
and purple light into the misty atmosphere. Things were easier
there until they weren't. A blinding bolt of green sliced
through the blue, lighting up the outer layers of the planet,
just like it did when the war first started. The
familiar squeeze of panic took hold of Enzo all over again.
It wasn't like he and his family wanted to move
to Earth, but with the interstellar war raging around them.
The only planet that was safe was the oblivious one.
Things were harsher on Earth, harder, rougher, heavier. There was
no more gliding on diamond soaked breezes, no dipping into
the liquid lip of Neptune's crust. Instead, Enzo was now
forced to walk upright, the oppressive force of gravity, a
constant reminder of how far from home he really was.
All right, everyone, mister Wong called out over the bell.
Remember your homework for this weekend is to look up
at the stars for at least fifteen minutes each night.
See how many satellites pass you by, how many shooting
stars your glimpse, and if you're really lucky, how many
UFOs you might see zip in and out of the horizon.
The class was filled with the sounds of chair legs
scraping the lino floor, pencil cases zipping up, and kids
chatting about weekend plans ends. Mika was clicking her fingers
in front of Enzo's face, what, Enzo blinked? Were you
even listening? Mika had her books and pencil case folded
in her arms, keep saying games tonight at Batti's Pizzeria
who are still on. Enzo forced a smile. Sure, great,
I'll get mom to drop us pick up at five.
Enzo nodded as Mika waved goodbye, weaving her way to
the front of the class and then disappearing into the hallway.
Bruno was putting the last of his pens into his
pencil case when he turned to Enzo. You okay. Enzo
nodded that we could feel the sting of salt water
forming in the tear ducts of this human suit. Bruno sighed,
I get it. That little green men bit didn't feel great.
Bruno ititched a spot in his hairline, and Enzo saw
the bulge of flesh where his antenna was curled underneath.
Does it hit much, Enzo asked. Bruno shook his head.
Dott itty boor it's a relief when I get home, though.
As soon as I stripped my suit off, it's like
I could finally breathe again. Pipa whipped around to face Enzo.
I don't know why you keep trying so hard. They're
never gonna accept us. She fidgeted with her left eye.
Her contact slipped out of place momentarily, and Enzo saw
the yellow of her eyeball and the black slit of
her iris. I was worried you were gonna spear her
in her seat after she mentioned the insectoids, said Bruno.
Pipa grimaced. I was close. She twisted her neck, the
tiny hinges in her suit creaking like vertebra popping across
the room. Vera and robert were giving each other a
once over. Roberta reached up and adjusted Vera's hair, covering
the sliver of purple skin that had been peeking out.
Half the class had already left, swallowed by the wave
of students hurrying off to their weekend plans, but the
remaining were slowly gathering their belongings, each of them quietly
adjusting themselves after a long day confined within their individually
crafted human exteriors. Mister Wong wandered down the classroom towards
Enzo and Bruno. Everything all right back here, kids, bit
of rough wind day, said Bruno, sitting up on his desk,
hugging his bag on his lap. Enzo is working on
Mica again. Mister Wong sighed, Ah, I see. He clasped
his hands together. Enzo could spot the green fluid leaking
from the worn down pores and mister Wong's suit he
was in need of an upgrade. They'll come around, ends,
said mister Wong. We have to remember they're a lot
further behind in their revolution than the rest of us,
which is why this planet is such a perfect refuge.
Perfect Pippos snorted hardly. Mister Wong smiled. Maybe not in
terms of the actual environment, but in terms of safety.
With the war raging in the Milky Way, a primitive
planet like Earth is safe like ants. During the wars
that humans have waged, Earth continues on, unnoticed and undisturbed.
I say we get rid of them all, said Pippa,
hoisting her backpack over her shoulder. Soon enough, there'll be
more of us than them. A rumble of agreement rolled
through the class. We won't be doing any such thing,
said a woman's voice. Misscisely had returned mister Wong's whiteboard
marker in her hand. But they'll never Pippa began, but
Miscisely raised a finger to her own lips, silencing Pippa's complaints.
Missucisely glanced at the open door, then lowered her voice.
Must I remind you that their ignorance is what protects
us their inability to see what is right in front
of them. That's what keeps us safe. Enzo and the
rest of the kids nodded. She was right. Despite Earth
being almost more alien than human, it was still humankind
that kept the alien refugees cloaked from the rest of
the galaxy. Miss Cisely walked over to Enzo, her voice
sinking into a more comforting tone. When the time comes
and it's safe for us to reveal ourselves, they'll be ready.
Just be patient, Enzo. Enzo exhaled the shaky okay, though
nothing about his situation felt okay. And as for the
rest of you, Missus Sizeley eyed Pippa sharply, there will
be no spearing of the human kind? Is that clear?
Dimples popped along Pippa's jawline, but eventually she muttered a
labored fine. The class finished packing up the last of
their items as Missus Sizeley and mister Wong discussed the
status of the interstellar war. Enzo grabbed his bag and
pushed aside the memory of floating diamonds and mists of
cobalt blue. Instead, he focused on pizza, video games, and
the desperate hope that one day Mika might find not
only the wonder in their infinite universe, but also in
all of the stardust filled creatures lucky enough to call
it home. Big news, micro Terrors fans. The first ever
micro Terror's short film, The Dire mor Phantom, inspired by
the twenty twenty three micro Terror's original story Bump in
the Night, is now available to stream over in the
fan club. If you're not a member, while now's the
perfect time to join. From now through August first, twenty
twenty six, you can use the promo code sci Fi
Summer when you sign up and get fifty percent off
your first month and the Terrified tier. Head on over
to micro terrors dot com to sign up. Thank you
all for being such dedicated micro Terrors listeners. We'll see
you next week for part one of Scout and the
Astronoggs Assault on Trios. I have no idea what any
of those words mean, do you no? Okay, well, I
guess we'll have to find out next week. I'm seriously,
what is an astronog or a thrios?
Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to micro Terrors. Join us each
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micro Towers Scary Stories for Kids