September 27, 2025 • 10 mins
"The Antique Doll" by Scott Donnelly | When Colin and Joshua sneak into the burned ruins of Crawford Orphanage on Halloween night, they're hoping to impress their classmates with tales of their bravery. But the orphanage holds more than just ash and memories—something that's been waiting ten years for visitors to arrive.
Find more family-friendly frights and creepy games to play on our website at http://MicroTerrors.com!
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/microterrors
Other stories, novels, and more from author Scott Donnelly: https://amzn.to/3LymHaU
Other narrations, podcasts, and audiobooks from voice artist Darren Marlar: https://WeirdDarkness.com
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Weird Darkness©, 2025
Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids™, 2025#ScaryStoriesForKids #StoriesForKids #KidsStories #HalloweenKids #MicroTerrors #HalloweenStories
Find more family-friendly frights and creepy games to play on our website at http://MicroTerrors.com!
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/microterrors
Other stories, novels, and more from author Scott Donnelly: https://amzn.to/3LymHaU
Other narrations, podcasts, and audiobooks from voice artist Darren Marlar: https://WeirdDarkness.com
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Weird Darkness©, 2025
Micro Terrors: Scary Stories for Kids™, 2025#ScaryStoriesForKids #StoriesForKids #KidsStories #HalloweenKids #MicroTerrors #HalloweenStories
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
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
(00:37):
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 (01:03):
The Antique Doll by Scott Donnelly. Colin and Joshua stood
before the condemned house at the end of the street.
It had been that way ever since they could remember.
It's burnt out hollow shell was now blocked off by
our rusted and bent chain link fence. Halloween Knight was
coming to an end. The steady stream of trick or
(01:24):
treaters it dwindled to nothing, leaving Colin and Joshua to
be the last two kids standing. The moon above them
was bright in the night sky, and in the nearby
woods they could hear an owl hooting and something else
scurrying through the dead fall foliage. Are we really going
to do this? Colin asked, nerves, shaking his body as
if he were standing in frigid temperatures. Joshua, who was
(01:48):
equally as nervous, nodded with an excited smile. We have
to I can't think of a better night to sneak
in there. Anything before or after Halloween just wouldn't feel
the same. Despite his growing anxiety, Colin agreed. Plus, once
we tell everyone at school tomorrow what we did, We're
going to be so popular, dude, Joshua added. Colin nodded
(02:11):
with a smirk brought on by the promise of popularity
and maybe even the attention of Kara Rose. That would
be the most ideal scenario for him personally, and that
thought was enough to give him the extra burst of
adrenaline he needed. Let's do it, Colin said. Upon his command,
he and Joshua advanced onto the property of the old,
(02:31):
torched and condemned Crawford Orphanage. They found a sliver of
fence that was opened just enough for them to slip through.
Almost immediately, they were hit with the decade old odor
that still hung spectrally in the air fire. It was
ten years ago when the Crawford Orphanage burned down, but
the trauma that it produced still affected the small New
(02:53):
Jersey community just outside of Egg Harbor to this day,
Colin and Joshua crept through the dark, shadowy property enveloped
by thick maple trees to continued to drop their orange
and red leaves to the ground when they made it
to the front porch. They shouldn't have been surprised that
the orphanage's fragile form made it easy to push the
door in and enter without protest. Parts of the door
(03:15):
crumbled to black ash as it opened, revealing a cold
and silent, blackened, empty void where children's laughter and acceptance
once thrived. The boys continued to creep into the old orphanage,
taking their steps slowly and carefully. The floor was just
as fragile as everything else around them. One wrong step
(03:35):
and they would plunge into the basement and drown in
an avalanche of ashes and charred wooden remains. The kitchen
is over there, I think, Joshua said, pointing across the room.
That's where it happened. Colin cautiously followed his friend through
the room and toward the kitchen where it happened. The
actual story of what happened was never officially confirmed, but
(03:58):
based upon information leading up to the fire, and the
strange accounts of what continued to happen afterwards, the people
of Egg Harbor had a pretty good idea of what
had really happened. It was a young, blue eyed girl
named Katryne Gray, no older than six years old, who
started the fire. She was an outcast at the Orphanage,
(04:18):
ignored and forgotten. She was picked on and laughed at her,
carrying around her beloved antique doll wherever she went. Katrine,
without any real friends, formed a deep bond with her doll.
It was the only one who was there for her,
who wouldn't ignore her. One rainy October night, Katryne Gray
had had enough. She snug down into the kitchen while
(04:40):
the rest of the orphanage slept, and turned on the
gas stove. With one scratch of a match, the Orphanage
went up in flames. No one survived, and the doll
that Katryn carried with her everywhere was never found by
any of the investigators. In the years that followed the fire,
(05:03):
some of Egg Harbor's residents have claimed to smell fire
and smoke where there wasn't any, and each time the
spectral scent would rise up, so would reports of seeing
a floating blue eyed antique doll. When the doll was seen,
the people who witnessed it said they felt a flurry
of emotions, everything from fear to anger. Some even felt
(05:24):
the desire to take revenge on people in their own lives,
just as Katron had. Colin and Joshua entered the kitchen,
the confirmed point of origin of the fire. This is
where she did it, Joshua said, a sense of glee
in his voice. This is where catering Grace started the
fire that took down this entire place. Joshua turned to Colin.
(05:46):
I can't wait to tell care about this tomorrow at school.
She's gonna think I'm so cool. Colin cocked his head
and furrowed his brow. Joshua knew that Colin had been
crushing on Kara since the start of the school year.
He couldn't have been serious trying to impress her. That
would have been such a betrayal of their friendship. Kiara
Kara Rose, Colin asked, hoping that maybe there was another
(06:10):
Kara he was unaware of. Yeah, I think she likes me,
Joshua said. Colin stirred uneasily. He felt angry you know
I've had a crush on Kara since the school year started,
he said. Joshua faced his friend and shrugged. I can't
help it if she likes me, dude. He turned back
around and continued to investigate the charred kitchen. Colin inhaled
(06:33):
and then let it back out loudly expressing his frustration.
Then something strong attacked his senses. It smelled like burning wood,
but it wasn't muted like the rest of the house was.
It smelled fresh, alive. Colin looked around, sniffing and trying
to see where the smell was coming from. He noticed
(06:54):
the pantry door was cracked open and a steady flow
of gray smoke was spilling out from inside it. With
the gray smoke, a blue radiance was glowing. Colin slowly
crept over to the pantry and put his hand on
the ice cold doorknob. He took a deep breath and
pulled the door open the rest of the way. Immediately
emerging from the smoke was a floating antique doll. It
(07:15):
was draped in a blue dress, had curly black hair
atop its head, and bright blue, pulsating glowing eyes. It
shot out like a bullet and into the kitchen, spinning
around and giggling maniacally within the swirling smoke. Gall to
bother trying to get out of here. The doll said,
in a little, high pitched voice, You'll never get out
of here. Colin and Joshua screamed. They scattered in different directions.
(07:39):
Joshua's foot collapsed into the fragile door, trapping him in place.
Colin rushed over to him and tried to free his
friend's foot. As he struggled, Colin felt the doll's presence
moving closer. He looked over his shoulder as the doll
levitated higher into the air, meeting him at eye level.
He's going to betray you, the doll said. He's going
to deceive your friend. Colin snapped his head back to
(08:02):
Joshua and glared at him. You are, he said, taking
what the doll said to heart. You're gonna steal care
of from me. Joshua shook his head without saying a word.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't wrap
his head around what was going on. Colin turned back
to the doll, its evil blue eyes penetrating his gaze.
He can't betray you if he never leaves here, the doll,
(08:26):
hauntingly whispered. Joshua was stunned. He shook his head Colin,
he said, don't listen to that creepy thing. Help me
get me out of here. Then Colin slowly turned his
head and faced his friend. His eyes were now glowing blue.
The radiance cast a thick glow on Joshua's face. You'll
(08:47):
never get out of hear, Colin whispered in a chilling voice.
Thank you for listening to micro Terrors.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Join us each Saturday for another scary story. For more fun,
visit our website at microterrors dot com, where you can
get the latest micro Terrors news, read fun facts about
each story, sign up for our monthly newsletter, and even
send in your own scary story for us to tell. Plus,
(09:28):
you can become one of the Terrify by joining the
fanclub at microterrors dot com. You enjoy exclusive perks like
reading stories a week early, receiving complimentary books, and communicating
directly with micro Terrors writer and creator Scott Donnelly. You
can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram using the
(09:50):
handle at micro terrors. I hope you'll join us again
soon for micro terrors, Scary stories for kids,
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
(00:37):
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 (01:03):
The Antique Doll by Scott Donnelly. Colin and Joshua stood
before the condemned house at the end of the street.
It had been that way ever since they could remember.
It's burnt out hollow shell was now blocked off by
our rusted and bent chain link fence. Halloween Knight was
coming to an end. The steady stream of trick or
(01:24):
treaters it dwindled to nothing, leaving Colin and Joshua to
be the last two kids standing. The moon above them
was bright in the night sky, and in the nearby
woods they could hear an owl hooting and something else
scurrying through the dead fall foliage. Are we really going
to do this? Colin asked, nerves, shaking his body as
if he were standing in frigid temperatures. Joshua, who was
(01:48):
equally as nervous, nodded with an excited smile. We have
to I can't think of a better night to sneak
in there. Anything before or after Halloween just wouldn't feel
the same. Despite his growing anxiety, Colin agreed. Plus, once
we tell everyone at school tomorrow what we did, We're
going to be so popular, dude, Joshua added. Colin nodded
(02:11):
with a smirk brought on by the promise of popularity
and maybe even the attention of Kara Rose. That would
be the most ideal scenario for him personally, and that
thought was enough to give him the extra burst of
adrenaline he needed. Let's do it, Colin said. Upon his command,
he and Joshua advanced onto the property of the old,
(02:31):
torched and condemned Crawford Orphanage. They found a sliver of
fence that was opened just enough for them to slip through.
Almost immediately, they were hit with the decade old odor
that still hung spectrally in the air fire. It was
ten years ago when the Crawford Orphanage burned down, but
the trauma that it produced still affected the small New
(02:53):
Jersey community just outside of Egg Harbor to this day,
Colin and Joshua crept through the dark, shadowy property enveloped
by thick maple trees to continued to drop their orange
and red leaves to the ground when they made it
to the front porch. They shouldn't have been surprised that
the orphanage's fragile form made it easy to push the
door in and enter without protest. Parts of the door
(03:15):
crumbled to black ash as it opened, revealing a cold
and silent, blackened, empty void where children's laughter and acceptance
once thrived. The boys continued to creep into the old orphanage,
taking their steps slowly and carefully. The floor was just
as fragile as everything else around them. One wrong step
(03:35):
and they would plunge into the basement and drown in
an avalanche of ashes and charred wooden remains. The kitchen
is over there, I think, Joshua said, pointing across the room.
That's where it happened. Colin cautiously followed his friend through
the room and toward the kitchen where it happened. The
actual story of what happened was never officially confirmed, but
(03:58):
based upon information leading up to the fire, and the
strange accounts of what continued to happen afterwards, the people
of Egg Harbor had a pretty good idea of what
had really happened. It was a young, blue eyed girl
named Katryne Gray, no older than six years old, who
started the fire. She was an outcast at the Orphanage,
(04:18):
ignored and forgotten. She was picked on and laughed at her,
carrying around her beloved antique doll wherever she went. Katrine,
without any real friends, formed a deep bond with her doll.
It was the only one who was there for her,
who wouldn't ignore her. One rainy October night, Katryne Gray
had had enough. She snug down into the kitchen while
(04:40):
the rest of the orphanage slept, and turned on the
gas stove. With one scratch of a match, the Orphanage
went up in flames. No one survived, and the doll
that Katryn carried with her everywhere was never found by
any of the investigators. In the years that followed the fire,
(05:03):
some of Egg Harbor's residents have claimed to smell fire
and smoke where there wasn't any, and each time the
spectral scent would rise up, so would reports of seeing
a floating blue eyed antique doll. When the doll was seen,
the people who witnessed it said they felt a flurry
of emotions, everything from fear to anger. Some even felt
(05:24):
the desire to take revenge on people in their own lives,
just as Katron had. Colin and Joshua entered the kitchen,
the confirmed point of origin of the fire. This is
where she did it, Joshua said, a sense of glee
in his voice. This is where catering Grace started the
fire that took down this entire place. Joshua turned to Colin.
(05:46):
I can't wait to tell care about this tomorrow at school.
She's gonna think I'm so cool. Colin cocked his head
and furrowed his brow. Joshua knew that Colin had been
crushing on Kara since the start of the school year.
He couldn't have been serious trying to impress her. That
would have been such a betrayal of their friendship. Kiara
Kara Rose, Colin asked, hoping that maybe there was another
(06:10):
Kara he was unaware of. Yeah, I think she likes me,
Joshua said. Colin stirred uneasily. He felt angry you know
I've had a crush on Kara since the school year started,
he said. Joshua faced his friend and shrugged. I can't
help it if she likes me, dude. He turned back
around and continued to investigate the charred kitchen. Colin inhaled
(06:33):
and then let it back out loudly expressing his frustration.
Then something strong attacked his senses. It smelled like burning wood,
but it wasn't muted like the rest of the house was.
It smelled fresh, alive. Colin looked around, sniffing and trying
to see where the smell was coming from. He noticed
(06:54):
the pantry door was cracked open and a steady flow
of gray smoke was spilling out from inside it. With
the gray smoke, a blue radiance was glowing. Colin slowly
crept over to the pantry and put his hand on
the ice cold doorknob. He took a deep breath and
pulled the door open the rest of the way. Immediately
emerging from the smoke was a floating antique doll. It
(07:15):
was draped in a blue dress, had curly black hair
atop its head, and bright blue, pulsating glowing eyes. It
shot out like a bullet and into the kitchen, spinning
around and giggling maniacally within the swirling smoke. Gall to
bother trying to get out of here. The doll said,
in a little, high pitched voice, You'll never get out
of here. Colin and Joshua screamed. They scattered in different directions.
(07:39):
Joshua's foot collapsed into the fragile door, trapping him in place.
Colin rushed over to him and tried to free his
friend's foot. As he struggled, Colin felt the doll's presence
moving closer. He looked over his shoulder as the doll
levitated higher into the air, meeting him at eye level.
He's going to betray you, the doll said. He's going
to deceive your friend. Colin snapped his head back to
(08:02):
Joshua and glared at him. You are, he said, taking
what the doll said to heart. You're gonna steal care
of from me. Joshua shook his head without saying a word.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't wrap
his head around what was going on. Colin turned back
to the doll, its evil blue eyes penetrating his gaze.
He can't betray you if he never leaves here, the doll,
(08:26):
hauntingly whispered. Joshua was stunned. He shook his head Colin,
he said, don't listen to that creepy thing. Help me
get me out of here. Then Colin slowly turned his
head and faced his friend. His eyes were now glowing blue.
The radiance cast a thick glow on Joshua's face. You'll
(08:47):
never get out of hear, Colin whispered in a chilling voice.
Thank you for listening to micro Terrors.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Join us each Saturday for another scary story. For more fun,
visit our website at microterrors dot com, where you can
get the latest micro Terrors news, read fun facts about
each story, sign up for our monthly newsletter, and even
send in your own scary story for us to tell. Plus,
(09:28):
you can become one of the Terrify by joining the
fanclub at microterrors dot com. You enjoy exclusive perks like
reading stories a week early, receiving complimentary books, and communicating
directly with micro Terrors writer and creator Scott Donnelly. You
can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram using the
(09:50):
handle at micro terrors. I hope you'll join us again
soon for micro terrors, Scary stories for kids,
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