On the corner of a winding road and hidden away behind a grove of trees, the house with the red door blared like a beacon as Arthur came running up the driveway.

'Home,' he said to himself with glee, able to relax for the first time that day. Although, he did take a peek over his shoulders to make sure that strange man hadn't followed him.

The question of who he was flashed through Arthur's mind as he continued to his front step, where two garden gnomes stood like stone on either side. He then reached for the lady gnome, who was holding a bouquet of flowers, before remembering that the front door key was under the other, a gentleman gnome holding a rod hooked with a fish.

After retrieving the key, Arthur went inside, into his sanctuary. He flicked off his shoes, both almost hitting the ceiling, and threw his backpack onto the table in the hall, where he saw a note that was addressed to him.

Dear Arthur,

We've just been called away for a dig on the coast and won't be back for a couple of days. Sorry for not waiting for you before we left but it was urgent. I know you're not very fond of Miss Eustace but we asked her if she wouldn't mind coming by to check on you. I've also asked your great uncle. There's enough food in the fridge so you won't starve. See you in a bit. And don't burn down the place like you almost did the last time.

Love Mom and Dad.

Arthur groaned, wishing he could have gone with them. He had always wanted to go on an archeological dig. Instead, he had to stay behind and deal with Miss Eustace.

Disappointed, Arthur went up to his room, where he was quick to make sure nobody had broken into his home and taken his prized possessions. Although, he was quite sure nobody would steal them, for they weren't the most valuable or attractive. Well, they were valuable to him, as they had been passed down through his family, one from his mother's side and the other his father's.

With one hand, he picked up the dull boring metal shard from the bookshelf next to his bed, and with the other, the manky skeletal quill.

Yes, not the most attractive, but for Arthur it was cool knowing his ancestors had probably held them in their hands. He had once asked his parents about them but they hadn't any information to share.

After placing the shard and quill back on the shelf, Arthur went over to his desk, where he sat down and took out a pad of paper and some colored pencils. He then flipped open the pad, revealing sketches for the covers of the comics he had planned to draw and write.

On the first cover, King Arthur was fighting Morgana, an evil witch and the queen of fairies. On the second page, Robin Hood was battling the horrible and brutal Sheriff.

For an hour, Arthur colored in his sketches. And he was almost done when his stomach began to rumble.

'Time for a sandwich,' he said before going back downstairs and into the kitchen.

He had taken out the bread and a jar of peanut butter and strawberry jam, ready to make a stack of gooey goodness, when suddenly there was a knock at the front door.

Arthur jumped at the sound before crouching down behind the kitchen counter.

Could it be the strange man, he wondered? Maybe Billy?

Slowly and on all fours, he crept out of the kitchen and down the hall. And as the knocking continued, he peered through the peephole and saw a figure. But it wasn't the strange man. Or Billy. It was Miss Eustace.

Arthur quietly groaned, thinking he wouldn't be heard, but he was.

'Arthur, is that you?' said Miss Eustace in her stern voice. 'Your parents asked me to check in on you. Hopefully they told you that. If you wouldn't mind opening the door please.'

Arthur was hesitant but his parents would be very angry with him if he didn't let her in. And when he opened the front door, a woman wearing a black dress with her black hair tied up in a bun stood before him.

Miss Eustace, from what Arthur's parents had told him, used to be a nanny who now kept bees.

'Good afternoon, Arthur,' Miss Eustace said.

'Good afternoon,' Arthur replied.

Then without being invited in, Miss Eustace swept past, her back straight and her head held high. 'I'm sure you have homework to do. Maybe I can help.'

'I was going to wait to do it tonight before I went to bed. That's what I usually do.'

'You'll feel better getting it over and done with.'

'I was also about to make myself a sandwich.'

Miss Eustace stood agape and stared down at Arthur with almost a look of insult. 'And spoil your dinner?' She shook her head. 'No. You will do your homework then I'll cook you a healthy and hearty meal.'

Arthur slouched in dejection. He really wanted a peanut butter and jam sandwich.

'Up straight please,' Miss Eustace snapped. 'Good posture will do you well.'

'Yes, ma'am.'

Not long after, the two were sitting in the kitchen. Arthur had his homework out on the table and Miss Eustace was watching him do some math, a cup of tea steaming before her.

'Hmmm,' said Miss Eustace.

Arthur looked up from his math problem and saw her shaking her head ever so slightly.

'Are you sure you're doing that correctly?' she continued.

Arthur looked back down at his work and saw he had forgotten to divide something. He quickly corrected it, for which Miss Eustace gave him a wink before taking a sip of her tea.

'Yuck.' With a grimace, she placed the cup back onto the table and pulled out a small unlabeled bottle from her pocket. She then screwed off its lid and poured a bit of whatever was inside into her tea.

'Just a bit of honey,' she said sheepishly before taking another sip and smiling. 'From my bee hives.'

Arthur did not believe her one bit and was about to continue with his homework when he wanted to ask Miss Eustace a question.

'When my parents asked you to come over and check on me, did they mention anything about their dig? The note they left me didn't really say much.'

'All they said was that it was somewhere on the coast,' Miss Eustace answered before taking another sip of her tea.

'I wonder what it could be. What they could be digging for.'

'I'm sure they will tell you when they return.'

'And did they mention if a man called Mr Scarlett was going with them?'

Mr Scarlett was a colleague of his parents. He was the one who had introduced Arthur to the legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood when he was younger, telling the boy, 'I wish my parents were Hoods and had called me Arthur. Great name. Great name.'

'Why is that?' Arthur had asked.

'You don't know of King Arthur and Robin Hood?' Mr Scarlett had replied, to which Arthur shook his head. 'Then I'll tell you.'

Mr Scarlett had also told Arthur, when the boy had asked if they could be real people, saying, 'If you truly believe in something, anything is possible.'

'Sorry,' Miss Eustace replied to Arthur's question, 'but your parents didn't mention a man by that name.'

Arthur nodded and went back to his math. And when he was finally done, Miss Eustace made him dinner, chicken pie with mashed potatoes and peas, which was wolfed down in minutes flat. Then after everything was cleaned up, it was time for Miss Eustace to go.

'Well have a good night, Arthur,' she said as she stepped outside into the darkening sky.

'You, too. And thank you again for making dinner,' Arthur replied.

'It was my pleasure as always. And if you need anything else, you can call me anytime.'

'Will do.'

The woman bowed and was about to leave when she said, 'And Arthur?'

'Yes?'

'Don't go eating sweets before you go to bed. Hmmm?'

Arthur crossed his fingers behind his back. 'I won't.'

Miss Eustace bowed again before gliding down the driveway and out of sight.

Though grateful for the food, the chicken pie beyond scrumptious, Arthur was pleased to see her leave. He closed the front door and rushed up to his bedroom to finish coloring his sketches, the strange man he had seen that day still lingering on his mind.