Not that long before Little Johnny had found himself back on Mr Scarlett's carriage, Arthur was in his bedroom. The sketches strewn across his desk had all been colored and he was peering down at his darkened driveway from a window, wondering when his parents would return from their archeological dig.

It should be very soon, he thought.

The ruffle of a bush below, however, sent Arthur shutting his blinds. He was sure it was the wind that had caused it to move, for it was turning out to be a blustery night, but he just couldn't shake the strange man and his great uncle's response from his mind.

'Hmm, now did I remember to lock all the windows downstairs?' Arthur said to himself. He was sure he had but wanted to double check.

Suddenly, however, the sound of whispers flitted from behind, making him whimper. Arthur then closed his eyes before whipping around and swinging his arms as if they were made of jelly, ready to fight off whoever it was.

'Don't come any closer,' he cried, 'or I'll punch you.'

No response from his threat followed and his fists only made contact with each other. And for several seconds he kept on doing this until he tired and dropped his arms in defeat. Then slowly opening his eyes, he could see only one person standing in his bedroom and that was him. But maybe someone was hiding under his bed.

With a deep breath, Arthur got to his knees and hesitantly took a peek.

Nothing.

As he stood back up, he heard the whispering again, it sounding like the voices of a girl and boy. He couldn't make out a word but now knew where it was coming from. The shard and quill.

Arthur rubbed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. 'I think my brain's telling me to go to sleep.'

But the whispering sounded so real.

Arthur crept towards his shelf. And although the whispering got louder, he still couldn't make out what the voices were saying.

Now staring at his prized possessions, he said, 'Hello? Is anyone there? Can you hear me? I can hear you.'

With a start, the whispering died and a dazzling light burst from the shard.

Taken by surprise, Arthur tumbled back and tripped over his bed.

'What's going on?' he shrieked before noticing the quill start to change. One moment, it was just its unremarkable self, and the next, it was a vibrant lush red feather.

Arthur was having no more of this. He bolted from his bedroom and to his parents'. And after locking the door, he leapt under their bed covers and curled up into a ball.

'What in the strangeness is going on?' he stuttered.

But the strangeness had only just begun. And it continued with the tapping of glass a short time later.

'What was that?' Arthur shrieked before slowly poking his head out and seeing nothing at the window. He then retreated back under the bed covers but more tapping followed.

Once again, Arthur poked his head out of the bed covers. This time he saw something that made him whimper anew. Outside of the window was the hooded figure he had seen standing next to the strange man outside of his school.

Were they flying?

Arthur reached to turn off his parents' bedside light, but the figure spoke, their voice wafting lazily through the glass.

'Would you mind keeping that on?' it said. 'I'd like to introduce myself.'

Arthur froze to see their cloak fall away, revealing what looked like a tiny blue-skinned woman with fluttering translucent wings. Wearing a gleaming tiara on her tea cup sized head, she smiled as brightly.

'Yep, yep, yep,' Arthur bellowed out loudly before laughing up a storm. 'I get it. I get it. I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming. It's the only explanation. Because that is a fairy and fairies don't exist.' He then put his head in his hands and exhaled. 'Phew, I thought I was going bonkers there for a minute.'

'But we do exist, little boy,' came the creature. 'And I'm the fairy princess. The Princess of the Fays to be proper.'

Arthur looked back up. 'Umm, no, you don't exist.'

'Open the window and not only will I show you how real I am, I will tell you who you are.'

'Who I am? I know who I am, thank you. I'm Arthur Hood.'

The fairy smiled again but this time it was more of a smirk. 'Yes, we thought we sensed you.'

'We? You mean you and that strange man with the badge? And what do you mean by sensed me?'

'You're special Arthur.'

'Special? How?'

'I'll tell you all that once you let me in. So be a good boy and open the window. There's not much time.'

'Yeah, I'm good thank you.'

Just then, the fairy's smile vanished and her eyes and skin turned black. 'So be it.'

With a snap of her fingers, the window shattered in a clattering explosion. The next thing Arthur knew he was nose to nose with the fairy, her eyes now burning with anger.

'From now on, you will do as I say,' the fairy said darkly. 'And you'll be coming with me. But first–' She snapped her fingers again, and in her hand appeared a glowing shard that looked almost like Arthur's. 'Now you have something that belongs to me. Something that looks like this. Have you?'

Shaking his head, Arthur cowered back. 'No.'

The fairy's mouth opened with a toothsome savagery. 'DON'T LIE TO ME! I CAN FEEL IT'S HERE! YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME AT ONCE! GIVE IT TO ME OR I'LL TURN YOU INTO MY DINNER! I HAVEN'T EATEN A BOY LIKE YOU IN AGES AND I'M GETTING AN APPETITE FOR LITTLE HANDS AND FEET!'

Arthur's teeth shattered together and he was ready to blab, to tell where his shard was. But before he could utter a word, something flashed through the window. He then saw a hook, and which was attached to a line, pierce one of the fairy's wings.

In nothing flat, the fairy was yanked out of the window, the creature's loud shriek that had riddled all around growing fainter until it disappeared. Arthur then heard his front door crashing open, and which was followed by bounding soft footsteps rushing up the stairs.

A blink of an eye later, his parents' bedroom door flew open, to which Arthur yelled, expecting to see the fairy again. But he saw nothing.

'Arthur better be okay or I'm blaming you, Dolores,' a voice suddenly squeaked.

'Me? Why?' came another high-pitched murmur.

'Because instead of watching for threats as we were supposed to do, you wanted to argue as always.'

'Don't you dare.'

Curious, Arthur peeked over the end of the bed and saw two gnomes. His gnomes. And they were moving.

The two creatures quickly noticed Arthur and sighed in relief.

'Look, he's fine, Bitty,' said the lady gnome.

'But he may not have been,' replied the gentleman gnome, taking off his pointy hat and wiping his forehead. 'We were lucky.'

'How–how–how have you come to life?' stammered Arthur.

'That's the way of the gnomes,' replied Dolores. The two gnomes then bowed and introduced themselves.

'There was a fairy just here. And it wasn't very nice.'

'We know. And you probably saw, I took care of the winged rat.'

'It was you?'

'I used my fishing rod. I cast her far into the night, but she'll definitely return being who you are. And I'm sure with others.'

'Who I am?' said Arthur. 'And others? The strange man with the badge?'

'Yes, the Deputy, but many more. That's why we need to get you out of here, Arthur. You're in grave danger.'

'Get me out of here? But I don't know you.'

'Don't know us?' snapped Dolores. 'We've been on your front step since you were a baby. Of course you know us.'

'You're a bit different now, though, aren't you. I mean, you're alive.'

'We've always been alive,' Dolores started, her voice getting louder, before her husband interrupted.

'Sweetums, are you really trying to argue with the boy?' he said.

Dolores turned to Bitty. 'Just because someone talks loudly doesn't mean they're arguing.'

Bitty opened his mouth to respond, but it was another who spoke, her voice drifting through the doorway, a voice Arthur knew all too well.

'Please, Arthur, you need to come with us. It's not safe here anymore.'