“Hello” I said slowly to Sir Bug. He looked like a Sir with his shiny black uniform, and fancy hat with two feathers on it. “How do you do?” I added. He had an air of elegance around him, and I know my manners.

His feathers moved nervously in various directions. I jumped back: they had EYES on them! I looked back at Missy to check whether she’s seeing this but she had her eyes closed, turning her face to the sun. But she was calm, so I was, too.

“What are they?” I asked Sir Bug, pointing with my nose at his feather-eyes. One turned back at me, but the other was still looking around. I sensed his anxiety. I knew what it was like, to be anxious, to be afraid, and I didn’t want him feeling like that so I laid down to show he had nothing to be afraid of with me. He ran away.

“Wait!” I shouted, and ran after him. “Wait, I just want to talk!”

He disappeared in a hole.

“No, you don’t!” I said and started digging. “I’ll follow you! I can smell you and your smugness!”

I dug.

Another bug peeked out from the left.

“Miss, stop.” he said coldly. I did. “Sir Bug is not accepting visitors at the moment.”

“Why?”

He looked back with his big eyes (that were on his head as they should) in astonishment.

“Why?” he repeated slowly.

“Yes, why!” I got impatient. I wanted to talk to Sir Bug about his eyes. They were fascinating.

“He is not obliged to give you a reason, Miss” The Other Bug said and moved back.

“Mia” I said as I wanted to keep him talking. He peeked back with curiosity.

“What?”

“Mia, that is my name. What’s yours?”

He shook his head.

“Please, leave” he said and retreated.

That was no fun. I looked around, and saw a stick, waiting for me to pick it up. Now that WAS fun! I ran and got it, took it to Missy.

Inside, Sir Bug released his breath, and put down his sword.

“Are they safe, Dawson?”

The bug with the round eye nodded.

“Yes, sir, the Nanny took the children the other way. The creature never noticed them.”

Sir Bug turned, and started in the secret corridor.

“Let’s go find them then.”

Dawson followed but looked back. The creature, Mia, she said, looked scary but didn’t act as if she wanted to attack. Maybe she really just wanted to talk. But Sir Bug knows better, he thought, he was said to have had survived three summers already. Who would he be to question him with only a couple weeks experience?

But what if… He’ll have to find it out another time.