The sun shone brightly, birds sang in the treetops, and they believed their adventures were back to normal.  Only Stephen kept a watchful eye and stayed ready for any danger.  It was lucky for the humans that he remained sharp-eyed because many strange events awaited them.
    As the day wore on, everyone began noticing butterflies flying across the path and into the woods, but Stephen stopped and gazed in bewilderment. “These are not butterflies,” he exclaimed.  “They look like little people with wings.  What can they be?”
Amos peered closely and declared, “They look like fairies, but that‘s impossible.  Fairies are only make-believe.”
“How-do-you-do? You are on Piscary, and we are in a magical forest,” laughed Adital.  “Anything is possible here.”  They stood and watched the sprites, then kept walking.  Before long, the cane to a clearing and saw a gray-haired man lying, spread-eagled by the side of the path. At once, they stopped to help him.
     “Look at that, exclaimed Amos, “spider webs are holding him to the ground.  Amos leaned over and asked the poor man, “What happened to you?”
     “Help! Save me from the fairies!” he cried out.  Adital tried to help the man up but couldn’t.  He brought out a pocket knife and tried cutting the strands, but this had no effect. Stephen cautioned and said, “It is impossible to cut fairy strands. A fairy must release them.”
     “Where can you find a fairy when you need one,” wondered Amos.
     Suddenly, a voice rang out!  “What are you doing?  Leave the old man alone and go away!”  Adital and Amos flinched and sprang back, scanning everywhere for the mysterious voice.  Stephen, on the other hand, spotted the source immediately.
“Look,” he exclaimed, “A fairy!”
      Sure enough, fluttering above them was a delicate figure of a young lady with long, blond hair, suspended by a blur of delicate, wispy wings and wearing a blue, gossamer dress. The fairy had defiantly crossed her arms across her chest, and her face twisted into a dreadful scowl.
     Stephen, being a robot, was unaffected by the fairy‘s proclivity.  “We cannot let this poor man remain tied to the ground.  Have you no respect for his age?” he shot back.
     “We have little respect for humans, in general,” countered the airborne fairy.  “What will you give me to release him?”
This request prompted a quick conference among everyone gathered around the tied-down man.  “What shall we give this ethereal aeronaut for the well-being of an old man?” pondered Adital. “We need more details about this,”
     “What have you done to the fairy that would warrant such treatment?” asked Amos, leaning over the elderly man.
“I caught her stealing my silverware, and then she demanded fresh cream to give it back.  I don’t have a cow, so that was impossible,” grumped the bearded man.
     “Well, we don’t have any fresh cream, either, so what can we give her,” wondered Amos.  “I have a college ring I no longer use, so bulls-eye! I could give her that.”
    “My dear fairy said Amos, “Would you take an excellent college ring from Eastern University to release this poor, old man?”
“A ring? Is it made of gold?” she asked.
    “Why yes,” replied Amos, “I earned it when I got my doctorate.”
    “Well then,” she replied, “that’s that!” She waved her arms, and the man sat up with a huge gasp.  Amos pulled the ring from his finger and handed it to the fairy, who promptly flew away.
    “But your ring!” cried Adital. “You let that self-centered fairy have your college ring!”
    “Yes, I know,” replied Amos, “but, you see, I‘ve decided not to return to my old home.  My life was a struggle, and most of my friends died.  I’m determined to begin a new life, and this is the perfect way to do it.  That ring represented the past I want to leave.”
Adital grinned broadly and punched. Amos on the arm.  “Welcome home, my friend,” he exclaimed.  “You are always welcome at our house.”
    “Ah, excuse me, everyone!” exclaimed the old man, “I just wanted to say I want everyone to come to my house for supper. I live just down the road a bit.  You can spend the night if you want. It‘s the least I can do for everything you’ve  done for me.”
“That‘s very kind,”  said Adital.  “Would that be all right with you, Stephen?  I don’t think there are any inns nearby.”
    “No,” replied Stephen, “there are no inns nearby. I can use the downtime to sort out all of today‘s happenings. We experienced many new adventures, and I must file them properly. My mentor will be so impressed.”
They made their way down the path, chatting amicably.  Amos asked the old man, “I’m sorry. I don‘t know your name. My name is Amos.”
    “Amos! Amos! What an excellent name,” he replied.  “My name is Oxford, and I have lived in this forest my whole life.  My family has lived here for more years than I can remember.  I believe we have lived here forever.”
     “Forever is a long time,” smiled Amos. “Does your family own a farm?”
“Oh no,” replied Oxford, “We own most of the forest around here, and since I am the last of my family, that makes me the Mikado.  My house has many empty rooms, but the cook is still around, so we will have supper.  I’d love to live in a smaller place, but I‘m stuck here for now.”
     “Is it hard being a Mikado,” asked Amos.
     “Not really, but I’d give anything to find someone who would like to be the Mikado.  I’m getting older, and there is so much of the world I’d like to see.  I can only imagine the wonderful adventures you people have experienced.”
They walked for about another mile. Then Oxford led them up a narrow path in the forest. The trees gradually thinned, and they broke into a beautiful meadow. In the center stood a large stone building that reminded Amos of a small castle.  It had many different levels and brought back memories of his trip to Smiley World years ago.  The lack of a moat was the only thing that separated this place from an actual castle.  Turning to Oxford, he blurted out, “Is this your house?”
     “Yes,” he replied sheepishly, “my family has lived here for many years.  We were the first settlers to move into this part of the forest. My great-great-grandfather bought a huge plot of land and then built this house.  Eventually, other people began to move around us; over the years, great-grandpa collected rent from them. It’s been a steady source of income for our family.  I would love to move to a big city and retire, but my problem is finding an understanding, compassionate, and good-natured person to be the next Mikado.”
     They walked through a massive wooden door into a broad hallway. Pictures of people dressed in frumpy, old-fashioned clothing lined the walls, and mixed throughout were statues of men and women.   Oxford stopped in front of a figure of an old, bearded man looking longingly into the distance and boasted, “This is my Great-Great-Grandfather.  He built much of this place along with his brothers.  We‘ve been adding to it ever since.  It can sometimes be drafty, but it is a fine place to live.
     They entered a comfortable living room at the end of the hallway, and Oxford excused himself to motivate the cook to get cracking with dinner. Adital grabbed Amos’s arm and declared, “How would you like to be a Mikado?  I think this is the perfect job for you. It would give you a great place to live and a live-in cook.  You‘ve been talking about starting a new life since you found me fishing.”
     Stephen, who was listening solemnly, exclaimed, “Amos!  “This castle is indeed perfect for you. You must live in this place.”
At that moment, Oxford walked back into the room.  Adital spun around and beamed, “We’ve found your new Mikado!”
     Oxford laughed, “I‘d love to know who that is!”
     Everyone turned to Amos and shouted, “Him!” PoorAmos stood there with a shocked look on his face.
     Everyone stared breathlessly at Amos.  “I would do my best to be an excellent Mikado,” considered Amos, “but this depends on Oxford.  The final decision rests on what he thinks of me, right?”  They all turned as one person and stared at Oxford.
“What do I think? We should have a pleasant, home-cooked supper.  My first impression is that Amos seemed confused with your sudden evaluation.”
     So everyone followed Oxford down another hallway into the dining room. It was a room from a long-gone era.  Tapestries hung on the walls, with statues of knights dressed in armor on either side of the door. One wall consisted of a large stone fireplace with a massive slab of roast beast sizzling over the fire.
     Adital sat next to Amos.  “I’m happy you would like to be the next Mikado, even though there is much to learn about Piscary.”
Poor Amos seemed to be in shock.  “How can this be,” he asked.  “Earlier this week, I woke up looking forward to adventures and got more than I bargained.    Now, I will become a minor lord of some forest commonwealth, live in a castle with statues, and a live-in cook.  You’d better believe I’m willing to learn.  I’ve spent my life learning new things, and I’ll be fine just as long as I don’t have to return to Earth.”
     “Stephen had been half-listening to Amos’ monologue while admiring the tapestries and armor while he wandered the hall.  He met Oxford by the kitchen door, who asked, “Isn’t that armor something?  I bet you would look dashing in that suit.  How would you like to take that with you?”
     Stephen laughed (as only a robot can laugh) and declared sarcastically, “Can I wear it now?” Oxford didn’t say anything.
The cook, a delightful grandmother called Dorothy, wearing a blue and white checkered apron, came out of the kitchen carrying a large plate of potatoes. It became apparent that Oxford had no experience talking to robots, and he decided it would be a fine idea to put Stephen to work bringing food from the kitchen. Stephen took this dourly but fell back on his Spotted Mare training.  It was almost time to eat.
     Stephen, Oxford, and Dorothy made multiple trips to the kitchen and filled the table with more food than these hale and hearty travelers could eat.  Stephen and Dorothy brought out coffee and dessert when they thought they couldn‘t eat another bite.  It was a meal fit for royalty.
     Adital questioned Oxford about the incredible size of the supper, “Is this how you eat every night?  It seems like a lot of food, or is this a holiday?”
     “Heavens no,” responded Oxford. “You must understand that the fairy would have left me in the field until the wild animals had devoured me.  Fairies have a great kinship with forest animals and think little of human welfare.  Plus, you have made this a celebration because of your willingness to rescue me and Amos’ desire to be the next Mikado. I figure these facts make tonight a major celebration.”
      “Does that mean Amos will be the next Mikado, anticipated Adital?     “Consider it done,” exclaimed Oxford!  I’m out of here, at last!  Now, it is time for a tour of Amos’ new residence.  Everyone gathered their dishes and leftover food, carried them to the kitchen, and restored Stephen to their company.
      Oxford led everyone to another passageway and down a small flight of stairs.  They discovered an armory filled with vintage weaponry, bows, arrows, body armor, and armor for dogs and horses.   “You will have no use for these things,” he explained, “but I simply can’t throw them out.”
      Next came the wine cellar, with shelves of bottles and stacked barrels. “I don‘t drink wine,” confided Oxford, “but Amos is welcome to any of this if he would like.”  Amos smiled to himself as they left.  There were other rooms, mostly filled with old furniture and dusty pictures, and then they climbed another set of steep stairs to the second floor.
     These will be your bedrooms plus my office is here.  Please pick a place to spend the night, and we will tour the outside.
     As they walked outdoors, they encountered an elderly couple walking their dog.  Oxford introduced everyone and told them that Amos was the new Mikado.  Amos realized that he was, indeed, the official Mikado.