were greeted and smiles exchanged.

"I'll be right back," said Nick after about half-an-hour at the stand. "Gotta take care of some business."

"Where you goin', Uncle Nick?" asked Judy's little sister.

"Just gonna go get something over there, around the barn. See you in a minute."

"Don't forget to wash your paws after you finish your business," whispered Judy with a cheeky grin.

"Haha, you know, I might just do that," answered Nick.

As he walked away and mingled with the crowd, Judy looked at everything around her and thought how great it was to be in her hometown, with her family, enjoying a well-deserved holiday, and having Nick over to enjoy with her.

Nick approached Old Todd's Game Gallery and stood in line. In front of him was a small lamb with his caretaker, a kind-looking old St. Bernard lady with a purple handbag.

The lamb had uncanny aim, Nick noticed, as all three darts landed dead-centre on the target.

"Now there's a natural if I've ever seen one! Good shot, little buddy!" praised the boar.

"Did you see that, Nana?" said the lamb.

"Yes indeed, my pet. You're quite good!" said the kindly old St. Bernard nanny.

"Judy could take lessons from this tot," thought Nick as he watched Old Todd the boar give the lamb a fluffy yellow baby chick plushie, just like the one Judy had wanted earlier.

"Step right up, pal! Everyone's a winner at Old Todd's! Come try your luck, it's only a buck!"

Nick paid the boar and grabbed the three darts.

"Taking home a prize, are we?" said Old Todd.

"You betcha!" said Nick, closing one eye and lining his aim.

"How about a nice teddy bear for the young 'uns? Or maybe a box of candy hearts for your girlfriend?"

"I'm thinking that yellow baby chick will do the trick."

"Good eye there, sonny! Now show us your mettle and stick 'em darts right in the middle of that there target!"

Nick flung his first dart at the target and, to his surprise, it landed right in the centre.

"Now there's a dead-eye! You've been practicing, sonny! But I betcha you can't land it twice!"

"Lightning never strikes twice, but I…just…might!"

Nick's second dart landed right beside the first one, dead centre.

"Well, I'll be darned, we have a pro here! I'll be outta prizes before I can say 'Oo-De-Lally'!"

"Oo-De-Lally golly what a day!" said Nick as he flung his last dart at the target and it landed right between the others, displacing them slightly.

"I ain't never seen such prowess, sonny! Name your prize, you've earned it!"

Shortly, Nick was walking back triumphantly with the yellow baby chick plushie in his paws. He spotted Judy and her siblings sitting at the food stand and stealthily approached from behind.

"Peekaboo," whispered Nick, making Judy jump slightly and her siblings giggle.

"Back so soon?" said Judy as she turned to greet him. "Did you cut to the front of the line, or did you just run to the woods instead?"

"Why, Miss Hopps, you know I would be incapable of such deeds," said Nick with a sly look. "Oh, by the way…what's that on your lap?"

"On my lap?" mussed Judy as she looked, and almost jumped again.

It was the fluffy baby chick plushie.

"Wha…oh…it's so adorable! Nick…how…"

"Let's just say I can write that obligatory entry in my scrapbook," said Nick with a grin. "'I won my girl a prize at the county fair'. Cliché, I know, but can you blame me?"

"You sweetheart! C'mere, you!"

Judy threw her arms around Nick and hugged him tightly, planting a heartfelt kiss on his cheek.

"You can write that one too," whispered Judy into Nick's ear. "'My girl kissed me at the county fair'…"

"…'in front of her folks'," finished Nick, and Judy realised her mother and father were just coming back from the Funhouse and had witnessed her outburst of affection.

She blushed and tried to act natural while her siblings giggled at the scene. Nick acted cool as a cucumber as Mr and Mrs Hopps returned to the stand.

It was Judy's little sisters' turn to have fun. The two fuzzy bunnies were named Isabelle and Bianca. They walked paw-in-paw with Nick, each holding one of his paws, as their eyes feasted on the attractions left and right. Judy walked beside them and smiled to herself, thinking how great it was that her sisters were so fond of Nick and how her family had warmed up to him immediately.

"Let's get on the merry-go-round!" said Isabelle. "Judy, will you come with us?"

"Yes, please?!" said Bianca as they pointed at the merry-go-round.

Judy smiled happily and nodded.

"Sure, girls! Get in line and we'll get on."

Nick took a picture of Judy and her sisters on the fairy carriage pulled by a wooden snail, just before the merry-go-round started turning and the music started up.

As the girls had their fun, Nick looked around the other tents. He was checking a douse-the-clown stand when suddenly his toes felt something in the grass.

"Hmm…"

Nick picked up something from the grass and saw that it was a dart. In fact, it was the very same dart from Old Todd's Game Gallery. Nick looked beside him and saw that he was standing right behind Old Todd's tent.

"Someone must have shot right past the target and it went through the other side of the tent," said Nick to himself and he took a step forward to go to give Old Todd back his dart.

Then, he noticed something. On the back of the tent, there was a circular hole.

"Hmm….what if…I could…"

He took aim and threw the dart at the hole, but immediately realised it would fall short.

But then….something peculiar happened. The dart swerved upwards in mid-air and flew right through the hole as if magnetised.

"Huh?"

Nick looked cagily at the hole. Had he imagined it?

"No. Impossible."

He glanced back at the merry-go-round. Judy and her siblings were happily laughing as they enjoyed their ride in the wooden fairy carriage.

"I wonder…"

Carefully, Nick walked up to the back of the tent and peeped in through the hole.

He could see Old Todd chatting happily with a pig child and parent as the youngling threw the darts at the target. The kid missed two and landed one near the centre and got a plush doll as a prize, happily skipping away with his parent. Then a young dog walked up and gave it a try. And then, Nick noticed something.

Old Todd flicked his trotter at something beneath the counter of his stand…a switch. And something seemed to power on close to Nick. Upon closer inspection, he saw the back of the dart board and noticed an electric device concealed behind it.

"Is that….a magnet?"

It was. An electromagnet was attached to the back of the dart board, and every time Todd turned it on, the customer's darts would fly straight at the centre and land a bull's-eye. Nick remembered the dart he had thrown through the hole in the tent, and sure enough, he spotted it on the floor at the foot of the electromagnet.

"But…why would he rig the game to make some customers win?"

There was a number of reasons why. Maybe he had too many prizes and needed to give away some. Or maybe he wanted to get customers hooked with 'beginner's luck' and make them play more rounds. Or maybe he just wanted to be nice to the younglings and give them more of a chance.

Nick pondered this as he watched a sheep child miss every shot, a Chihuahua lad land three perfect bull's-eyes, and a horse miss one out of three.

"Nick!"

He suddenly felt two warm paws on his shoulders and turned around to meet the purple eyes of Judy, who was beaming from the fun ride with her sisters.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Peeping Tom?" teased Judy.

"Um…nothing, just watching the dart game."

"Uncle Nick, can we get some cotton candy?" asked Isabelle, tugging at his paw.

"And some lemonade?" asked Bianca.

Nick smiled warmly and nodded, giving them both a pat on the headand putting the thoughts about darts and magnets in the back of his mind.

"Sure, girls. My treat. Let's go."

"Yay!"

It was late afternoon and most of the fairgoers had seen and done everything they had wanted to. And it was then, as Nick and Judy were strolling together and chatting merrily, that a smooth voice called to them.

"Are you two looking for excitement and marvels beyond your wildest dreams?" said the voice of a female panda with exotic makeup at the entrance of a tent decorated with moons and stars. "Enter a world of marvel and mystery, of hypnotic trances and marvellous feats! Madame Mystique shall show you what lies beyond the veil of reality."

Judy looked sideways at Nick.

"What do you say? Shall we?"

"We shall," said Nick.

But just then, Stu appeared out of nowhere and rushed towards them.

"There you are, Nick! I was looking all over for you!" said Judy's father. "Do you mind giving me a paw for a while? I need help loading the stand back on the truck."

Nick smiled and looked at Judy. Stu looked sheepishly at his daughter.

"You don't mind if I borrow him for a minute, do you, Jude?"

Judy smiled.

"Sure,

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