Based on Hey, Arnold! characters created by Craig Bartlett. Author claims no copyright.
The Hillwood Cheese Festival was where Arnold unsuccessfully tried to make a move on Ruth McDougal, the then-sixth grader he had a crush on in fourth grade. Another year there he had a date with the tall ginger that his future wife Helga had jealously dubbed 'Little Miss Perfect,' Lila Sawyer. Little did Arnold know that Helga, who was secretly in love with him, had been working behind the scenes to ensure things would not work out with Ruth or Lila.
Long story short, Helga had succeeded in getting Arnold to be with her. But not until many cheese fests later. They were now in their mid-30s with a four-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son. Ruth had moved away when she was in junior high. Lila had fallen for Arnold's socially awkward cousin Arnie. She and Arnie were together in adulthood just as Helga and Arnold were and lived in the country outside Hillwood where Arnie grew up.
The Shortmans did not have much contact with Lila and Arnie. It had been a complicated saga in elementary school, when Arnold was attracted to Lila and Arnie to Helga. Eventually the cousins had determined that they were meant for the opposite girl. Arnold didn't find his cousin to be as charming as Lila thought, and actually found him to be rather aloof. But when Arnie was determined to be on the autism spectrum, Arnold was understanding. Still, there was not a great connection between them. Not much in common.
As adults Helga and Arnold took their kids to the cheese festival every year. It was as much of a tradition to them as it was for any family in Hillwood. Olga always met them there. They would always save up spare change for a year in a piggy bank to blow on carnival games.
Arnold had invited his parents to go. Miles and Stella had gone to a few cheese fests since they had returned from San Lorenzo. But they knew how much of a bonding experience the festival was for Helga and Arnold with their kids and did not want to interfere. They were also tired as they got older. Plus with busy schedules, Arnold as a Marriage and Family Therapist and Helga an alcohol addiction counselor, they wanted them to have this time with Phil and Amber. They saw their grandkids a lot anyway. Phil and Amber saw a lot more of them than their Pataki grandparents.
After everyone made it out of the house of mirrors, Helga looked down at Phil and Amber, "go over to the carney games with Aunt Olga, daddy and I are going on the tunnel of love," Helga said to her kids before kissing them on their football-shaped foreheads. Arnold gave Olga their stash of bills that had been converted from coins in their piggy bank.
Riding on the swan boats with Arnold was a particularly special occasion for adult Helga. She felt a sweet sense of redemption with both Ruth and Lila, involved in his cheese festival outings of the past, out of the picture.
As their swan boat made its way down the canal Helga was nestled in Arnold's arms. Meanwhile Olga, her niece and nephew won a stuffed bear and Chinese finger trap playing ring toss and water guns.
Suddenly, as they were still cuddling and the swan boat moving, something shook the boat. A spinning propeller was emerging slowly with a hat it was tied to. Then a pale-skinned figure with an inverted football head splashed out from under the hat, smiling sadistically at them. It was Arnie. Another splash later and a mermaid zombie-like incarnation of Lila emerged and splashed the boat from the other side. Peculiar versions of Phoebe and Brainy, that had shown up in a dream Arnold had long ago, followed. Helga screamed as the boat capsized backwards and she awakened. This had all been a dream.
Arnold, who was in bed beside Helga, was awakened by her scream. It was 5:15 AM or so and they had not yet woke the kids up to get them ready for school. Their alarm clock went off shortly after. Upon hearing about the dream Helga had, he was immediately reminded of the one with a similar ending he had when he was nine.
"I had taken the bus out to the country to see Arnie and everything was mysteriously upside down," said Arnold, "like there was this girl just like you except her name was Hilda. But hey I had a thing for her in that dream so it must have been an omen!"
"You're the only football head real or in dreams I could ever have feelings for," said Helga.
"If you're worried about Lila and Arnie being there, that's probably not gonna happen," said Arnold, "last I heard Arnie's gum didn't sell too well at the cheese fest. That was back when I was in Europe. So they went to some other county fair instead."
"That Arnie has always been something else. But hey chewing gum is his favorite thing so if he can make his own and sell it, more power to him I guess," said Helga.
Arnold stretched and arose from the bed. "Yeah," he said after yawning, "you're still up for going with us tonight?"
Helga followed and got out of bed. "Sure, football head. I mean, the Cheese Festival is a Shortman family tradition, I can't miss it," she said. Then she proceeded to the shower and later the kitchen to get breakfast started.