Calvin & Hobbes: Ebb & Flow (Fiction)

Mar 8, 2009
Calvin & Hobbes: Ebb & Flow (Fiction)


Calvin took a look around as he walked into the old house. It had been years since he'd been there, but now, it was his reponsibility to see to it that the house was ready to be sold.

"Man, this place brings back some memories", Calvin thought to himself as he looked out into the back yard where he used to crash his sled gleefully into trees and build all sorts of deranged looking snowmen and keep trying to hit Suzie with those slush-balls.

"I wonder where Suzie is now?", he thought as he made one last walk through the house, glancing through the rooms to make sure the movers had packed and removed everything.

As Calvin approached the attic, he suddenly felt a huge emptiness and sharp pain come across him. This was truly the end of a big chapter of his life. He had moved aways years ago, but had always counted on the house and his parents to be here. His Dad had passed away and his Mom had decided to move away to be closer to her siblings and suddenly, Calvin was alone. Very alone.

Pushing aside the uneasiness, Calvin went to what had been his bedroom, so many years ago. He glanced around at the four walls and the empty space. And then...

"What's that?", Calvin suddenly muttered. "I hear something, but what can it be?"

Calvin cautiously followed the noise towards the closet and he opened the door. Looking in, he didn't see anything at first, but then noticed something on the top shelf of the closet, pushed back against the wall. It was old and ragged and covered with dust.

"Can it be? Is it?", Calvin asked as he reached towards the strange object.

Pulling it out, he realized that it was indeed the remains of an old stuffed animal,. a tiger to be exact.

"Hobbes?", Calvin asked quietly. "What's happened to you?"

"You grew up, Calvin. You went away", a small voice came from the stuffed animal.

"What the hell?", Calvin said, jumping back in surprise as he tossed the dirty, ragged cloth animal to the floor.

As Calvin watched in surprise, the small mass of cloth, stuffing and orange fur began to morph and transform. And there stood his old friend, the one and only Hobbes.

"Hobbes, it is you", Calvin screamed happily.

"RIght you are, buddy boy", Hobbes bellowed happily. "I've been waiting for you to come back. Let's go build a fort. Let's go play in the woods!"

"I'd love to, Hobbes", Calvin said sadly. "But I can't. I'm not back for good. I'm just closing things up here. I have a new life. I have responsibilities. I'm not a small boy anymore. I've grown up."

"So no more playing and wrestling and chasing bugs and sled rides and games?", Hobbes asked sadly?

"Sorry buddy, but I guess not", Calvin said quietly.

"Hmmm!", Hobbes thought to himself. "Growing up is no fun. I refuse to grow up!"

"I didn't have a choice", Calvin said.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Calvin reached over and hugged his old friend.

"I guess I'd better go", he said quietly.

"I guess so", Hobbes said.

"Are you crying?", Calvin asked his stuffed tiger friend.

"No. Tigers never cry!", Hobbes said quietly, wiping away the tears from his eyes. "I just had a big craving for a can of tuna. That's all!"

"OK", Calvin said. "I'll be seeing you, buddy"

"Yeah, you too", said Hobbes.

Calvin turned and walked out of the room, closing the door on his childhood and past. He was an adult now. It was time to grow up and move on, leaving the past behind.

Hobbes watched him leave and the proud, regal tiger morphed back into the ragged, beaten old piece of cloth and stuffing it had been before Calvin's arrival.

**

Time went on and Calvin forgot about that brief meeting with his childhood friend. As life often does, the responsibilities of living day to day and trying to survive took precedence.

So it was as Calvin moved to a new city and a new home. He had purchased a new home and it was empty, not so much of furniture, but it lacked something. Calvn's life lacked something. All he did was work and do for others - and it seemed that his life wasn't living, but merely existing.

"I need a dog... or a roommate", Calvin thought to himself as he sat one morning in his kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. Then he heard a noise, a huge crash outside that shook the very foundation of his home.

"What the hell?", Calvin thought to himself as he ran outside quickly to se what had caused that gut wrenching noise.

There was a young man standing there. A bit chubby and needing a haircut, with a foolish grin on his face. He had crashed his bicycle into a row of mailboxes out in front of Calvin's new home.

"Are you OK?", Calvin asked. "What happened?"

"Well, I was riding my bike and I had this big craving for tuna fish", the man said. "And I must have been daydreaming because these mailboxes jumped in front of me and well,,,,"

"Tuna fish?", Calvin asked.

"Hey, I like it", the guy smiled. "It's almost as much fun as taking a big slush-ball and putting it down someone's back."

Calvin smiled to himself. This guy reminded him so much of Hobbes.

"Hobbes", Calvin thought. "He was my best friend for so long and I left him alone. I abandoned him because I was being grown up... an adult."

"Hey, wipe that frown from your face, buddy boy", the strange man said, interupting the thoughts of Calvin.

"What did you say?", Calvin asked.

"Wipe that frown from your face", the guy repeated. "You can't take life that seriously to walk around and frown. Take a break. Smile. Have some fun!"

"I can't. I don't have time!", Calvin said quickly.

"There's always time", the man said with a smile. "The work and responsibility isn't going anywhere. Just take a moment for yourself and cut loose a little bit."

"But...?", Calvin started to say, but the man cut him off.

"No buts", the man said. "I think I know what you need."

"What's that?", Calvin said.

The strange man quickly moved over into Calvin's yard and grabbed a water hose that was laying there.

"Oh, maybe... this!", the man said,. turning the hose on and blasting Calvin with a spray of water.

"Aaaggghh!", Calvin shrieked.

"Why did you...?", he started to say, but then he started to laugh. Grabbing the hose from the strange man, Calvin blasted him with the water.

The man laughed and tackled Calvin to the ground and they were immediately rolling around, wrestling like two small boys.

This lasted for a few minutes and both men were sitting on the ground, wet and dirty and laughing.

"Thanks! I needed that", Calvin said to his new friend.

"My names Calvin" he said, reaching out his hand.

"And I'm Hob.. Hanz", the stranger said, shaking Calvin's hand with a quick smile.

"Who?", Calvin asked.

"Hanz", the stranger replied.

"I thought you started to say.... never mind", Calvin said. This strange man reminded him so much of his old friend, his ears were playing tricks on him. "Do you need to go take a shower? Clean up? I've got a few steaks I can throw on the grill."

"That'd be great, buddy boy", Hanz said. "You go on ahead and I'll be there in just a second. I want to rescue my bike from the mail-box looking aliens."

"Aliens?" Calvin looked at his new friend and shrugged. "OK, cool. Just come on in."

Calvin walked into his house as Hanz watched.

"Yeah, I had to give up the orange fur and sophistication of being an ultra cool tiger", Hanz thought to himself, "but I've got my friend back. And I'll never let him get away again!"

With a big grin and a skip, Hanz, formerly the tiger known as Hobbes, grabbed his bike from where it laid among the mailboxes and pushed it towards Calvin's house.

The End (?)