Author's Note: I do not own any of these characters (except for the two cops and the zoo manager at the end of the story). Danny Phantom is owned by Butch Hartman. The Rugrats are owned by Paul Germain. Calvin and Hobbes are owned by Bill Watterson. The "tiger on the loose" joke in chapter one is based off of a Garfield comic I read once. Hope you enjoy the story! :)
Prologue
Three-year-old Calvin ran into the store laughing, his tall stack of blond hair flying back as the wind blew against it. Today was his first trip to the zoo, and boy was he ever excited. He had seen many different animals today including penguins, bears, and zebras. But the one animal that caught his attention the most was in a pen on the right side of him in the middle of the zoo.
"Daddy," Calvin had asked, pointing to the pen, "what are those?"
His dad grinned as he lifted him onto his shoulders. "Those are tigers, Calvin. Do you want to go and see them?"
"Yeah!"
So, Calvin and his parents went to look at the tigers. Calvin loved watching them clean themselves, eating, drinking, and playing. He loved how full of liveliness the tigers were. He closed his eyes for a moment and imagined that he was a tiger, running around in the jungle, running, pouncing, cleaning… Calvin smiled when he opened his eyes. He had a vivid imagination.
Calvin wouldn't let him or his parents leave the tiger pits for half an hour. It was when his mom said he could go pick out a souvenir at the zoo's store, he finally agreed to go with them.
Calvin immediately froze when he saw all of the toys around him. There were plenty on the shelves and on the counter where the lady with the cash register was. Not to mention a ton of stuffed animals. He was about to take a step forward when his mom exclaimed, "Oh, look dear! Snow globes! We can get one of these for my Mom's collection."
His dad smiled at his mom and looked inside the glass counter where the snow globes were. Calvin stared at the ground madly. After all, he wanted to find a souvenir for him to take home and play with. He didn't want to stand here and look at a bunch of stupid snow globes!
Suddenly, Calvin smiled mischievously. He had a great idea. He could go look for his souvenir all by himself! After all, what was the big deal? He would just find his souvenir while his parents found the perfect snow globe for his grandma. No problem!
So, just like that, Calvin walked toward one of the aisles. When he got there, he stared around in awe. There were so many toys. Alligators and crocodiles and elephants and polar bears. Key chains and books and board games. Which toy would he choose? There were too many to count!
Calvin walked down a few more isles. He glanced up and down, but he still wasn't sure about which toy he would pick. That is, until he glanced up one more time.
From the moment he saw the orangeness of his fuzzy exterior, with zig-zagging patterns of black stripes, Calvin knew. This was his zoo souvenir! Actually, it seemed like the more he thought about it, the more he seemed he was going to like this souvenir. The gleam in the toy's oval-shaped button eyes showed its appreciation for Calvin. And Calvin felt just the same way.
"Hi!" the stuffed tiger exclaimed.
"Hi!" Calvin grinned.
The stuffed tiger looked concerned. "What are you doing all the way down there without your parents? You look a little young to be running around the store by yourself."
Calvin shrugged. "I'm looking for a souvenir."
The stuffed tiger smiled widely. Calvin thought for a second he was going to jump off the top shelf. "Well, there's a lot of great stuff in this aisle here for kids your age. Have a look around."
Calvin nodded politely. "Thanks, but I think I've already found the souvenir I've been looking for."
"Really? What?" the stuffed tiger looked around, trying to figure out what had caught this three-year-old's eye so quickly.
Calvin laughed and pointed at him. "You silly!"
"Me? Oh, no!" The stuffed tiger waved his front paws frantically. "No! You don't want me!"
"Why not?"
"Because…" He hesitated, then continued. "I've been sitting on this shelf for a full year because the popularity of stuffed tigers decreased. All of the other kids want toy rhinos now."
"But, I don't want a rhino!" Calvin exclaimed. "I want you!"
Right after he had said that, Calvin's mom came running down the aisle. "Calvin, there you are!" She turned to her left and called, "Dear, it's alright! I found him!"
Soon enough, Calvin's dad was standing next to his wife with an exasperated expression on his face. "Goodness gracious, Calvin!" he exclaimed. "Never run off on your own like that again! You nearly gave your mother and I a heart attack!"
Calvin was now standing as stiff as a board, with his hands behind his back, shuffling his feet, and staring at the floor shamefully. "Sorry, Mommy and Daddy." Suddenly, he perked up a bit and pointed at the top shelf. "But, I found my souvenir!"
His dad smiled at his son as he carefully lifted the stuffed tiger off the shelf, and bent down to hand it to him. Calvin took the toy gratefully and hugged it. "You're even softer than I imagined." he half spoke, half whispered.
Calvin didn't let go of his souvenir all the way home, except for when his parents had to pay for it (Calvin laughed at the stuffed tiger when he was trying so hard not to growl at the lady behind the cash register for sliding him across the scanner.).
"So, Calvin," his mom asked in the car a few minutes later, "did you enjoy your trip to the zoo?"
"Uh, huh." Calvin replied, not taking his eyes off of his new toy.
His mom chuckled, looking at her son in the rear view mirror. "Have you given a name to your tiger yet?"
Calvin nodded happily, quickly glancing up at his parents. "Hobbes!"
"That's an interesting name." his dad replied, not taking his eyes off the road. "What made you pick that one?"
"Because that's what he told me his name is!" Calvin stated simply, giving Hobbes a hug. "And I'm going to love him forever and ever!"
Hobbes grinned proudly and hugged his new friend back.
Chapter 1: Back to the Zoo
Six-year-old Calvin walked down into the woods angrily, Hobbes by his side. Calvin's brows were furrowed, and he was glaring at the ground. Hobbes was just glancing at him silently. After all, when Calvin was in one of his 'moods', it was best just to leave him alone for a few minutes.
When those few minutes ticked by, Hobbes turned to his friend and said, "Aw, cheer up, Calvin! So your Mom kicked us out of the house. It's not that big of a deal!"
"Yes it is!" Calvin exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. "I mean, I was just sitting in the living room minding my own business, when Mom came in, started yelling at me, and threw us out!"
Hobbes sighed. "No. What really happened was you ran into the living room where your Mom was working, started singing 'On Top of Spaghetti' at the top of your lungs, and then she started yelling at you and threw us out."
"Hey!" Calvin said in defense. "Rare song sparrows can't help but show off their wonderful talent!"
Hobbes grinned, and glanced up at the sky. He knew Calvin was going to go after him for this, but he didn't care. "Are you sure the rare song sparrow wasn't singing a made up song called 'I'm a Little Off Pitch'?"
It took a second for Calvin to get the joke. But when he did, he furrowed his brows and took after Hobbes who was now running further into the woods, laughing all the way.
When Calvin finally caught up to Hobbes, he was all out of breath. "O-Okay!" he panted. "Y-you win!"
Hobbes smiled, and shrugged. "I always do."
Calvin grinned at his stuffed tiger. "Come on! Let's ride the wagon over to Danny's house. I'm sure he'll come up with something for us to do!"
Danny Fenton was sitting in his living room trying to teach his playmate Tommy Pickles how to play a card game. And he decided the game should be 'Go Fish'. After all, that was his first card game he learned to play when he was younger. And it was the easiest card game in the world to him as well.
"Okay, Tommy." Danny started. "You have your five cards in your hands right now, and you can't show them to me."
Tommy nodded. "Gotcha."
"Now, if you find any pictures that look the same, you put them down on the floor face up."
Tommy grinned as he placed a pair of panda bear cards on the floor. "Okay. Now whats?"
"Now," Danny continued, "you ask me if I got a certain card from your five cards in your hands."
"Okay. Um…do you gots a zebra?"
"Nope. Go fish."
"Goes fish? I thoughts we was playing a card game, Danny."
"It means pick up a card from the pile in the middle, Tommy."
"Oh!" Tommy picked up another card. "Now whats?"
"Now see if it matches any of the five cards in your hands. If it does, you set those cards down with your panda bear cards. If not, you get to keep it. Whoever gets rid of their cards first is the winner."
Tommy grinned. "Sounds like fun!"
Danny smiled as well. Since Tommy had gotten a bit older, he was starting to get things more. And he was glad he was. "And when you get older, you can teach this to your baby brother, Tommy."
"Hey, yeah!" Tommy exclaimed. He frowned, then asked, "How many more months until he's borned, now?"
"Three and a half mon-,"
Ding dong! The doorbell at the front door was ringing.
"I'll be right back, Tommy." Danny excused himself, walking over to answer the door. When he opened it, he got a big surprise.
"Did somebody call for help?" a boy with a blue hood with a blanket attached tied around his neck, and who was dressed and talked a lot like Calvin asked.
Danny laughed. "Calvin, I know it's you!"
"Who is this Calvin of which you speak?" Calvin asked, in a deep and heroic voice. "I'm Stupendous Man!"
"Okay, then, Stupendous Man!" Danny exclaimed, looking at him slyly. "I'll go get you some orange juice. You must be thirsty." He smiled when he saw Calvin caught off guard. Calvin hated orange juice.
When Danny came back with a full glass of orange juice, he held it out to Calvin. "Here. Drink up!"
Calvin suddenly gasped, and landed on his back, making fake choking noises. "A-Are you t-trying to p-p-poison me? Orange juice is like kryptonite to Stupendous Man!"
Danny chuckled. "Kryptonite?" He smiled, glancing over to his right. "If you're not Calvin, then how come Hobbes is sitting on the railing?"
Calvin gasped as he turned to glance at his stuffed tiger. "Ahhh!" he cried. He turned around. "Maw! There's a tiger on the loose!"
Hobbes rolled his eyes and jumped off of the railing. "Oh, give it up, Calvin! He's obviously not believing you!"
Calvin sighed. "Your right." He pulled off his hood, and turned to Hobbes. "Maybe we should've gotten some real kryptonite."
"Kryptonite is a weakness for people who have superpowers." Danny explained. "Now, since you and I both know none of us have superpowers, I'm going to call Sam up and see if she wants to come over."
"See?" Calvin suddenly exclaimed. "See? Hobbes owes me a dollar!"
"What?" Danny asked, puzzled.
Calvin didn't get a chance to answer, because Tommy came toddling over. "Hi'ya, Calvin! Hi'ya, Hobbes!"
"Hey, Tommy!" Calvin exclaimed.
"How's it going?" Hobbes asked.
Tommy shrugged. "Fine, I guess." He glanced around at his friends. "What's going on over here?"
"Well, I'm trying to call Sam to see if she wants to come over and play." Danny explained, dialing his best friend's number.
"And Hobbes owes me a dollar!" Calvin grinned proudly.
"I don't remember making any bets, Calvin." Hobbes said, folding his arms across his chest. "Now, stop goofing around, and let's play with Tommy while Danny's calling Sam."
"Okay." Calvin turned to Tommy. "So, what do you want to play?"
"Well, me and Danny was playing goes fish. But, we can play something else if you want." Tommy said, politely.
Hobbes shook his head. "Go fish sounds fine. Right, Calvin?"
Calvin nodded. "Sure!"
"Great!" Tommy exclaimed, toddling toward the living room. "But one of you has gots to shuffle the cards. I don't do it so good."
Sam immediately picked up the phone when she saw the caller ID. She was sitting on her bed, holding a small slip of paper in her hands. "Hello?"
"Hey, Sam!" Danny replied. He paused. "Do you got your ticket for the surprise trip to the zoo tomorrow for us and the babies?"
"Yep." Sam nodded excitedly. "I'm so excited! I think it's a great way to bond with the babies before the new member of the Pickles family is born. Plus, they get to learn all sorts of things about all of the animals." She paused, then asked, "Did you invite Calvin and Hobbes to come with us like your parents suggested?"
"Not yet. But, I'm going to in a few minutes."
"Okay."
"Say, do you want to come over and play? Tommy and Calvin and Hobbes are here right now, actually."
"Sure! I'll be there in about five minutes."
"Great! I'll see you then!"
"Okay, then! Bye!"
Sam placed the phone back on the receiver, and ran out of her bedroom door.
"Woo, hoo! Faster horsy! Faster!"
After a few more games of go fish, Calvin suggested they should play cops and robbers. Except this game was a little bit different. Instead of running around the house, they decided to play it western style. Tommy was the cop, and Calvin was the robber. Hobbes was Calvin's horse, while Danny was Tommy's trusty steed.
Danny was now looking like he was going to collapse. "I don't think I can go any faster, Tommy." He took a deep breath. "Besides, I'm a little wiped out."
"Yeah." Hobbes panted. "Me too. Let's play something else."
Calvin climbed off of Hobbes's back. "Okay. What do we want to-,"
Ding dong!
"Oh, that must be Sam!" Danny exclaimed, as Tommy slid off of him. "I'll get it!"
Calvin smirked as he watched his friend open the door. And of course, Sam was grinning at the doorway.
"Hey, guys!" she exclaimed. "Sorry, I'm late. I was just packing a few things." Sam patted her backpack for emphasis. "So, anything going on?"
"We were just thinking of something to do." Calvin replied, walking up to his friend. He held out his right knuckle. "What's up, Sam?"
"Hey, Calvin!" Sam exclaimed, touching his right knuckle with hers. She and Calvin had become close friends over the past couple months. "Did Danny tell you-,"
"That we taught Tommy how to play go fish?" Danny quickly interrupted. He looked Sam in the eye, and gestured his eyes toward Tommy. "Yes, we played a couple of games."
"Oh!" Sam nodded, getting the hint. "Right! I just thought you'd like to know that!"
Calvin raised an eyebrow, while Tommy nodded proudly.
Danny grabbed a pencil and a pad of paper by the telephone, and wrote down:
We're taking the babies on a surprise trip to the zoo tomorrow. We were wondering if you wanted to come along. My Mom called your Mom and she said it was okay.
Danny handed the note to Calvin, while Sam distracted Tommy by playing another game of go fish. Calvin quickly read it, smiled, took the pencil from Danny's hand, and wrote:
As long as Hobbes can come too, I'll be there. I need to figure out what to get him for a friendship present. Saturday marks the third anniversary of when I first got him from the zoo.
Danny read Calvin's note when he handed it to him. Afterwards, Danny glanced up to see Hobbes sitting with Tommy and Sam, watching them play another round of go fish. Figuring they were out of earshot, Danny asked, "Really?"
Calvin nodded. "The last couple years, I've given him great presents. But this year," he shrugged, frowning, "I'm stuck."
"Well," Danny said, "maybe we could help you. Just ask Sam. She seems to have gotten to know you better in the past couple of months."
"You think she'd be able to help me?"
Danny nodded. "Absolutely."
Calvin grinned. "Thanks, Danny! I'm sure with our two brains, we can come up with something!"
Danny smiled. "Sure!"
As Calvin walked over to his friends, Danny suddenly frowned. Sam helping Calvin. Why did he suddenly feel so weird about this? Danny smiled, then shook the feeling off. 'I just must be feeling excited about the zoo trip tomorrow.' he thought. 'I'm just fine.' He smiled, then went to join his friends.
"Hey, you guys!" Danny exclaimed. "Guess what?"
He was sitting in the playpen at the Pickles' home with Tommy and his friends Chuckie Finster, and Phil and Lil Deville. They were rolling Tommy's big star ball around, looking bored.
"What is it, Danny?" Tommy asked, trying to look like he was having a fun time.
"Is it some big news, like we're gonna play a different game?" Phil asked eagerly. "Because anything is better than this!"
"Philip!" Lil glared at her twin brother.
Tommy sighed. "It's okay, Lil. I've been kind of bored of this game since…well, since we started it."
Chuckie glanced back up at Danny. "Anyways, Danny, you was gonna says something?"
"Well," Danny was grinning now, "your parents and my parents talked about it for quite awhile now, and we figured I'd tell you all now."
"What is it?" Lil asked, excitedly.
"We're going to the zoo later today!"
All of the babies cheered.
"I always wanted to go to the zoo!" Tommy exclaimed.
"I can't wait to see all of the baby aminals!" Lil cooed.
"And eat nummy foods!" Chuckie added.
"What about the toys?" Phil asked. He turned to Danny. "There are toys there, aren't there Danny?"
Danny laughed. "Yes, Phil. There's plenty of toys there. Now, I've got to call Calvin, Hobbes, Sam, Susie, and Tucker. They're coming too."
"Cool!" Tommy said, as his playmate stepped out of the playpen.
Danny grinned politely as Tommy's older cousin walked into the room just as he was about to enter the hallway. "Hi, Angelica!"
"Hey, Fenton." Angelica mumbled, not looking up at him. "Now, will you pipe down! I've got to finish brushing Cynthia's hair!" She held up her toy doll with missing chunks of hair sticking out in Danny's face. "She's gots some nasty split ends!"
"Whatever, Angelica." Danny replied. "If you need me for anything, I'm using the telephone down the hall."
Angelica rolled her eyes. "Since when have I ever needed you for anything, Fenton?" She couldn't tell whether Danny didn't hear her, or just completely ignored her. He was already walking down the hallway.
Angelica turned around, and glanced at the playpen. Tommy was on top of Chuckie, while Phil and Lil were arguing who was going to sit on top of whom. 'Dumb babies.' she thought, walking up toward the playpen. 'Do I have to do everything around here?'
"I'm going to be the cowboy!" Phil cried to his sister. "You be the horsy!"
"No!" Lil said back. "You be the horsy and I'll be the cowgirl!"
"No, Lillian! You're the horsy!"
"No, Philip! You're the horsy!"
"You're the horsy!"
"You're the horsy!"
"You are!"
"You are!"
"Will you dumb babies be quiet!" Angelica yelled. "What the heck are you guys doing anyway? Not that I care."
"We're practicing riding horsies for the trip to the zoo later on."
Of course. The zoo trip was today. Angelica rolled her eyes. "Don't you dummies know anything? The zoo don't gots horsies!"
"They don't?" Tommy asked.
"Of course not!"
"Then, what kind of animals do they gots?"
"You know, elephants and stuffs." Angelica said, turning to walk away.
"Elephants?" Phil asked, puzzled. "What's an elephant?"
"Oh they're-," Angelica suddenly cut off. She had a brilliant plan forming in her mind. She smiled slyly. "Oh, nothing really. Just really big aminals that have huge noses and stomp on babies."
"WHAT?!" Chuckie screamed in fear.
Tommy's brows furrowed. "That's not true, Angelica! Danny would never takes us somewhere where it isn't safe! Isn't that right you guys?"
"Uh, huh!" Chuckie nodded.
"Yep!" Phil said, determinedly.
"That's right!" Lil exclaimed.
Angelica was expecting that to happen. 'These babies are too smart for their own good.' she thought frantically. Suddenly, she smiled at them slyly, quickly thinking up a plan B. "You're right, babies. Probably not. Except I saw it on the news. Elephants just started stomping on babies recently. Nobody knows why."
"S-So," Chuckie stuttered, "d-does that m-mean Danny doesn't k-know about the elephants s-squishing b-b-babies?"
Angelica shook her head in fake sadness. "I'm afraid not." She sighed. "I'm sorry babies."
Phil suddenly turned to Tommy. "Well, maybe you should tell Danny about the elephants Tommy. Then maybe he'll change his mind about taking us to the zoo."
Tommy nodded, reaching into his diaper. "Good idea, Phil." He rummaged through it a bit until he found what he had been looking for. His blue plastic screwdriver! He started to slip it between the posts where the hook locked the playpen in place.
"Stop it!" Angelica cried, waving her arms out in front of her for emphasis. "You can't tell Danny that!"
"Why not, Angelica?" Tommy asked, pausing from what he was doing.
"Because," she quickly glanced behind her to make sure the coast was clear, "and I hate to tell you this, but, Danny gets sad real easily."
"What do you mean, Angelica?" Lil asked.
"Well," Angelica pretended to hesitate, then turned around, "I don't know if I should say…" She grinned when the babies started pleading for her to tell them what was going on with their friend.
"Come on, Angelica!"
"Peas?"
"We promless we won't tell anybodys!"
"Honest!"
Angelica shrugged and turned around to face the babies once more. "Okay. But, don't say I didn't warn you!" She leaned in toward the babies and said, "I heard Danny crying in the bathroom once when one of his friends didn't go with him to the playground."
"Who was his friend?" Tommy asked.
"His name was…Bob!"
"Bob?" Phil questioned. "I never heard of him."
"That's because Bob was so upset that Danny was upset that he didn't go to the playground with him, that they aren't friends anymore!"
Chuckie gasped. "Poor, Danny!"
Angelica nodded seriously. "Yep. That's why you should just go along with Danny's plan, that way you don't hurt his feelings."
"We won't tells him, Angelica!" Tommy exclaimed. "We promless!"
"I'm glad to see that you're sticking up for your friend, babies." Angelica chuckled menacingly to herself once she was out of the babies hearing range.
Soon, Danny came walking back to the playpen. "Well, Sam, Susie, Tucker, and Calvin and Hobbes are coming over no-," He paused, staring at the babies' hesitant expressions on their faces. "Are you guys okay?"
"Well, actually-," Phil started, before Lil elbowed him in the side.
"Of course we are!"
"Never betterer!" Chuckie exclaimed.
"We're just really excited about our trip to the zoo." Tommy explained.
Danny shrugged. "Well, okay then."
"Bye, Mom!" Calvin called, carrying his stuffed tiger in his arms. "Hobbes and I are going to the zoo!"
"Okay, Calvin!" His mom peeked around the kitchen entry. "But remember to be back by four. I promised Susie's mom you'd be here."
Calvin nodded. "Okay!" He started walking toward the door, when he suddenly froze when he just realized what his mom had just said. He turned around. "Wait a minute!" he exclaimed, running into the kitchen where his mom was now cutting up some vegetables. "Did you just say Susie Derkins is coming over?"
"Yes, Calvin." His mom said, not glancing up. "That's why I'm making salad and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner tonight!"
"Tonight?" Calvin asked, true panic in his voice. "You mean she's coming to eat here too?"
"Calvin, I told you this a million times! Susie's parents had to go to an old friend's funeral, so I told them Susie could stay here for the weekend!"
"The weekend?" Calvin asked, exasperated. "Mom, how could you? The weekend is my free time! I need my personal space!"
"Calvin, for the last time," his mom said, "I'm not changing my mind. So either suck it up, or you're not going to the zoo today! Understand?"
Calvin sighed. "Yes, Mom."
"Good. You can go now."
Calvin's brows furrowed even more as he left the house. "What did I do that was so bad, that ended up for me to deserve this?" he mumbled.
But Hobbes on the other hand, was grinning widely. "Oh, boy!" he exclaimed. "Susie's coming over! We can play lots of games, and watch movies, and maybe we'll get tons and tons of smooches!"
"Yuck!" Calvin grimaced in disgust. "Why do you always have to say that?"
Hobbes laughed all the way to Tommy's house.
"So," Tucker said, turning to Danny, "what are you planning to get for a souvenir?"
The kids were just entering the zoo gateway. Danny was pushing Tommy and Chuckie in their two-person stroller while Sam was pushing Phil and Lil's. Angelica, Calvin, Hobbes, Susie, and Tucker were walking on either side of Danny and Sam. Their parents were following closely behind.
Danny shrugged. "I don't know." He grinned widely. "Maybe I'll get myself one of those stuffed rhinos. I've heard they're pretty popular."
Tucker nodded. "That sounds good. I'll probably get one of those zoo animal games for my Play-Pal Advance!"
"Oh, please." Angelica interrupted, rolling her eyes. "Stuffed animals and Play-Pal games? That's baby stuff! Board games are the way to go!"
Sam leaned in toward Danny. "Says the girl who carries a doll everywhere she goes!"
Danny laughed.
"Hey!" Angelica exclaimed, holding Cynthia protectively against her chest. "I heard that!"
Susie Carmichael, Tommy's neighbor from across the street, closed her eyes and shook her head. "Oh, lighten up Angelica! You know Sam's kidding! And besides," she added, "we're in a place with a lot of aminals to discover!"
"I don't want to see a bunch of stupid aminals." Angelica mumbled, brushing Cynthia's hair.
Hobbes, meanwhile, was staring at Calvin with a confused expression on his face. "Might I ask why you bought a large sized root beer while we're just entering the park?"
Calvin, who was sipping away, paused, swallowed, and glanced up at his best friend. "Because, I'm really thirsty and there's a lot of animals to see. I don't want to get dehydrated in the middle of our journey!"
"I don't think you quite thought this plan through."
"Why?"
"Oh," Hobbes replied, rolling his eyes, "no reason. Just promise me you won't drink that all at once."
"Don't worry." Calvin said, coolly. "This is a fool proof plan! Nothing can go wrong! Now," he continued, "I'll just take a few more sips and I'll be done for awhile." He took five more abnormally huge sips as he continued to walk on.
Hobbes sighed, and followed him.
"Hey you guys!" Tucker exclaimed. "Look at all of the fish!"
"Fish?" Calvin asked anxiously. But inside he was screaming, 'Get me out of here!' Calvin looked like he was dancing, but really, he was jumping up and down all over the place.
"I told you not to drink that root beer all at once!" Hobbes exclaimed. "But, once again you don't listen to me! One of these days you're going to listen to me, and you'll be grateful!"
"Alright!" Calvin had to refrain from yelling. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you and I should have!" He was standing cross-legged now. "I'm going to see if we can take a rest stop." He quickly ran across the hall to where Danny and Tommy and Chuckie were standing.
"Danny," Calvin started, "do you think we can make a quick bathroom stop? I think I drank too much soda and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has."
Chuckie nodded. "I gots to goes too."
Danny nodded. "Sure, Calvin. Me and Tommy will walk over to Hobbes, and we'll wait for you guys."
"Thanks!"
He quickly ran out the door to where the restrooms were, Chuckie following close behind.
Calvin saw something when he came out of the restroom. At first, he could hardly believe his eyes, but now that he knew it was real, he couldn't bear but running as fast he could to the fish aquarium. Chuckie ran after him yelling for him to slow down, but Calvin kept running anyway.
He kept his eyes peeled looking around eagerly.
"Hey, Calvin!" Sam exclaimed. "Check out these seahor-, Whoa!"
Calvin just grabbed Sam's left hand, and was practically dragging her outside. "Calvin, what's going on? Is everything alright?"
"No!"
"Did something happen to Chuck?"
"No!"
"Then where are we going?"
"You'll see!"
Calvin ran outside where the tiger pins were, and stopped, panting. "L-Look up at t-the sign."
Sam glanced up at the sign. It said in huge letters:
TIGER PITSCLOSING SATURDAY
"The tiger pits are closing Saturday?" She raised an eyebrow wondering what the big deal was.
"Sam," Calvin started, "don't you get it? He pointed at the pits, where the tigers were playing happily. This is the same zoo I went to three years ago! The one I told you about! The one that made me choose Hobbes out of any other friends in the souvenir store!"