Notes: I was thinking about calvin and Hobbes the other day, and I was wondering what would happen when they grew up. And it made me upset to think that Calvin would grow out of the lovable tiger. But then I thought some more, and I discovered that I really don't think he will. Or, more likely, I really wish he won't.
But anyway, this is what I came up with. R&R, please. Tell me what you think. :)
Always
Calvin shivered slightly as a breeze crawled over the skin at the back of his neck. He looked over at his friend, and watched the cold air blew his fur up in unnatural direction. Hobbes paid no attention, but just stared up at the stars above him, his black eyes wide and wondering.
"Do you ever think about the future?" Calvin finally asked after a while. Hobbes didn't move, but seemed to be thinking.
"No," the tiger mumbled.
"When I think about the future, and how children lose their innocence, I'm afraid." Calvin admitted sadly. He looked at his feet, then continued on. "I'm afraid of losing my childlike simplicity. Of losing that joy that comes with opening a brand new box of cereal. I don't want that. I don't want to forget that feeling I get when I look at the stars at night. I want to be able to look at this," he gestured to everything above him with his hand, "and know that I can reach it. That I can reach my finger out and touch the stars." He sighed.
"Our perception on life is slowly morphed as we grow, until we're finally no longer a kid, but an adult. An adult that no longer enjoys sledding down a steep, snowy hill with their best friend. Or sneaking out late at night to watch the stars." Calvin shot Hobbes a sly smile. "We're an adult that no longer enjoys seeing the world through our own eyes and making snap judgments on things we know nothing about. We're an adult that no longer enjoys life as it should be: fun.
"Adults have to face reality. Every day, they have to face the truth. I don't want the truth. I don't want to grow up." Calvin looked at his feet and stuffed his chilled fingers into his jacket pockets. On the inside, he curled his fingers around a candy bar wrapper and sighed. This small piece of candy was something that, as an adult, he wouldn't enjoy properly. It would be a guilty pleasure that he couldn't have too much of. It would be a dirty thing to stay away from. He wanted it to be like it was now. He wanted his mouth to water at the mere thought of candy. That feeling he got when he ate it? That would be gone.
With a sigh, he looked back up at the stars. They twinkled tauntingly, and he would swear they were so, so close. He could see them now. He could see his hands holding them, tossing them around like they were nothing. His heart ached, and he reached up feebly with one hand and pretended to touch a star.
Pretend. That was another thing that would be gone as he grew older. That one really hurt. He looked at the grass beneath him and choked on his own words. Adults never pretended. They thought that pretending was something pointless and childlike.
Hobbes put a warm, fuzzy arm around his friend, pulling him closer. "You don't have to be sad," he said calmly, and Calvin wondered why not. Why shouldn't he be upset? "I'll always be here for you." Oh. That was why. Calvin smiled slightly and leaned into his furry friend's side. The one thing that kept him happy was this. This feeling right here as he and his best friend looked up at the starry expanse before them. Calvin knew that he would always, always have this feeling. Hobbes would always be there for him. Always.