Friends to the End, Twenty Years Later
A young man was packing up his things, getting ready to go to his new home. However, as he searched through his closet for some clothes, he found an old box with the faded words Age: Six. Contents: Toys on it. He paused. "What's in here?" he asked, scratching his yellow hair. He shrugged, and then opened it up, using a pocket knife that he always kept handy to slice away the tape.
Inside were some baseball cards, a few pieces of stale gum, a dart gun, a bat and ball, a paper hat with the word GROSS on it, and, a stuffed tiger.
"Oh my." said the man, dusting the old stuffed animal off, "I haven't seen you in a while." He placed it on the bed. "How are you old buddy?"
"Um," said the Tiger, "Who are you?"
"Makes sense that you wouldn't remember me," laughed the man, "Been years since we last met." He held the Tigers paw. "My, it has been a while."
"Sir," said the Tiger, "Who are you? Why are holding me?"
"Hobbes," said the man, "Don't you remember me?"
"Calvin? Is that really you?"
Calvin nodded, "Yep Hobbes, it's me, gone to college and everything."
"What happened? Last I saw, you were only six!"
"Times change, pal, after a while, I got old, but didn't want to part with you. So I, well, stuffed you in that box, and, sadly, forgot for Twenty years."
"What has happened since you stuffed me in that cramped box?"
"Well, there was High School, Moe got sent to military school. Then there was that Derkins girl, and she, well, gosh she was pretty! After College, I, well, proposed to her! She had previously gotten into a bad marriage, you remember Tommy Chestnut?"
"Yeah, why?" asked Hobbes
"He left her at her wedding, after she gave birth. And, well, I went in and got married!"
"But you hated Susie!"
"Times change, old friend, times change." said Calvin as he shook his head.
"What are you doing here though?"
"Came to pack my things, and then move out, thought I left some clothes here."
"What are you doing now?"
"In college, I got my Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing, and now I write children's books. Problem is I don't know what to write."
"You, having a brain fart? Why does that not surprise me?"
"Hey now." said Calvin, much like he did when he was six. He got ready to punch his friend, but then paused. "I think you've just solved my problem."
"How?" asked Hobbes.
"Follow me," said Calvin as he walked downstairs, "Clarke, I have something to show you."
"Yeah dad?" asked a young child, who looked a brown-haired version of Calvin when he was six, except hew wore glasses.
"Clarke, meet an old friend of mine, his name is Hobbes." He brought Hobbes out to show his step-son.
"Erm," said Hobbes, "Hello, Clarke?"
"Wow," said Clarke excitedly, "A tiger, my favorite animal! Where did you find him?"
"Son," laughed Calvin, "I don't think your mother ever told you this, but Hobbes and I were best friends, practically inseparable, and, well, he's yours now."
"Huh?" asked Hobbes, "You're giving me up? I thought we were friends."
"Hobbes," sighed Calvin, "I'm an adult now, I'm old. Clarke needs a friend, his birth father having left him as a child, and now he's got a new dad. So, I'm letting him have you, so that you two can have adventures, like you and I did as kids. Besides," he added, giving Hobbes a knowing grin, "My house is near a lake full of fish."
"A lake full of fish?" said Hobbes, licking his chops, "When do we leave?"
"As soon as Susan gets here." said Calvin, checking his watch.
"Where is she?"
"Oh, probably out shopping with my mother, said she needed to pick up a few things before we left for Lake Redding."
"Lake Redding?"
"Itchy Island, Home of the Nuclear Mosquitoes."
"I thought you hated that place."
"Well, it's not so bad, now anyway."
"By the way, how am I going to help you with your writers block?"
"Hobbes, thanks to you, I now have all the materials I need to write my stories, I just have to look back at my own childhood."
"Oh." said Hobbes.
Then, a blue minivan drove up to the house, and out got and older version of Susie Derkins, and a gray-haired version of Calvin's Mother.
"I see you found Hobbes." said Susie.
"Yep," said Calvin, "Found him after all these years."
"Well that's nice." said Calvin's Mother, who gave Clarke a kiss on the head, and then waved as the family left the house.
"Bye Calvin, dear, I hope your writing career pays off!"
"Bye Mom!" shouted Calvin, "Take good care of Dad for us!"
"Bye Grandma!" said Clarke as he waved goodbye.
"Bye Mrs. …" Susie began to say, before another car honked its horn, drowning out that critical last name.
"So," said Hobbes to Clarke, "Your step-dad and I used to be best friends."
"Really, what did you do?"
"Oh, play Calvinball; go to GROSS Club meetings, time travel, and all sorts of stuff."
"Can we do that when we get home?"
"Sure," said Hobbes, who was looking out the window, watching as the car drove to Lake Redding, "Sure we can. After all, I expect that you'll be like Calvin when he was your age. Yep," he said as he closed his eyes for a long rest, "Just like the good old days." And with that, he and Clarke fell asleep, friends for life, just like Calvin and Hobbes so earlier ago, yep, friends to the end.
The End (Of the Story, not their friendship)