"Calvin, there's an extra box of stuff I found in your bedroom," his mother called to him. "I think you'd better look through it, just to make sure you didn't leave anything."

"I think I'll be fine," Calvin said. "Besides, I need to help Susie pack these dishes away."

"Go on, Calvin, we'll be fine," Susie Derkins smiled. "We're nearly ready to move in to that apartment."

Calvin hesitated. He had been ready to move in for months, a few years even, but Susie had announced her plan to attend graduate school right before they could make any plans. It was an exciting time, and Calvin even found his own apartment in the city to be closer to Susie. They had many weekend adventures exploring the city and trying new restaurants, but now, it was time for them to live on their own.

Calvin trudged up the stairs and entered the small bedroom that was once his. It was smaller than he remembered. He opened his closet door and a cardboard box landed on top of him, covering him almost entirely.

"Ow!" he said, picking himself up. It was an empty box, with "Transmogrifier" written on the side in messy handwriting. He had to laugh. This was the box that his mother had saved for him? It was a good memory, but it couldn't do much.

Or could it? He looked down to discover that he had two fuzzy, orange feet. Picking up the box, he realized that the dial was set to "Tiger."

"Oh, man," Calvin groaned. How was he going to explain to his mother or Susie that he had been a victim of his own cardboard box technology? Seeing a "Calvin" option on the dial, he set it and crawled back into the box. Phew! When he came out, the feet were gone. He'd probably just fallen victim to his imagination, which could often be overactive even though he was an adult. Still, he couldn't help but remember the day he'd first "invented" it. He really did think he'd turned into a tiger, which was terrifying and exciting all at once. It may have been years ago, but the memory was still vibrant. How he thought he was a tiger; how he was super psyched to not have to go to school anymore (or so he thought); how he and Hobbes had a special bond for several hours. Life was good then, Calvin thought.

Putting the transmogrifier aside, Calvin reached up for a heavier box. Inside were various toys from childhood, which was the box his mother had put aside. He opened it carefully and discovered a collection of Captain Napalm comic books. He wondered if they were still worth as much money as he thought they'd be when he was a kid. Maybe they'd be worth some extra cash. Making a mental note to save them, he flipped through one and was amused to see mustaches still visible on all the superheroes. Hobbes did like to get himself into trouble.

Hobbes!

Calvin quickly started rummaging through the box. He found his Stupendous Man cape, even more ripped up comic books, an old bag of water balloons that was still intact, a piece of wood from his treehouse that he'd saved when it fell apart, and even an old valentine that he'd given to Susie that had been thrown right back at him. Ah, fifth grade...

But no tiger showed itself. Calvin was really hoping to talk to his friend again.

Like the transmogrifier, Hobbes had probably only been a part of his imagination, but he was a central part of his childhood as well. Sighing, he thought back to many memories at once. Calvinball, show-and-tells at school, even the time the house was broken into brought back memories. He frantically searched through the rest of the box, hoping to find his old friend.

He wasn't there.

Where could Hobbes be? As Calvin frantically searched the pile of old toys on the floor, his mind wondered to all the places he could be. When did he last see Hobbes? The last time they spoke, they were fighting over a game of Calvinball and he shut Hobbes in the closet. He expected Hobbes to walk back out and pounce on him, but he never did. Calvin groaned to himself, thinking that you shouldn't go around throwing friends in closets, but dismissed them pretty quickly when he realized he was older now and shouldn't be thinking about stuffed animals. He checked the closet, but no tiger.

"Calvin? Where are you?"

Calvin realized he'd been in his room for longer than expected. "Almost ready, Susie!"

Ten minutes later, Calvin's room was a pigsty from looking for Hobbes. He chuckled at the mess. Now it looked more like his room.

"Calvin, I...good heavens, what did you do up here? Leaving one last mess for your old mom to clean up before you go, huh?"

Calvin looked up to see his mom in the doorway. "Don't worry about it. I'm about to go, anyway."

As Calvin turned to leave, he gave his bedroom one last look. His parents were moving out soon themselves, to an adult community with many recreational activities and nature trails for his dad to hike and bike on. This was the last he'd see of his childhood. As he was about to walk away, something caught his eye. Was that an old Captain Napalm sock hiding under his bed? He reached down to grab it, when...

"YAAAHHHHH!"Calvin was thrown to the floor before he knew what was happening.

"There you are, old buddy!" said Hobbes, brushing himself off. "That game of Calvinball is still waiting...huh? You've changed!"

Calvin stared. "Well, that's what happens. People grow up. You've been under that bed an awful long time."

"You think? Try years! Thanks for abandoning me, pal!"

"Look, Hobbes, I'm sorry," said Calvin. But as he was trying to explain himself away, Hobbes began to look much more like a stuffed tiger than he did a moment ago. Did Calvin let his imagination get to him yet again?

"Hobbes! Hobbes!" Calvin said, shaking his friend. Hobbes didn't move, reduced to a stuffed toy instead. But he just couldn't bring himself to pack Hobbes into his "box of trash." Instead, Hobbes went into his suitcase.

"Calvin, is everything okay up here?" asked Susie. "I heard something that sounded suspiciously like a yell a minute ago."

Calvin sighed. "Yeah, everything's good. Probably just your imagination. I'm ready to leave if you are."

Susie rolled her eyes. She knew better than to think she imagined anything.

It was hard to do, but Calvin knew it was time to start growing up. After all, he had his life ahead of him. What he didn't realize was that someone else did, too.