Thanks to all my reviewers, and sorry this installment took so long. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Calvin or Hobbes, but I do have the Magical Toys factory and store, as well as Lucinda.
Hobbes sighed. "So have you been out there, into this store? What do they do?" Lucinda began to play with her tail. "Well, they sit you down on a shelf with a bunch of the other ones with you. You just sit there for a few days until a human picks you up and give the guy at the front that green stuff. And they take you away."
Hobbes became nervous at the notion of being away from Lucinda (he had already grown attached to her) and that humans would take him away, no less. "So." he added, "What happens when they take you away?" Lucinda sat up and gave him a funny look. "Full of questions, are we? Well, to be honest, I don't really know. There's this one dog next door that was returned, and she said that a human child played with her until that kid tore one of her legs off." Hobbes shuddered at the very thought. He was about to say something when Lucinda cried, "Shhh!" and dragged him behind a crate.
"What is-?" Hobbes was cut off by Lucinda's paw over his mouth. Slowly, he looked over the box top.
There was a human in the room, with another box. He was grazing the shelves, picking out stuffed tigers and taking them with him. When the box was full, he strolled out of the room, whistling a tune, turned off the light, and locked the door behind him. Lucinda and Hobbes listened carefully as he turned the lights off in the hall and walked out. Through the window, Hobbes could see that the sun was setting.
Lucinda rubbed her paws together in anticipation. "Oh boy! This is the best part of the day. C'mon!" She dragged Hobbes over to the door, jumped up and caught the handle. It rotated, and the door opened. Lucinda beckoned Hobbes out into the hall. Curiously, Hobbes poked his head out of the door. The hall was dark and the walls were bare, but empty, an improvement from the Room of Zombies (What Hobbes had dubbed the wherehouse Tiger room). Lucinda unlocked the next door and led Hobbes through.
What Hobbes beheld was awesome. (A/N: not in the 'cool, dude' sense, but in awe.okay, I'll shut up.) They had entered a broad room, filled with other types of toys that Hobbes had never seen before, as well as colors: greens and blues, oranges and purples.
Lucinda motioned him over to a shelf side; paw over her lips, and pointed. Hobbes looked, slowly. There, hopping around, was a green thing, with long arms and webbed toes and hands. Hobbes recalled Lucinda telling him that there were creatures other than tigers, but Hobbes never thought there would be something as.strange. as this thing. "What is it?" He whispered. "It's a frog." Replied Lucinda softly. "You know, hop, hop, ribbit, ribbit?" Hobbes stared at her blankly. "Anyways, his name is Frank. Say," she said, a sly grin appearing on her face, "This is a good opportunity for you to practice your pouncing skills." She began to show him how to pounce- crouch like this, claws out, blah blah blah- until he was finally ready. Lucinda knocked on the floor. Frank the frog stopped hopping and looked up. "Lucinda?" he called, lonely.
"NOW!" Lucinda yelled. Hobbes felt his instincts take hold of him as he sailed through the air. He decided, in mid-pounce, that this was his new favorite hobby.
Hobbes crashed into Frank at an amazing speed. They did a couple of somersaults before they crashed into the wall. Hobbes stood up, shook himself, and held out a paw as a greeting to the frog. Frank could only manage a weak smile.
Lucinda came cantering up, shaking with laughter. "Hoo boy! You should've seen the look on his face; eyes as big as dinner plates!" Frank was not amused. "I'll get you later for this, Fuzz-head." He socked Lucinda in the arm, (she giggled a little more) and then faced Hobbes. "I believe we haven't been introduced properly," He said with a smile. Formal introductions were given out, then Frank took them to 'the rest of the gang', which were an isle or two away.
When Hobbes got there, these strange, new animals blew him away. He was amazed at how tall the giraffe was (although it was sort of small, in human terms, but it was big to him). There was Ellen, the giraffe, Tom and Bobbie, two dogs, Ramone the alligator, and Sue the inchworm. They spent the whole night telling Hobbes the tales of their experiences in the storm. Sue told him how she was about to be bought by an awful little boy. She was lying on the floor, beside the little boy, who was arguing with his parents, when she crawled to the safety of a high-rise shelf. Bobbie recounted how her leg had been torn off, but if it weren't for this she wouldn't have met her 'soul-mate' Tom.
Toward the wee hours, they engaged in a game of hide and seek. Hobbes had decided to hide in the booth where the cash register. He curled up in a tight ball, expecting It to find him. but It never did. He waited for a little longer, but to no avail. Annoyed he stood up and looked over the counter top. "C'mon-"
What he saw was so frightening. There was a man in the store, turning on lights and sweeping up the place. He jerked his head at Hobbes' speech. "Who's there?"
Hobbes went limp. The man looked over at him and laughed. "It ain't nothing but a tiger. Let me put you back in your right place." He walked over and grabbed Hobbes by the scruff of the neck. This definitely isn't good, thought Hobbes, feeling the man's grubby hands suffocate him.
The man set him down on a low shelf with a bunch of other stuffed tigers. Hobbes looked around him angrily. The others had left him all alone.
Disclaimer: I don't own Calvin or Hobbes, but I do have the Magical Toys factory and store, as well as Lucinda.
Hobbes sighed. "So have you been out there, into this store? What do they do?" Lucinda began to play with her tail. "Well, they sit you down on a shelf with a bunch of the other ones with you. You just sit there for a few days until a human picks you up and give the guy at the front that green stuff. And they take you away."
Hobbes became nervous at the notion of being away from Lucinda (he had already grown attached to her) and that humans would take him away, no less. "So." he added, "What happens when they take you away?" Lucinda sat up and gave him a funny look. "Full of questions, are we? Well, to be honest, I don't really know. There's this one dog next door that was returned, and she said that a human child played with her until that kid tore one of her legs off." Hobbes shuddered at the very thought. He was about to say something when Lucinda cried, "Shhh!" and dragged him behind a crate.
"What is-?" Hobbes was cut off by Lucinda's paw over his mouth. Slowly, he looked over the box top.
There was a human in the room, with another box. He was grazing the shelves, picking out stuffed tigers and taking them with him. When the box was full, he strolled out of the room, whistling a tune, turned off the light, and locked the door behind him. Lucinda and Hobbes listened carefully as he turned the lights off in the hall and walked out. Through the window, Hobbes could see that the sun was setting.
Lucinda rubbed her paws together in anticipation. "Oh boy! This is the best part of the day. C'mon!" She dragged Hobbes over to the door, jumped up and caught the handle. It rotated, and the door opened. Lucinda beckoned Hobbes out into the hall. Curiously, Hobbes poked his head out of the door. The hall was dark and the walls were bare, but empty, an improvement from the Room of Zombies (What Hobbes had dubbed the wherehouse Tiger room). Lucinda unlocked the next door and led Hobbes through.
What Hobbes beheld was awesome. (A/N: not in the 'cool, dude' sense, but in awe.okay, I'll shut up.) They had entered a broad room, filled with other types of toys that Hobbes had never seen before, as well as colors: greens and blues, oranges and purples.
Lucinda motioned him over to a shelf side; paw over her lips, and pointed. Hobbes looked, slowly. There, hopping around, was a green thing, with long arms and webbed toes and hands. Hobbes recalled Lucinda telling him that there were creatures other than tigers, but Hobbes never thought there would be something as.strange. as this thing. "What is it?" He whispered. "It's a frog." Replied Lucinda softly. "You know, hop, hop, ribbit, ribbit?" Hobbes stared at her blankly. "Anyways, his name is Frank. Say," she said, a sly grin appearing on her face, "This is a good opportunity for you to practice your pouncing skills." She began to show him how to pounce- crouch like this, claws out, blah blah blah- until he was finally ready. Lucinda knocked on the floor. Frank the frog stopped hopping and looked up. "Lucinda?" he called, lonely.
"NOW!" Lucinda yelled. Hobbes felt his instincts take hold of him as he sailed through the air. He decided, in mid-pounce, that this was his new favorite hobby.
Hobbes crashed into Frank at an amazing speed. They did a couple of somersaults before they crashed into the wall. Hobbes stood up, shook himself, and held out a paw as a greeting to the frog. Frank could only manage a weak smile.
Lucinda came cantering up, shaking with laughter. "Hoo boy! You should've seen the look on his face; eyes as big as dinner plates!" Frank was not amused. "I'll get you later for this, Fuzz-head." He socked Lucinda in the arm, (she giggled a little more) and then faced Hobbes. "I believe we haven't been introduced properly," He said with a smile. Formal introductions were given out, then Frank took them to 'the rest of the gang', which were an isle or two away.
When Hobbes got there, these strange, new animals blew him away. He was amazed at how tall the giraffe was (although it was sort of small, in human terms, but it was big to him). There was Ellen, the giraffe, Tom and Bobbie, two dogs, Ramone the alligator, and Sue the inchworm. They spent the whole night telling Hobbes the tales of their experiences in the storm. Sue told him how she was about to be bought by an awful little boy. She was lying on the floor, beside the little boy, who was arguing with his parents, when she crawled to the safety of a high-rise shelf. Bobbie recounted how her leg had been torn off, but if it weren't for this she wouldn't have met her 'soul-mate' Tom.
Toward the wee hours, they engaged in a game of hide and seek. Hobbes had decided to hide in the booth where the cash register. He curled up in a tight ball, expecting It to find him. but It never did. He waited for a little longer, but to no avail. Annoyed he stood up and looked over the counter top. "C'mon-"
What he saw was so frightening. There was a man in the store, turning on lights and sweeping up the place. He jerked his head at Hobbes' speech. "Who's there?"
Hobbes went limp. The man looked over at him and laughed. "It ain't nothing but a tiger. Let me put you back in your right place." He walked over and grabbed Hobbes by the scruff of the neck. This definitely isn't good, thought Hobbes, feeling the man's grubby hands suffocate him.
The man set him down on a low shelf with a bunch of other stuffed tigers. Hobbes looked around him angrily. The others had left him all alone.