Chapter Seven

How the Times Have Changed Me

Twenty years later...

Calvin grew up just like any other kid after that. After Hobbes' death things slowly spiraled out of control. Despite Walter's words, Hobbes it seemed was truly dead; but it wasn't because Death had actually taken him but because Calvin wanted it that way. It was as if the world finally came knocking on his door and when Calvin opened it, he was greeted which the literal shit of the world.

Calvin was 30, living in upstate New York in a decent sized house with a wife and kids as a real estate agent. Calvin was rich and successful but unlike most he rarely used his money, keeping it locked away in saving funds and deep government bank vaults to only be used at a certain time for certain things. Calvin hid his wealth and he hid it well, so much so that you would think he was just a regular average citizen, which is exactly on what he wanted people to think.

Calvin drove up to his house and opened the door where he was greeted by his two kids, Grace and Will and his wife, Pam. Pam gently kissed him and spoke, "How was work today?" she asked. Calvin shrugged, "You know how work is" he answered, "boring. Full of me showing people houses and convincing them to buy Venus Fly traps." Pam pouted, "Well that's their fault for trusting you Calvin." she replied, "You can't help that people are stupid." Calvin laughed, "I'm starting to think that maybe I'm the stupid one" he answered. Grace and Will jumped up and down excitedly, "Oh Daddy" they cried in unison, "We've got someone you need to meet!" Calvin rolled his eyes and leaned down, "Can you wait until I get in the door please?" he asked gently, "I did just walk you know."

At the dinner table Grace and Will tried again, "Daddy" Grace said, "Please come upstairs." Calvin sighed, for he had just finished eating and was now looking forward to watching the football game between the Giants and the Patriots. In any case, Calvin would always cheer against the Patriots, for like many people he saw Tom Brady as the biggest douche bag in all of sports history and like many people he also hated Tom Brady for his looks and fake charm that he put on with people when really he was a big lying cheat. "What is Grace?" Calvin said as he walked over to the couch and turned on the TV, "Can't I just relax for a bit?" Grace and Will shook their heads, "This is important Daddy" they said once again in unison. Calvin stared at them curiously, "How do you guys do that? Speak in unison." Grace and Will both shrugged and headed upstairs, begging their father to follow them. Calvin, thinking that the only way he would ever find peace would be to just comply, followed his kids upstairs to their room.

Opening the bedroom door, Calvin looked around and saw nothing having completely missed Hobbes who was casually sitting on the windowsill with a cigarette in his mouth and a fedora on his head. Doing a double take, Calvin was close to fainting. "How's it going kid?" Hobbes said casually as he blew smoke out the window, "World treatin' yah alright?" Calvin began stammering and walked forward, "W-w-what are you doing here?" Hobbes turned towards Calvin and smiled, "Oh, so you can still see me "he said, "Good. I was starting to think that maybe you had turned into one of them. Rich, successful real estate guys, they may think they're immune but really they're all just a bunch of Killjoys in hiding."

Hobbes stood and walked forward, gently snubbing out his cigarette. Calvin smiled meekly, then without warning Hobbes quickly embraced him; it was so hard it almost cut off Calvin's air supply. Hobbes then began crying tears of joy unlike any that have ever been shed before, "I was worried that you've forgotten about me!" Hobbes exclaimed, breaking character and breaking down into an emotion filled, partially insane being whose only current emotion is overwhelming happiness. Calvin sighed heavily, "I did Hobbes. I did forget." Hobbes broke away and sighed, "I kinda figured that Calvin. After that day at the rollercoaster, my zipper stopped working. I-I-I couldn't get back to you. I tried, I really did. I even went to the Council to see they could help but all they managed to do was turn me away. I'm sorry Calvin. I failed you; I'm the worst friend ever." Hobbes stared out the open window and continued, "I let you down. You needed me. I was crying, every night I cried, hoping that you would hear me. But you didn't. You had become deaf. You had become one of them, a Killjoy."

Hobbes looked to his right and saw two stuffed versions of himself, lying comfortably on the bed, "You raised em right." Hobbes said as he composed, "That's good, real good." Hobbes pulled out another cigarette to control his anxiety, before he could light it however, Calvin swatted it away. "What the hell man!" Hobbes replied, "You're not smoking in my kids' room Hobbes" Calvin said sharply, "Go outside." Hobbes huffed, "You never had problem with it before, why should it bother you now?" Calvin rolled his eyes in annoyance, "I was a kid Hobbes. A stupid, irresponsible kid with nothing. I had no friends, I barely had a mother and the friends that I did have were only friends out of pity and convenience."

Hobbes stared at him in disbelief, "Does that include me?" Calvin sighed, "No Hobbes that doesn't-" Hobbes didn't hear him and continued, "Was that all I was to you? A friend of convenience? Is that all we had?" Calvin sighed heavily. Hobbes sat down next to him, for the first time Calvin noticed that Hobbes was wearing blue jeans. Hobbes noticed this and smiled gently, "It's more real down there than you think" he answered. Calvin looked around nervously, "So...how's Tamilia?" Hobbes smiled and patted Calvin's back as his answer, "I don't want to talk about me" Hobbes replied, "I wanna talk about you. I wanna get things back to the way they were." Calvin looked down, "Those days are over Hobbes. I'm married, I have kids." Hobbes nodded in understanding and stood up, moving towards the windowsill he spoke again, "I didn't come here to say goodbye anyway. I don't believe in goodbyes, you know that, or did you forget that to?" Calvin rolled his eyes and asked the million dollar question, "Then what did you come here for Hobbes?" Hobbes immediately answered him, "I came here to ask for your help." Calvin raised his eyebrows in confusion, Hobbes continued his explanation. "Wackadoo is in shambles. X has taken over everything. Soon he'll control the minds of all the children of the world. I have to stop him. I'm the only left who can. It's a long story and one that requires you to come with me. But then again, even if you didn't want to hear it, I would be forcing you to come with me. Think of this as our last hoorah."

Calvin stood up and moved towards Hobbes, "What are you talking about?" Hobbes shook his head in disappointment, "I told you." he replied, "You're just goanna have to trust me and come along." Calvin rolled his eyes; "If this is one of your games-" he began but Hobbes cut him off, "Charlie is dead. Tamilia has been kidnapped by X, Zip and that bat shit crazy Avery Johnson. Walter, Yutz and me are all that's left of your Wackadoo I'm afraid. Everything is destroyed." Calvin sighed in disbelief, "How did this happen?" he asked, even more confused than before. Hobbes gave him a straight answer, "When you stopped caring. This happened because you grew up too fast. At age thirteen you forgot about me completely. It was March 10th, about seventeen years ago. I remember. I celebrated your birthday alone. You either refused to bring me back or you didn't care. I watched you Calvin, I've been watching you. Your whole life has been mine. Everything that you did, I felt" Hobbes pointed to his chest, "In here." Hobbes began pacing around the room, eventually finding himself in front of a small dresser on the right wall. "I was trapped in Wackadoo" Hobbes continued, "which normally isn't a bad thing but when you take in account that an imaginary friend, me, was separated from his owner. I was basically dead. But I was dead because you wanted it that way. Why? Why did you want me dead?" Calvin moved towards the door, he wanted to leave before he could get trapped by Hobbes' questions but it was too late. "Answer me Calvin" Hobbes demanded, "Why did you want me dead?" To this Calvin had no answer.

Calvin turned the handle on the doorknob, Hobbes repeated his question, this time louder and more urgently, "Why did you want me dead Calvin?" Calvin turned around and sighed, giving his answer, "I grew up. Just like anybody else. It happens Hobbes. Sometimes you don't want it to but it happens. It doesn't matter for you, because you can live forever. You don't have to be tied to me, you can choose to do that. But sooner or later Hobbes we have to grow up. We can't keep living our lives in a fantasy world where everything is okay. Because nothing is ever okay." Hobbes smiled and shook his head, "That's why there's such a thing as fantasy" the tiger responded, "for without fantasy. Without imagination, the world would be a very boring place, full of boring people doing absolutely nothing. Is that what you want? What you want for you, for your wife, for your children? Do you want them to grow up and live in a world doing the same old thing, the same routine? Never being able to experience anything, never being able to say that they did something worthwhile so that when they die they can go without any regrets and say that they have lived a good life, one that will be remembered throughout history, is that what you want for your family?" Calvin gave a long and heavy sigh, it was full of doubt and a willing suspension of belief, "No Hobbes" he answered, "I don't want that." Hobbes walked forward and removed Calvin's hand from the doorknob, "Then come with me" Hobbes said, "Come with me and fix this. Who cares if the times have changed us? We're still the same on the inside! We're the ones who make the changes. We're the ones with pen, all we have to do is put it to paper. So what do you say? Shall we finish this the way we started?"

Calvin shook his head, "I can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this." Hobbes smiled and waved his hand in the air, the signal for Walter to open the portal to Wackadoo Land, "I can't believe you're letting me" Hobbes replied, "I was sure that was goanna fail." Calvin stepped through, at that moment, Will and Grace entered the room. Calvin looked at them, his face stricken with horror, Hobbes acted fast and grabbed them, throwing both Will and Grace into the zipper running inside before Calvin could throw them back out just as Walter closed the portal.