4. A Trip To the Mall (1/2)

calvin and hobbes

the imagination war

chapter 3

trip to the mall

this chapter is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the sandy hook elementary school shooting

(5 days of boredom later)

calvin, ran down a hallway, hobbes following close behind. they were running in a metal hallway, chasing after them were a bunch of robots, each looking similar… and each looking deadly. they ran, screaming as traps after traps tried to block them in. finally a wall came down, the two screeched to a stop.

they were trapped.

the robots advanced upon them, making them a literal robotic shield. there was no way for escape, fearing the end the duo could only do one thing: hug each other tightly and scream.

the robots were now yelling. "calvin… calvin! calvin! calvin wake up!"

calvin's eyes shot open, as he sat up in bed. he turned to the doorway, to see mom standing in it. "what is it mom?"

"i told you, get up. we have to go." mom replied.

"go? go where?"

she walked in, and then held out a supply list, which she handed to calvin. it was a list of the things he was going to need for camp.

"oh, joy"

mom, rolled her eyes, and then took back the list. "get dressed; we have a long drive to the mall." mom then turned to hobbes. "since this will be your last day with hobbes, i will allow you to

ing him along with you today."

"thanks mom." calvin muttered.

she looked back. "this camp will be good for you calvin, we want you to succeed, but since that has yet to happen so this camp is the only choice."

"i also want to learn how to drive, but that hasn't happened yet either."

mom sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing fully well that her words were lost on calvin. "just get dressed."

calvin, hopped out of bed, and then walked over to his drawer. mom stood in the door way. calvin looked at her. "do you mind?"

"i have to stand here and make sure you don't pull a fast one like the last time."

"geez, you jump out the window one time, when you don't want to go to a wedding and you pay with it for the rest of your life." calvin opened up the top drawer….and then climbed in.

"calvin!" mom shouted as she ran over. but as she did the dresser rattled as calvin shut the door. the dresser rumbled and a few drawers opened, until the bottom one opened up and calvin, fully clothed climbed out, and then shut the door. he looked up at mom, who stared at him wide eyed. "what?"

mom stared for a second later, then face-palmed. "just, get hobbes. "

calvin shrugged, and then walked over to his bed. he hopped onto it and then started to shake hobbes. "hobbes time to get up." hobbes just turned over and continued snoozing. "hobbes, get up!"

the tiger turned towards calvin, opening his eyes slightly. "no." he said, then went back to sleep.

"come on hobbes get up!" calvin stopped, and then held back. then, he felt really agitated. "hobbes get your striped butt up!" he then flipped hobbes off the bed. the tiger was now awake, and angry. calvin hopped off the bed and then walked past him. "hurry up we have to go to the mall, it's the inevitable that we cannot avoid.

hobbes, just sat where he was, looking rightly ticked off.

calvin walked back. "come on ho-"

hobbes, extended his claws and then grabbed calvin's arm.

mom, who was leaning against the door way, jumped as she heard calvin scream. running in, she saw that four gashes had been made into his arm. calvin held his arm in pain as mom bent down and got on a knee. "ow,ow,ow,ow,ow,ow,ow!" calvin yelled. mom gently removed his hand then held the arm. the cuts were not deep or bleeding, but she could tell that they must have stung.

"these look like they were made with a knife." she noticed.

"no, they were made with claws, i don't have any knives in here after dad took my swiss army one.

she looked back at calvin. "really calvin, how did this happen?"

calvin pointed an accusing finger at hobbes. "it was him mom! i'm telling you! he just grabbed my arm and scratched me like a knife!"

mom, narrowed her eye

ows, but calvin was right- he didn't have any knives. she picked up hobbes, who kind of seemed heavy, and then checked his arm over, to see if anything sharp had gotten stuck in it. there was nothing in there to suggest anything that could have cut calvin. she looked back at the cut. she picked up hobbes, then lead calvin downstairs so they could put some peroxide on it. but one thought still bounced around in her head: how did calvin get scratched like that?

0o0o0o0

the car ride to the mall was fairly normal, after all, calvin was quiet, due to his scratch marks still stinging, as he was silently muttered "ow" under his

eath. as she pulled into the mall parking lot, she saw that it was mostly full. she groaned as she had to drive around for about thirty minutes as usual to find a parking space. but it didn't take that long, for she soon saw a parking space and someone else was going for it.

mom, looked at the car, and the spot, then gunned the engine and raced forward. calvin was blown back into his seat by the force and poor hobbes screamed as he clutched the seat he was sitting in. the person, in the other car, saw mom heading toward the parking spot. he grinned evilly, and then floored it as well. the two cars raced toward each other. calvin, felt like he was going to barf and hobbes was screaming. (mom noted that calvin's scream sounded a little bit deeper than usual.) but she ignored it, as she raced into the parking spot.

the other car passed by. its driver, rolled down the window and shook his fist at mom. she chuckled as she turned around. "we're here calvin. " she said, looking in the back-seat…

seeing calvin with a sheer look of horror on his face (what she couldn't notice was hobbes' fur was all poofed out, the tiger's eye twitching). "that… was…. awesome! do it again, mom!" calvin exclaimed. "man, why can't you drive like that more often?!"

"when the mall is full and there's only one spot left, mothers take no prisoners sweetheart. now lets go,"

"okay mom." calvin said as he picked up hobbes, and they walked towards the mall. calvin looked at his mom. "i can see that i get most of it from you."

mom smirked. "well don't tell your father, he thinks that you were switched at birth."

calvin rolled his eyes as he followed his mom into the mall.

in the mall, it was busy as usual, but more so during the summer, as teenagers liked to use it as a hang out. mom, looked around, then looked down at calvin. he was looking at the huge crowd before him. then, he held out hobbes in front of him, then looked at mom, once more.

"do you want me to have hobbes clear us a path?" calvin asked, smirking a little bit.

mom stared at him, then rolled her eyes. "no calvin, hobbes doesn't need to help."