Summary: The story of how Calvin first sets up the trap, and meets Hobbes the tiger.

Calvin tap dances over to a CD player, and hits play.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Calvin and Hobbes!

OH! OHHH! OHHHHHH!

WHO HAS THE GRAND SENSE OF AD-VEN-TUUUURRE?

CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!

WITH A CARDBOARD BOX WITH A TIME SEN-SOR?

CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!

A VIVID IMAGINATION THAT'S A MAGNET FOR TROUBLE?

CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!

GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE AND PRAISE THEM ON THE DOUBLE!

CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!

READY?

CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!

CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!

CAL-VIN AND HOBBES!

CAL-VIN AND HO-O-O-O-O-O-OBBES!

CALVIN AND HOBBES!

Calvin and Hobbes rush past the TV screen, laughing. One last crash of cymbals, and words created by Bill Watterson come on in red Calvin and Hobbes font.

Calvin and Hobbes: The Series, will be right back.

(No, I'm not doing any annoying commercials)

Now back to Calvin and Hobbes: The Series.

Birth of a Friendship

A small boy that looked no older than six stands under the shade of a big cottonwood tree.

He was wearing a shirt that was a bright red with black stripes running across it. He had red sneakers, black sweat pants, and blond hair, that stood up into small spikes. No one knows why his hair does that. Is it static electricity? Is it hair gel? No, probably not.

He studied the cottonwood.

It had a perfectly thick trunk, with long stout limbs, and lots of green leaves.

The boy grinned at the tree, and ran back to a small house.

He opened the door, and turned to a tall woman with brown hair, who appeared to be fixing dinner.

"Mom, Can I have a tuna fish sandwich?" Asked the boy.

Mom turned, and stared at the boy.

"Calvin, you hate tuna fish." She said.

"It's not for me." Said Calvin. "I'm gonna rig a tuna fish sandwich under that cottonwood, and catch a tiger!"

"Calvin, I don't want you wasting any tuna, that stuff's expensive." Said Mom.

"Dad's got a job! We can afford the loss of a few bits of fish!"

"Forget it, Calvin." Said Mom, turning back to her cooking.

Calvin curled his lip at mom, and ran outside.

Once there, he pulled out a couple of dollars, and ran over to a buck-toothed kid who was passing.

"Hey, bucky." Said Calvin. "I'll pay you 2 bucks to go and call the number 555-7486."

The buck-toothed kid stared at Calvin, shrugged, took the money, and ran off.

Calvin chuckled, and ran back into the house.

Mom continued her cooking.

Calvin sat down on the floor, and waited.

After a few minutes, the phone rang.

"Oh, boy." Sighed Mom, leaving her cooking, and walking over to the livingroom where the phone was.

As soon, as Mom was out of sight, Calvin jumped up, and opened the refrigerator.

He took a small bowl, and opened it.

Then in the livingroom, Calvin heard Mom say "hello?"

Calvin grabbed the bread, and started slapping the tuna onto it.

Calvin heard Mom say, "He told you to what!", and started to go faster.

He shoved the tuna back into the fridge, and hid the sandwich behind his back, as Mom came storming back into the kitchen.

"Outside! Now! And quit telling kids to call the house! I'm very busy, right now!"

"Yes, Mom." Said Calvin, slipping outside.

Calvin took a piece of rope, tied it into a loop, and tied the other end to the tree limb. He put the tuna fish sandwich in the loop, and then tiptoed away.

The next day was a Saturday, and Calvin was going to check his trap.

On the way, he saw a tall balding man washing the car.

"So long, Dad, I'm off to check my tiger trap." Calvin said.

Dad looked up.

"Hmmm?" He asked.

"I rigged a tuna fish sandwich, yesterday, and I'm sure to have caught a tiger by now!"

"Tiger's like tuna fish, huh?" Said Dad, turning back to his job.

"Yup." Said Calvin. "Tigers'll do almost anything for a tuna sandwich."

And then Calvin heard a voice on top of the hill.

"We're kinda stupid like that."

Calvin's eyes popped open, and he raced up on top of the hill.

There, he saw a tiger hanging upside down from his foot, and swinging slowly back and forth on the rope, munching on the tuna sandwich.

"I caught one!" Said Calvin. "I really caught one! COOL!"

"That's great." Said the tiger. "But could you untie me? This rope is breaking off the circulation to foot."

"Sure." Said Calvin.

He pulled a dart gun out of his pocket.

"I can shoot you down. I'm an excellent aim."

Calvin pulled the trigger, and a dart popped the tiger on the nose.

"Oops. I mean, I meant to do that." He grinned sheepishly, as the tiger pulled the dart off his nose.

"I'll just go get one of my mom's kitchen knifes."

The tiger's eyes widened.

"Actually," Said the tiger. "I think I can do it."

The tiger extended a claw, and cut the rope on his own.

He fell to the ground.

Calvin rubbed his chin.

"Let's see, what do you do with a tiger when you catch one?"

"Well," Said the tiger. "My Uncle was caught, and then took up a job in circus work."

Calvin thought.

"Well, while I'm thinking about what to do with you, lets go down to my place and show you around."

"How thrilling." Said the tiger, standing up on its front legs.

Down at Calvin's house, Calvin walked up to his Dad, who was now paying some bills.

"Dad, what should I do when I catch a tiger?"

Dad rolled his eyes.

"Bring it home and stuff it, Calvin. Can't you see I'm busy?"

Calvin rolled his eyes, and walked over to the refrigerator.

He pulled out eight sodas, nine cook-them-yourself pizzas, fourteen hotdogs, and etc.

After about a few minutes, the fridge was half empty with the tiger munching down on a hotdog.

"So do you have a name?" Asked Calvin, fishing through the fridge.

"Yes, I would suppose so."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well, what is it?" Asked Calvin.

The tiger took a deep breath in, and then said, very quickly "The Ultimate and Most Powerful Predator on the Planet Earth, with Razor Sharp Teeth, Deadly Claws, and Urge to Kill Stuff, and Also Has Opposable Thumbs, and is Able to Stand Up On Two Legs." Then took a breath in.

Calvin pulled his head out of the fridge and stared at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Or just 'Hobbes' for short." Finished the tiger.

"Hobbes, Huh." Said Calvin thinking about the name. "Interesting name for a tiger."

"Yes, well, that's just my nickname. My real name is The Ultimate and Most..."

"Ok, ok!" Said Calvin holding his hand up. "You want another Sandwich?"

"No, no. I couldn't hold another bite." Said Hobbes, throwing a hotdog over his shoulder.

"Ok, so now what do you want to do?" Asked Calvin, throwing the fridge door shut.

"What do you usually do?"

"Nothing." Sighed Calvin. "My life has just been one big bore from the beginning."

Hobbes blinked.

"Have you ever rode in a helicopter before?" He asked.

Calvin looked up. "No."

"Would you like to?" Asked Hobbes.

"Of corse, who wouldn't. Why?"

"Just wondering." Said Hobbes.

Calvin sniffed.

There was a moment of silence, then, "I have a helicopter outside."

Calvin stared at him.

"No, you don't." He said.

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't"

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't"

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't"

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't"

"Um...No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"You DO"

"Ok, you win." Said Hobbes. "You want to see it?"

"Do I ever!" Calvin ran outside with Hobbes.

There they saw... "But that's just a car." Said Calvin, pointing at it.

"Use your imagination." Said Hobbes.

"You can't make something look different with your mind, Hobbes."

"Try it." Hobbes said.

Calvin sighed. "Fine, I'll try it."

Calvin focused his eyes on the car.

To his surprise, it began to take on the shape of a... Calvin hopped into the driver's seat next to Hobbes.

"Tower, this is Calvin1, come in." Calvin said into car radio.

Hobbes grinned.

Calvin's imagination then put in a voice coming out of the radio.

"This is tower, are you ready for lift off, Calvin1?"

"Check." Said Calvin, pushing the gearshift.

Just then, the propellers started to make a wrapping sound, and Calvin felt himself lift off the ground.

Calvin looked out the window.

"Enemy pilot at 2:00." He said.

Hobbes looked at his watch.

"Roger, what should we do until then?" Calvin stared at him.

"What?" "It's only 1:30." Said Hobbes.

"That's not what I meant."

Calvin and Hobbes played in the "helicopter" until Dad told them to get out, then it was to bed.

Hobbes watched Calvin climb the stairs to his room, then he turned and walked out the door.

Calvin turned around.

"Hey! Where are you going?" He asked.

"No where." Said Hobbes.

"What do you mean, no where?" Asked Calvin, coming back down the stairs. "Don't you have a home?"

"Not really." Said Hobbes. "I'm just a kind of wanderer. Or whatever you call those people."

Calvin blinked. "You don't have a home? Why that's... That' terrible!"

"You get used to it after a while." Said Hobbes. "It's a life style."

There was a moment of silence.

"Why don't you live here?" Asked Calvin.

"No, I can't I'll be a burden." Said Hobbes dramatically.

"Oh, shut up with the drama. Your living here, and that's final!"

"Ok." Said Hobbes leaping into Calvin's hands.

"Get off of me!" Spat Calvin.

"Ok." Said Hobbes crawling off Calvin.

"Now lets go to bed." Said Calvin.

"Agreed, oh and Calvin?"

"Yes?"

"Would you consider this as a friendship?"

"Of corse." Said Calvin.

Hobbes smiled, and walked up the stairs with his new friend.

THE END

Swing123: The next one will be better. This was just a starter upper that kicked the series off. The next one will be longer, funnier, and Calvin and Hobbes-ier. Stay tuned.

VOICE WORK:

Pamela Segal: Calvin

Tom Hanks: Hobbes

Tom Kenny: "Bucky"

Jennifer Love Hewitt: Mom

Bill Murray: Dad

Dee Bradley Baker: Miscellaneous voice work

The Photo Man