A JOURNEY TO AUTISM v
(Autistic author)
SpongeBob picks up his cards
and looks for any
twos. "Got any twos?"
he asks, trying to
keep the peace.
But Plankton's focus
has shifted, his
eye no longer on the
game. "Fish," he says
again, his voice
desperate.
Sponge Bob's patience
snaps like a dry
twig. "Plankton, enough
with the fish!" he
exclaims, tossing his cards
down onto the floor.
The sudden movement
startles Plankton, and
his antennas retract
slightly.
"What's wrong with
you!" Sponge Bob asks,
his voice shaking with
frustration. "You're not
the same, Plankton."
Plankton's antennas
wobble, and his
eye darts around the
room, unable to
meet Sponge Bob's gaze.
"Fish," he whispers, his
voice lost.
SpongeBob's frustration was
palpable in the tense air of the
Chum Bucket, his eyes wide with
confusion. He had always known
Plankton to be a master of
manipulation and cunning wit, so
seeing him in such a repetitive state
was unsettling. He didn't understand
why his friend's world had narrowed
down to a simple game of Go Fish
and the repeated question for more
of the same card.
"Plankton, I don't get it," Sponge
said, his voice tight with the
effort to stay calm. "What's
with all the fish?"
Plankton's antennas
drooped further, his
eye cast downward. "Fish," he
mumbles again, his voice
deflated. "Need more fish."
Sponge Bob's mind races to
understand the change
in Plankton's behavior.
He's known Plankton for so
long, they've had countless
battles over the Krabby Patty
formula, but this, this is
different. The way Plankton's
voice echoes his own words,
how he can't seem to let
go of the word "fish," it's
almost as if he's a different
person entirely.
"Plankton, please," Sponge
Bob pleads, his voice
cracking. "Why do you
keep saying that?"
Plankton's antennas
lift slightly, his
expression a mix of
confusion and sadness.
"Fish," he repeats, his
voice a mere whisper.
"Need fish."
"I told you Plankton," Sponge
Bob says, his voice strained
with patience, "I don't have
any more twos, so I can't give
you any fish."
Plankton's antennas droop,
his eye sad. "No fish," he
whispers.
Sponge Bob's at his wit's end.
"Look, Plankton," he says,
his voice firm.
"This isn't fun anymore.
Why do you keep asking for
fish when I don't have any?"
Plankton's antennas shoot
up again, his eye
widening in surprise.
"Fish?" he asks, as if
the concept has just
been introduced.
Sponge Bob's patience
snaps like a rubber band.
"Yes, fish!" he yells,
his spongy body trembling
with frustration.
"But I don't have any!"
Plankton flinches at the
loudness of Sponge Bob's
voice, his antennas
retreating into his body.
"Fish?" he whispers, his
eye wide with fear.
Sponge Bob's frustration remains.
"Why do you keep asking
for fish?" he asks.
"What's happening to
you, Plankton?"
Plankton's antennas
twitch erratically, his
expression a mix of
pain and confusion.
"Don't know what's
happening to you
Plankton." Plankton
says.
Sponge Bob's eyes fill
with tears, his voice
shaking. "I just want
my friend back," he
whispers. "I don't know
what happened to you."
Plankton's antennas
drop, his eye filling with
sorrow. "Friend," he
repeats, his voice
small. "Sponge Bob friend."
Yet Sponge Bob doesn't
understand. He only sees
his friend acting strange
and distant, and he can't
stay calm anymore.
"Why can't you just be
normal!" Sponge Bob
exclaims, his voice
shaking with emotion.
Plankton's antennas
tremble, and his
eye fills with
uncertainty. "Fish?" he
whispers, his voice
shaking.
But SpongeBob's frustration
was only growing.
"I can't do this," he says,
his voice shaky. "You're not
my friend like this, Plankton.
I don't know what happened to
you, but I need you to snap
out of it!"
Plankton's antennas
wilt at Sponge Bob's anger,
his eye filling with a
sorrow that seems to
mirror Sponge Bob's own.
"Fish," he whispers, his
voice trembling. "Need fish."
Sponge Bob's heart
aches as he watches his
friend's distress. He's
so tired of the echoing
words, the endless loop
of "fish."
With a sigh, Sponge
Bob gathers the
scattered cards,
his movements
deliberate and
careful. "I'm sorry," he
says, his voice
gentler now. "But we can't
keep playing this way."
Plankton's antennas
droop as he watches
Sponge Bob clean up. "Fish?"
he asks, his voice
small and hopeful.
Sponge Bob turns, his
face a mask of anger and
hurt. "No, Plankton," he
says firmly. "We're not
playing anymore; I'm tired
of it!"
Plankton's antennas
wobble at the harshness
of Sponge Bob's tone. "No
fish?" he asks, his voice
small and trembling.
Sponge Bob cannot hold
back anymore, as his
frustration won't let
up.
"Plankton," he says,
his voice tight with
emotion, "I don't have
any more fish! Can't you
understand that?"
Plankton's antennas
quiver, his eye
welling up with tears.
"Fish," he whispers,
his voice shaking.
That's the last straw.
Sponge Bob's eyes fill with
tears of anger and
frustration. He's had
enough of Plankton's
strange behavior, his
incessant echoing of words.
"You're not listening!"
he yells, slamming the
cards down on the floor.
"I don't have any more fish
Plankton, so just stop it!"
Plankton's antennas
shiver at the harshness
of Sponge Bob's words, his
body shrinking under the
weight of the accusation.
"Fish?" he asks again,
his voice cracking.
Sponge Bob's fists clench,
his knuckles turning
white. "No more fish!"
he says, his voice
shaking with anger.
"I've had enough of you
and your fish!"
Plankton stops but
Sponge Bob's anger still burns
bright. He doesn't know
what's happening to
Plankton, but he can't
tolerate this strange
behavior any longer.
"What's wrong with
you?" Sponge Bob yells,
his eyes wide with
desperation. "Why
can't you just play
normally, huh? How
hard is it to just ask
for a card without
all the fish nonsense?
I didn't come here to
play your weird games!"
Plankton's antennas
quiver, his eye
swelling with unshed
tears. "Fish," he whispers,
his voice barely audible.
Sponge Bob's anger
continues to build,
his frustration
spilling over like
boiling water. "You're
not even trying!" he
accuses, his voice
rising. "What happened
to you, Plankton?"
Plankton's antennas
droop, his body
slumping. "Fish," he
mumbles, his voice
broken.
Sponge Bob's eyes
fill with tears, his
heart aching for his
friend. "I don't
understand," he says, his
voice cracking. "What's
wrong with you?"
Plankton's antennas
barely move, his
expression a mask of
sorrow. "Fish," he whispers,
his eye searching
Sponge Bob's.
Sponge Bob's anger
grows, his voice
raised. "You're just
saying the same
thing over and over!
Why can't you talk to me
normally?"
Plankton's antennas
flatten against his
head, his eye
welling up with tears.
"Fish," he says again,
his voice shaking.
Sponge Bob's fists
clench tighter, his
knuckles white with
frustration. "I don't
know what's going on
with you," he says,
his voice thick with
emotion. "But this isn't
how we talk to each
other. We're friends!"
Plankton's antennas
barely twitch, his
expression lost. "Fish,"
he whispers, his voice
desolate.
Sponge Bob's anger
reaches its peak, his
eyes flashing. "I don't
have any fish!" he yells,
his spongy body
quivering with rage.
"Why can't you just
talk to me?"
Plankton's antennas
lift slightly, his eye
wet with unshed tears.
"Fish," he murmurs,
his voice a plea.
Sponge Bob feels like
his patience has been
stretched to its
breaking point. "I can't
do this," he says, his voice
shaking with the effort to
control his emotions.
He turns away, his
back to Plankton. "We're
not playing anymore," he
declares. "We're not playing
anything until you start
making sense! So you can
either stop acting weird
and talk to me like a normal
being or, I'm leaving!" He
kicks the cards, and then
Karen decides to intervene.
Her voice is firm but
kind. "Sponge Bob," she says,
placing a hand on his
shoulder. "Plankton's not
doing this on purpose.
Plankton can I tell Sponge
Bob?"
Plankton nods slowly, his
eye never leaving Sponge
Bob's back.
"Sponge Bob," Karen
continues, her voice
soothing, "Plankton had a
bad accident, and..."
Her words hang in the
air, but Sponge Bob
doesn't turn around. "What?"
he asks, his voice
small and defeated.
Karen's voice is soft but
steady. "Plankton hit his
head and it affected
his brain," she
explains. "He has
something called Autism
now."
Sponge Bob turns, his
eyes wide with shock. "What's
that?" he asks, his
voice trembling.
"It's a condition," Karen
says gently, her gaze
meeting Sponge Bob's. "It
makes it hard for him
to understand certain things,
like how to play games
without getting stuck
on one word." She gestures
to Plankton, who's shedding
tears rolling down his cheeks.
Sponge Bob's anger
evaporates, replaced by
sympathy. "Oh, Plankton,"
he says, his voice
full of sadness. He
steps towards his friend,
his hand reaching out.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Plankton's antennas
wobble as he looks
up at Sponge Bob, his
single eye brimming with
tears. "I'm
sorry," he says again, his
voice thick with emotion.
"I didn't mean to get
so mad."
Plankton's antennas
lift slightly, his eye
meeting Sponge Bob's with
gratitude. "Fish," he
whispers, but it's not a
demand this time. It's
more of a statement of
understanding.