A LIFE OF DIVERSITY v
(Autistic author)
The door to the Chum Bucket creaked
open, and Patrick Star
waddled in, a quizzical expression
on his face as he took in
the scene before him. "What's with
the library vibe?" he asked
looking from the book-laden table to
Plankton's intense gaze.
Plankton looked up from the book, antennae stilling
for a brief moment before he resumed his recitation
of pi. "Pi, 3.14159265358979323846..."
Patrick's eyes grew wide as he took in Plankton's intense
focus and the unwavering rhythm of his voice. "Plankton,
buddy, what's got you in such a tizzy?" he asked, his usual
lazy drawl replaced with curiosity.
Plankton's antennae twitched as he broke from recitation.
Patrick looked at Plankton with genuine curiosity.
"Patrick," Plankton said, his voice flat but his antennae
twitching slightly. "Jellyfish club."
Patrick blinked, his star-shaped pupils dilating in surprise.
"Jellyfish club?" he echoed, his voice rising an octave.
Karen nodded. "Yes, we were just talking about starting a
jellyfish club," she explained, gesturing to the book. "Since
Plankton's really interested in them now."
Patrick looked from Karen to Plankton, then back again.
"But Plankton, jellyfish sting," he said, his brow
furrowed in confusion.
"Jellyfish sting," Plankton agreed, his voice still monotone. "But
Plankton have plan. Jellyfish in jar."
Patrick's eyebrows shot up. "Jellyfish in a jar? What's the point
of that, buddy?"
"Safe jellyfish," he murmured, his voice tight.
"What's that supposed to mean, Plankton?" Patrick asked.
"Mean jellyfish safe," he said, his voice a little less monotone.
"In jar."
Patrick chuckled, mistaking Plankton's seriousness for a joke.
"Yeah, right, Plankton. You're not seriously gonna start a jellyfish
club, are you?"
The room's atmosphere shifted, and Plankton's antennae
drooped slightly. "Why not?" he asked, his voice
devoid of its earlier excitement.
Patrick's chuckles died in his throat as he realized Plankton wasn't
joking. "Well, I didn't mean to laugh," he said, his voice tinged with
awkwardness. "It's just, jellyfish are kind of... boring, don't you think?"
Plankton's antennae stiffened, and he closed the book with a thud.
"Boring?" he echoed, his voice devoid of its previous enthusiasm.
"It's just... jellyfish aren't exactly the most exciting creatures," Patrick
said, trying to recover from his faux pas.
"They just float around, right?"
The room went quiet as Plankton's antennae drooped further, and
he stared at Patrick, his eye unblinking. "Boring," he murmured, his
voice a mix of hurt and disappointment.
Patrick, not realizing the depth of Plankton's newfound interest
continued, "I mean, come on, Plankton.
There's more to life than jellyfish."
Plankton's antennae stiffened, and he looked at Patrick with
a mix of confusion and hurt. "Boring?" he echoed, his voice
monotone yet filled with a hint of challenge.
"Well, yeah," Patrick said, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean
jellyfish are for tourists and little kids, right?"
The words hung in the air like a thick fog, and the room grew
tense as Plankton's antennae quivered with a mix of anger
and hurt.
"Patrick, maybe that wasn't the best thing to say," Karen said,
her voice a gentle warning.
But Patrick, oblivious to the tension building in the room, shrugged
again. "I'm just saying, jellyfish aren't exactly the coolest things in
the ocean, Plankton," he said, his voice still filled with cheerfulness.
"Why don't you jus-"
Plankton's antennae shot up, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Jellyfish
cool," he said, his voice a monotone, but with a hint of steel.
"Oh, come on, Plankton," Patrick said, waving a dismissive hand.
"You're smarter than this. Why waste your time with jellyfish?"
"Jellyfish interesting. Plankton like jellyfish."
Karen stepped in, trying to smooth things over. "Patrick, Plankton's
just found something that he really enjoys," she said. "We should
support him in his new interest."
But Patrick, still not grasping the gravity of the situation, chuckled.
"Oh, Plankton, always so dramatic. It's just a phase. And you can't
talk like that forever, right?" He then mimicked Plankton's flat tone
saying, "Plankton wike jellyfish," which sent him into a fit of giggles.
The room grew quiet as Plankton's antennae drooped, and a single
tear formed at the corner of his eye, sliding down his face.
"B-but, Plankton thought..." Plankton's voice broke as Patrick
interrupts him again mimicking him.
"B-but, Plankton thought," Patrick said, his voice a high-pitched
parody of Plankton's monotone. "Jellyfish cool," he continued, his
giggles echoing in the room.
Plankton's antennae shot up. "Jellyfish cool," he repeated, his
voice firm and unwavering.
Patrick's giggles didn't stop, and he leaned closer
to Sponge Bob, whispering, "Is he for real?"
But Plankton's tears didn't fall in vain. The moment his sobs
filled the room, the atmosphere shifted. Karen's with horror
at the sight of her husband's pain, and she rushed over to
him, wrapping around his tiny frame. "Plankton, no," she
whispered, her voice filled with a motherly concern that was
more powerful than any Krabby Patty recipe.
Sponge Bob's expression grew solemn as he watched the scene
unfold. He had never seen Plankton so vulnerable, so raw. The
villain he knew was now a creature in pain, and his heart swelled
with emotion.
"Patrick, that's enough," she said, his voice firm.
But the damage was done. Plankton's sobs grew
louder, and he buried his face in Karen, his body
trembling with the weight of his emotions. Karen
glared at Patrick, her screen flashing with a fiery
protectiveness that was uncharacteristic of her
usual calm demeanor.
"Patrick, you need to leave," she said, her voice a
low hiss. "Now."
Patrick, taken aback by the sudden shift in mood, backpedaled
awkwardly. "But, I didn't mean to-"
"Just go," Karen interrupted, her voice firm. "Outside. I'll talk
to you in a moment."
Patrick, still chuckling nervously, shuffled to the door. "But, I
didn't mean to make him-"
"Out!" Karen's voice was sharp, cutting
through the air like a knife.
The urgency in her tone was clear, leaving
no room for argument.
Patrick, still looking confused, shrugged and waited outside.