A JOURNEY TO AUTISM vi
(Autistic author)
Sponge Bob's heart
swells with compassion.
"It's ok, Plankton," he
says, his voice gentle. "We
don't have to play anymore."
Plankton's antennas
drop, and he nods slowly.
"No fish," he repeats,
his voice a sigh of
relief.
Sponge Bob's hand
freezes in mid-air,
his eyes searching
Plankton's face for
any sign of anger or
disappointment. But all
he sees is a glimmer of
understanding in his
friend's eye.
"Thank Sponge
Bob for being patient."
Plankton says to him.
Sponge Bob nods, his
eyes still filled with
concern. "I'll be patient,
Plankton," he promises. "Can
I ask how you hit your head?"
Plankton's antennas
lift slightly. "Pan," he
murmurs, his voice
barely above a whisper.
"Fry pan, Mr. Krabs. Only
Karen and SpongeBob know."
Sponge Bob's eyes
widen with shock. "What?!"
he exclaims. "Mr. Krabs
hurt you?"
Plankton nods, his antennas
still low. "Pan," he repeats,
his voice shaking. "Pan," he
says again, his voice
softer. "Krabs hit on head."
Sponge Bob's anger
towards Mr. Krabs is
immediate and intense.
"I can't believe he'd do
that to you," he says,
his voice low and
teary.
"Mr. Krabs did to protect
the krabby patty."
Karen interjects quickly,
sensing the tension.
"He doesn't know how
badly he hurt Plankton."
Sponge Bob's eyes narrow,
his thoughts racing. He can't
believe Mr. Krabs could
do something like that, even
in the heat of the moment.
"I'll talk to Mr. Krabs,"
he says firmly, his voice
laced with determination.
"He needs to know what..."
"No!"
The sharpness of Plankton's
voice cuts through the
air like a knife, his
antennas shooting up in
alarm. "Mr. Krabs no," he
says, his eye wide with fear.
"No tell."
Sponge Bob's anger
fades slightly, replaced
by confusion. "Why not?"
he asks, his voice
gentle. "He needs to know
so he can understand.."
Plankton's antennas
quiver anxiously. "Krabs
not know," he whispers, his
eye pleading with Sponge
Bob. "Safe here."
Sponge Bob's
confusion deepens. "But
Plankton, if Mr. Krabs
doesn't know, how will he
make it up to you?"
Plankton's antennas
droop, his eye darting
back and forth between
Karen and Sponge Bob. "No
make up," he murmurs. "Just
no satisfaction for Krabs."
Sponge Bob's mind
spins with the implications.
He knows Mr. Krabs
would never hurt
anyone that much
intentionally, even Plankton;
but the thought of his
boss not knowing the
extent of his actions
troubles him.
"I won't tell him,"
Sponge Bob says, his voice
soft with reassurance.
But of course, Mr. Krabs
comes in. "What in the
name of Neptune are
ye doing? I gave ye the
day off yesterday!"
"The Krusty Krab is closed on
Sunday, and it's Sunday today."
SpongeBob reminds his boss.
"Oh, right." Mr. Krabs looks
at Plankton and his eyes narrow.
"What's going on here?" he asks,
suspicion heavy in his voice.
Plankton's antennas droop even
lower, and he looks down at the
floor.
Plankton speaks first. "Go
fish," he whispers, his
eye darting up to meet
Mr. Krabs'. Sponge Bob steps in
quickly, trying to cover
for his friend. "We were
just playing a game," he
says, forcing a smile.
Mr. Krabs eyes them
both skeptically.
"Well, I hope it wasn't
about stealing me secret
formular," he says, his
claws tapping
nervously.
"No, Mr. Krabs," Sponge
Bob says quickly, "just a
friendly game."
Plankton's antennas
twitch slightly at the
mention of the Krabby
Patty formula, but he
remains silent.
Mr. Krabs' eyes
narrow further.
"What's wrong with
you, Plankton?" he
asks, his voice filled
with concern and a
touch of irritation.
"You're acting strangely
quiet even for you."
Plankton's antennas
quiver.
Sponge Bob's heart
paces. He doesn't want
to betray Plankton's trust.
"It's nothing," Plankton
says, his voice
forced. "Just a little
game, Krabs wanna play."
"Fine I'll play, but I got my
eye on ye, Plankton."
Mr. Krabs says, his tone
still suspicious as he
sits down to join them.
Sponge Bob's eyes dart to
Karen, who gives a
nod of understanding.
They'll keep the secret and
hope Mr. Krabs doesn't figure
it out.
"Let's play Uno!" Sponge
Bob says, getting out the new
card game, dealing the cards.
Plankton's antennas
perk up at the mention
of a new game, and he
eagerly takes his cards.
Mr. Krabs grumbles but
plays along, eyeing Plankton
carefully.
Then, it happens.
Mr. Krabs slaps a card
down on the pile and
excitedly yells, "Uno!"
Plankton's antennas shoot
straight up, and his eye
widen with sensory
overload.
Sponge Bob's concerned,
but Mr. Krabs
is too busy gloating to
notice. "Yee-haw!" he
crows. "I win again!"
Plankton's antennas
quiver as he tries to
process the sudden
loudness and change in
the atmosphere.
Mr. Krabs looks at him,
his expression puzzled.
"What's the matter,
Plankton?" he asks,
his voice laced with
disdain. "Lost your
competitive spirit?"
Sponge Bob's eyes widen.
"Plankton's just
excited, Mr. Krabs," he
says quickly. "Isn't that right,
Plankton?"
Plankton's antennas
wave erratically, and
his voice is a mix of
fear and confusion.
"Yes, Krabs," he stammers,
his eye darting around
the room. "Uno. Fish. Yes."
Mr. Krabs looks at him
oddly but shrugs it off,
his attention already
returning to the game.
"Alright, let's keep playing,"
he says, dealing out
more cards.
But Plankton's mind is elsewhere,
his antennas twitching with
the effort to keep up.
"Fish," he murmurs to
himself, trying to find
a familiar
word. His hands
shake as he holds
his cards, the
world around him a
cacophony of sensory
overload.
Sponge Bob notices
Plankton's distress and
quickly changes the
topic. "Hey, Mr. Krabs,
have you ever played
Chess?"
Mr. Krabs' eyes
light up. "Chess? The
game of kings and
conquers!" he exclaims.
"I'd love a round!"
SpongeBob gets
the chess game.
The chess pieces are set
up, and Mr. Krabs
begins to play, his
claws clacking against
the board as he moves
his pieces. Plankton
watches, his antennas
still, his eye
focused.
"Your move, Plankton,"
Mr. Krabs says, his
claws tapping the
edge of the board
impatiently.
But Plankton doesn't
move. He just sits there,
staring at the
chessboard, his cards
forgotten in his hand.
"What's with you?"
Mr. Krabs asks,
his voice filled with
exasperation. "You're
taking forever!"
Sponge Bob's heart
skips a beat. He knows
he can't let Mr. Krabs
see how much Plankton's
been affected by the
accident. "It's ok
Mr. Krabs," he says
quickly. "Plankton's just
thinking of his next
move."
Mr. Krabs grumbles but
doesn't push the issue.
He's too focused on
his own strategy, his
claws moving pieces with
calculated precision.
But Plankton remains
frozen, his gaze
unwavering on the
board. His antennas
twitch slightly, a
sign of his racing
thoughts.
After several moments of
silence, Mr. Krabs
finally snaps. "Plankton,
it's your turn!" he says,
his patience wearing
thin.
Plankton's antennas
twitch, and his eye
flits to the board.
"Fish?" he asks, his
voice unsure.
Mr. Krabs stares at
Plankton, his eyes
narrowing. "What do
fish have to do with
chess?" he asks,
confusion etched
deeply on his face.
Sponge Bob's heart
sinks as he sees the
puzzlement in Mr.
Krabs' eyes. He
quickly jumps in. "Oh,
Plankton was just
thinking out loud," he
says, trying to
lighten the mood.
Mr. Krabs grunts,
but his suspicion
doesn't fade. "You've
always been a weird
little fellow, Plankton, but
this is something else,"
he says, his tone a mix
of curiosity and
exasperation.
Sponge Bob's heart
thumps in his chest
as he tries to
diverge the conversation.
"Why don't we talk
about something else?"
he suggests, his eyes
darting back to the
chessboard.
Mr. Krabs' gaze
remains on Plankton,
his eyes narrowed.
But Plankton's antennas
remain still, his
expression vacant.
"Fish," he murmurs,
his voice distant.
Mr. Krabs' patience
thins to a thread.
"Fish?" he repeats, his
confusion palpable.
"What's going on with
you, Plankton?"
Plankton's antennas
wobble, his eye
still fixated on the
board. "Fish," he says
again, his voice
uncertain.
Mr. Krabs leans
forward, his eyes
studying Plankton
closely. "You okay,
tiny fry?" he asks,
hinting concern
despite the
sarcasm.
Plankton's antennas
quiver slightly. "Fish,"
he says, his voice
barely above a
whisper. Sponge Bob's
heart clenches at the
word, understanding
now that it's not just
a game for Plankton; it's
his way of trying to
make sense of the
world around him.
Mr. Krabs, however,
simply sighs and shakes
his head. "You always
have to make everything
so complicated," he
mumbles, his voice
tired. "Why can't you just
play the game like
everyone else?" He yells
tipping the board over to
where the chess pieces
fall to the ground by Plankton.
Plankton's antennas
shiver at the sound, and
his eye dart to the
upset board, his
expression one of deep
distress. "No fish," he
whispers, his voice
breaking.
Mr. Krabs' eyes widen,
his suspicion growing.
"What's going on with
you?" he asks again.
"Fish, fish, fish!"