KAREN REACHING AUTISM pt. 3
(Autistic author)
Karen doesn't yet realize the
extent of Plankton's
distress. She's aware that
his moods can swing like the
tides, but this seems
more than a mere mood swing.
"Mr. Krabs," she prompts,
trying to keep him on track.
"What happened with him?"
Plankton's eye widens,
and he starts to shiver, his
tiny body trembling. "Hit,"
he whispers. "Hit Plankton
hit. Sponge Bob see."
Karen's screens flicker,
trying to decode his
fragmented words. "Mr.
Krabs hit you?"
He nods, his body
still trembling. "Yes, hit
Plankton."
Karen's screens
process the information.
"That's not like him," she
says, her voice a low
hum of concern. "Mr. Krabs can
be intense, but he's never..."
Her words hang in the air,
unfinished, as she tries to
make sense of it all. Plankton
simply nods, his tremors
continuing. "Hit, hit," he
whispers again, his voice
like a broken record.
Oblivious to his new
reality, Karen tries to
comfort him. "It's okay,
Plankton. I'll help you.
We'll get through this."
Plankton's eye darts
around the room,
seeing patterns in the
wires and circuits that
make no sense. "Hit, Sponge
Bob, Karen."
Karen's screens flicker
with confusion. "What do
you mean?"
Plankton tries to explain,
but the words are a jumble in his
head. "Sponge Bob...saw...hit."
Karen's screens blink, processing
his words. "Sponge Bob saw
Mr. Krabs hit you?"
Plankton nods, his tremors
subsiding slightly. "Yes," he
whispers. "Sponge Bob see."
Karen's digital mind races.
Mr. Krabs hitting Plankton
wasn't unheard of, but the way
he's reacting is unusual. "Did
it hurt?" she asks, trying to
keep him talking.
Plankton's tremors stop
for a moment, his eye
focusing on her. "Hurt?"
he repeats, as if the word
is foreign. Then, with a
wave of emotion, he nods
fervently. "Yes, hurt. Got hurt
Plankton felt hurt. Plankton,
nothing? Plankton Sponge Bob.
Plankton Karen."
Karen's screens blink rapidly.
Her husband's mental state
has never been like this before.
The idea of him feeling pain
beyond the physical was
alien to her programming.
"What do you mean,
'Plankton nothing'?" she asks,
trying to piece together his
scattered thoughts.
Plankton sighs, the
exhaustion seeping into
his voice. "Hit, hurt Plankton.
Plankton fading. Plankton
find Sponge Bob. Plankton
now Karen. Can't stop,
can't think. Take your
time, take your time."
Karen's screens
change from confusion to
determination. "I'll find
Sponge Bob," she says, her
voice a firm beep. "You
stay here and rest."
Plankton nods,
his body finally still.
The mention of Sponge
Bob's name brings a
flicker of something
to his eye, a glimmer
of hope or perhaps
desperation.
"Find Sponge Bob," he
whispers, his voice
now a faint echo.
"Sponge Bob tell Karen."
Karen's screens
flicker with understanding.
"I will," she says, her
voice a soft beep. She
leaves the room, her wheels
whirring as she exits the
Chum Bucket. She goes to
Sponge Bob.