1/2 MOVING ON
➪ғᴇᴀʀ ᴏғ ᴅʏɪɴɢ.
"Honey, you forgot your phone!"
Karen yelled.
The door slammed shut. Karen
sighed, setting the phone down on
the kitchen counter. Plankton had been
more obsessed with his latest scheme than
usual these past few days, and it was
starting to wear on her.
Her thoughts drifted to the time before they
were married, when his ambition had
been endearing, not exhausting. They had
met in college, where Plankton's mind for
science had been as vast as the ocean. Back
then, his inventions had been quirky little
gadgets that never quite worked out as
planned. But now, as he chased after
Mr. Krabs' secret recipe, his obsession had
become all-consuming..
Suddenly, Karen saw a flash of light
from the direction of the Krusty Krab, she
dashed out the door, and she raced
to the chaos, and as she
approached, she saw the
exploding contraption hit
his head.
"Plankton!" she screamed,
but it was too late. He lay
motionless as
she sprinted,
fear coiling around her. She knelt beside
his tiny frame, her hands shaking
as she felt for a pulse.
The Krabby Patty formula could
wait. Her husband's life couldn't.
With trembling fingers, she dialed
the emergency number, her voice
shaky as she relayed the situation.
Sirens grew louder, piercing
the stillness of the night.
When the medics arrived,
they worked swiftly, their movements
a blur of efficiency. Karen hovered
nearby, her screen never leaving her
husband's face. They loaded him onto
the stretcher, Karen going in with him.
The hospital was a stark
contrast to the colorful
underwater world she knew.
The doctor's expression was
grave as he explained that Plankton
was in a coma.
"We're doing everything we can,"
he assured her, but his words
offered little comfort. Karen
sat by Plankton's bed,
her hand tightly gripping his. The
machine beside them beeped a
steady rhythm, a grim reminder
of his condition.
The door to the room
squeaked open, and in waddled
SpongeBob Square Pants, looking
out of place in the stiff chair.
"Hi, Karen," he said softly,
his eyes immediately finding
Plankton's lifeless form.
Karen looked up, the tears
still fresh on her screen.
"Oh, Sponge Bob, thank you for
coming," she managed.
He nodded, his usual
cheerfulness replaced by a look
of genuine concern. "I heard
about the accident," he said.
"Just keep him company," she
replied, her voice weak.
Sponge Bob nodded solemnly,
his gaze shifting back to
Plankton. He approached the
bedside, the squeak of his shoes
echoing. He pulled up a chair and sat
down, twirling his hat nervously.
It was
strange to see the normally
energetic Plankton so still, so
small in the face of something
bigger than his own ambition.
Then, tentatively, Sponge Bob
began to speak.
"You know, Plankton," he
started, his voice barely a
whisper, "I never thought I'd
see the day when I'd be here
without you causing trouble. You've been a
real thorn in Mr. Krabs' side,
but you've also been a part of our
lives for so long. In a weird
way, I guess you're like family."
He leaned closer, his
spongy hand reaching out to
squeeze Plankton's tiny one.
"And families stick together,
even when things are tough."
He took his hat and laid it
on the bedside table.
Karen watched, surprised
by the tenderness in Sponge Bob's
voice. Despite their rivalry,
there was a bond between
them that she had never
fully understood. Perhaps
it was born from the years of
adversity, a shared history that
transcended good and bad.
"I know you're in there, Plankton,"
Sponge Bob continued, his
voice a mix of hope and sadness.
"You're the most stubborn
person I've ever met. I can't
imagine you giving up now." He
swallowed hard, his eyes
misting over. "You've got to
pull through this, buddy."
The room grew quiet again,
save for the rhythmic beeping
of the machine. Karen felt a
warmth spread through her,
despite the coldness of the room.
Sponge Bob's words had touched
her in a way she didn't expect.
Their friendship, built on a
foundation of constant conflict,
was somehow stronger than she
had ever realized. Then Mr. Krabs
entered. "Karen,
hey," he began, his voice
cracking with emotion. "How's he
doing?"
Karen looked up from her
vigil. "No change," she
replied, her voice flat.
Mr. Krabs shuffled over, his
eyes flicking from the unmoving
Plankton to the worried look on
Sponge Bob. He cleared
his throat, looking uncomfortable.
"I just wanted to, you know,
check on him," he said awkwardly.
Sponge Bob nodded, his grip
on Plankton's hand tightening.
"We're all here for him,"
he said, his voice firm with
resolve.
Mr. Krabs hovered by.
"I never thought I'd say this,"
he murmured, "but I don't want
to lose him either." The words
were a surprise to him, and
also to Karen. The
weight of their shared history
sat heavily in the room, a silent
acknowledgment of the battles
they all endured.
SpongeBob nodded, his
expression earnest. "We all
have our moments," he said. "But
it's what we do when things get
tough that really counts."
He leaned back in his chair,
his gaze never leaving Plankton's
face. "Remember that time you
accidentally turned us into babies?"
A faint smile ghosted his lips
at the memory. "We all were so tiny,
I could've swallowed you whole."
He chuckled, a sound that
was unfamiliar in the somber room.
"But I didn't. Because deep down,
I knew you had more to give to
this world than just being a
rival."
Mr. Krabs chuckled too, the
tension in his eyes easing. "Aye,
that was a wild ride, all right,"
he said, his gruffness softening.
Karen couldn't help but smile
at the memory, wiping a fresh
tear from her screen. "You two
have had quite the history,"
she said, her voice filled with
wonder.
Sponge Bob nodded. "Yeah,
more adventures than I can
count." He paused, his smile
fading. "But none of them
have ever made me feel like
this."
He took a deep breath,
his words coming out in a rush.
"Plankton, if you can hear me,
you need to wake up. Your
Chum Bucket's not going to run
itself, and I can't eat Krabby
Patties without someone to
compete with."
Mr. Krabs grunted in
agreement, his eyes never
leaving Plankton's still
form. "Yeah, and who's going
to challenge me for the title of
best burger in town if you're
not around to stir the pot?"
They shared a
moment of quiet laughter, the
kind that comes from a place
deep within, where memories
are etched. It was a strange
sight: the sworn enemies,
now united by a shared love
for the pint-sized that
was more than just a rival.
It's midnight when he's no longer
in a coma. Right at midnight, was
when their waiting would come to
an end, and everything's changed..
Plankton's eye fluttered open,
his vision blurry. He tried to
sit up. He felt weightless.
Karen and Sponge Bob gasped.
Mr. Krabs' turned to emit
a choking cough. They stared
at the empty space where Plankton's
body still lays.
"What's going on?" Plankton's
voice was faint, echoing around the
room. "Karen?" But they seemed to
ignore him. The doctor sighed.
Karen and Sponge Bob exchanged
a hopeful glance. "Plankton?" she
whispered, leaning in. "Can you hear me?"
Plankton's eye searched the room,
confused. "I'm right here," he said,
his voice growing stronger, but
still not reaching them.
"Ma'am," the doctor says, "I know it's
hard but, you can leave the hospital
whenever you're ready."
Karen nodded, her screen still fixed
on Plankton's body lying on the bed.
The beeping machine had stopped.
"What?" Plankton's voice grew
desperate, floating above the room.
"Why aren't you guys listening?"
Karen's gaze remained fixed on
his lifeless body, the reality of the
situation setting in. "Oh dear
Neptune," she whispered, her hand
trembling as it hovered over his
chest. "He's...he's..."
Sponge Bob's eyes widened in
realization as he cried.
Mr. Krabs stumbled back, his
claws over his mouth, his eyes
bulging in shock. "No, no, no,"
he murmured, his voice a
whispered denial.
The doctor looked from the
machines to the ceiling, his eyes
glassy. "I'm sorry," he said,
his voice hollow. "We did all
we could."
Karen felt the world collapse
around her, her body heavy with
the weight of her loss. Plankton's
voice grew faint, his words lost
in the air like a ghostly echo.
Sponge Bob's sobs filled the
room.
Plankton's spirit hovered above
his body, his mind racing. "What
happened?" he asked, his voice
now a mere wisp of what it had
once been. "Can one of you just
explain to..."
But his words trailed off as he
saw the tears on Karen's screen,
the shock on Mr. Krabs' face,
and the sadness etched into
Sponge Bob's features. "What's going
on?" he asked, his voice barely
a murmur. "Why are you all so
upset? My machine exploded
but now I'm awake!"
It was as if there was a barrier
between them that
muted his voice and kept him
from touching the world.
He waved his arms frantically,
trying to get their attention.
"I'm right here," he whispered,
his voice growing louder with each
desperate attempt. But the only response
was the sadness that hung in
the air, thick and palpable.
The doctor's expression remained
steady, his gaze flicking from
the machines to Plankton's body,
then back to Karen. "Ma'am," he
said gently, "you should go home.
Rest."
But Karen couldn't tear her
screen away from Plankton's
lifeless body.
"Karen?" Plankton called out.
"What's happening?"
But Karen remained silent as she stared
at his still form. Sponge Bob
was crying openly now, his body
heaving with sobs. Mr. Krabs
was leaning against the wall. "What's going
on?" he asked again, his voice
desperate. "Why can't they see
me?"
He looked around the room. "Karen,"
he shouted, his voice echoing
through the emptiness. But she
just sat there. "Guys, I'm
right here!" Plankton's voice
was now a desperate shout, but
it was as if he didn't exist.