KAREN HAS A LESSON pt. 14
(Autistic author)
The next day, Karen
wakes up to find Plankton
already out of bed,
his eye fixated on the
clock again. Then, a
knock on the door alerted
both of them. It's Hanna,
an old friend of Karen's.
"Hanna? Oh, it's been so
long!" Karen exclaims
as she throws her arms
around Hanna, whom
Plankton noticed also
reciprocated the gesture.
So he decided to go sit on
the couch.
"Oh you're Karen's husband
Plankton, right‽" Hanna says.
Plankton nods as Karen gets
out some refreshments.
Hanna sits next to Plankton
on the couch, her smile
genuine but her tone
playful. "So, Plankton,
I hear you and Karen had
a wedding anniversary!
Did you get her anything, or
did Karen have to remind
you? I bet you cause her
so much trouble with your
forgetfulness," she laughs.
"It's a wonder she keeps
you around."
Of course, Karen didn't hear
Hanna's playful comment,
as she's still gathering the
refreshments.
But Plankton does. His
eye widens, his antennae
twitching rapidly. He feels
the sting of her words,
though they were meant
to be light-hearted. His
body tenses, his mind
racing. He knows he's not
forgetful; he's different.
The patterns of his
thoughts clash with her
joke, creating a cacophony
of confusion and hurt. He
doesn't understand the teasing
and takes it to heart, thinking
he must've caused her trouble.
He wordlessly leaves to the
bedroom right before Karen
returns with the refreshments.
"Where's Plankton?" She asks
Hanna, who pointed the direction
he went.
Karen finds him
in the bedroom,
crying and saying
'Karen' in between
his hiccups. His
body is rigid with
the effort of holding
in his sobs.
Her heart squeezes
with pain as she
rushes to him, her
arms wrapping around
his small frame. "What's
wrong, love?" she
whispers, her voice
filled with concern.
Plankton's body
shakes with sobs,
his antennae limp.
"Hanna," he manages to
whisper, his voice
choked with emotion.
Karen's eyes fill with
concern. "What about
Hanna, sweetheart?" she asks,
her voice gentle.
Plankton sniffs,
his antennae waving
slightly. "Hanna said...she
said..." He can't get the
words out, his emotions
choking him.
Karen holds him
closer, her voice a
whisper. "What did
Hanna say, love?"
Plankton's sobs
intensify, his body
shaking with the
force of his emotions.
"Plankton," he manages
to say, his voice a
heartbreaking gasp.
Karen's heart breaks.
"What did she say, love?"
she prompts, her voice
soft, her eyes filled with
understanding.
Plankton's antennae
twitch in agitation. "Hanna
said Plankton cause
Karen trouble,"
he whispers, his voice
barely audible over the
sound of his own
sobs. "Karen better if
Plankton not here."
Karen's eyes fill with
sorrow, her heart
heavy with the weight
of his misunderstanding.
"Oh, Plankton," she
whispers, her voice
filled with love and
pain. "That was just a
joke, she didn't mean..."
But Plankton's sobs
only grow louder, his
body shaking with the
intensity of his emotions.
"Karen doesn't
deserve this," he
sobs, his antennae
waving erratically.
Karen holds him
closer, her voice
a gentle lullaby. "You
don't cause me trouble,
love," she says, her eyes
filled with tears. "You're
just...different now."
Plankton's antennae
twitch with understanding,
his sobs slowly subsiding.
"But Hanna..." he says,
his voice a whimper. "Not
want!"
Karen nods, her eyes
never leaving his. "I know,
love," she says, her voice
soft. "But she'd never mean
it that way. She was just
being playful, she's nice."
Plankton shakes his head,
unconvinced. "Hanna did
laugh at Plankton. Plankton
not cause trouble," he says,
his voice shaking with
emotion. "Karen Plankton.
Plankton loves Karen; Karen
and Hanna no..." Plankton
can't hold the sobbing back.
Karen's eyes fill with
tears. "Oh, Plankton,"
she says, her voice
breaking. "Hanna loves
you too. She didn't mean
it like that. It was just
a misunderstanding."
Plankton's antennae
wave in a pattern that
Karen's learned means
he's processing her words,
trying to fit them into
his new reality. "But
Hanna said..." His voice
trails off, as Hanna herself
comes in.
"Is everything okay
in here? Or is Plankton
causing..." she asks,
her smile fading when
she sees Plankton's tears.
Karen turns to Hanna,
her expression stern.
"What happened?"
Hanna's eyes widen
in surprise. "I just said
hello, and he ran in here
crying," she says, her voice
filled with concern.
Karen's screen tightens
with frustration. "What
exactly did you say?" she
asks, her voice calm but
firm.
Hanna's eyes widen
in understanding. "Oh, no,"
she says, her voice
softening. "I just made a
joke about your anniversary.
I didn't mean..."
But Plankton's
sobs only grow louder,
his antennae flailing
wildly. "Hanna said
Plankton cause trouble,"
he accuses, his body
wracked with emotion.
"Not joke!"
Hanna's eyes
widen in horror,
her playful smile
vanishing as she
sees the pain in Plankton's
eye. She rushes over,
kneeling beside him.
"Plankton, no," she
whispers, her voice
filled with regret.
"It was just a joke. I'm
so sorry, I didn't mean..."
But Plankton's sobs
only intensify, his
body a storm of
emotions he can't
control. "IT'S NOT
A JOKE!" he cries out.
Hanna's eyes fill
with tears as she
realizes the gravity
of her mistake.
"Plankton, I'm so sorry,"
she whispers, her
hand reaching out to
touch his shoulder.
But Plankton's
reaction is explosive,
his antennae
lashing out like whips.
"NO!" he screams, his
voice a tornado of pain
and anger. "ENOUGH HURT!"
Hanna looks at Karen. "How
often you say he throws these
fitful tantrums?" Hanna says,
which is the final straw for Plankton.
Plankton's antennae quiver
with rage. "NO, NOT TANTRUMS!"
he shouts, his voice a
thunderclap in the small
room. "PLANKTON HAS ACQUIRED
RESTRICTED FLOW TO THE
FRONTAL TEMPORAL POLAR CORTEX!"
Hanna looks at him strangely. "W..."
"PLANKTON HAS CORPUS CALLOSUM
DEACTIVATION IN THE SENSORY
INTEGRATION CENTERS!" Plankton
shouts, his antennae a blur of
movement as he tries to convey
his condition's complexity.
"Neurotransmitters firing
asynchronously, synapses
misfiring, it's not a tantrum! SO
HANNA NEEDS TO EITHER USE THE
CORRECT TERMINOLOGY OR NOT
SPEAK AT THE SAME TIME!"
Karen's eyes are wide with
fear, yet understanding that
Plankton is desperate.
"Plankton," she says, her
voice calm. "It's okay, you
don't have to explain."
But Plankton's antennae
wave frantically, his
need for precision a
storm in his mind. "HAS
TO!" he yells, his voice
desperate. "HANNA NOT
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!"
Karen nods, her heart
swelling with love and
pride at his bravery. "Okay,
love," she says, her voice
soothing. "Let's explain."
She takes a deep
breath, her eyes never
leaving Plankton's as
she addresses Hanna. "Plankton
has acquired a form of
autism, it's called 'autistic
shutdowns'. It's not a tantrum,
it's his brain's way of
shutting down to protect
itself from sensory
overload. It's from a bad
accident.."
Hanna's eyes widen in
shock, her hand
flying to her mouth.
"Oh my goodness," she
whispers, her voice
filled with regret. "I had
no idea."
Karen nods, her eyes
never leaving Plankton's.
"It's been a tough
adjustment for us
all," she says, her voice
gentle. "But we're managing."