KAREN AND THE AUTISTIC JOURNEY vii
(Autistic author)
Sponge Bob's mind is racing,
his heart thumping in his chest.
He had never seen Plankton like
this, and the sudden change
was unnerving. "What happened
to make you so..." he asks,
his voice laced with curiosity.
Plankton's smile broadens, his
hands continuing their flapping
dance. "Good book," he repeats.
"Best friend." He pats the bed
again, his gesture urging Sponge
Bob to sit closer.
Sponge Bob does, his gaze
still locked on Plankton's.
"But what happened?" he
presses, his voice filled with
concern. "You've never been
this... this... affectionate
before."
Plankton's hands stop
their flapping, his antennas
drooping slightly. "Just happy."
Sponge Bob's eyes search
his friend's, his concern
growing with each repetition.
"But Plankton, what's really
going on?" he asks, his voice
filled with urgency. "You've
never talked like this before."
Plankton's smile wavers,
his hand reaching for the book.
"Read," he says, his voice a
monotone. "Happy book."
Sponge Bob's eyes dart
between Plankton's and the
complex text before him.
"But Plankton, I don't
know what this means."
Plankton's smile fades, his
hands stilled. He looks at
Sponge Bob with an unblinking
stare, his mind racing. "Friend,"
he says, his voice flat. "Best
friend." His gaze drops to
the book, then back to
Sponge Bob's face. "Read," he
instructs, his tone firm.
Sponge Bob's eyes widen, the
weight of Plankton's stare
heavy on his shoulders. He opens
the book to a random page.
"Ok," he says, his voice
shaking slightly. "I'll try."
He starts from the top, his
pronunciation awkward and stilted.
"Quantum Mechanics," he reads,
his eyes squinting at the text.
Sponge Bob's voice falters, the
complexity of the words tripping
his tongue. "Plankton, I don't
understand any of this," he says,
his voice filled with frustration.
Plankton's eye widen, his smile
fading. "Friend," he repeats,
his voice strained. "Best friend."
He grabs the book from Sponge
Bob's hands, his movements
suddenly frantic. "Read," he says,
his voice a mix of desperation
and joy. "Good book."
Sponge Bob's heart races as he
watches his friend's erratic
behavior. He knows something is
seriously off, but he's
not sure what. "Plankton What's
going on with you?"
Plankton's smile flickers back,
his hands stilling. He looks at
Sponge Bob, his gaze intense.
"Read," he repeats. "Best friend read."
Sponge Bob nods, his throat
tight. He tries again, his voice
more confident this time. "Quantum
Mechanics," he repeats.
Plankton's smile brightens, his
hands resuming their flutter.
"Good," he says, his voice a
monotone cheer. "Best friend."
Sponge Bob's heart aches with
concern, but he continues to
read, hoping to find some
comfort in the words for
his friend. "Quantum Entanglement,"
he murmurs, his eyes scanning
the page for any sign of
understanding.
Plankton's flapping grows more
intense, his body rocking back
and forth with excitement.
Sponge Bob's eyes widen as he
notices Plankton's erratic
behavior, but he keeps reading,
his voice steady and calm. "The
universe," he says, his eyes
skimming the page, "is a strange
and wondrous place."
Plankton's eye light up, his
hands flapping rapidly. "Wondrous
place," he echoes, his voice
mirroring Sponge Bob's. "Best friend."
Sponge Bob's eyes widen, his
spongy cheeks reddening. "You're
saying the same thing I just said,"
he points out, his voice filled with
confusion.
Plankton nods vigorously, his
hands fluttering in the air. "You're
saying same thing," he says, his
voice a cheerful mimic of Sponge
Bob's. "Wondrous place. Saying
the same thing just said.."
"Plankton," SpongeBob says, his
voice urgent. "What's going on
with you?"
Plankton's smile is wide, but
his gaze is distant, as if he's
somewhere else entirely. "You're
saying the same thing," he echoes
again, his hands flapping in a
rhythmic pattern that matches
his words.
Sponge Bob's eyes widen.
"Plankton," he says,
his voice strained. "You're just
repeating me." He pauses, trying
to gauge his friend's reaction.
Plankton nods, his smile
still in place. "Yes," he says,
his voice a copy of
Sponge Bob's. "You're repeating."
His hands flap with excitement.
Sponge Bob's concern grows,
his eyes searching Plankton's for
any sign of distress. "But why,
Plankton?" he asks, his voice
soft with worry.
Plankton's smile falters, his
hands stopping mid-flap.
"But why?" he repeats, his voice
a perfect echo of Sponge Bob's.
"You're copying
me," he says. "Why are
you copying everything I say?"
Plankton's eye refocus on
Sponge Bob's face, his smile
returning. "You're copying me
why are you copying everything
I say." Plankton echoed.
Sponge Bob's trying to find a
reason behind the behavior.
"I'm asking you what's going on!"
Plankton nods, his antennae
waving slightly. "SpongeBob asking
me what's going on," he mimics.
Sponge Bob's eyes widen, his
heart racing. "Plankton,"
he says, his voice filled with
urgency. "This isn't funny. What's
really happening?" "This isn't
funny," he echoes Sponge Bob's
tone. "What's happening?"
Sponge Bob's heart sinks.
"Plankton," he says, his voice
shaking. "What's wrong with you?"
Plankton's eye locked
on Sponge Bob's. "Wrong with
Plankton," he echoes. "What's wrong?"
Sponge Bob's voice trembles
as he speaks. "You're not acting
like yourself," he says, his heart
pounding. "You're just repeating
everything I say."
"You're repeating everything
I say," he says, his voice a
mirror.
"Plankton," he says, his
voice shaking. "Please, tell
me what's going on."
"Please tell me what's
going on," he repeats, his voice
a perfect match to Sponge
Bob's. "You tell me."
Sponge Bob's eyes are
filled with a mix of fear and
desperation. "But, Plankton,"
he says, his voice trembling.
"You're just repeating everything
I say." He takes a deep breath,
his mind racing to understand
his friend's sudden change.
Plankton's smile is unwavering,
his hands still fluttering. "You're
just repeating everything," he echoes.
"I say." His voice is calm,
his movements methodical.
Sponge Bob's eyes fill with tears,
his heart breaking at the sight
of his friend. "Please,
Plankton," he begs, his voice
cracking with anger.
But Plankton's response is
only more of the same, his words a
perfect echo of Sponge Bob's plea.
"Please, Plankton," he repeats,
his voice a mirror of pain. "Please.."
"This isn't right,"
he says, his voice filled with
frustration. "You're not acting
normal."
Plankton's smile falters for a
moment, his hands stilling. "Not
normal," he repeats, his voice a
hollow echo. "You not acting
right."
Sponge Bob's frustration boils
over. "I'm not the one who's
changed!" he exclaims, his voice
loud. "You're the one who's
been acting weird and repeating
everything I say!"
"You're the one
who's changed," he echoes, his voice
still calm. "Weird. Repeating."
Sponge Bob's anger flares, his
spongy fists clenching. "No, Plankton!"
he says, his voice rising. "You're the one
who's different! You're not the same
as before!"
Plankton's smile fades, his hands
coming to a halt. His gaze meets
Sponge Bob's with a flicker of
understanding. "Different," he says,
his voice a flat echo. "Not same."
Sponge Bob's anger turns to
desperation. "What happened to
you?" he asks, his voice cracking.
"Why are you doing this?"
Plankton's gaze is
unyielding, his smile a forced
imitation of happiness. "You
doing this," he repeats, his voice
a monotone.
Sponge Bob's eyes fill
with anger. "What are you
talking about?" he demands, his
hands clenching into fists. "I
haven't done anything!"
Plankton's smile flickers,
his gaze dropping to his book.
"You haven't done anything," he
echoes, his voice a mirror of
Sponge Bob's anger. "I have."
Sponge Bob's eyes narrow, his
confusion turning to anger. "What
are you saying?" he asks, his voice
sharp.
Plankton's hands resuming their flapping. "I
have book," he says, his voice
calmer. "Good book. Happy book."
Sponge Bob's anger dissipates,
his confusion deepening. "But
Plankton," he says, his voice gentle.
"What's the book got to do with
anything?"
"Book," he repeats, his voice
a monotone chant. "Book, book."
Sponge Bob's confusion turns
to anger, his eyes narrowing.
"What is it with this book?"
he demands, his voice tight.
"What's so special about it?"
Plankton's smile flickers,
his hands pausing in their
flapping. "You and book," he says,
his voice a monotone whisper.
"Makes Plankton happy."
SpongeBob grabs Plankton's
wrists to stop the flapping,
making Plankton finally stop
his repetitive chanting.
"What's gotten into you?"
Sponge Bob asks, his voice
shaking with anger and concern.
"Are you just messing with me?"
Plankton's smile fades,
his antennas drooping. "No mess,"
he says, his voice a sad echo.
He tries to pull
his hands free, but Sponge Bob's
grip tightens.
Sponge Bob's eyes bore into
his friend's, searching for
anything that might explain
this strange behavior. "Then what
is it, Plankton?" he asks,
his voice a mix of anger
and fear. "What's going on?"
Plankton's gaze flickers with
a hint of sadness.
"Accident," he whispers, his
voice a hollow echo,
his body tense.