A LIFE OF DIVERSITY viii
(Autistic author)
After SpongeBob and Patrick left
Plankton settled for his usual movie
night. Karen took this time to call
Sandy, her best friend, a gal pal.
"Sandy, it's Karen," she said, her voice trembling
slightly. "I need to talk to you about something."
On the other end of the line, Sandy's voice was
warm and concerned. "Howdy! What's going on
Karen?"
"It's Plankton," Karen began. "He's... changed."
Sandy's voice grew serious. "What happened
Karen?"
"Plankton had an accident," she said, her voice
shaking. "He hit his head and... well, the doctors
say he has autism now, and I thought I'd let you know."
Sandy's voice was calm and understanding. "Oh
Karen," she said. "I'm so sorry to hear that. How's
he handling it?"
Karen sighed heavily. "It's been... a lot," she admitted.
"He's so focused on jellyfish now, and it's like nothing
else matters. It's his whole world."
"Wow, that's quite a change," Sandy said, her voice filled
with empathy. "How's he been with social interactions?"
"Well, that's the thing," she said. "He's been... different. Sometimes,
it's like he's in his own little world. And other times, like with Patrick,
he's just... really sensitive."
"Patrick?" Sandy's voice was incredulous. "Patrick made fun of him?"
"Well, not exactly. He just didn't understand," she explained.
"He said jellyfish were boring, and it really hurt Plankton's
feelings. The neurodivergence is irreversible, and he's still Plankton."
Sandy's voice was filled with understanding. "But it sounds like he's
found something that brings him a lot of joy."
"Yeah," Karen agreed, her tentacles relaxing slightly. "But it's hard
to watch him struggle, you know?"
Sandy's voice was gentle. "I can imagine, Karen. But remember
he's still the same Plankton at heart."
The next day, Sandy arrived at the Chum Bucket, her burly squirrel
arms holding a treasure trove of various miniature jellyfish figurines.
She'd spent hours scouring the deepest parts of the ocean for the
rarest and most detailed jellyfish models she could find. "Hi, Karen!"
she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
Karen's eyes lit up at the sight of her friend. "Sandy, what's all this?"
she asked, her tentacles waving in curiosity.
"I heard about Plankton's newfound love for jellyfish," Sandy said
with a grin, her cheeks red with the excitement of her discovery. "And
I thought these might help him feel more connected. Where is he?"
Sandy comes in.
Plankton's sitting in the corner, his jellyfish book open on the floor
in front of him, surrounded by a sea of scribbled notes and diagrams.
His gaze didn't leave the page, but his posture straightened at the sound of a
new presence in the room.
"Plankton," Karen called gently, "Look who's here!"
Plankton's antennae shot up as he looked over at Sandy, his
eye widening at the sight of a box.
"These are for you," Sandy said, setting the box down in front of him.
Plankton's antennae quivered with excitement as he looked up, his
monotone voice cracking slightly. "For Plankton?"
Sandy nodded, her smile genuine. "I thought they might make you happy," she
said, her voice gentle. "They're all different types of jellyfish. Each is unique
and special, just like you."
Plankton's antennae twitched with excitement as he reached for the box, his
eye scanning its contents. "Jellyfish," he murmured, his monotone voice filled
with wonder. "Thanks"
Sandy watched as Plankton carefully removed each figurine, his eye lighting
up with each new discovery. "You're welcome," she said, her voice warm. "I
wanted to do something to support you in your newfound passion."
Plankton's antennae quivered with excitement as he examined each jellyfish.
"These are... amazing," he murmured, his monotone voice filled with awe.
Sandy chuckled, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "I'm so glad
you like them," she said, watching him closely. "They're from all over
the ocean. Some of them are pretty rare."
Plankton's antennae quivered with excitement as he examined each
figure. "Rare," he murmured, his monotone voice filled with a new
found enthusiasm. "Rare jellyfish."
Sandy nodded, her eyes bright. "Yeah,
some of them are," she said, her
voice filled with excitement. "Do you
have a favorite type?"
Plankton's antennae twitched as he thought. "Turritopsis dohrnii," he
murmured. "The immortal jellyfish. It can revert back to its polyp stage
and start its life cycle again."
Sandy's eyes widened. "Wow, Plankton," she said, impressed. "That's
really cool."
Plankton looked up from the box, his antennae waving slightly. "You know
jellyfish?" he asked, his voice monotone yet filled with hope.
Sandy nodded, her eyes shining. "A bit,"
she said, her tail swishing with
excitement. "But I'd love to learn more
from an expert like you."
Plankton's antennae quivered with a hint of pride. "Expert," he murmured, his
monotone voice cracking slightly.
Sandy sat down next to him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Tell me more
about them," she urged, her voice gentle.
Plankton's antennae perked up, and he began to speak with a newfound
energy. "Turritopsis dohrnii," he recited, his monotone voice cracking with
excitement. "It's a jellyfish that can live forever. If it's injured or stressed, it
goes back to being a polyp. It's like a rebirth."
Sandy leaned closer, her eyes wide with fascination. "Really?" she said, her voice
filled with wonder. "That's incredible!"
Plankton's antennae quivered with excitement. "Yes," he murmured, his monotone
voice growing more animated. "Immortal jellyfish can survive forever.
Plankton read in book."
Sandy's eyes grew wide with amazement.
"That's so fascinating, Plankton," she
said, her voice filled with
genuine interest. "How do they do that?"
Plankton's antennae quivered with excitement. "When Turritopsis dohrnii is
hurt, it goes back to polyp," he said, holding up a tiny figurine of the species.
"Polyp is like jellyfish baby, but it's not baby. It's just jellyfish in different shape."
Sandy nodded, her eyes glued to the miniature figures as Plankton spoke. "That's
so amazing," she said, her voice filled with wonder. "I've never heard of anything
like that before."
"Jellyfish are fascinating," Plankton murmured, his antennae waving slightly as
he picked up another figurine. "This one," he said, holding up a mini model of a
clear jellyfish, "is called a Burgessomedusa phasmiformis."
Sandy's eyes lit up. "It's like a ghost jellyfish," she said, her voice filled
with excitement. "I've read about these!"
"Yes," Plankton murmured, his monotone voice cracking with pride. "They're
very rare and very beautiful."
Sandy nodded, her eyes shining.
"They are," she agreed, reaching for one of
the figurines. "How did you learn
so much about jellyfish?"
Plankton's antennae twitched slightly
as he paused in his examination
of the ghostly jellyfish. "Plankton read
book," he murmured.
Sandy nodded, her eyes still
on the delicate figurine. "What
else?" she
asked, her voice filled
with genuine curiosity.
Plankton's antennae quivered as he searched his memory. "Book say... that
jellyfish are ancient creatures, with some species over 500 million years old."
Sandy's eyes grew wide with amazement. "Wow, Plankton," she said, her voice
filled with admiration. "You really know your stuff. Can I ask a question?"
Plankton nodded, his antennae twitching with excitement. "Question," he
murmured.
Sandy took a deep breath, her eyes
on the book. "What was the accident,
Plankton?" she asked gently. "How
did you hit your head?"
Plankton's antennae drooped slightly,
the excitement draining from
his voice. "Krabs," he murmured, his
monotone cracking. "Mr. Krabs. Angry."
"What happened, Plankton?"
Plankton's antennae twitched as he looked up at Sandy, his
eye wide with the memory. "Mr. Krabs," he murmured, his
monotone voice filled with a sudden urgency. "Mr. Krabs
slammed cash register on Plankton's head, then Plankton
woke up in hospital."
Sandy's smile faltered, her eyes filled with concern. "Oh
Plankton," she said, her voice gentle.
"Woke up," he murmured. "In hospital. Everything different."
Karen looked at him, her expression gentle. "What do you remember?"
Plankton paused, antennae quivering
as he tried to piece together
the jumbled memories. "Car," he
murmured finally. "Long ride."
"The hospital," Karen said, stroking his back gently. "You were in a
hospital for a bit after the accident."
Plankton's antennae twitched as he nodded, his monotone
voice cracking. "Yes, hospital," he murmured. "Doctors talked,
but Plankton didn't understand."
Sandy leaned in, her eyes filled with sympathy. "They told you
about your autism?" she asked softly.
Plankton nodded, his antennae drooping. "Karen said it's why
Plankton thinks differently," he murmured.
Sandy nodded, her eyes filled with empathy. "It's okay to think
differently, Plankton," she said.
Plankton's antennae twitched slightly. "Different," he murmured, his
monotone voice filled with a hint of confusion. "But... Plankton good
at jellyfish."
Sandy nodded, her eyes filled with understanding. "You are," she
said, her voice firm. "And that's something amazing. Your brain
works in ways that let you understand jellyfish better than anyone
else."
Plankton looked at her, his antennae perking up slightly. "Better
than anyone?" he asked, his monotone voice
filled with a hint of doubt.
"Absolutely," Sandy said, her voice firm.