It was a wreck! She could see almost half a mile away, and it was even worse up close! Big chunks of glass lay scattered around where the dome used to be. Parts of the walls were still in contact but looked like just a small breeze could push them over at any second.
The large, proud oak tree was now just a piece of drift wood, firmly planted into the ground. Her exercise wheel, which had been too big to take with her, was only a few rusty pipes laying in the middle of the big brown circle that used to be grass. Nothing had grown over it.
The one thing that caught her eye was the doorway. It was still intact. After all these years, it looked brand new. As she walked up, something pink shone through the slightly algae-covered glass.
She quickly pried the door open and gasped at what she saw. A small bouquet, long wilted, sat propped against the glass. Above it, there was a piece of paper taped to the door. It was old, shriveled, and turning yellow. Afraid to touch it for fear it might fall to pieces; she knelt down and tried to make sense of the sloppy words. It read:
Dear Sandy,
I know you'll never find this, but I needed some closure. It's hard for me to believe that you're really gone. I still don't understand why you left me without even saying good bye. I tried to follow you but, the bus was going so fast, I just couldn't keep up. I hope your research is going well. I remember you said you were going to Texas. And I've made up my mind, I'm coming after you. I did some research at the library late last night and found out that Texas is the biggest state on land. But that doesn't matter. I'm coming to find you Sandy, or I'll die trying.
Love, SpongeBob S.
A lump was forming in her throat and she realized her face was wet with tears. The letter didn't seem like much to someone who didn't know SpongeBob, but his usual letters always had exclamation marks. It was rare to find a single sentence without them. On this piece of paper, you could almost feel the frustration, anger, and sadness floating off it.
Sandy brushed the paper with her finger tips and jumped in shock as a small wad of paper fell out from behind it. She opened it to find a map of Texas with lines trailed all across it.
"Is this some sort of… treasure map?"
"And you're the jewel." Sandy spun around and jumped into fighting stance within seconds. To her surprise, an old looking squid was standing there.
"Squidward?"
"The one and only."
"What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same. Haven't been around here in a while now have you? You know, it's your fault Sp- …. It's your fault I lost my job. And the whole city is destroyed. Just because you had to run off and break that little annoyance's heart." He placed the ends of his tentacles together in a type of praying position.
Sandy stood strong. She was tired of looking away ashamed when someone blamed this all on her. No one seemed to understand that she had lost something too. Sandy felt bad for all this, many people had lost their home. But she had lost so much more than that. She had lost her best friend, her family, and someone who loved her. And, no matter how much she tried to push past it, someone she had loved too.
She grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him close to her helmet.
"I have had enough of this crap! SpongeBob left, because I left. I know that. Now, are you here to help me, or are you gonna stand in my way of finding him?" Squidward tried to claw his way out of her grip but it was impossible. She had always been the strongest creature in Bikini Bottom. Even stronger than that show-off lifeguard. When he didn't answer, only glared, she dropped him. He fell to the sand below and clutched his back.
Sandy's heart dropped. This reminded her of just how long it had been since she left Bikini Bottom. Seven long years. It had been a while since she was able to look at herself in a mirror without remembering that terrible day. As she watched Squidward slowly stand up, she wondered how much she herself had aged. But there was no time to waste with vanity, she had a sponge to find. She quickly grabbed the note and map before heading back to the pineapple for her bags. The sun was setting as the cold, hard truth hit her. I'm coming to find you Sandy, or I'll die trying. What if he had kept his word?
