CHAPTER 7 - TEMPTATIONS
Everything suddenly went dark as I felt a sudden, sharp pain that flattened my whole body. I screamed as the pain continued; repeating itself like a hammer pounding against me, with each hit sharing a rhythm with every step taken by whoever trampled on me. I didn't even notice that he was there beforehand because he was behind me. My face was repetitively scraped against the rough gravel road. My beard only made things worse whenever it would get pulled as he takes another step. My useless screams seemed to be unheard.
Soon enough, he knew that something was odd. There was someone under the sole of his shoe. He peeled me off as though I was discarded chewing gum. I was still paper-thin when he lay me down on the palm of his hand. My vision cleared eventually, and I saw that it was Spongebob who trampled on me.
"Hey there, little one!" Spongebob said in his usual, cheerful way. "What's an old man like you doing in the streets all alone?"
"None of your business," I replied angrily as I reverted back to my sausage shape. Because of old age, I already take a longer time to revert back to my original shape after being trampled on. "Now, put me down! I can handle myself!"
"Whoa, you are a cranky one!" Spongebob said in surprise. "Maybe a Krabby Patty will cheer you up!"
I fell silent for quite a bit. This offer was simply too tempting for me to resist. For all these years, I've always wanted to get the formula to a Krabby Patty... No! I shouldn't, lest I go straight to Davy Jones's Locker!
"No thanks," I replied, doing my best to actually mean it. We were already inside the Krusty Krab. The temptation was simply becoming more powerful, but I had to resist. "I'm broke. Besides, it's not exactly a good thing to get food from a restaurant without paying for it, right?"
Those words felt so forced and so out of character for me, as though I was a very bad actor forced to act like his exact opposite. However, perhaps I should feel this awkwardness if I really am to redeem myself. Change can't happen all at once, but someone who must have been very wise once said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step, and I will start my journey today.
"Okay then," Spongebob said. "But where will you go now? The least I can do is to take you there, and I'm sorry if I hurt you, okay?"
"Nowhere," I replied, doing my best to hold back my tears. "I have... nowhere to go. But as I said, I can handle myself. Now, put me down!"
Spongebob was dumbfounded. He was frozen for a few minutes, thinking of what to do. He then put me down on the wooden floors of the restaurant.
"If you say so..." Spongebob said, heading off to the kitchen in a hurry to start another busy day's worth of work.
Mr. Krabs got in the restaurant some moments later. He has changed a lot in the past decade too. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a gold-framed monocle and was also sporting a French mustache. He retained the shiny, scarlet luster of his shell. I waited by the door of his office. I was hoping to reconcile with him once and for all so that I will no longer want to steal the formula. The truth is, I've always wanted to get that formula because I want to rule the world. Everyone considered me a loser for all my life, and I wanted that to change by proving them wrong when they all bow down to me and when I avenge myself after my only friend betrayed me. Well, I still want that to change. If I reconcile with Mr. Krabs already and restore a friendship that has been lost a very long time ago, I might be able to find the formula... not for a Krabby Patty but for turning my life back around and for the pursuit of my true happiness. I contemplated on everything I wanted to tell my old friend. I'm not even sure if he would believe me anyway after all the times I've been lying to everyone just to try to get my way but fail in the end again and again. As soon as he got in, the door slammed against me when I attempted to get in. I slipped under a tiny opening below the door.
His office had bookshelves filled with economics books and biographies of millionaires, one of himself included. There were numerous safes stacked on top of each other in one corner of the office, and one of them must contain the secret formula... I immediately shrugged off those thoughts from my head as soon as they got to me. With all these temptations surrounding me, it's too hard to simply forget how I used to live my life. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I miss those old days of trying to steal that formula. In a way, even if I failed again and again, that was the only thing that gave me the motivation to continue living. That was the only kind of life I knew how to live.
However, now that I've accepted the second chance that The Flying Dutchman gave me, I have to do this. He told me to try something that I've never done before. One thing I've never tried is to truly reconcile with Mr. Krabs. I've tried to do that back then, though, when I attempted to quit the culinary business and went on to selling knickknacks, but I ended up giving in to temptation when I ended up asking Mr. Krabs for the secret formula down at the pier where we used to hang out a lot when we were kids. This time, in trying something new, I will do my best not to give in to the temptations everywhere. The aroma of Krabby Patties soon filled the air, and I felt myself crave for one. I wanted to savor its mouthwatering flavor.
Again, I did my best to shrug those cravings off my head. I've been standing by the door for about five minutes already with these thoughts flooding my head. Mr. Krabs was already busy processing some documents and counting money while reclining comfortably on his executive chair. I shook in nervousness and anxiety. I was worried about how he would react to seeing me again after ten years.
I took a deep breath as I approached the desk. I climbed on the horizontal railings of his ornate, wooden desk. I caught up for breath as soon as I reached the top.
"What do you want, Spongebob? Haven't you heard of knocking?" Mr. Krabs said when he heard my loud breaths. He was still facing backwards. He spun his chair around to face the desk, only to be surprised by me. "Plankton! What are you doing here? Try and steal the formula again? It's been ten years! I thought you were still in prison!" Even with my beard, wrinkles, and liver spots, he was still able to recognize me, whereas Spongebob didn't.
"Neptune set me free," I replied nervously. I cleared my throat and took another deep breath. I fell silent for a few minutes. I forgot everything I was supposed to say after.
"Really? He did? Now, what do you want?"
"I came here to say..." I took yet another deep breath. "...that I'm sorry. I didn't come here to steal the formula for the Krabby Patty. I just want to reconcile again with an old friend. It's been a very long time... And I just thought I should..."
"Nice try, Plankton!" Mr. Krabs said suspiciously, interrupting me. "But I will not fall for another convoluted ruse of yours, even if it's been ten years since anyone tried to steal the formula!"
He lifted me by my antennae, walked to the front door, and with a drinking straw he often keeps handy in his pocket, he launched me back to my old home like a spitball.
"Curse you, Mr. Krabs!" I shouted in midair just like in the old days. I landed on the rusty metal floors of my old home.
I buried my face in the pile of debris and cried alone. Unlike the old days, there was no one for me to call. Karen was no longer there to reassure me time and time again that my next plan will succeed. What hurts me even more was that I was no longer there to steal the secret formula. I was there to steal our friendship back from the sands of time.
"This isn't working out at all!" I cried to no one in particular. My voice echoed throughout the ruined laboratory. That was the ultimate sign that I'm all alone now. "All I wanted was to be happy again after so many years!"
I looked at the broken monitor and imagined everything as it was eleven years ago, before I even attempted to execute Plan Z. Karen was still there. I imagined her robotic yet almost lifelike voice comforting me. That was the only voice that ever pronounced the sounds of love and appreciation for me. All other voices that I've heard in my life besides that of my own parents are those of scorn and hatred.
"I knew I should have just attempted to steal the formula again when Spongebob offered me a Krabby Patty! Davy Jones's Locker is better than here!" I said to the blank, shattered former face of Karen. Her empty, dead stare was black as night; black as my hopeless situation. "At least I'm not alone there! At least the screams of anguish will remind me that there are many more who are like me!"
"Don't give up," a mysterious voice that sounded like Karen replied. "You took this chance. What's important is that you did. Try and try; fail and fail... Try and try again..."
I looked around to see if there's anyone around. There was only me. But where did that beloved voice come from? This voice must be nothing, then, but a figment of my own imagination!
"You're only telling me things I already know!" I replied to the mysterious voice. "And that's not working out for me anymore!"
There was no reply from that voice whatsoever. I must be going insane! I broke into random laughter for no apparent reason. I couldn't stop myself even if there's nothing funny about my whole situation! The voices in my head continued to disturb me, sending me further down into spiraling depression. I seemed to have lost control of myself. I lay down on the ground and contorted into a fetal position. My whole body was shaking. Everything fell silent when the desperate, reasonless laughter stopped.
"Boo!" a voice in my head spoke again, breaking the complete silence that seemed to have lasted about an hour or so.
I screamed in fright as I ran away from my home as fast as I could. I don't even know where I'm going anymore. My life was now devoid of all direction, but if I take chances, perhaps my stubby feet can lead me to the formula for my happiness. Perhaps I should go to a place... a place far, far away from everything I used to know. Perhaps a new atmosphere will change the way I see my life.
[Author's Note: Okay, so I'm back! Hopefully I will be able to update faster now!
Third Kind - Thank you for motivating me to keep writing. I never knew that I could actually write to make someone root for the villain in the series canon!
On another note, I think I used the word temptation around six times in this chapter, including the chapter title and the one in this author's note. Oh, and check out Tara/Todd's commentary on Jo Bel's horrid fanfic, which is a lot worse than the combined forces of One Less Lonely Gurl and My Immortal! Character profile of Jo Bel is in my blog now!]