CHAPTER 21 – IT IS DONE
I was left speechless. Mr. Krabs was asking me if I wanted to re-establish what we have started years ago. It was the same thing that ruined my life for the past few decades and transformed me into the bitter failure that I was. Tears of joy fell from my huge, crimson eye. I noticed that my skin has been restored to its former, greenish luster. For the first time in so many decades, I have truly felt what friendship really was. It was the best feeling in the world, more than being able to finally get my hands on the formula. During that one time I have succeeded in the acquisition of the formula, I decided to use such knowledge for evil. I conquered and enslaved. I had forgotten why I wanted the formula in the first place. But now, the formula that I had been in pursuit of for so many sorrowful and meaningless, wasted years was no longer of any importance to me, even though reuniting with Mr. Krabs and following his recipe would also mean that I would finally learn the secret formula. Had I completely succeeded in my diabolical plan years ago, I would have made the world a horrible place, which was never what I really wanted in the end. Perhaps all I wanted when my soul has been so corrupted by greed, wrath, and envy was revenge against those who have trampled on me. But now, nothing else mattered but the love of a friend that I, or rather, we, have successfully restored.
"I never thought… that this day would finally come," Spongebob said as he also wept tears of joy. "Plankton, I am so happy for you…" He bent down to pick me up, and he showed me the brightest smile that I have ever seen in my life through his huge, cerulean eyes.
Mr. Krabs finally opened his eyes for the first time and finally spoke. "Spongebob! It's good to see you here, too!" The voice came from his mouth, rather than the transmitter. "You know, I never thought that this day would finally come. And I am okay now. I am well. And Plankton, I assume that your answer to my question is a yes, right?"
"Of course!" I finally replied. "It's good to be friends again with you, old chum of mine!"
"Again, I would like to apologize to you," Mr. Krabs said. "I apologize for making your entire life miserable. Now that we are both advanced in years, we only have a little time left on this earth. While there's nothing that any of us can do about our past mistakes, there is something we can do about our futures, and what we can do about it rests on the present. The best we can do is to cherish every moment that we have left of our lives."
I stayed the night in the hospital and just talked with Mr. Krabs like the best friends that we once were, and are becoming again. I recounted those bitter years, but they no longer hurt me, not even a bit. Instead, I was proud of myself for finally getting past them. I learned from those mistakes I have made, and I was finally getting my life back on track. Mr. Krabs, on the other hand, started to contemplate changing his money-hungry ways now that he learned how life was from the Plankton's Eye View, to have the horizon seem so close to where I stood and having to look up to literally everyone and everything.
The following morning, Mr. Krabs was finally let out of the hospital, and he carried me in his shirt pocket.
"Oh, before I forget, Spongebob wants me to give you this," the fish at the hospital's information counter said as he handed over a piece of paper to Mr. Krabs.
"Go to the Krusty Krab, 8am. I want to show you something. –Spongebob"
Just before he turned left in order to go to his restaurant, I looked to the right and saw the derelict ruins of my old home just around the corner.
"Plankton? Is there anything wrong?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing, really," I replied. "I just saw my old house around the corner…"
"Let go," he replied. "That's all in the past. And I will get your house fixed as well."
"Thank you," I said. As we went inside the restaurant, we were immediately welcomed by Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward, Sandy, Pearl, Squilliam, Larry the Lobster, and several other fish. Stuck on the wall just above the boat-shaped counter was a huge banner which read, "Welcome Back, Plankton and Mr. Krabs!"
"Surprise!" they all said simultaneously.
"Welcome back, Mr. Krabs!" Spongebob said. "And Plankton, welcome to The Krusty Krab!"
"Actually, this restaurant will no longer be called The Krusty Krab," Mr. Krabs replied. "This restaurant will be called Plabs Burger, effective today. Spongebob, get someone to repaint the sign outside."
"Yes, sir," Spongebob replied immediately.
"Hello, everyone," Mr. Krabs said. He placed his claw close to the pocket where I was riding. I stood up on his claw, and he outreached his arm, showing me to everybody in the room. "This is my best friend and former arch nemesis, Sheldon James Plankton. For years, he has been attempting to steal the formula from me. I have finally decided to share the formula with him as a sign of our restored friendship. We have both been through a lot of things, and now that we have both advanced in years, it would be best for us to settle all of our issues and finally reconcile. For all this time, I have relished every moment that I saw Plankton miserable and bitter. He only had a computer as company. He lived in loneliness for decades. While none of those wasted decades can ever be restored again, we could do something about what little time would still be given to us."
A single tear suddenly fell from my eye as I remembered Karen, my computer wife and only source of solace through all these years. I recalled how I was driven to suicide upon reading that letter that she wrote to me. But then again, she also wrote that everything happens for a reason and that it's time for me to move on. While it was inevitable that I would never be able to see her again, I was certain that wherever she is now, she would be proud of me for finally coping with all my problems and for letting go of all the burdens that once weighed me down. All the times she fought my battles for me had been worth it in the end, and so were all the times she repetitively and persistently assured me that everything will be all right no matter how many times I took her for granted or even denied her. She has successfully served her purpose to make me happy. Come to think about it, had I never met her, I would not be here right now at all. I still love her, and I knew that it would be best to let go and not let her absence sadden me, for I was certain that she's in a better place now, serving her new-found purpose to improve the lives of those in the land above.
A resounding of "Aww!" filled the room, and many manly tears have been shed even by the most muscular of the fish who were listening to Mr. Krabs retell our story of friendship.
"All right, enough with the sentimentality," Mr. Krabs said. "Let's party!"
Soon enough, the sign outside was repainted, and it now read 'Plabs Burger' instead of 'The Krusty Krab.' Mr. Krabs finally taught me the recipe for a Krabby Patty, which was now called Plabs Burger, as well.
"…and that is how you make a Krabby Patty, I mean, a Plabs Burger, version two-point-oh," Mr. Krabs explained as he flipped one of the circles of meat. For the first time ever, I have finally eaten a Krabby Patty and enjoyed every bite of it. It's been a long time since I've eaten anything good at all, and for the first time in a very long time, I truly felt satisfaction from good food. The last time I have felt such utmost satisfaction was from my mother's seaweed pesto she often served to me as a child, along with the delicious sandwiches she often made for me. I also remembered that I also shared my sandwiches with Mr. Krabs back when we would eat recess together behind the dumpster. Now, we were sharing sandwiches again just like in those good old days, only, we were in a decent restaurant instead of a smelly dumpster. Also, we were celebrating life instead of hiding from bullies.
Squidward and Squilliam left the party early and announced that the first showing of the musical they co-wrote would be on the night later. They then proceeded to the theater in order to prepare for the show.
I also overheard Fred Rechid talking to a blonde anchovy named Mable Monica, who was his ex-wife, about a book that he wrote after he broke up with her. I also learned that he submitted the book as an entry for this year's Worst Writing Contest that Neptune held just for laughs, that the incoherent end notes that filled every chapter were excerpts from Monica's diary which she forgot to take with her after she and Fred divorced a long time ago, and that he used her name as a pseudonym, along with his favorite brand of gin as his 'surname', appended with the surname of a pop singer that Monica loved. He also said that he was considering rewriting the book altogether when he reconciled with her. I suddenly remembered that when I was in prison, I read a rather disturbing story entitled One Less Lonely Gurl, which starred a girl named Kataryna, with whom I had a lot in common. I was also a character in that story, and it used to capture my angst so perfectly, as though I had just looked at myself in the mirror when I would cry alone. I've always wondered why there was so much ennui in my miserable life. I remembered that The Flying Dutchman told me that Kataryna was a failure because she refused to try something different and stuck to her useless, irrelevant motivation that plagued her for years. I never thought that a story like that would turn out to be helpful to me later on. Just like her, I was also stuck with an irrelevant motivation that plagued me for years. I figured out that Fred was the writer of the story. I wanted to tell Fred about my experiences with the book that he wrote, but all I did was to wish him luck with the rewriting of the book.
As soon as the sun set, we went to the theater where Squidward and Squilliam's musical would be presented. I was seated in the front row of the auditorium, and I watched intently every dance number, and listened attentively to the dialogue, noticing every parallelism between Squidward's life and mine. Seeing the stage was another trip down memory lane, but it was no longer a trip of bitterness and angst. I evaluated every scene and pondered on the lessons I have learned from the mistakes I had made in the past. The play soon concluded with a very bombastic performance of a song called 'The Best Day Ever'. Spongebob went up on stage and started to sing the verses.
Mr. Sun came up and he smiled at me,
Said "It's gonna be a good one, just wait and see!"
Jumped out of bed and I ran outside,
Feeling so extra ec-statified!
"Sandy! JimJam! Onstage with me!" Spongebob shouted.
Squidward played his clarinet solo while the two were going up the stage.
"It's the best day ever!" Spongebob finally sang. Colorful pyrotechnics surrounded the corners of the stage.
"It's the best day ever!" JimJam and Sandy responded in song.
Then, he called Mr. Krabs and I to go up onstage. Spongebob taught me the tune. Eventually, almost of the audience gathered on or close to the stage and sang along. I saw the bright, genuine smiles on their faces.
This really was the best day of my life. I realized that even in old age, I would still be able to get my life back on track, restore my friendship with Mr. Krabs, and also learn the Krabby Patty Secret Formula. I figured out that for as long as there was life, there was always opportunity to change it for the better, and that it was up to me to go ahead and grab it. As impossible as it seemed at first, I have finally overcome the bitterness and freed myself from the bigger prison that Neptune had transferred me to.
~END~
Review Replies: Well, now that the story is complete, any further reviews will be replied to via the reviews page. (Coincidentally, I was listening to In the End by Black Veil Brides as I was writing this.) So, for the last time…
Invader Random Phantom – Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed this fanfic.
The-Artist-64 – You knew? Nice one. And I'm glad that this fanfic has inspired warm, fuzzy feelings of genuine happiness in someone.
Third Kind – Well, here's the last chapter now. Everything has to come to an end.
And Hayley Williams Fanboy, thanks for those reviews on the TVTropes page for Plankton's Eye View and One Less Lonely Gurl! Thank you, as well, for being a loyal follower of my works and taking time to theorize about my fanfics and edit my TVTropes page.
Of course, to everyone who faved and followed this story, thank you very much.
Final Author's Note: This fanfiction is dedicated to my grandmother, a very brave woman who fought against Alzheimer's disease for two years. She has finally closed her eyes for the last time and opened them once more to a new and better world, free of pain, suffering, and death. Just happiness for all of eternity and her memory celebrated, though they may fade away in this earth. Just like her life's end, this fanfiction's end is not really the end; rather, it is the start of something new… something better, for my grandmother, Plankton, Mr. Krabs, and for you guys, the ones who believe in me and stuck by this fanfic from start to finish. Go on and live a meaningful life not only for yourself, but for others as well. Cheers, JAMES.
RIP Grandma, 1928-2013-forever