Chapter 3 - A Daring Yard Sale Rescue
"Okay. Let's see what's up here."
Mike's dad came in carrying a box with the pricing of 25 cents. His objective is to find some old stuff that Mike finds useless and too old to play with them. Larry looks under the bed, where Clifford's bottom half pokes out. He is concerned about getting sold, but Larry finds a pair of old rusty skates and he adds them to the box.
Next, he went over to Alex and picked her up, with the lion briefly dreading the thought of being sold. However, he puts down Alex only to pick up an old animal jigsaw puzzle, and puts it in the box as well. Larry reaches up the high shelf, and takes down a Lucas Tower and one of the dusty books. Unseen to the man, SpongeBob's eyes discreetly darted to the dusty E.B. who was grabbed him, and he squeezed the rabbit's belly, letting out a raspy message. "Bye, SpongeBob." E.B. coughed.
SpongeBob came to life, and he is shocked. Larry adds E.B. to the box. SpongeBob crawls to the edge of the shelf to see the two kid toys casting one last look at him while being carried down to the yard. E.B. is a valuable member of the family and still one of Mike's profound possessions, and SpongBob can't bear the horror of the poor bunny being sold or thrown away.
"E.B.!" SpongeBob cried, feeling worried. He's got to save that helpless bunny somehow. He frantically pondered, tapping his head. "Come on, think, SpongeBob. Think, think, think! Oh!" He tries to whistle with his good arm, but it's only a raspberry. With a frustrated groan, he uses his ripped arm, clutching the wrist of it, and let out a successful whistle loud enough for Pal to hear. Pal immediately came back into the room looking around for the trace of the whistle.
'Hey, here, boy. Here, Pal! I'm up here!" SpongeBob called down. He tries to get down, but his torn arm lacked a bunch of strength and didn't clutch too well. To be clear, he was forced to slip off. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" he yelped as he began to fall. Pal moved forward, and SpongeBob landed right on his back. Pulling himself up, SpongeBob issued, "OK, boy! To the yard sale! HYAH!" Pal compliantly ran out the door, leaving the toys generally confused. What is SpongeBob doing with Pal?
"What's going on?" Cody asked.
"SpongeBob's nuts." Oscar interjected.
"His arm isn't that bad." Clifford assumed.
Alex took it the hardest. He screamed helplessly, "DON'T DO IT, SPONGEBOB! WE LOVE YOU!"
The toys believe under the pretense that their friend must be so sad about his torn arm, that he was going to inadvertently sell himself at the yard sale!
SpongeBob and Pal arrive at the top of the stairs. "Careful on the steps, now." SpongeBob advised. Pal didn't seem to heed his warning, and he just went wildly down the stairs. SpongeBob clutched on Pal's collar with his good arm as he's being bounced about. Pal skidded toward the wall, and Spongebob was flung against it.
The door inches open and he and SpongeBob peek out to see the yard sale underway. Multiple boxes were set throughout the sale, and stands are held up. Larry hands the 25 cent box to his wife and walked off. Mary sets it down on a nearby table, and goes to greet a customer. SpongeBob saw this was his chance to save E.B. and reunite him with his toy family.
'"Okay, boy, let's go. And keep it casual." SpongeBob whispered. Pal strides down the porch and was about to make his way to the sale. SpongeBob held onto the dog's side of his body. Due to his gold fur, SpongeBob can be unseen from any other yard sale patrons.
"Not that casual." SpongeBob whispered to Pal's ear. Pal then goes down the sidewalk to the yard sale. The other toys and Jimmy arrive at the windowsill.
"Do you see him?" Abby asked. Jimmy stands next to Cassandra Cain, who looks through her trusty binoculars. Through the binoculars Jimmy and Cassandra Cain spy Pal and SpongeBob approaching the table. Jimmy pointed down, "There he is!" As Pal arrives at a table, the sponge climbs up, and hides by a small box as a man walks by. SpongeBob goes over to the 25 CENTS box and he gets inside it, much to the toys' surprise.
"He's getting in the box!" Alex gasped.
"He's selling himself for 25 cents!" Cody said.
"Aw, SpongeBob, you're worth more than that." Clifford said, concerned.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, he's got something!" Cassandra Cain said. SpongeBob popped up from the box, holding two familiar things in his arms. As he turns to see if anybody is watching, he has E.B. in his arms. "Jumping Jupiter! It's E.B.!" Jimmy pointed out. Judging by what SpongeBob did, they realized that SpongeBob was actually on a rescue mission.
"E.B.?" The other toys repeated.
"Hey. It's not suicide. It's a rescue." Alex said.
SpongeBob dropped the squeaky rabbit toy on the sidewalk. The rubber toy bounced upon impact. Pal nudges the rabbit under the table and SpongeBob jumps down to join Pal. He carries E.B. over to Pal's collar, "Good boy, Pal. Hold still." The pull-string sponge managed to squeeze E.B. in the collar of Pal that way the bunny will have a way back to the house. He gives him a pat on the head. "There. There you go, pal."
"Bless you, SpongeBob. It's good of you to rescue me. I thought I was a goner." E.B. said appreciatively.
SpongeBob grinned while nodding, "Anything for you, E.B.. Now to get you back upstairs." He gets back on Pal and is about to bring them back to Mike's bedroom. "Okay now. Back to Michael's room. HYAH!" SpongeBob advised.
As Pal heads back to the house, Jimmy and the other toys cheered in approval for Spongebob's act of bravery. Jimmy said, "Way to go, SquarePants."
"Golly bob howdy!" Clifford said.
E.B. is starting to loosen from the collar. The rabbit yelped, "SpongeBob! I-I'm slipping!"
SpongeBob shoved E.B. back into place just in time. Just as Pal jumped over a rolling ball popper, SpongeBob fell onto the sidewalk. The oblivious Pal went into the house with E.B. As the sponge was about to make his move, he sees a little girl coming. SpongeBob then immediately went limp.
"Mommy, Mommy! Look! Look at this! Mommy, look!" The girl exclaimed. He picked up SpongeBob off the sidewalk. "Mommy, look! It's a sponge guy dolly!" He ran off to show it to her mother. The toys are horrified to see that.
"Hey! That's not her toy!" Alex protested.
"No, no, no, no!" Jimmy said worriedly.
"What's that little girl think she's doing?" Clifford said.
The girl showed SpongeBob to her mother, who's studying an empty picture frame. She pleaded eagerly "Mommy, Mommy, can we get it? Please? Mommy, please?"
The mother took SpongeBob from her daughter's hands just as the girl pulled on SpongeBob's string with her finger. The mother, however, carried him from his good arm. "Oh, honey, you don't want that toy." The mother said. "It's broken. She tossed SpongeBob to another table, with his blue mask flying after him.
SpongeBob landed on the other table as the pullstring recoiled. His voice box spoke, "There's a copepod in my sock."
The source of the voicebox attracted the attention of a customer, a balding man who was looking at a magnifier. With a gasp, he walked over to where the recorded cry was pinpointed, and he gasped again, surprise lacing his voice as if he had found an important item on the list. The man finds SpongeBob lying on the table and picks him up, studying him.
"Original hand-painted face, natural-dyed blanket stitched rectangular pants!" He notices the tear in SpongeBob's right arm, "Hmmm. A little rip. Fixable. Well, if only you had your hand-stitched, polyvinyl, silk-material..." The man moved his hand aside, and let out a gleeful gasp when he saw SpongeBob's mask on the table. "A MASK! I FOUND HIM! I FOUND HIM!" The man slipped the blue mask on SpongeBob's head and jumped up and down excitedly.
By some twists of fate, SpongeBob found himself in the hands of Happy Chapman, the main CEO of Happy's Toy Stadium that was last seen in the commercial from earlier. The collector traveled far and wide, high and low for rare toys to collect to the highest bidder. When he found SpongeBob SquarePants; the last toy to add to his collection, his journey finally came to an end. Mary walked over amidst Pal's barking.
"Pal! Quiet down!" she shouted strictly to the dog. As she walked up, Happy quickly grabbed an alarm block and a high heel in an attempt to hide SpongeBob. "Excuse me, can I help you?"
"Yeah. You can take his paws off my pal!" Clifford narrowed his eyes at Happy.
"I could give you 50 cents for all this junk." Happy offered.
Mary paused, her eye catching on SpongeBob hiding among the junk in Happy's arm. "Oh, now how did this get down here?" The woman reached for the pull-string sponge, but Happy stepped back.
"Just hand her the sponge. Nice and easy." Jimmy whispered.
""Very well, five dollars." Happy bargained.
Mary took SpongeBob from Happy as she said, "I'm sorry, but it's an old family toy." She knew that SpongeBob was her son's favorite toy; if she were to sell him, Mike would be despondent. With that said, Happy reached for the toy and groaned in despair for his rejected offer.
"Now just walk away." Jimmy insisted.
Happy held up a hand to halt Mary. "Wait!"
"The OTHER way."
Desperate to buy SpongeBob, Happy tried to raise the purchase, "I-I'll give you 50 bucks for it.".
"50 bucks ain't bad." Oscar whispered to Cody.
"This toy's not for sale" Mary said sternly. The woman put SpongeBob in a box where she kept the money she got from the customers, then closed the hatch, locking it up with a key.
"E-Everything's for sale!" Happy protested. "Or-or trade! Uh, y-you like my watch?!" The man showed Mary his watch, but she is clearly uninterested.
"Sorry." Her voice sounded quite obvious that the discussion is totally over. Seeing that Happy can't purchase SpongeBob, that made the other toys feel relieved.
"He's safe." Jimmy issued the good news to his friends.
"Way to go, Mike's mom." Cody said.
"She showed him." Clifford said, relieved.
"Nina, don't touch that, sweetie." Mary walked over to her two-year old daughter, who looked up from the old books she was going to sell. "Lady…." Happy stammered. His attempts to trade his watch for SpongeBob were fruitless and he groaned in anger, upset that he wouldn't buy him.
Oscar smugly said, "Yeah, go home, Mr. Fancy Car.
Happy was about to walk off, until trips over something in his path. He gets a devious look on his face. He had stepped on a skateboard. Jimmy and Cassandra Cain lock the binoculars on the scene and they took notice. Jimmy alerted, "Hold on..."
"What's up?" Cody asked.
"What is it, Jimmy?" Alex asked.
"Nina, I'll be right there, sweetie." As Mary was still tending to Nina, Happy kicked the skateboard backwards, causing it to crash in another table. "Oh! What now?" With Mary distracted, the greedy collector went back to where SpongeBob is, using a screwdriver to break the lock of the cashbox to get him out.
"What's happening down there?" Cody said.
"What's he doing?" Clifford asked.
"I've got a bad feeling about this!" Alex dreaded.
Jimmy gasped in shock, realizing what's going on.
"Oh, no. He's stealing SpongeBob!" Jimmy cried.
Truth to be told, Happy Chapman sneaks off with the pull-string sponge boy, the Wilson family oblivious to this dastardly deed.
"'WHAT?!" Alex exclaimed. "HE CAN'T TAKE SPONGEBOB! IT'S ILLEGAL!"
"Where's he going?" Clifford panicked.
"Somebody do something!" Alex cried.
Amidst the toys' yells of shock, worry and panic, Jimmy jumped over to the shower drain to slide down.
"Jimmy!" Abby called out.
Once Jimmy planted his feet on the ground, the young boy genius ran off.
"Get him, Jimmy!" Oscar whispered.
Jimmy ran from tables to boxes, but flattened himself against a box as one of the customers pass. The boy genius continues running as Happy put his bag in the trunk, and enters the car. Jimmy leaps over to the post of the mailbox. Peeking behind it, Jimmy saw the car departing to its predestined location. Jimmy took a running stance, and made a beeline for the bumper, in which he caught.
Jimmy bent down and tried to lift the trunk open, but it wouldn't budge. The young boy genius pressed down on a button, and the trunk partially opened. As he tries to lift it all the way, the car went over a speed bump, sending Jimmy flying off the back and bouncing along the road, some of his voice simulation buttons letting out random beeps until he stopped.
Fortunately, Jimmy caught a glimpse of the license plate, which read HPPY-TY-STDM. The car speeds off to who-knows-where, with SpongeBob still trapped inside. Colorful pieces flutter out of the trunk and some of them landed in front of Jimmy. He picked it up and studies the pieces.
"Confetti..." Jimmy whispered in recognition. Up on the windowsill, the other toys watch in stunned silence. Abby asked the question they were all thinking, one no one had an answer to.
"Why would someone steal SpongeBob...?"
It didn't take SpongeBob long to know that he was in a tight spot. SpongeBob realized that he was miles far away from home and into the big city, courtesy of a money-greedy businessman. Happy skids his car to a stop, causing SpongeBob to slide across a bit in the bag. SpongeBob snapped back, looking at the zipper. If only his arm isn't torn, he would effortlessly escape.
As soon as the ride seemed to start, it was over. Happy stopped the car and seized his bag. SpongeBob tried to get out, easier said than done, but the man kept bouncing him along. Nonetheless, he was able to take a peek at the man who stole him, as well as the entrance of a large apartment building, with a sign reading NO CHILDREN ALLOWED.
SpongeBob shudders in fright, nervous of the impending fate that awaited him.
SpongeBob landed on the other table as the pullstring recoiled. His voice box spoke, "There's a copepod in my sock."
The source of the voicebox attracted the attention of a customer, a balding man who was looking at a magnifier. With a gasp, he walked over to where the recorded cry was pinpointed, and he gasped again, surprise lacing his voice as if he had found an important item on the list. The man finds SpongeBob lying on the table and picks him up, studying him.
"Original hand-painted face, natural-dyed blanket stitched rectangular pants!" He notices the tear in SpongeBob's right arm, "Hmmm. A little rip. Fixable. Well, if only you had your hand-stitched, silk-material..." The man moved his hand aside, and let out a gleeful gasp when he saw SpongeBob's mask on the table. "A MASK! I FOUND HIM! I FOUND HIM!" The man slipped the blue mask on SpongeBob's head and jumped up and down excitedly.
By some twists of fate, SpongeBob found himself in the hands of Happy Chapman, the main CEO of Happy's Toy Stadium that was last seen in the commercial from earlier. The collector traveled far and wide, high and low for rare toys to collect to the highest bidder. When he found SpongeBob SquarePants; the last toy to add to his collection, his journey finally came to an end.
Mary walked over amidst Pal's barking. "Pal! Quiet down!" she shouted strictly to the dog. As she walked up, Happy quickly grabbed an alarm block and a high heel in an attempt to hide SpongeBob. "Excuse me, can I help you?"
"Yeah. You can take his paws off my pal!" Clifford narrowed his eyes at Happy.
"I could give you 50 cents for all this junk." Happy offered.
Mary paused, her eye catching on SpongeBob hiding among the junk. "Oh, now how did this get down here?" The woman reached for the pull-string sponge, but Happy stepped back.
"Just hand her the sponge. Nice and easy." Jimmy whispered.
""Very well, five dollars." Happy bargained.
Mary took SpongeBob from Happy as she said, "I'm sorry, but it's an old family toy." She knew that SpongeBob was her son's favorite toy; if she were to sell him, Mike would be despondent. With that said, Happy reached for the toy and groaned in despair for his rejected offer.
"Now just walk away." Jimmy insisted.
Happy held up a hand to halt Mary. "Wait!"
"The OTHER way."
Desperate to buy SpongeBob, Happy tried to raise the purchase, "I-I'll give you 50 bucks for it.".
"50 bucks ain't bad." Oscar whispered to Cody.
"This toy's not for sale" Mary said sternly. The woman put SpongeBob in a box where she kept the money she got from the customers, then closed the hatch, locking it up with a key.
"E-Everything's for sale!" Happy protested. "Or-or trade! Uh, y-you like my watch?!" The man showed Mary his watch, but she is clearly uninterested.
"Sorry." Her voice sounded quite obvious that the discussion is totally over. Seeing that Happy can't purchase SpongeBob, that made the other toys feel relieved.
"He's safe." Jimmy issued the good news to his friends.
"Way to go, Mike's mom." Cody said.
"She showed him." Clifford said, relieved.
"Nina, don't touch that, sweetie." Mary walked over to her two-year old daughter, who looked up from the old books she was going to sell. "Lady…." Happy stammered. His attempts to trade his watch for SpongeBob were fruitless and he groaned in anger, upset that he wouldn't buy him.
Oscar smugly said, "Yeah, go home, Mr. Fancy Car.
Happy was about to walk off, until trips over something in his path. He gets a devious look on his face. He had stepped on a skateboard. Jimmy and Cassandra Cain lock the binoculars on the scene and they took notice. Jimmy alerted, "Hold on..."
"What's up?" Cody asked.
"What is it, Jimmy?" Alex asked.
"Nina, I'll be right there, sweetie." As Mary was still tending to Nina, Happy kicked the skateboard backwards, causing it to crash in another table. "Oh! What now?" With Mary distracted, the greedy collector went back to where SpongeBob is, using a screwdriver to break the lock of the cashbox to get him out.
"What's happening down there?" Cody said.
"What's he doing?" Clifford asked.
"I've got a bad feeling about this!" Alex dreaded.
Jimmy gasped in shock, realizing what's going on.
"Oh, no. He's stealing SpongeBob!" Jimmy cried.
Truth to be told, Happy Chapman sneaks off with the pull-string sponge boy, the Wilson family oblivious to this dastardly deed.
"'WHAT?!" Alex exclaimed. "HE CAN'T TAKE SPONGEBOB! IT'S ILLEGAL!"
"Where's he going?" Clifford panicked.
"Somebody do something!" Alex cried.
Amidst the toys' yells of shock, worry and panic, Jimmy jumped over to the shower drain to slide down.
"Jimmy!" Abby called out.
Once Jimmy planted his feet on the ground, the young boy genius ran off.
"Get him, Jimmy!" Oscar whispered.
Jimmy ran from tables to boxes, but flattened himself against a box as one of the customers pass. The boy genius continues running as Happy put his bag in the trunk, and enters the car. Jimmy leaps over to the post of the mailbox. Peeking behind it, Jimmy saw the car departing to its predestined location. Jimmy took a running stance, and made a beeline for the bumper, in which he caught.
Jimmy bent down and tried to lift the trunk open, but it wouldn't budge. The young boy genius pressed down on a button, and the trunk partially opened. As he tries to lift it all the way, the car went over a speed bump, sending Jimmy flying off the back and bouncing along the road, some of his voice simulation buttons letting out random beeps until he stopped.
Fortunately, Jimmy caught a glimpse of the license plate, which read HPPY-TY-STDM. The car speeds off to who-knows-where, with SpongeBob still trapped inside. Colorful pieces flutter out of the trunk and some of them landed in front of Jimmy. He picked it up and studies the pieces.
"Confetti..." Jimmy whispered in recognition. Up on the windowsill, the other toys watch in stunned silence. Abby asked the question they were all thinking, one no one had an answer to.
"Why would someone steal SpongeBob...?"
It didn't take SpongeBob long to know that he was in a tight spot. SpongeBob realized that he was miles far away from home and into the big city, courtesy of a money-greedy businessman. Happy skids his car to a stop, causing SpongeBob to slide across a bit in the bag. SpongeBob snapped back, looking at the zipper. If only his arm isn't torn, he would effortlessly escape.
As soon as the ride seemed to start, it was over. Happy stopped the car and seized his bag. SpongeBob tried to get out, easier said than done, but the man kept bouncing him along. Nonetheless, he was able to take a peek at the man who stole him, as well as the entrance of a large apartment building, with a sign reading NO CHILDREN ALLOWED.
SpongeBob shudders in fright, nervous of the impending fate that awaited him.