Under the Sea (Revised)

by 999nomead

A novelization of the SpongeBob SquarePants TV show. This is the revised version of the story that had been written between 2016 and 2019. This story is incomplete and will permanently remain so.

4. The Camping Chapter

Chapter 4: The Camping Chapter

SpongeBob and Squidward were walking down the street while wearing their employee hats. The sun was getting swallowed by the horizon and the sky was fading from a light blue to a dark blue.

Squidward did not make eye contact with SpongeBob and maintained a deadpan face. He felt like any change in his facial expression was like feeding fuel to a fire that will burn him. "Sponge, I don't wanna talk. My throat is too sore," he spoke raspily and quietly. His throat stung a bit as he spoke.

"So that's why you took that medicine while working, right?" SpongeBob was watching a jellyfish. "BUZZZ!" "Hey, look! There's one over there. Go get it!" "C'mon, you can do it!" ZAP "B-BUZZZ!" SpongeBob giggled. The urge to blurt rose as he neared the pineapple. He swallowed his lips with a smile. He walked faster and went past Squidward.

Squidward nodded.

SpongeBob grinned. Squidward's nod caused him to mentally paint Jellyfish Fields with fantastical colors. He tripped on a rock but his outstretched hand broke his fall. He was now several steps away from his home. "See ya soon, Squid." He waved and skipped into his pineapple.

Squidward halted when he heard SpongeBob's words. After a few seconds of thought, he took a deep breath and shook his head. 'They'll never quit.' He stomped to the tiki's front door, stepped in, and barged the door to a close.

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling. When he felt a spike of soreness, his hands tightened to fists. 'I only did that little performance so I can stop thinking about those two. Too bad that stupid reed had to break.' He sighed. He and his neighbors were tumbleweeds that were constantly bumping into each other while getting pushed by an unstoppable wind. 'What's the point of even trying.' He glanced at the self-portraits and thought of his clarinet but did not move. He then observed the pineapple through a window. His gaze was like that of a soldier anticipating enemy fire.

S-S-S-S-S

"Hey, Gary!" SpongeBob took one wide step towards the snail and petted him. "How's your day?" His voice was filled with energy that had built up throughout the workday. He glanced at the clock and his heartbeat quickened. He struggled to stand still. He felt like he could do a thousand things within five minutes.

"Meow."

SpongeBob leaped to the shell-phone and snatched it. He quickly dialed Patrick's phone number and held the phone near his ear with shaky fingers. He repeatedly leaned forward and back as he heard the phone's low beeping. The phone abruptly crackled. "Yello?"

"Pat, you're ready?" SpongeBob paced in circles while holding the phone. He kept his eyes on the clock.

"Yep."

SpongeBob pulled the front door open by using his foot. He watched the jellyfish buzzing above the street as if he was a scallop preying on a tiny worm. "Wanna do some practice before we start?" He stepped outside.

S-S-S-S-S

Patrick adjusted his position on the couch. "Why? We've jellyfished many times. I think we're good to go." He slowly sat up and turned off the TV by aiming a cheeseball at the TV's red button. He yawned. The thought of running across the fields made his legs feel heavier than before.

S-S-S-S-S

"Remember, this is all for Squid's sake." SpongeBob looked at the tiki's front door for a few seconds and his thoughts wandered to Squidward's possible brooding. "The practice will warm us up. If we impress him with our skills, he'll trust us as his teachers." His fantasies of the fields faded like the setting sun. His smile lessened as he watched the sky become darker. However, a small flame of light in his sea of thoughts persisted.

"Can't argue with that."

"Let's start now. I see a jellyfish that's really close by." SpongeBob leaped back to the mini-table that the phone's keypad was on. He glanced at the two ropes hanging from the ceiling and the rack that his jellyfishing net was on. 'Oh boy.' He put a hand over his mouth as he giggled.

"Gotcha."

Patrick strolled to the pineapple while holding his jellyfishing net. He savored a spicy aftertaste and he indulged in the imaginary textures of extra-layered pizza slices. He saw the ropes and the rack. SpongeBob's plan flooded back into his mind and washed out his other thoughts. "Oh yeah." He glanced at the tiki's lower window and wiped his hands on his stomach. "Y'know, Sponge, won't this make Squid mad again? He does mean stuff like the fake disease 'cause we get him too involved in our business." He bit his lip.

"You're somewhat right." SpongeBob put his hands together. He looked at the tiki's window but could not discern what was inside. His gaze fell. "But it's not just us that gets him mad. Other stuff in his life gets him mad too." He made direct eye contact with Patrick. "Whenever I go to the Krusty Krab, no matter If I'm working or not, I always hear Squid mutter something bad about his job. Maybe he's just venting his frustration from that stuff on us." He swallowed his lips and placed the employee hat on the couch. "It's also because we have different ways of looking at things. Squid's more down in the dumps while I'm more happy and giddy. You gotta remember that he pulled off that fake sickness thing before I told him about how I broke the bubblestand and my intentions for the gifts." He smiled weakly. He watched the setting sun and savored its last glows. "It's all a misunderstanding. If we all just hang out for awhile and get to know each other more, everything will be alright."

Patrick watched the window and discerned the faint movement of limbs. "But Squid's always been grumpy."

SpongeBob perceived that the sun's rays were no longer touching the tiki's windows. He gazed at his glowing yellow hands and thought of them enveloping the tiki in brightness. "Just give him a chance." He turned towards Patrick. His eyes widened very slightly and gained a sheen of moisture.

"But what happens if something messes up?" Patrick saw a slight spark coming from a jellyfish's tentacles. His thoughts elevated beyond the plain of the five senses. "Y'know how easy it is to upset him? It's like making a big cake. If you miss an ingredient, the whole thing won't taste good." He looked at the tiki from the corner of his eye.

"I definitely know it's risky. But in the long-term, he'll at least not see us as super-annoying people." SpongeBob looked down at his red tie and it reminded him of the professional clothes of a familiar female teacher. He brushed the dust off his squarepants. "Trying to get hired at the Krusty Krab and going to the hospital were risky things, but I survived, right? It won't be so bad." He attempted to widen his smile but it was still small.

Patrick watched the jellyfish and noticed that it was gradually flying away from the neighborhood. "I guess you're right." He cautiously walked into the pineapple.

SLAM

S-S-S-S-S

A minute later…

S-S-S-S-S

SpongeBob and Patrick were standing before an open door in the bedroom. There were two vents in the doorway, one square-shaped and one circle-shaped. The vents had been made out of scraps of loose plastic and smelly wood. The nails barely held the materials together.

SpongeBob, with a grin, pointed at the square vent. "Remember, I go there." He pointed at the circle vent. "You go there, got it?"

"Yep."

"On the count of three, we'll go." SpongeBob held up his hand. "One." He held one finger. He leaned forward like an athlete and adjusted the position of his legs.

Patrick was as still as the couch he had laid on. He wiped his eyes and pulled up his pants.

"Two." SpongeBob held two fingers. His limbs trembled.

Patrick stuck his head through the circle vent. 'I'll fit.' He walked backwards until he was next to SpongeBob again.

"Three." SpongeBob held three fingers. He dashed and then dove through the square vent.

Patrick leaped and managed to squeeze his body through the circle vent.

The vents shook violently as the yellow and pink torpedoes darted through them. In less than a minute, the duo slid out of two holes. Each person grabbed a piece of rope hanging from the ceiling. Their hands burned as they slid down the ropes.

T-THUD

Gary dropped the remote and winced. He looked up and perceived that the vents ended in the living room.

SpongeBob and Patrick shakily stood up. The fiery sensation lingered in the red rope-marks on their hands. They shook their hands and blew them as if they were drying them. The two then ran to the rack and snatched their jellyfishing nets. SpongeBob put on his glasses and straightened it. They turned to the front door. Their faces were as solemn as those of soldiers entering a battlefield. Patrick pulled the front door open.

S-S-S-S-S

A brighter energy possessed the duo. Their frowns immediately became smiles. "La la la la la la la la," SpongeBob and Patrick sung in unison. They skipped towards the jellyfish and swished their nets rhythmically.

S-S-S-S-S

With a cocked brow, Squidward watched the two clowns from the living room window. 'No wonder his home made those sounds. Maybe that jellyfish will keep them busy.' His nose honked as he laughed. However, his laugh was cut short by his throat's soreness, which rose like the tide. He sat down and put a hand on his chin. He glanced at the stairs leading to the music room and then glanced at the clock. He felt like he was in a boat stranded at sea.

S-S-S-S-S

SpongeBob caught a glimpse of Squidward's gaze. His skips became bunny hops. "It's working. He's noticing us," he loudly whispered to Patrick. He focused his vision on the jellyfish again.

"Really?" Patrick scratched his head.

"Yeah." SpongeBob nodded with enthusiasm.

In less than a minute, the two friends were right below the jellyfish.

The jellyfish's stingers produced more sparks.

"I think I've got it." SpongeBob stuck out his tongue slightly. He leaped and swung but the net's rim touched the jellyfish's stingers. He winced.

The jellyfish darted towards the duo.

ZZAP ZAP Z-ZAP ZZZAP ZAAP

"Take cover!" SpongeBob dove out of the way.

Patrick dropped his jellyfishing net and nearly slipped a few times.

The duo dashed away from the jellyfish. Red dots swelled on their arms and backs. The stings were like pricks of alcohol-covered needles that had a fraction of the rope burn. Patrick flung the rock open, slid into the large hole along with SpongeBob, and he then shut the rock with a kick to the rock's hinge.

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward opened the back door and stepped into the backyard. He was now like a stranded sailor rowing towards a possible ship. He scanned the various plants and perceived that they were intact and had absorbed the sprinkled water. 'At least they don't bother with my garden anymore. Maybe Sponge working in the Krusty Krab isn't so bad-' He quickly dimmed the halo above the imagined SpongeBob's head the moment it appeared. He heard zaps, yelps, rapid steps, and the slamming of Patrick's rock. 'Right, right.' From the corner of his eye, he saw his bicycle leaning against the tiki's back wall. A light bulb lit up in his head. 'It's been a while.' He picked up the bicycle and stepped through the back door.

S-S-S-S-S

A few minutes later…

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward closed the tiki's front door. He had strapped on his helmet. He noticed the rising moon and how the coat he had painted on the bicycle matched with the darkening sky. He inhaled deeply. "Ah…" The air felt fresher than before. He unhurriedly mounted the bike and leaned back. He pedaled to the road. The air pushed against him as the two pests began to fade from his mind.

SpongeBob and Patrick were practicing jellyfishing techniques.

SpongeBob was thrusting the net like a fencer while holding an extra jellyfishing net.

Patrick swung his net as if it the net's tip was an excessively heavy weight. He occasionally dropped the net or tripped on a pebble.

SpongeBob saw the pedaling octopus and his smile shrunk. "Hey Squid, we're practicing for our jellyfishing trip." He was like a fisherman frantically reeling a fish that was about to break free. He pointed at the jellyfishing nets. His mouth remained open but he got cut off.

"Of course you are, bye now." Squidward smirked and closed his eyes. 'Why didn't I think of this earlier? Squid, you're a genius!' His head tilted upward.

SpongeBob bit his lip. "Wait!" He shakily held out the extra jellyfishing net. "We have a net just for you!" He ran towards the increasingly distant bicycle. The thread of hope he was clinging to was breaking away.

Squidward stopped pedaling. He looked at SpongeBob from the corner of his eye. The extra net SpongeBob was holding looked like a snare. 'Like I'm gonna fall for that.' His elbow was on the bicycle's handles. He rested his head on his hand when SpongeBob reached a foot's distance.

"Wanna come with us?" SpongeBob wore a grin and placed the jellyfishing net to the right of the bicycle. "It'll be fun." He perceived Squidward's frown and raised brow. He clasped his hands together. He could not stand still. "The jelly we might get could help your throat a little." His gaze fell towards the ground. "Plus, it's just us three hanging out." He glanced at the sky. The sun's rays were almost non-existent.

"Really? Jellyfishing with you guys?" Squidward wore a grin and sat up. "Oh, that would be the best day ever in my book. I would love to go jellyfishing!" He clasped his hands together in front of his chest. His tone of voice secreted venom. "I can't think of anything I'd like to do more than go jellyfishing with my two best friends SpongeBob and Patrick." When he saw SpongeBob's forming smile, he struggled to hide his chuckling.

SpongeBob's heartbeat quickened. "Yes!" He grinned sincerely and leaped. His thoughts regained their blurry speed and intoxicating brightness.

Squidward laughed with a honking nose. "But I can't. Bye bye." His words were like the fangs of a snake. Both of his hands held the handle bars again.

"W-why?" SpongeBob's smile, like a wave hitting a shore, faded just as fast as it appeared. His throat became heavy and his eyes moistened. "Is it 'cause you're scared I'll hurt you again? I don't wanna make you mad or anything like that. This jellyfishing trip is so that we can all understand each other and stop fighting." His lips quivered. As his gaze fell downward once again, the asphalt on the road began to look like the bricks of a wall.

"There's no way I'm going near those creatures." Squidward glanced at the jellyfish before turning his head back to the road ahead. "You two already got stung by them." He chuckled and shook his head. He resumed pedaling.

SpongeBob watched Squidward shrink to the horizon. He glanced at his hands and then at Squidward's hands holding the handle bars. He did not feel any wind. "Pat, do you think Squid will ever have time for some fun with us?" He looked at Patrick from the corner of his eye. He took a deep breath and his throat became lighter.

Patrick scratched his head. "Does he really like us?" He walked in circles as he attempted to grasp Squidward's hidden layers. "Although his joke was kinda mean, it was still a joke. I don't think someone who hates someone else would joke around that person."

"You're right. But I can tell he wants to stay away from us." SpongeBob was glancing at the different components of his environment. He perceived how the ground contrasted with the sky and how the small worms contrasted with the flying scallops. "I think it's more complicated. Maybe he both likes us and dislikes us." His eyes regained their normal moistness. He stood straight.

Patrick shrugged. "Maybe we should just ask him and have a talk." The imagined taste of jellyfish jelly made his mouth water. He tightened his grip on the jellyfish net.

"That's why I wanted all of us to go jellyfishing in the first place." SpongeBob smiled weakly. He gazed at his jellyfishing net. The previous zaps, misses, and catches culminated to a blur that passed by his mind within several seconds. "We shouldn't give up though. Nobody can stay alone forever."

Patrick stared at the tiki and perceived its furrowed brows. "Wouldn't he just move out?" His mind was stuck between the realm of senses and the realm of higher thinking.

"But he didn't, Pat. There's still hope." SpongeBob's eyes sparkled. His smile glowed against the darkness of the evening. "His feelings about us are just mixed. Maybe he'll want to go next time." He spun his net on his index finger for a few seconds before skipping back to his pineapple. He opened the front door. "I'll just leave this here." He tossed the extra jellyfishing net to the couch and waved at Gary. He closed the front door and ran back to Patrick. "Wanna go to Jellyfish Fields now?"

"Let's go!" Patrick sprinted in Jellyfish Fields' direction. The possible tastes of jellyfish jelly fueled his legs.

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward's pedaling was steady. His grip on the handlebars was loose. He had a smile. With the starry evening sky above him, Squidward absorbed the sights of his dark environment as if it was a gallery of classical art. The nocturnal animals emerging from the blue sand became fuel for potential masterpieces. He perceived a jellyfish in the distance and the thought of jellyfishing with his neighbors returned. "Like that'll ever happen." He chuckled. He passed by a coral piece that was tall enough to look like a jellyfishing net. "Oh, I'll go." He laughed. "I sure had them going." His eyes strayed from the road.

Squidward abruptly felt a soft surface inside his mouth and heard buzzing. He looked down and saw pink stingers protruding from his lips. He blanched and spat out the creature. "Stupid jellyfish! Beat it!"

The jellyfish, irritated by its encounter with SpongeBob and Patrick, darted to Squidward's head and fired a series of sparks that felt like miniature bullets. Like a wasp, its stings did not cease. Squidward gripped his head and flinched. His limbs trembled. The bike moved in an expanding zig-zag pattern until it moved out of the road. As Squidward repeatedly ducked, he saw an enlarging purple haze. The jellyfish flew out of the way. Squidward sat up and his heart felt a shock. "HOLY CR-"

BONK

He soared over a purple rock while flailing his limbs. In seconds, he flew past the ground's border and collapsed with the bike to a rocky tomb. The sky melted into pitch black. Several pebbles rolled against other pebbles. The jellyfish's stings were tickles compared to the rocks that felt like nails hammered to his skin.

Squeaky shoes and heavy steps. A few pebbles rolled to the bottom. A high-pitched voice and a low-pitched voice. Squidward was as still as the stars in the sky. His senses slipped away as he got submerged into the void.

S-S-S-S-S

Thirty minutes later…

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward shakily opened his eyes and squinted through the bright light until the room was clear. His arms and legs were wrapped in gauze and had been padded. The purple doctor was typing into a computer. He glanced to his left and right. The sink and the monitor were exactly in the same positions. 'Deja-vu.' His eyes closed halfway as he sank into melancholy. He looked up at the clock. It said '6:42 PM'. 'Not even a week past and I'm already sent back here.' He gazed at his hands but was hesitant to move them. Time was passing through his grasp like water. He saw a yellow medicine bottle near the sink. He did not bother to furrow his brows or clench his teeth. Like a biker focused on the road ahead of him, his mind was now focused on one point.

The doctor turned towards Squidward and smiled at the sight of Squidward's opened eyes. "Mr. Tentacles, I think I've underestimated how much fortune Tyche has given you. The same two people who brought you here last time called 9-1-1 the moment you got injured. I even heard that a shiny object they had on them somehow healed some of your wounds." He looked at the cabinet and glanced at his prescription notes. "Medicine is advancing so quickly these days."

'Shiny object…' Squidward stared into space. He had a clear image of the magic paper glowing in SpongeBob's hands and the otherworldly aura it gave. "Abracadabra!" The sounds of the reef blower explosion popped through the mysterious image. He had seen the same glow in the reef blower. 'Could that thing have caused that reef blower to break?' He visualized the reef blower releasing glimpses of his future ordeals. He was like a gardener who had found the root of the weed.

"Your arms and legs have healed enough for you to be released. You'll need to be in a wheelchair for the next three days." The doctor wheeled a nearby wheelchair towards the bed. He then looked towards the door and clapped three times.

A few assistants entered. They gently picked up Squidward when the doctor pointed at him. They then placed him in the wheelchair and put his arms and legs in their correct positions.

S-S-S-S-S

Ten minutes later…

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward no longer found the dark environment to be alluring. He focused on the road's horizon with a deadpan face. 'Stuff like this always happens.' He glanced at his injured limbs. From the corner of his eye, he saw a yellow coral piece. "This jellyfishing trip is so that we can all understand each other and stop fighting." "There's no way I'm going near those creatures. You two already got stung by them." "But I broke the bubblestand for you!" The bittersweetness returned but was now becoming sweeter. He tightened his grip on the wheelchair as he ripped those thoughts out of his mind. 'If those two didn't introduce me to the stupid stuff they did, I wouldn't have been injured so many times!' He grit his teeth. When he saw the tiki, his mind returned to the road ahead. After the rip current, he was desperately swimming back to the shore of comfort and self-worship.

Squidward opened the front door.

"Welcome home, Squidward!" SpongeBob shouted jovially and jumped out. He stepped out of the way, closed his eyes, and held out his hands towards the decorated living room like a servant.

"Merry Christmas!" Patrick strolled through the open door. He kept glancing at the enticing bowl of soup. His stomach twisted and turned in its emptiness.

"I should've guessed…" Squidward frowned slightly with half-closed eyes. The people in front of him were merely two road-bumps. Visions of future self-portraits and musical notes repeated in his head ever since he arose from his unconsciousness. He wheeled towards the stairs. "Can I play a few songs before the torture begins?" The 'Welcome Home' banner hanging on the wall, to him, was the equivalent of seeing his room vandalized.

"Sure." SpongeBob nodded and skipped into the living room. "It be a good way to start." He visualized himself and Patrick dancing to the clarinet music like dancers in a ball. When Squidward entered the music room, SpongeBob put his index finger on his chin and looked at Patrick from the corner of his eye. "What does he mean by 'torture'?"

Patrick shrugged.

SpongeBob and Patrick walked upstairs.

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward wheeled to the music sheet holder, where the clarinet had been placed on. He attempted to grab the clarinet but failed; his arms trembled when he raised them. He then realized that the two neighbors burned the rest of his day to ashes. He sighed. He was lost at sea again.

"Need a little help?" Patrick walked to the sheet holder and put the clarinet on Squidward's hand.

Squidward grasped the clarinet and lifted his arm. The arm trembled again and the clarinet dropped to the floor. "What's the point." He took a deep breath, rested his chin on his hand, and gazed through the window. The reef blower incident and the magic paper event replayed in his head. He felt like he was in a jail cell. He glanced at the clock. Sleep was still out of his grasp.

SpongeBob's smile lessened. "Oh well." With his thoughts remaining bright, he glanced at the stairs. "Don't worry, Squid. There's still plenty of stuff we could do today. You don't have to let the past control you." He grasped the wheelchair's handles and wheeled Squidward to the living room. "We're gonna make sure this is your best day ever!"

"Hmph." Squidward frowned fully. 'How can he be so naive?' "More like my worst day ever. My injuries are proof of that."

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward looked through the living room window and saw a tumbleweed. A light bulb lit up. 'I need some fresh air.' He wheeled towards the front door. He halted at the memory of falling through the cliff. He stopped frowning but did not smile. His eyes remained half-closed while the rest of his facial features became soulless; the same face that he had when working in the Krusty Krab.

SpongeBob looked at the gauze wrapped around Squidward's elbows and knees and bit his lip. He felt sharp empathetic pains. His mental vision vividly reopened past images of open flesh and pouring blood. "Your best day's surely not gonna be out there." SpongeBob turned the wheelchair carefully and wheeled Squidward to the table.

Squidward looked at the bowl that had been placed before him and noticed that it had alphabet soup. The letter noodles spelled out 'BEST DAY EVER'. Vapor was rising from the liquid. He grimaced. He looked at the fridge but his legs trembled when he lifted them. 'Right.' He glanced at the clock, swallowed his lips, and exhaled. He was trudging through a sandstorm filled with yellow and pink particles.

Patrick eyed the soup. "How about some soup on your best day ever?" He grabbed the spoon and dipped it into the bowl. He held the spoon between himself and Squidward. The soup's scent heightened his salivation. The soup's green color reminded him of his favorite flavor of instant noodles. His hand repeatedly tilted the spoon towards himself or Squidward.

Squidward saw Patrick lightly touching his lips with his tongue while glancing at SpongeBob. He smirked, shook his head, and gestured towards Patrick when Patrick tilted the spoon towards himself.

SpongeBob snapped his fingers.

Patrick stood straight. His previous thoughts faded away. "Oh yeah." He pushed the spoon into Squidward's mouth.

Squidward pushed against his seat as his tongue burned. He eyed his wrapped limbs. The urge to rip apart the chains and fly back to the comforts of the hospital rose within him like the soup vapor. His wrists felt heavier than before.

"Ooh, it's a little hot." Patrick put a hand on his chin. 'Guess I'm too dumb to even feed him.' He swiftly dipped the spoon into the bowl. He blew on the spoon while holding it shakily.

The liquid splattered over Squidward's face. "AAAAAHHHH!" Squidward covered his face with his hands and reeled. His face became covered with burns.

SpongeBob swallowed his lips and winced.

Patrick glanced between SpongeBob and the bowl. "Umm…" He stared at the floor for a few seconds before he noticed his stomach's bulge. 'That junk food is getting to my head.' He took a deep breath, dipped the spoon again, and blew closer to the spoon.

More soup from the spoon landed on Squidward's face. "AAAHHH!" The wheelchair went backwards by several inches. His hands were now covered in red. "Why did you have to do that?!" He revealed a scowl. His anger was boiling towards the soup's temperature.

Patrick dropped the spoon to the table, stepped back, and put his hands into his pockets. He felt like saying 'sorry' was merely fueling the fire in front of him. He glanced at the living room's furniture.

SpongeBob wore a smile. "I don't think soup is the best thing for him on his best day ever." He took wide steps towards the table, slowly picked up the bowl, cautiously carried it to the kitchen, and poured the soup into the sink silently. He heard the faint sizzling of the soup as he ran back to the living room. A light bulb lit up and he grinned. He dashed to the music room and came back with the clarinet. "I'll play some music for you."

Squidward stared at the clarinet and clenched the armchair's arms. He felt like he had lost his hands completely and was now a puppet to his neighbors' desires. He was a starving beggar being taunted with food.

SpongeBob inhaled deeply and then blew into the clarinet. No notes came out; only the sound of SpongeBob's blowing was heard. SpongeBob noticed Squidward's frown. "Sorry, my lips are a little dry." His smile lessened and became a mask again. He wet his lips with his tongue for several seconds.

"Ew." Patrick grimaced slightly. He imagined saliva coming out of the clarinet. He snatched the clarinet from SpongeBob's hands. "Music isn't the best either."

SpongeBob's smile regained its former intensity. "But what is best is what we saved for last." He held out his index finger. "The one sure-fire thing to make your best day ever THE best day ever!" He picked up a glass jar that had been concealed under the table. "It's been a little something I've been waiting all day to do." SpongeBob leaned to the left and to the right while standing. He looked through the window.

"Lemme guess, jellyfishing?" Squidward's hand supported his head. His face cooled to a deadpan.

"C'mon, Squid." SpongeBob's smile lessened. "It'll be better than you think." He spun the jar on his index finger. His bright thoughts were soiled and flushed into a blur of random possibilities.

Squidward looked at the armchair and his wrapped limbs. 'I can't do anything here without their help.' He glanced at the TV and then at the self-portraits. Watching the TV while getting taunted by the portraits would only salt his wound. The previous offenses his neighbors committed and the anger that accompanied them flashed by. 'They'll just keep bothering me until I give up.' He perceived a few red marks on Patrick's back. The thought of the two pests getting stung by jellyfish popped up. He smirked. "Will you stop bothering me for the rest of the day when we finish?" He moved his sleepy legs. He felt the gauze's fragility and then imagined how the stingers' electricity would feel on his exposed flesh. He stopped smirking and bit his tongue.

"Okee-dokee." SpongeBob nodded eagerly and beamed. He firmly grasped the wheelchair's handlebars. "It'll all be worth it in the end. The jelly will help your sore throat too." He turned Squidward around and pulled the front door open with his foot. The stars in the sky had brightened.

Thoughts of the jellyfish became anchored to Squidward's mind as he drew closer to the fields. The image of a jellyfish swarm flashed into an image of anchovies. "Permission to come aboard captain! Da da da da da da da da!" The aversion he was clinging to began to loosen from his grasp.

S-S-S-S-S

"Jellyfishing, jellyfishing, jellyfishing, jellyfishing, jellyfishing, jellyfishing, jellyfishing, jellyfishing, jellyfishing!" SpongeBob and Patrick were chanting that word until it became an alien and instinctive cry, like the buzzing of jellyfish. Their jellyfishing nets swayed in sync with their galloping. They were as eager as children playing in a park.

Squidward shakily held his jellyfishing net; the net's wood threatened to cut into the gauze. He clenched the net as his neighbors' chant dragged on. His deadpan face became a glare. He perceived a group of jellyfish and his wheelchair now felt like an electric chair. His eyes widened a bit. He wheeled a few steps back. 'I wonder how this is gonna turn out…' He took a deep breath. Dark clouds lingered in his thoughts.

"Hey, look!" SpongeBob pointed at the jellyfish group. His grin stretched from ear to ear. "There's one in position!" he whispered loudly. He dove to a rock and hid behind it. The thought of Squidward overcoming his injuries made his heartbeat quicken.

"You ready, Squid?" Patrick turned towards Squidward and stepped out of the way. "Make sure you firmly grasp the net when you swing." He leaned against a coral piece.

Squidward eyed the jellyfish group. The imagined sensation of getting stung by the swarm filled him with apprehension. He raised his arm quickly and lowered it. He glanced at his surroundings and wished to scrap them as if it was a mistake on a painting. He shakily folded his arms and muttered.

"Ready…" SpongeBob held out one finger. He struggled to stand still. "Set…" He held out two fingers. He giggled. "Go!" He held out three fingers. He pointed at the jellyfish group again.

Patrick and SpongeBob jumped up and down as they shouted encouraging words towards Squidward. Their shouts became louder when the jellyfish group began to fly away.

Squidward did not budge.

"Hmm…" Patrick scratched his head. He walked in circles. He perceived the shakiness of Squidward's arms and a light bulb lit up. He smiled warmly. "I think we gotta show him how it's done." He spun the jellyfishing net on his hand and looked at SpongeBob.

SpongeBob nodded eagerly.

SpongeBob and Patrick danced their way towards the jellyfish. Patrick closed his eyes as he immersed himself into the dance. SpongeBob's moves were wide and slow so Squidward could see how his net moved. They twirled their nets like dancer strings. Their nets' rims merely tapped the jellyfish.

The jellyfish group gathered together and their stingers brightened.

ZAP Z-ZZAAAP ZAP ZZAAP Z-Z-ZAAAP ZAP ZAP

Blue flashes pierced the duo's skins and left hissing red marks. The yellow and pink deer fled from the swarm of predators and hid behind a large coral piece.

Patrick was blowing on his red marks.

SpongeBob watched Squidward with a hand over his mouth. 'I hope he's okay.'

Squidward was chuckling. The pain that the two pests received felt like a worthy reward for enduring the torture. Memories of the anchovies and the broken bubblestand were pushed to the back of his mind before they could cause more damage to his mood. He abruptly saw pink nearly block his vision. Light blue streaked and he then felt sharp pain on his nose.

The jellyfish buzzed away.

Squidward scowled at the jellyfish and tightened his grip on the jellyfishing net. 'I'll show that jellyfish!' He swiftly wheeled towards it. He raised his jellyfishing net.

SpongeBob gasped and clasped his hands together near his chest. "Squid's doing it!" He beamed. The light he was clinging to finally entered reality.

SpongeBob and Patrick resumed their cheering. They were yelling like the fans of a winning team.

When the jellyfish reached a 'pink rock', Squidward swung the net and caught the jellyfish. "Hmph." He smirked. He began to laugh when the jellyfish struggled to break free. "Guess I didn't know my own strength." In his mind, he was sitting on a pedestal instead of a wheelchair. The dark clouds in his thoughts began to clear.

"This guy's good!" Patrick clapped. 'No wonder he so smart. Dummies like me can't be skilled like him.'

SpongeBob whistled shrilly. "He's a natural!" The motion of Squidward's swing constantly replayed in his mind. Squidward's method of jellyfishing reminded him of his first jellyfishing teacher.

SCREeeeeCCHHH

Patrick lost a shade of color. He stopped yelling and his eyes widened. Chills poked his back. "W-what was that?" He glanced around while standing still. The plain became darker and the jellyfish became shadows that glided in the night sky. He perceived rustles from a bush in the distance. "AH!" He jumped. A jellyfish emerged from that bush. He then took a deep breath.

SpongeBob's stopped smiling and his eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?" He had barely heard the screech. He ran towards Patrick. "You saw something?" He put a hand on Patrick's shoulder. He saw the trembling in Patrick's legs.

"I heard a really weird sound. I think it's from a monster." Patrick crouched behind SpongeBob and clung to SpongeBob's shoulders. He eyed figures that had strange shapes on their heads. They reminded him of the one-eyed things and decaying flesh his childhood self had imagined lurking under his bed.

"A monster?" SpongeBob put his foot behind Patrick's back but Patrick's grip prevented him from hiding. His mind painted on the dark canvas images depicting lunatics he had seen on 'WANTED' posters and on the news. He bit his lip.

"I think it came from over there." Patrick shakily pointed at the figures. Jellyfish were dispersing from the area where the heads were at. The heads then turned towards him. He abruptly felt ticklish sensations on his face. His heart stopped. He winced, fell to the ground, and rolled out of the way. He dashed towards the neighborhood like a frightened cat. He bumped into a group of orange jellyfish and turned the other way.

SpongeBob took a few deep breaths and hastily stretched his aching limbs.

SCCREEEEEEECCHHH

SpongeBob gasped and then covered his mouth. He could hear his own heartbeat. He saw jellyfish of a few different colors scattering from the source of the sound and gathering in distant places. 'Aren't those rare jellyfish?' He gazed at the jellyfish's colors. His hand fell from his mouth and his jaw dropped. "Wow." Some jellyfish species he had never seen before were flying before his eyes. The discovery pulled his attention away from the imminent danger.

Squidward was watching the two neighbors. He had laughed when he had seen them getting frightened. He was smiling contently. He quickly rose the net and allowed the jellyfish to fly away. He turned his back towards the pink 'rock'.

RRUMBLE

Squidward halted with wide eyes. He slightly turned his wheelchair towards what was behind him. He saw a colossal jellyfish that had stingers covered with blue web-like electricity. His face became pallid and a sweat drop ran down his brow. The jellyfishing net shakily fell from his grasp. The dark mental clouds returned.

"Dear Neptune!" SpongeBob dashed towards Squidward. "Hold on, Squid!" He held out his hands.

Patrick quickly followed. All other thoughts blew away.

SpongeBob and Patrick dove towards Squidward.

Squidward fell from the wheelchair and his teeth clenched when he felt pangs in his shins.

The magic paper flew out of SpongeBob's pocket.

SpongeBob and Patrick lifted Squidward and sprinted as the jellyfish's giant tentacles neared. The minds of the three neighbors were all filled with fear.

SpongeBob stared at the magic paper and then closed his eyes.

The magic paper glowed. The three neighbors tripped on a rock and tumbled across the ground.

The jellyfish's sparks became as bright as a searchlight. The jellyfish then darted towards the three.

The magic paper flashed. A glowing yellow wall popped into existence and smacked the jellyfish's top.

The giant jellyfish swiftly fled to a distant side of the plain.

The glowing wall transformed into a yellow tent and a large bag of supplies.

A pause.

SpongeBob jumped to his feet and gently placed Squidward into the wheelchair. "Do your arms and legs still hurt?" He sat on his knees. He touched his own arms as he imagined the pain that Squidward was feeling. He visualized his hands holding a jar of nourishing jelly while unintentionally stinging Squidward with electricity. He sighed.

"Yeah…" The pain in his legs kept Squidward still. Each time he attempted to paint SpongeBob with darker colors, a brighter coat of paint popped out to counter it. He then realized that the stagnating bittersweetness had returned. His head rested on his hand and his face became deadpan.

SpongeBob stood up and walked to the tent. He touched the tent's roof and smiled when he felt the soft sensation of the sheets. He crawled into the tent and marveled at its well-organized interior and the hanging electric lantern. He heard Patrick's footsteps and crawled out of the tent. "That paper is more useful than I thought."

"I know, right?" Patrick picked up the magical paper from the ground. "That was so cool." He noticed that the paper felt like the smooth tongue of a scallop. He attempted to fold the paper into an origami of a clam but the paper quickly returned to its normal shape.

Squidward gazed at the magical paper. The object was a hole of missing information that kept nagging at him whenever his two neighbors used it. The pain he had received and his attempts to counter that pain had strayed him from the path of filling that hole. 'It's better to ask now.' Squidward wheeled towards his two neighbors. "Where did you get that paper?"

"I was making a sand angel and found it." Patrick gave the paper to SpongeBob. He shrugged. "I don't know where it came from." He began to dig through the bag of supplies. His mouth was dry.

Squidward folded his arms. "Maybe it came from the reef blower." He leaned towards the paper and perceived its glow to be fainter than before.

"Me and Pat already found that out." SpongeBob glanced at his watch and bit his lip. "I don't think we can go home. It's past closing time. Heheh." He showed a wobbly smile. "There's way too many jellyfish around here anyway." He saw several jellyfish in the distance attempting to fit into an overcrowded hive.

"That's great." Squidward's smile was filled with scorn. "I'm stuck here with two fools, can get stung at any moment, and can't fully get my beauty sleep. I couldn't ask for more." He clasped his hands together in a manner that was similar to how the yellow devil does it. He gazed at the starlit sky and perceived a constellation. 'There's only so many things you can control.' He sighed and his gaze fell on a dusty rock. Itchiness abruptly rose in his throat. 'If that paper created a tent, it must've made other stuff too.' He wheeled to the bag.

Patrick perceived a jellyfish group that looked like a giant jellyfish. His heartbeat quickened. He trembled but then stood straight when the gathering dispersed. "Sponge, is that big jellyfish called a… king jellyfish?" He scratched his head.

"Nope. That was a queen." SpongeBob pointed at the top of his own head. "Those jellyfish don't have yellow spikes on their heads."

"Oh." Patrick stopped scratching his head. He sat down as he gazed at the jellyfish flying in zig-zag lines. He attempted to retrieve the jellyfish species' names but got lost in the mental fog. "Why there's so many rare jellyfish? I don't think 'moving' season starts until next month."

"To be honest, I dunno." SpongeBob touched his chin while watching the jellyfish. "It's probably because of the weird sounds." He looked behind his shoulder and bit his lip. He tip-toed towards the tent.

Squidward, as he dug through the bag, noticed that the supplies were enough for three people. His digging sped up. He eventually unearthed the sheets and poles of a second tent. He held out the sheets and poles as if they were a trophy. 'This paper's been reading my mind.' He grinned.

Squidward slowly wheeled away from the lit tent. He unrolled the sheets and the poles. He was now trying to push away the fog surrounding a certain childhood memory. 'C'mon, Squiddy, you know this.' His limbs began to feel sore as they remained still.

SpongeBob and Patrick whispered to each other and giggled. The two quickly took out marshmallow bags, a picnic basket, bags of buns, and several other food supplies.

"Can you two boobs keep it down?" Squidward clenched his fists and glared at the two neighbors. "I'm try'na make this tent." He took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. After a minute, the fog cleared to reveal an image of his father holding sheets and poles. "First, son you gotta do this… then this… then that…" 'Aha!' Squidward smiled slightly and swiftly assembled the tent.

SpongeBob laid on the ground and watched the night-sky. "Squid, isn't this our first camping trip together?" His smile became wider.

Squidward cocked his brow. "Isn't it illegal to camp here?"

SpongeBob sat up. "Nah. There's only a certain limit of people that are allowed to camp here. But the law's not really enforced unless there's too much littering." He crawled to the supplies that had slipped out and placed them back into the bag. He looked at a jellyfish group that looked like anchovies and thought of how normal citizens would react to his situation. He imagined the three neighbors being warriors charging into a dim battlefield. "Unlike those soft city folk who stay safe in their beds while reading books, we got the guts to pit ourselves against the formidable forces of nature." He smirked.

The moment he heard SpongeBob say that, another hole of missing information nagged Squidward. He wheeled to the bag again. He found a few books and held them near his chest with one arm. "Phew." He leaned against his seat and snatched a lantern from the bag. From the corner of his eye, he saw SpongeBob opening his mouth. "I don't have time for idle chatter," he blurted. Squidward placed the lamp in the ceiling of his tent's interior and lit it up.

"Okay. Have fun inside." SpongeBob waved at Squidward. He contemplated the tent and lowered his hand. He frowned and hugged his knees. 'Doesn't he want to stay with us? Why stay separate?' The tie that he assumed had strengthened was merely a thread.

Squidward glared at his watch and then, through a slit in the tent flaps, at the jellyfish blocking paths towards potential exits. "Wanna come with us?" "It'll be fun." "Plus, it's just us three hanging out." The pessimism had leaked to his ears. He furrowed his brows. His head emerged from the tent's flaps. "What do you mean, 'have fun inside'?" SpongeBob's fetal position caused Squidward's eyes to narrow.

SpongeBob looked up at Squidward and stood up. "Just… have fun inside." He shrugged and wore a smile. "See you tomorrow." The question that was nagging at him now sounded like it was the fuel that could unleash Squidward's wrath. He swallowed his lips.

"Oh. Bye." Squidward's head retracted.

Patrick poked SpongeBob's shoulder and pointed at a figure on the ground that he made out of nearby stones.

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward put the wheelchair against a wall. He opened the thinnest book. "That'll be twenty-five cents, sir." "Woah, what?" "Hey Squid, we're practicing for our jellyfishing trip." "Of course you are, bye now." "Wait! We have a net just for you! Wanna come with us?" His mind continued to replay SpongeBob's awkward smiles until it blocked his reading. He clenched his teeth and put down the book.

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward's head emerged again. "You little sneak! I know what you're doing."

"What?" SpongeBob widened his eyes. He glanced at Patrick's stone figure and then glanced at Squidward. His heartbeat quickened.

"Don't think I can't see what you're doing!" Squidward shook his fist.

"What?" SpongeBob looked at his hands, pulled out his pockets, and scanned his pants. He bit his lip. "U-um-"

"You're saying I can't take it." Squidward wheeled out of the tent and folded his arms.

SpongeBob shakily clasped his hands together. "But all I-"

"You're saying I'm soft." Squidward tilted his head upward. SpongeBob's nervousness was all the evidence he needed. "You think your little 'have fun inside' challenge is gonna make me come over. You've tried something like that a few times but that's never gonna happen again. There's no way I'm gonna sit out here all night with you two barnacle heads. So get used to it!"

Patrick walked away from the stone statue he had been tweaking. He smiled innocently. "Have fun inside!"

"That's it, I'm in!" Squidward clenched the wheels as he wheeled towards the bag. He grabbed a pile of logs and a match box. The grudge that had been building within him exploded into a passion that overpowered his rationality. 'The only way for them to stop messing with me is if I beat them at their own game without messing up. Since I'm already injured, I got nothing to lose.' "I'll show you camping." He organized the logs into a neater pile and smirked.

Patrick stopped smiling and his gaze fell to the ground. The same feeling he had when he said a wrong answer in class returned. He glanced at the tents and the bag. 'I can't let them see my dumbness.' He scanned the horizon but could not spot the strange figures.

Squidward took a match from the box and scratched it against the box's abrasive side. The match lit up. "Now you will see how a real outdoorsman does it," he stated pompously. He inched the match towards the logs. "Watch and learn."

Patrick's eyes widened. He dug through the bag like a rabbit but could not find a pencil nor a notepad. He snatched the magic paper from SpongeBob's pocket, closed his eyes, and shook it furiously.

SpongeBob saw Patrick's frantic glances. He put a hand on Patrick's arm. "What's wrong?"

"I need to jot something down. He's gonna teach us." Patrick grabbed a thin coral piece and attempted to carve words on a large stone. He stuck his tongue out slightly.

SpongeBob giggled. "'Watch and learn' is just a phrase. Don't worry." He took out a notepad and a pencil from his pocket. The first-most pages had orders from customers. "I got a notepad anyway." He placed the notepad and the pencil on Patrick's hands. However, Patrick's face remained unchanged.

Squidward shakily leaned towards the log pile. As he stared at the logs, he attempted to squeeze the two pests out of his vision. 'C'mon!' His wounded legs were metal balls that the two demons had chained him to. He clenched the match and his hand began to tremble. The bubble swallowing the tiki repeatedly flashed in his mind like an alarm. The match dropped to the ground and ignited the grass.

Patrick jotted on the notepad. The image of ghostly figures running towards the fire like moths to light pierced his mind. The faces distorted into spirals that had multiple mouths and numerous pairs of eyes. He scribbled on the notepad. He glanced to his left and right but only saw jellyfish in the distance.

SpongeBob dashed to the small fire. He then frantically blew on the fire until only smoke was left. "Phew." He stood straight and took a deep breath.

"Let's pretend that didn't happen." Squidward spoke with a slightly heavier throat. His ego stood behind a shield and continued to push forward. He smirked when he saw anxiety in the two pests' faces. He lit another match and jabbed it towards the log pile. The direction of the wind pushed the match's flame away from the logs.

Patrick gazed at the logs. "How do you cook food on it?" he blurted.

Squidward rolled his eyes. Patrick was merely a fly buzzing near his ear. "I didn't light the campfire yet, idiot." When his hand trembled again, another idea popped into his head. He grabbed another match and lit it up. He pointed both matches downward. His rear rose from the seat as he stretched his arms.

'Genius!' Patrick smiled. He stuck out his tongue slightly as he jotted down bullet points and drew diagrams on the notepad. He then perceived Squidward pulling out nearby grass. 'He's softening the ground!' He eyed the movements of Squidward's arms. When the campfire finally ignited, he completed his last diagram: a game of tic-tac-toe. "Thanks so much." He promptly bowed, as if Squidward was Athena.

"Voila!" Squidward wheeled back and smiled as he gazed at his achievement. When he saw Patrick's bow, he grinned. 'I guess it's finally working after all.' However, SpongeBob's clapping caused him to frown. His actions were merely splashes of water eroding a rock. His head rested on his hand, his eyes became half-closed, and he sighed.

The three neighbors became silent.

'Now's the time for the talk.' SpongeBob's smile was weak. The many twists and turns of the possible conversation playing in his head prevented him from standing still. His heartbeat had been steadily quickening throughout Squidward's attempts at igniting the campfire. He opened his mouth but Squidward spoke.

"Time for a little grub," Squidward droned. His stomach gurgled. He wheeled to the bag and sought for high-quality cuisine. "I suppose you're gonna stew up some twigs and rocks, right?" He glared at SpongeBob from the corner of his eye.

"Nope, we've got something even better." SpongeBob snatched a bag of white candy and held it out. "Marshmallows." He opened the bag and skipped to the campfire.

Patrick sat before the campfire. Its warmth reminded him of his bed's sand mattress. His eyes closed until he could only see an orange glimmer. His head leaned forward. He floated into the gravity-defying room of a spaceship. A rustle from the bag of supplies caused him to sit up. He looked at SpongeBob and smirked. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Patrick to SpongeBob. Patrick to SpongeBob. Do you read me? Over."

SpongeBob giggled. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "SpongeBob to Patrick. I read you. Over." He did a military salute. He watched Squidward dig to the supply bag's bottom.

"Patrick to SpongeBob-kershh-I like going-kershh-over." Patrick stared at the marshmallows and licked his lips.

"SpongeBob to Officer Patrick-kershh-me too." SpongeBob did a thumbs-up. He perceived the direction of Patrick's gaze. "SpongeBob to Officer Patrick. I don't got any donuts-kershh-but I got marshmallows." He shook the marshmallow bag and held it towards Patrick. "Help yourself. Over." From the corner of his eye, he saw Squidward walking towards the campfire. 'Alright. Here it goes.'

"Yummy!" Patrick grabbed a stone that was shaped like a stick. He thrust the stone into the bag of marshmallows until the stone looked like a kabob. He held the marshmallow kabob over the campfire. The marshmallows melted together until the stone was almost fully wrapped in light orange sugary goo. He sucked the melted layer in one gulp. "Patrick to SpongeBob. The deliciousness has landed!"

"While you two astronauts eat marshmallows, I'm gonna have a can of Barnacle Balls." Squidward, with his head tilted upward, was holding a can that he had opened with a can opener. He sat near the campfire, grabbed a nearby wooden stick, wrapped the still attached opened metal lid around the stick, and held the can over the fire by holding the stick. He stared at the flames until the yellow and pink hazes faded. He deeply inhaled the barnacle balls' spicy scent. "Ah."

SpongeBob rubbed his hands together and took a deep breath. "Squid, why did you want to be in a separate tent? I thought we were gonna do everything together as campers." He clasped his knees.

Squidward rested his head on his free hand. He gazed at the sky. The stars seemed to be static. "It's gonna be impossible to sleep with you guys." He felt the stick's heat and sat up. "If I'm gonna be here all night, I need some alone time to recharge. It'll make this nightmare less painful."

SpongeBob nodded. 'Phew.' He leaned back. When he smiled, his limbs did not tremble and his eyes did not glance furtively. He marveled at the moonlight. "I can see that. Me and Pat do get real energetic at times. Especially when we're doing stuff like this." He put his hands behind his head, swallowed his lips, and remained silent for several seconds. He savored the harmonious buzzes of the jellyfish colonies before he looked at Squidward again. He then slowly sat up. "Why did you get so mean when I said 'have fun inside'?" He glanced around. "I didn't mean any harm at all. I only wished you had a good time."

Squidward folded his arms. "I thought you two were being condescending." His head tilted upward when he looked at Patrick. "It worked somewhat."

The jellyfish buzzes seemed to become louder.

"But we can't stay separate forever. I didn't plan for us to camp out here. We gotta work together. What happens if something attacks us?" SpongeBob's mouth quivered downward but he managed to hold his mouth. His gaze fell. He clung to the radiant fire in his darkening thoughts. He moved towards the campfire and noticed how its light spread throughout the dark plain.

Patrick put more marshmallows on the stone and leaned against a medium-sized rock. "We got the magic paper. We don't have to worry about nothing." He smiled contently as he held the stone above the campfire.

SpongeBob squeezed his hands and bit his lip. "Didn't you start the campfire and blew that big bubble for the same reason? You were trying to outdo us but end up failing in some way." His heartbeat quickened when he perceived Squidward's glare. "Same thing happened when you rejected my first offer and biked away." He moved back. "No offense." He swallowed his lips and his glances avoided Squidward's eyes.

"So what? When you tried to persuade me to jellyfish the first time, you got me distracted." Squidward raised his voice. "At the end of the day, you guys always start it." He looked at the can. The barnacle balls had the right color. He took out a fork from his pocket. He clenched the fork like a judge's hammer as he hastily ate the balls. He maintained his glare until his eyes coerced the two pests to make eye contact with him.

SpongeBob hugged his knees. A small wind dimmed the fire somewhat. 'What am I doing? I'm not helping him at all.' "But we never meant to hurt you." He felt like he was attempting to grasp a balloon that was soaring away. "I did the bubblestand just so we could have fun. We also brought the presents to make up for what we did." His eyes moistened.

Patrick tightened his grip of the stone as he watched Squidward. He was witnessing a green oyster preying on a yellow scallop. He furrowed his brows.

Squidward glanced at his watch and then at his tent. He swallowed the last barnacle ball and tossed the can to the ground. He took a deep breath. "SpongeBob, I'm sure you know who Squilliam is, right?" His elbows touched his lap. He rested his head on his hands.

SpongeBob eyed the can. He imagined the flattened grass crumbling into pieces and sluggish jellyfish consuming its remains. He stared at the campfire. The thought of himself igniting a wildfire and the three getting consumed by the flames flashed by. "Mm-hm." His throat became heavy.

Patrick threw the stick-like stone to the side. He narrowed his eyes at Squidward. He scratched his chin as the bolts in his brain began to turn rapidly.

"Wouldn't it be strange if he suddenly did something nice to me? Wouldn't you at least be somewhat suspicious?" Squidward raised his brow. He searched SpongeBob's face for his desired response.

"Yeah, but people could change, y-you know." SpongeBob's lips quivered. He sniffled. A gust came by.

"SpongeBob, that imbecile bullied me throughout my school years. Almost everyone I know barely does anything to truly change themselves," Squidward nearly shouted and balled his hands to fists. "Ultimately, they still retain their core personality. That's the problem." He frowned. "What's the point of giving me a gift knowing that you're gonna do something stupid right after that? By trying to soften me up on one day and then torturing me on another, you're making yourselves not trustworthy at all." He wheeled towards his tent and looked at SpongeBob from the corner of his eye. "When I go home, I cannot have control of my life when you guys are around. I can't create my art properly if there's too many distractions. Your presence is a net negative." He opened the flaps and wheeled into his tent. "When someone wrongs me, I never forget. I'm not naive. The world's not all sunshine and rainbows." He took his last look of the outside world like a soldier peeking over a barrier into enemy territory.

Patrick stood up and snapped. "That's what you think! You're just rejecting us 'cause we're not perfect! You're not perfect either. When you got hurt by the bubble and the bike, it was caused by your dumb choices!" He pointed at Squidward. "The only reason we wanted you to jellyfish with us was so that we could clear things up. You gave SpongeBob that idea anyway by faking your sickness. You bring a lot of this bad stuff on yourself." He marched to SpongeBob, crouched, and gently placed his hand on SpongeBob's shoulder. "SpongeBob saved your life at the Krusty Krab. We brought you to the hospital two times. You're just being ungrateful. If you think we're just two barnacle-heads, then let it be that way!" He ran to the empty meatball can, grabbed it, and threw it into Squidward's tent.

SpongeBob covered his hands with his face as he sobbed. The sounds of his companions' verbal battle caused him to sink his face into his lap. 'Why did I ask that question? I've ruined the whole trip. I should've known better and kept my mouth shut. It would've been better for everybody.' The bullets he received from his thoughts left wounds that opened up to other avenues of his consciousness.

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward sat still and somewhat smirked with furrowed brows as he shouted at Patrick. SpongeBob's tears was a sign that the enemy army was losing the battle. His throat felt more sore as he continued to yell. The soreness reminded him of SpongeBob's removal of the reed. He stopped smirking and lost the words he was going to say. He looked down at his hands and legs for answers, but the only pathways he could find were filled with fog. His view reached a bittersweet balance. The battle had lasted so long that he nearly forgot the source of his anger.

S-S-S-S-S

Patrick construed Squidward's downward eyes as a white flag. He folded his arms and nodded. He smirked. He marched with raised feet towards SpongeBob. "Feeling better?" He sat next to SpongeBob. "I taught that jerk a lesson."

SpongeBob's knees lowered and he opened his moist eyes. His face was solemn. He perceived the cloudlessness of the sky. He made eye contact with Patrick. "Pat, will you promise to stop fighting with Squid? The whole point of this trip was so we could get along better."

Patrick glanced at Squidward's tent and then at SpongeBob. He assumed that SpongeBob had been crying from a wound struck by Squidward's verbal assault. "But we didn't learn anything. Squid wanted to stay away from us." His brows remained furrowed.

"That's not true." SpongeBob promptly grasped Patrick's forearm. "We did learn something. Forcing Squid to open up won't work. He avoids us not because of the other things in his life but because he doesn't view us very highly, kinda like how he hates Squilliam." SpongeBob stood up, snatched a log from the bag, and added it to the campfire. The flames grew brighter. The dark clouds in his mind finally began to fade. He sat down again.

"Hmm…" Patrick scratched his chin.

SpongeBob was sitting straight and cross-legged and had sparkling eyes; conviction possessed him and, like emerging sunlight, had spread throughout his body. His beam wiped away whatever lingering doubts Patrick had.

"I think you're right," said Patrick

SpongeBob noticed how the grass swerved with the breeze. A light bulb lit up.

Squidward swiftly wheeled to the bag with half-closed eyes and a slight frown. "Don't take this the wrong way. I'm just getting more food." He steered away from further conversation by not making eye contact. His forehead felt strained as he attempted to not think about what time it was. His thoughts only made the sky move slower.

SpongeBob ran to the magic paper, grabbed it, closed his eyes, concentrated on his positive thoughts, and imagined those thoughts moving towards his hands. The magic paper then glowed and a guitar emerged. He held the guitar across his chest and sat cross-legged before his two companions. "Now that we stopped fighting, let's all get along. And nothing can do that better than a nice, relaxing campfire song." SpongeBob smirked as he immediately wove together lyrics. "I call this one 'The Campfire Song Song'." His fingers, toughened by years of practice, glided across the chords with ease. "Let's gather 'round the campfire and sing our campfire song. Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song. And if you don't think that we can sing it faster, then you're wrong. But it'll help if you just sing along…"

Squidward stared at his injured limbs and then at the yellow fingers effortlessly hitting the chords. For a second, he felt like the recent accidents had all been orchestrated by SpongeBob. "Oh yeah. Thanks for reminding me I can't practice my dancing," he muttered and furrowed his brows. "Mr. Tentacles please give that to Johnny. You still have some work to do." "Dude, you suck!" "I can play the clarinet way better than him." "You keep hitting on wrong notes." SpongeBob's song, to his spiteful ears, sounded like a kindergarten song yet Patrick was swaying his head to it. He imagined SpongeBob receiving applause from an audience and himself receiving tomatoes. He clenched his teeth.

The song's melody reminded Patrick of a song that was taught to him in 1st grade music class. "Bum, bum, bum!" he recited a portion of that song without further thought. He hit his belly like a drum.

"And-if-you-don't-think-that-we-can-sing-it-faster, then-you're-wrong. But-it'll-help-if-you-just-sing-along~" SpongeBob jumped to his feet. He hopped to his left foot and then to his right foot and repeated this as he pranced around the campfire area.

Patrick noticed that SpongeBob's notes were somewhat different from those of the remembered song. He stopped smiling and hit his forehead with a fist. His heartbeat quickened when he saw SpongeBob skipping back to him. "C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E song! C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E song!" His shouts could not mix with the melody.

"C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E song! Patrick!" SpongeBob pointed towards Patrick.

"Song! C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-" Patrick's shouts became faster.

SpongeBob leaped towards Squidward. "Squidward!" When he saw Squidward's scowl, his smile lessened. 'Right, right. I can't force him to open up.' He stepped away. "Good!" SpongeBob did a thumbs-up.

"It'll help… it'll help… if you just sing along~!" SpongeBob slid on his knees until he was several inches from the campfire. "Oh yeah!" He swung the guitar and released it. The guitar twirled in the air before landing near SpongeBob and Patrick's tent. He stood up and wiped some sweat from his brow. "Ah, now, wasn't that relaxing?"

"No!" Squidward grabbed the magic paper. He squeezed his eyes to a close as he channeled his envy into one thought. A clarinet popped out of the paper. He grabbed the instrument and smirked. 'This'll make me and him even. He'll think twice before showing off and insulting me.' He closed his eyes again but slowly and with raised eyebrows. "This is relaxing." He blew into the clarinet and his anger poured out in the form of shrieking notes.

SpongeBob gasped. The faint jellyfish buzzes he heard sounded like grrs. "I'll save you, Squid!" He snatched a marshmallow from the bag and pitched it towards the clarinet.

The marshmallow pierced through the clarinet's opening and landed in Squidward's throat. Squidward gagged, dropped his clarinet, and leaned against the wheelchair seat. He glared at the incoming sponge and folded his arms. When he noticed that Patrick was watching, steam seemed to come out of Squidward's ears.

"Squid, are you alright?" SpongeBob bit his lip and moved Squidward's cheeks. "That's it, chew, chew, and swallow." He held his index finger and thumb on Squidward's throat until the marshmallow was swallowed. "There, better?" He smiled feebly. He swallowed his lips when he noticed that Squidward's glare intensified.

"BETTER?!" Squidward sat up and shook his fist. "I was just fine until you lodged that ballistic junk food into my windpipe!" 'He taunts me with his guitar skills and now he doesn't want me to play my clarinet? I'll show him!' He grabbed his clarinet, put it in his mouth, and leaned forward until the clarinet was an inch away from SpongeBob's face.

SpongeBob lowered the clarinet and glanced at the darker areas of the fields. "But I had to. It's too dangerous to play the clarinet badly out here in the wilderness. It might attract…" He leaned towards Squidward's ear and cupped a hand near his mouth. "... a sea bear," he whispered faintly.

Squidward glanced at the guitar. He opened his mouth to verbally shred SpongeBob. However, as he could see from the corner of his eye, Patrick was still watching him. 'Ugh. I might have to deal with him again... but I've got a better idea.' He closed his mouth and wore widened eyes. "A sea bear?" He put his hands over his mouth. "You mean like the ones that DON'T EXIST?!"

SpongeBob winced. "What're you saying?"

Squidward's face became solemn again. He did not perceive any lurking shadow in the dark plain. "There's no such thing. They're just a myth."

SpongeBob shook his head. "Oh no, Squid, sea bears are all too real. It says so in the Bikini Bottom Inquirer." He took out a folded newspaper from his pocket. He unfolded it, shakily flipped to a page, and held out a sensational article. He watched Squidward's face as Squidward scanned the page.

"I married a sea bear?" Squidward raised his brow.

"Yeah! And Paranormal Science Monthly!" Patrick took out a folded magazine, unfolded it, ran up to Squidward, and held it out. The creature in his mind was a collage of monsters from his childhood. He dared not to glance at the horizon as he waited for Squidward to finish reading.

"Evidence for Sea Bears and Fairy Tales?" Squidward put his hands on his hips. His smirk was exaggerated. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Well… maybe it's stupid…" Patrick tucked the newspaper into his pocket. He sat near the campfire and stared at the flames. He began to sweat. " ...b-but it's also dumb."

"Sea bears are no laughing matter." SpongeBob's eyes were wide. "Why, once I met this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy..." Like Patrick, the foggy images of the cryptid pushed words out of his mouth. "...who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy who knew this guy's cousin-"

"You're right!" Squidward's mask looked as grim as SpongeBob's face. "I should be more careful. In fact, why don't you tell me all of the things I shouldn't do if I want to keep the sea bears away?" When his lips inched an upward curve, he swallowed his lips. He glanced around and noticed the frailty of the tents, the shrinking fire, the swaying of the grass, the jellyfish groups getting pushed by the wind; those all seemed to be toys that could be broken or built upon. The whole plain looked like a sandbox. He smiled inwardly.

"Okay, that's easy." SpongeBob took a deep breath and wiped a sweat drop from his brow. "First off, don't play the clarinet." He held up his index finger.

"Okay." Squidward tucked the magic paper under his right thigh. "Then what?"

"Never wave your flashlight back and forth really fast," said SpongeBob.

"They hate strong light sources," added Patrick while cautiously blowing at the campfire.

"You're kidding." Squidward rested his head on his hand as he sunk into deeper levels of concentration.

SpongeBob's index finger tilted towards Squidward. "Don't stomp around. They take that as a challenge." He slightly shook his head while speaking.

"Yeah." Patrick stood up and nodded. He dug into the supply bag until he found a bag of nachos.

Each of SpongeBob's warnings was converted into a feature of the specific image Squidward was building. "Go on," said Squidward.

SpongeBob glanced at the supply bag from the corner of his eye. "Don't ever eat cheese outside."

Squidward leaned back against his seat. "Sliced or cubed?"

SpongeBob whistled towards Patrick. Patrick walked to him and the two whispered to each other for several seconds. They then separated. SpongeBob smiled faintly. "Don't eat it cubed. Sliced is fine."

"And?" Squidward steered away from the thoughts of his neighbors' possible reactions; the urges to chuckle threatened to break his mask.

"Never wear a sombrero…" SpongeBob raised his voice and pointed at his own forehead.

"In a goofy fashion!" added Patrick while in the midst of eating the nachos.

SpongeBob pointed at his shoes. "Or clown shoes. They hate limping more than running."

Patrick closed the empty nacho bag and tucked it into his pants. "Or a hoop skirt."

"And never…" SpongeBob and Patrick began to speak in unison. "Ever… ever…" They raised their voices and widened their eyes with each "ever". "...screech like a chimpanzee!"

Squidward scratched his chin. He decided to widen his eyes slightly. "Wow. That's amazing how so many things can set a sea bear off." He added extra energy into his voice.

SpongeBob and Patrick hugged each other and trembled. "They're horrible," they said simultaneously.

Squidward leaned forward. He glanced to his left and right. "And… and suddenly I have the sense we're all in danger." The jerky movement of his lower lips resembled quivering.

SpongeBob's fingers dug into Patrick's back. "Why?" He pushed his head against Patrick's belly.

"I don't know." Squidward slowly shook his head. His lips curved slightly before getting pressed down into a neutral position, and that repeated many times. His heartbeat felt ticklish and his legs constantly moved to the left or to the right. He managed to hold his widened eyes. "But I'll promise you this: I'll protect you guys from the sea bear by getting some handy stuff." He turned around and wheeled to a nearby area that the campfire's light barely grasped. He unleashed his smirk.

"Hold on." SpongeBob swiftly tip-toed towards Squidward. The two yellow jellyfish near Squidward looked like yellow eyes. "There's a better way to protect-"

Squidward looked at SpongeBob from the corner of his eye and held out his hand towards him. "Don't worry, Sponge. It'll be real q-q-quick." He sniggered. He reached the dim area. He held out the magic paper, closed his eyes, and the image he was imagining became clear. The darkness in his eyelids glowed and then, for a half-second, flashed. He opened his eyes. He was wearing a sombrero and a hoop skirt. He also had a flashlight near his left thigh and a plate of cubed cheese on his lap. He turned around, widened his smirk, and swiftly wheeled back to his two neighbors.

"N-no…" SpongeBob's jaw dropped.

"Yes." Squidward's smirk twisted into a devilish grin. The terror in his neighbors' faces put out all traces of his lingering anger. He put his hands on his hips.

"No…" SpongeBob shook his head. His legs trembled. The clumps of tall grass looked like claws that could easily grasp his ankles. He clasped his hands together, fell to his knees, and closed his eyes.

Squidward pushed his back against the wheelchair as he stomped in the rhythm of a tribal dance. "Oooh-ooh-ooh! Ah! Ah! Ah!" He screeched like a chimp while moving the flashlight frenetically. The flashlight's light was like a yellow comet flying in circles.

Patrick glanced at SpongeBob and then stared at Squidward. The light emitting from the flashlight, compared to the plain's darkness, was as bright as the lightning shots from Zeus' palms. He kneeled before Squidward and placed his hands on the ground.

"Squid, please don't!" pleaded SpongeBob and Patrick simultaneously.

Squidward wheeled forward with one hand while stomping. The combined sounds made his stomping sound like thuds. With his other hand, he twirled the flashlight. His thighs juggled the plate of cubed cheese.

Patrick looked at SpongeBob from the corner of his eye. "What're we gonna do? A sea bear's sure gonna come and eat us!" he whispered loudly. He clung to the grass below him.

A bright light flashed. SpongeBob widened his eyes and then grinned. He jumped to his feet and took a deep breath. He snatched the stone stick Patrick had used and pulled out the grass on the area the duo was standing on. "Don't worry, Pat. I'll draw us an anti-sea bear circle in the dirt." He stabbed the ground with the stick and swiftly drew a circle around him and Patrick. He hopped back into the circle when he was done and landed on his rear. He kept his feet away from the fortress walls.

Patrick did a thumbs-up. He released the grass he had clung to. "Good thinking. All the experts say it's the only defense against a sea bear attack."

Squidward swallowed his lips and folded his arms. The two pests' relieved faces pushed the wheel of dissatisfaction forward. "You guys are so gullible. See? I did everything that attracts a sea bear, and nothing happened. If sea bears really exist, why didn't one show up?" He raised his brow.

SpongeBob bit his lip. He raised his index finger. The imagined scene of Squidward getting shredded to bits by the sea bear caused his index finger to tremble as he pointed it at Squidward's sombrero. "Maybe it's because you're not wearing your sombrero in a goofy-enough fashion."

'Just keep going, Squiddy. I had no choice but to come with them, so why not make it enjoyable?' Squidward tilted his head upward. "Oh, pfft. Sorry, how silly of me. You mean like this?" He turned the hat sideways and put its tip on the top of his head. He put his hands on his hips again and leaned towards the two neighbors.

SCCRREEEEEEEECCCHHH

A green fish with dark green stripes, a yellow belly, and a bear head dashed into view. "GRRRRRRRR!"

Squidward blanched. He dropped the flashlight. His trembling thighs pushed the cubed cheese out of the plate. His heartbeat was deafening. "I-I… u-uh… Dear Neptune!" He wheeled away with the speed of a paralympic athlete. He felt sharp pain in his legs. 'I shouldn't have done those stomps.' He bit his lip. His wheeling slowed to short dashes.

The sea bear eyed the glowing paper near Squidward's lap. Its and SpongeBob's eyes were equal in ferocity. It swam past Squidward, turned around, and directly charged towards him. The swiftness of the sea bear's swimming caused the wheelchair to fall backwards.

Squidward landed on the ground. His throat became heavy. He curled into a fetal position.

"Oh no you don't." A yellow hand snatched the magic paper. SpongeBob ran back to the tent area while furiously shaking the magic paper. He clenched his teeth. "C'mon! Work! Work! WORK!" The paper became slightly brighter. Three yellow lines flew out of the paper. One yellow line touched SpongeBob's feet, another line touched Patrick's feet, and the third line touched Squidward's body.

Shoes of light appeared on SpongeBob and Patrick's feet.

The sea bear halted and tilted its head to the side.

The wheelchair suddenly sat up to its normal position. Squidward was levitated and placed back in the chair. The pain in his legs disappeared. His heavy throat faded. His surroundings blurred as he wheeled back to his two neighbors. He did not dare to look back. "We gotta think quick! What're we gonna do?!"

Patrick saw the stone stick and a light bulb lit up. He poked SpongeBob's shoulder. "Make a bigger anti-sea bear circle!"

"Gotcha." SpongeBob swiftly erased the circle by pressing his feet against the drawn lines. He grabbed the stone stick again and drew a circle that accommodated for the wheelchair. "Phew." He wiped sweat from his brow.

The sea bear slowly swam to the three in the circle and glared at them for twenty seconds. "Grrrr!" It turned around and glanced at them from the corner of its eye before swimming towards elsewhere.

Squidward leaned back and allowed his arms to drop from the wheelchair's arms. He glanced at the new circle and raised his brow. "Why did the paper do that? All you had to do was make that circle."

"I wasn't thinking straight." SpongeBob smiled awkwardly. "You gotta remember that the paper makes whatever you think about." He shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway. We're all safe."

'At least he's self-aware.' Squidward smirked. "Right."

Patrick folded his arms. "You better treat us nice now, Squid. We just saved your life for sure."

Squidward sat up and put a hand on his chin. He noticed that his shirt had some dirt and wiped it off. 'That revenge didn't do anything. SpongeBob could still fool people with that guitar.' He swam through his streams of thoughts.

S-S-S-S-S

A group of hunched figures emerged from a hill-top. They were wearing triangle-shaped and square-shaped masks. Some of their heads were pointier than others. They crawled in a slithering fashion to the level ground. They then ran like cheetahs towards the campsite.

S-S-S-S-S

SCCRREEEECCH

Patrick jumped. "I heard it again!"

SpongeBob clasped his hands together near his chest and glanced around. "I think I heard it too when the sea bear came," he whispered loudly. He saw the group of figures from the corner of his eye but assumed that they were jellyfish.

The memory reemerged in Patrick's mind. "Oh yeah. That too."

"What's that?" Squidward pointed at the incoming figures. He leaned forward and spotted a large animal on a leash that a member of the group controlled. He raised his brow. His heartbeat quickened when he noticed the small pupils of the strangers' eyes.

"Huh?" Patrick turned around and saw the figures. They were the same monsters he had seen before. His face became pallid. "AAAAHHHH!" He lifted up the wheelchair and made sure Squidward was still sitting on it. He then dashed away while bumping into rocks, pebbles, and stumps that shot out from the blurred darkness. The nightmarish images replaying in his mind pushed his body forward.

Within several seconds, SpongeBob caught up with Patrick and Squidward.

The sea bear emerged from the shadowy group. Its collar was made out of dark blue light. Its leash consisted of bright specks that bounced back and forth between it and the person holding the leash.

"No way." SpongeBob's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. His whole body trembled as terror seized his muscles. His limbs blurred as he dashed past Patrick and Squidward. As it shook in his pocket, the glowing magic paper, from a distance, looked like a firefly

The shadowed group held out their hands in unison. Aura-like projectiles shot out and swarmed around SpongeBob. The projectiles then converged into one barrier that squeezed him. His whole body now felt like it was getting burned in a furnace. He fell to his knees and hugged the magic paper as if it was Gary. The magic paper became as bright as a searchlight. The burning sensations then began to 'peel' off. He saw a dim vision of a sanctuary above the ground and clung to it.

"Rahszek krshah."

Tumbling.

"Hyk!" "Nhaop!"

"Nivgheu. Pohaqisje nbpoqweyti."

"Grr?" The sea bear's mass bumped into other bodies.

A howling gust pushed against SpongeBob and deafened him to the surrounding people.

RRRUUUMMBBLE

After a long pause, SpongeBob fell face-first to the ground. He shakily stood up and picked up the crumpled magic paper. He looked around. The sea bear and the masked strangers were not in sight. Before him was a towering kelp tree that had a treehouse on its top. He pulled his eyes away from the alluring tree. He saw Patrick lying on the ground and Squidward leaned back on the wheelchair. He grinned, skipped towards them, and poked both of them.

Patrick slowly opened his eyes and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. He sat up and scratched his head. "Umm..." His former terror had left behind a fog of broken phrases. He glanced around while repeatedly leaning back and forth. He caught a glimpse of the magic paper and opened his mouth.

"The paper saved us, Pat," said SpongeBob.

Patrick closed his mouth.

Squidward folded his arms. The appearances of the sea bear and the masked strangers were so sudden that it felt like it was all a hallucination. "What just happened?" He frowned.

Patrick put a hand on his chin, stood up, furrowed his brows, and walked in circles. He then halted and smiled. "I think those weird people know magic."

SpongeBob nodded. He pushed the magic paper deeper into his pocket. He saw shadows from the corner of his eye and took a side-step towards Squidward. "Yeah, and they probably own the sea bear too. As a matter of fact, that sea bear kept looking at the paper."

"I saw those people looking at your paper too." The gears in Patrick's mind turned as he dissected his recent memories and rearranged them. He walked in circles again until he felt dizzy and he then sat down. "Maybe they sent the sea bear so they could get the paper and then worked all together to get the paper when the bear couldn't get it by itself."

SpongeBob beamed. "Wow, Pat. You might be right." He saw the kelp tree from the corner of his eye and his smile lessened. He faced his two neighbors and put his hands on his hips. "Alright, guys. It's time to get serious. If we're gonna survive the night and not get hurt by the sea bear or those masked guys, we gotta work together more as a team."

"Okay. Let's do it." Patrick jumped to his feet.

"Our base will be right up there." SpongeBob pointed at the treehouse on the kelp tree's top.. 'Even though it's not safe, we gotta try. There's no other choice.' His smile became artificial.

SpongeBob and Patrick promptly ran to the kelp tree and began to climb it by grabbing and stepping on its branches. Patrick looked down and noticed that Squidward had not moved at all. Squidward looked frail in the distance. "Hold on, Sponge." He slid to the ground and jogged towards Squidward. "Wanna come with us?"

Squidward had gazed at the treehouse. The lifting of the wheelchair, the sea bear, the campfire song, and the masked strangers had left scars in his mind. The thought of being stuck with his two neighbors in a small room without a wheelchair gave him a surge of chills. He imagined SpongeBob singing songs more impressive than his. "No," he nearly shouted.

"I see." Patrick became solemn. He perceived the skinniness of Squidward's limbs. A light bulb lit up. "Don't worry about nothing. Me and Sponge got your back." He took out a few chocolate bars from his pants and placed them on Squidward's lap. "You should eat this. Food always makes me relaxed." He smiled slightly and ran back to the kelp tree. "See ya!"

Squidward looked back and saw incoming shadows on the horizon's edge. He looked at the kelp tree again. He put a hand on his chin. His head rested on the hand and he blinked slowly.

S-S-S-S-S

After several minutes, Patrick squeezed through the treehouse's window. He saw SpongeBob shaping the magic paper into bird-shaped origami. "Oooh… how did you do that?"

SpongeBob was not smiling. "It's not hard. It just takes practice, that's all." He crawled to the window and eyed Squidward. "Is Squid coming?" He gripped the windowsill when he spotted a distant group of shadows.

Patrick swallowed one corner of his mouth. "He doesn't want to."

SpongeBob sighed. "We probably can't do it anyway. That wheelchair can't fit through the window. Without the chair, Squid could get even more hurt." He sat on one side of the room with a downward gaze. The imagined cries of Squidward getting attacked by the sea bear sounded like meows.

"Just chill." Patrick put a hand on SpongeBob's shoulder. "The paper will save us, right?"

"Yeah," SpongeBob answered quietly. He unfolded the paper and straightened it.

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward wheeled to the kelp tree's vicinity with weary eyes. He looked up. The treehouse above him looked like Soteria's wreath crown. He leaned back and the weight of his drowsiness squeezed his vision to darkness. 'At least I'll be in peace. They can use that magic just in case something happens.' His arms loosened from the chair's arms. He became still. He felt the wind pushing against his back.

The scent of the chocolate bars wafted around the kelp tree. The wind then spread out the scent beyond the kelp tree's vicinity.

The masked strangers detected the scent and halted. "Rapanooie, hayu." One of them pointed at an octopus sitting under the kelp tree. She squinted and recognized Squidward. "Uhjah!"

The group huddled like penguins and proceeded. The leashed sea bear followed from behind. When they were less than a mile from the kelp tree, they moved on tip-toe. "Gahqeg." The shortest one pointed at Squidward's dim shirt. The group then stared at the treehouse.

S-S-S-S-S

Patrick looked through the window and saw the group. His eyes widened. 'Not on my watch!' He furrowed his brows and heedlessly dove through the window. His belly got stuck midway in the jump.

"What happened?!" SpongeBob stood up. He fell to the wall that had the window as the treehouse leaned forward. He bit his lip. He heard faint voices from below.

"The weirdos came back and are gonna hurt Squid!" The treehouse swayed as Patrick wrestled with the window's dimensions. At the sight of the masked people surrounding the kelp tree, he clenched his teeth and reached for the ground.

SpongeBob gasped and pushed Patrick's legs. His arm muscles tensed and he grit his teeth. His legs and arms trembled. "C'mon, Pat! Push!"

S-S-S-S-S

Squidward opened his eyes and flinched. He looked up and saw Patrick's face. He glanced at the incoming strangers and perceived their dazed eyes. His face nearly lost a shade of color. 'Aw, screw it.' He sat up and held out his hands towards Patrick. After a minute, his arms felt tired.

S-S-S-S-S

SpongeBob snatched the magic paper, squeezed it, and closed his eyes. After nearly a minute, the paper finally glowed. His hands became as bright as light bulbs as energy surged through his veins and muscles. 'This'll do it.' With a smile, he carefully pushed Patrick.

S-S-S-S-S

The treehouse, with Patrick still stuck to it, leaned until it was inches away from Squidward. By that point, the kelp tree was bended like a straw and the stalk's green exterior began to peel away.

Squidward glanced at his trembling legs and noticed that the gauze was slightly ripped. 'Now's not the time to mess up.' He grabbed the wheelchair's arms.

The group dashed towards the three neighbors.

Patrick stuck his tongue out slightly as he struggled to push his body downward. He shakily grabbed the wheelchair's arms and loosened his muscles. "I got him!" He grinned.

S-S-S-S-S

SpongeBob released Patrick's legs.

S-S-S-S-S

The kelp tree flung the treehouse by swiftly leaning to the opposite side. The treehouse flew across the plain.

S-S-S-S-S

SpongeBob gasped, grabbed Patrick's legs again, and… BASH ...pulled Patrick and Squidward, with his wheelchair, into the treehouse. Several planks of the windowsill fell to the ground below. He then clung to both of them as they watched the shifting ground. SpongeBob's eyes moistened.

Patrick could hear his heartbeat. His feet felt the treehouse's weightlessness. He could see some jellyfish groups up-close. He felt a rush that gave him glimpses into childhood memories of antics and stunts.

The grass, hills, and jellyfish became more sparse as they transitioned into sand. A thick kelp forest then abruptly pushed its way into view.

S-S-S-S-S

A man and a woman were trudging through that same kelp forest. They were wearing rags and had baggy eyes. Through an opening in the canopy, they saw the distant treehouse fly past the stars.

The woman widened her eyes. "Woah!"

"Make a wish, honey." The man gazed at the night sky. He felt like Neptune had answered his prayers.

S-S-S-S-S

The treehouse fell through the kelp forest's canopy.

CRASH

SMASH

T-T-THUD

Planks of the walls and the ceiling were scattered within the clearing while the floor remained.

Patrick stood up. He could not control his slight smile. "That was actually..." His brain farted and he knocked on his forehead until the words came back. "...kinda fun."

Squidward sat up and adjusted his legs. His eyes widened at the sight of the kelp trees. His heartbeat quickened. "Where are we?" He hastily wheeled around the clearing but could not find a clear path. He halted and the dark clouds in his mind began raining. 'We're lost.' He rested his head on his hands and his eyes became half-closed. His new dilemma no longer fazed him. He glanced at his neighbors and not a spark of anger formed; all the coal had been exhausted. The increasing weight of his eyes pushed away his recent memories. "Stuck… in the middle of nowhere…" he droned. After waiting a minute for a flicker to appear within the walls of trees, he became still.

SpongeBob faced Squidward. His hands were clasped together before his chest. The dam in his eyes began leaking. "I-I'm sorry, Squid." His lips quivered. "I should've been more careful." He stared at the broken treehouse for nearly a minute. The critical mental voices overwhelmed his restraint and leaked through his mouth. "I've p-put all of us in more danger. I thought too positive."

Squidward nodded without opening his eyes. SpongeBob's words were a lullaby. His head fell through his hands and nodded until he leaned back on the chair. His inhales and exhales gradually slowed.

Patrick stopped swallowing his lips. He walked up to SpongeBob and hugged him. He allowed his friend's tears to roll down his belly. "It's alright, Sponge. A lot of what happened you couldn't control," he spoke quietly. The faint glow of the paper reflected in his eyes.

"No, no, no!" SpongeBob stepped away. He gasped as tears rolled down. "Almost the whole thing was my fault! I should've been more careful about the time we came here. Even if I did schedule it, going to Jellyfish Fields can be dangerous, especially for people not used to these parts." He saw teardrop stains on his shirt and tried to wipe them away. The sight of the exhausted Squidward fueled his gasping. "I ignored these things. Because of what I did, he nearly got killed by the sea bear and that group."

Patrick shook his head and gripped SpongeBob's shoulder. He made direct eye contact. He blotted out the tentacled haze near the corner of his eye. "That's not true. A lot of the things that happened weren't our fault. Plus, we warned him about the sea bear but he did that dumb stuff anyway. Remember what I said? He sometimes…" He could not pull his eyes away from Squidward. Squidward was in a pose nearly identical to one Patrick had done when he was a child. Patrick looked at SpongeBob again. 'I can't just leave him like that.' He forced the words out. "...causes the bad things that happens to him. We try to help him but he thinks of himself too much."

Spongebob's gaze fell. "I'm the real arrogant person here. I ignored the signs he showed before coming to Jellyfish Fields because I thought he was just hesitant." He avoided looking at Squidward. "I thought I knew more about him than he knew about himself."

"But you meant no harm." Patrick noticed that SpongeBob was still hugging him. He felt a hard object in his left pocket. 'Oh yeah!' "Don't worry. There's still hope." He took out a fake conch with a string and a handle. He smiled.

SpongeBob lowered his knees. "The magic conch shell?" His eyes sparkled.

'It's working.' Patrick's smile widened. He held the shell with both hands. His cheeks faintly reddened at the thought of a certain question. 'This'll catch his attention.' "Magic conch shell, will I ever get married?" He pulled the string.

"Maybe someday."

SpongeBob and Patrick looked at each other. "Oooohhh…" They giggled.

The giggling restored SpongeBob's former demeanor.

Squidward opened his eyes and wiped them. He had overheard portions of his neighbors' conversation. His cheek rested on a hand. "You gotta be kidding," he droned. He glanced around the clearing and spotted what looked like two glowing yellow eyes. He folded his arms. "That's just a stupid toy. How can that possibly help us?"

SpongeBob gazed at the conch. He felt like an overboard sailor who had been fortunately pulled back to the deck by a rope. "Squid, we must never question the wisdom of the magic conch." He snatched the conch and hugged it. The sensations of the fake shell evoked many images of his and Patrick's childhood ordeals. He made eye contact with Squidward. "During dangerous situations, we always listen to its advice before doing anything. Plus, it'll make us more unified as a team 'cause we will all have a rule to follow."

Patrick held out both hands towards the conch. "The shell knows all!" A light bulb lit up at the sight of a shooting star. He then leaned towards SpongeBob and whispered.

SpongeBob nodded. He stopped smiling and his brows furrowed. He glanced to his left and right. "Oh, magic conch shell, what do we need to do to get outta this forest?" He added as much solemnity into his voice as he could. He then pulled the string.

"Nothing."

Patrick bowed. "The shell has spoken!"

Squidward had detected the actor-like tone of SpongeBob's voice. The conch's answer caused him to raise his brow. The coals slowly rekindled. "Nothing?! We can't just sit here and do nothing! What if the sea bear and those lunatics come back?" He glanced behind his shoulder. The two glowing eyes were gone. "I can't believe that you two are gonna take advice from a toy!"

SpongeBob and Patrick sat down cross-legged and closed their eyes. They took deep breaths as they entered a meditative state.

'I see. They're gonna be passive-aggressive again.' Squidward narrowed his eyes. His stare could not pierce them. "Alright, alright, alright!" He huffed, turned around, and wheeled away. "I don't need your help. I'm gonna find my way back to sanity." He exited the clearing and began to traverse through the thick kelp trees. His desire for home and his pessimistic mental voice began to clash. "But don't you two sad clowns come crying to me when your circus tent comes crashing down." He gave the two pests one last glare before wheeling forward. "Sad clowns…" He chuckled. "Sad…" His nose honked. "Clowns."

Squidward heard a rustle to his right. He nearly jumped and held on to the wheelchair's arms. "What was that?!" he whispered loudly. He sat still for several seconds before hastily wheeling through thickets. He halted at the sight of a familiar-looking thicket. "I was already here! Which way do I go?" He glanced around but only saw more thickets. The image of the two yellow eyes returned. His arms trembled. "Oh, I'm lost!" He wheeled through a winding path and his throat became heavy. A pair of kelp trees looked like the gate to Hades. "Ohh… I'm hopelessly lost. I'll never get outta here." He covered his face with his hands. A speck of light pierced through the darkness of his palms. "Huh?" He sat up and saw a glimmer between distant trees. His instincts overpowered his rational mind. He grinned. "I'm free! Take that, SpongeBob and Patrick!" His limbs trembled as he ecstatically accelerated his wheeling. He eventually pushed through the final barrier.

A pause.

Squidward saw the broken treehouse and the two pests in the same sitting positions. "Ohh…" His head rested on both hands. "...there's no way outta here." His elbows rested on the wheelchair's arms.

S-S-S-S-S

Eleven minutes later…

S-S-S-S-S

The magic paper was in Squidward's shirt pocket. It had been used by Squidward a few times recently. Its glow was dimmer than before. Squidward was wearing a straw hat and was holding a pan that had a loaf of bread on it. A campfire was before him. When the loaf began to smoke, he took it out of the pan. He smelled its scent and then licked his lips. He devoured the loaf. His thoughts wandered to Krabby Patty buns. 'I'll probably come late to work tomorrow. Mr. Krabs'll punish me for sure.' He turned to face the two pests and smirked. 'Might as well enjoy this while it lasts.' He grabbed a wooden stick and threw it at Patrick's head. "How's it going over there at Club-Shell-for-Brains?"

SpongeBob and Patrick did not respond.

"Mm-mm-mm. I'm hungry." Squidward licked his lips again. "I wonder what's on the menu today." He glanced around until he found a tiny bug. "Ah." He smacked the bug with the pan and tossed it to the pan. He held the pan over the campfire. When the bug became fully roasted, he held the pan towards SpongeBob. "Doesn't that smell good, SpongeBob? You haven't eaten in hours." He held the pan towards Patrick and shook it. "How 'bout you, Patrick? A big boy's gotta eat."

Squidward retracted the pan and tilted his head upward. "Well, you can't have any." He flicked the bug upward and it landed in his mouth. Its taste was surprisingly palatable. "And you wanna know why, SpongeBob?" He put a hand on his hip and leaned forward. "Because your leader is a shell! If you had listened to me, you'd have food and a roaring fire." The pan swayed as he spoke. "But instead you listened to a talking clam..." He moved the pan around his neighbors' faces until the fried bug's scent wrapped around both of them. "...that tells you nothing! As if the answers to solve all your problems will fall right out of the sky." Squidward leaned back and tossed the pan to the side. He put his hands behind his head. The wheelchair's shadow, which was projected from the campfire, was as long as the shadow of a throne.

S-S-S-S-S

A cargo airplane was flying in a downward angle. It shook from the weight it carried.

A male pilot assistant had beads of sweat. He eyed the incoming kelp canopy. "Dude, we're falling right outta the sky! We gotta drop the load!"

The pilot nodded and pressed the 'DROP' button.

The airplane's bottom double door opened. Many boxes of picnic supplies fell through the canopy. The double door then closed. The airplane regained its normal altitude.

S-S-S-S-S

T-T-THUD C-CLANK

The boxes landed in the clearing.

SpongeBob and Patrick opened their eyes, gasped at the sight of the boxes, and jumped to their feet. They dashed to the boxes and opened them. The boxes had bountiful amounts of food. They placed the conch in the center of the clearing and pranced around it like cultists. "Praise the Magic Conch! Oolooloolooloolooloolooloolooloolooloo!" Their chant reverberated throughout the forest. They then took out bags of buns, hot dogs, salami, ketchup, mustard, patties; and commenced their feast.

Squidward gazed at the boxes. The campfire brightened from a plank that Patrick tossed. He sat up and his drowsiness faded. He remembered SpongeBob's recent acts of kindness. His stomach gurgled. He glanced at the boxes, at the conch, and at SpongeBob's entranced face. He noticed that Patrick had glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "That's what you think! You're just rejecting us 'cause..." "Uh, hey, uh, SpongeBob… that sure is a lot of food you got there."

SpongeBob slowly picked up the magic conch and brushed away the dirt. He beamed. "It's a gift from the Magic Conch." He held out the toy towards the sky.

Squidward stared at the boxes and the opened food. His mouth began to water. "Everything sure looks delicious." He wheeled towards the food and quickly leaned forward. He opened a box and saw a plastic bag of sausages. He nearly stuck out his tongue. "Oh, smoked sausages! My favorite." He grinned. He swallowed his lips when he saw yellow shins appear in one corner of his eye. 'There's no way they're gonna allow me to eat. My criticism probably ticked them off.' He detected the scent of hot dogs and bit his tongue. 'At least I could still try.'

An awkward pause.

"Uh, hey, uh…" Squidward looked up and wore a slight smile that quivered. The scents of the food and Patrick's glare blurred his words. "SpongeBob, I… y'know I was just kidding around earlier a-and I-I mean I'm… I'm still part of the team, right? A-and after all, the team's gotta stick together, and I-I mean…" He glanced around. His head leaned to the left and then to the right. "...y'know, I-I, um-"

The sight of Squidward's baggy and bloodshot eyes pushed Squidward's previous insults to the back of SpongeBob's mind. SpongeBob raised his index finger. "Squidward?" He smiled cordially.

"Yeah?" Squidward sat straight without a smile.

SpongeBob placed the box of sausages before Squidward. "You're still a member. You came with us after all." He then skipped to Patrick.

SpongeBob and Patrick exchanged whispers until Patrick stopped frowning. They grabbed two soda bottles and opened them.

"To the team!" SpongeBob held out his soda bottle. He bumped his bottle with Patrick's.

SpongeBob and Patrick's tongues swayed towards the heavens. "Oolooloolooloolooloo!"

Squidward dug through the box and genuinely grinned. "Yeah. Oolooloo." His chant was faint and his tongue did not sway. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" He swiftly pulled the bags out and opened them. He licked his lips. "Alright, what shall I eat first? The spaghetti, the turkey, the soup, the canned meat?"

SpongeBob downed a soda bottle. He placed the shell on top of his shoes, shook the soda drops out of his hands, and picked up the shell again. "Why don't you ask..." SpongeBob walked towards Squidward while stroking the conch's string. He saw the moon's reflection on the shell's surface. "...the Magic Conch?"

Squidward began to eat a sausage. He nearly grimaced as he attempted to adjust to the sausage's spicy flavor. "Oh, yeah, like that'll happen. Right after I consult the Magic Toenail," he muttered without looking at SpongeBob.

SpongeBob gasped, grabbed the box, and pulled it to the edge of the clearing. He and Patrick then pulled the other boxes to the same area.

SpongeBob hugged the magic conch. "Squid, are you questioning the authority of the Magic Conch? The conch is the one who gave us this banquet." His eyes were wide and his pupils sparkled slightly.

"Maybe he's not a brother," Patrick whispered loudly.

'Time to get this over with.' Squidward frowned and folded his arms. "Y'know what? Yes. I am questioning the conch's authority. People who refused to obey are the ones who write history books." He pointed towards them as he spoke. "And I've got something else to say. What's the point of 'saving my life' multiple times if you're just gonna take food away from me when I'm starving? You guys help me just to make yourselves feel better after torturing me." He made sure his glare pierced into both neighbors' eyes. "When those anchovies attacked the Krusty Krab, it wasn't the first time they done that. The other times they attacked, Mr. Krabs and the previous staff survived just fine without help from others." He pointed at SpongeBob. "You just happened to be the first one to take action. Plus, it's unlikely that the anchovies would murder me. They're capable of rationality like everybody else. They were just too hungry." He took a deep breath and leaned back more.

SpongeBob's gaze fell downward. "Squid, those anchovies weren't normal. They had crazy looks in their eyes." He glanced at Squidward's stomach and imagined the empty sensations Squidward was feeling. He glanced at the conch and could no longer see the moon's reflection. He bit his lip at the sight of Squidward's furrowing brows. He gave the magic conch to Patrick and clasped his hands together.

Squidward detected the rope that SpongeBob was clinging to. He narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his brow. His elbows were on the chair's arms and his hands were near his chin. "No matter how self-aware you guys become, you simply revert back to wishful thinking." He glanced to his left and right when he saw a shadow move from the corner of his eye. "One of the benefits of thinking realistically is that you'll always be prepared for what's coming ahead. You did none of that. By screaming about the conch, you could've attracte-"

During Squidward's verbal assault, Patrick's hands became increasingly clenched. He frowned and pointed at Squidward. "You're saying silly stuff too. You thought sea bears weren't real until you got attacked. You made fun of us when we obeyed the magic conch, and you were proved wrong agai-"

Squidward rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, I was wrong about the sea bear. But the boxes could've just been a coincidence." He looked at SpongeBob again and folded his arms. "Would you blindly believe Mr. Krabs and obey-"

SpongeBob bit his lip at the thought of Mr. Krabs' shining statue getting soiled. He held out both hands and waved them downward. "Guys, let's settle down. As a team, we gotta cooperate if we're gonna survive. Even though the stuff we're saying to each other isn't really nice, we're at least getting to know each other better. It's kinda like what I planned." SpongeBob's pseudo smile widened to a genuine one. "We almost never have heart-to-heart talks like this one." His eyes sparkled with bright visions.

Patrick stopped frowning, sat on a rock, and put a hand on his chin. He leaned backward and forward repeatedly until all of his thoughts gathered into one message. He stood up with eased hands. "Y'know, Sponge, this is one of the few times I've fought with Squid. Me and him usually get along."

SpongeBob patted Patrick's back. "That's alright, Pat." His voice was soft.

Squidward perceived clouds in the sky that looked like the ones he had seen in the morning. He imagined SpongeBob's comforting words constantly returning and fading like the sun and the moon. His pessimism was stuck to his mind like the darkness to the night sky.

SpongeBob walked up to Squidward and made eye contact. His mouth straightened to solemness. "Squid, you don't have to be so doubtful and down in the dumps. It's always good to have at least some faith in things. My faith in my job is a lot of what keeps me going." He pointed towards the twinkling stars and beamed. "Plus, remember why I brought you with us? I believed the purpose of our trip was gonna come true, and since we learned something about you, it came true."

SpongeBob turned to Patrick. He gestured towards Squidward while looking at Patrick. His smile stopped as quickly as it appeared. "Pat, you gotta understand where Squid's coming from. He doesn't like how we do nice things to him and then suddenly turn our backs to him by doing something dumb. We've done crazy stuff so many times that he now has this certain view of us." His voice lowered.

The dull pain in the foreheads of Squidward and Patrick faded. Squidward continued to gaze at the sky while Patrick remained idle.

Rustles from the eastern area of the forest were abruptly heard. Shadows which seemingly had differently-shaped faces emerged from distant trees. They held spears that were three times longer than the heights of their bodies. Their eyes were wide and their pupils were dilated.

Patrick noticed the pupils and shuddered. "It's them again," he whispered loudly. He could still remember the odor of the sea bear's mouth and the sharpness of its teeth. He backed away to the edge of the clearing. "C'mon, let's go!" He furiously waved his hands towards the thickets. "They'll probably get us and let the sea bear eat us!" He spoke so fast that each sentence sounded like one word.

Squidward sat up with a quickened heartbeat, took out the magic paper, and perceived its fainter glow. His eyes widened and he crushed the paper in his tightened grip. "There's something wrong with this thing." His glance switched between the incoming shadows and the paper.

SpongeBob took a deep breath. The silent prayer he sent to Neptune was as brief as his glance towards the stars. "Just believe, Squid." He pulled back the wheelchair. He gently unfolded the paper and placed it back into Squidward's hands. "By doing that, it still might work." When a spear tip stabbed into the clearing, he nearly lost his grip.

Squidward squeezed his eyes to a close and exposed his clenched teeth as he strangled the paper. After several minute-long seconds, the paper glowed like a dying candle. When he heard rapid footsteps, the paper glowed brighter than the dimming campfire.

A yellow barrier surrounded the neighbors. It then pushed into the forest like a bullet into flesh. After a minute, the barrier quietly shattered into nothingness. The paper dimmed until it was as bright as normal paper.

Patrick walked hurriedly to the two neighbors and saw the paper. He scratched his head. "Why it stopped glowing?"

"See?" Squidward held the paper an inch away from SpongeBob's face. "I was right. There's something wrong with it." He saw the shadows from the corner of his eye. A sweat drop ran down his brow.

SpongeBob took the paper, closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and firmly held the paper. After a minute, the paper remained dim. He opened his eyes. "It doesn't work…" He dropped his jaw. He turned around and saw a spear tip emerging between two trees. He glanced at the sky and then bolted. "Just keep going. Don't give up!"

Patrick gripped the wheelchair and pushed Squidward ahead while running.

The three heard numerous footsteps behind them as they increased their speed.

After minutes of running through twisted paths, they halted before a jagged cliff that stretched above them and was as high as some of the trees.

A light bulb lit up in SpongeBob's head. He hastily climbed to a ledge and held out his hands towards Patrick. "Lift the wheelchair and I'll hold the handles. We'll bring him up together."

Patrick lifted up the wheelchair.

SpongeBob grabbed the wheelchair's handles.

Patrick slowly climbed the cliff while using one hand to push the wheelchair upward.

SpongeBob climbed while pulling up the wheelchair with one hand.

Squidward eyed the ground below him. The moonlight shone on the approaching figures. A certain amount of them had both long heads and wide mouths with protuberances at the mouth corners. "Are those anchovies?" Squidward whispered loudly with widened eyes. The anchovies' dazed looks were identical to the ones the anchovies had when they had invaded the Krusty Krab.

A speartip was thrust into a wheel of the wheelchair.

T-THUD

CRASH

The wheelchair broke into pieces. Squidward landed on Patrick's belly while SpongeBob landed back-first on the ground.

The masked strangers surrounded them and held their spears towards them. One of them snatched the paper, shook it, widened his eyes, and then ripped it to pieces while gritting his teeth. He shouted: "Orgnoraf ghespokra!" Their raised spears glowed dark blue. The three neighbors could see their reflections on the spear tips.

SpongeBob clung to Patrick with moistened eyes. SpongeBob saw anchovies with familiar skin colors. 'Didn't I see them earlier?'

Patrick was hugging SpongeBob with a pale face.

Squidward, with trembling limbs, laid near his two neighbors.

SP-P-PLASH

A group of figures with beak-like mouths and dorsal fins emerged from a nearby river. They held shields and double-edged swords. They slithered through the trees and crouched a foot away from the masked strangers.

The masked strangers surrounded the three neighbors in a perfect circle. They repeated a chant until their gazes were entirely blank. An invisible force now held their muscles and bones. The three neighbors winced as the group raised their spears downward.

"A-BOO-A-BOO-A-BOO-A-BOO-A-BOO-A-BOO-A!" The crouched group uttered a shrill cry and pounced on the masked strangers. They were dolphins wearing triangle-shaped medallions. Their kelp bark shields clanged against the spears and their refined swords smacked against the masks.

A certain masked stranger was pushed out of the battlefield by a bark shield. "Ghoua! Ghoua!"

All of the masked strangers dropped their spears and ran through thickets on all fours. In less than a minute, their footsteps were no longer heard.

The dolphins lowered their weapons.

"Are you okay?" A dolphin took hold of SpongeBob and Patrick's hands. She pulled them up.

"Yeah." Patrick wiped some dirt from his pants. He felt no pain in any of his limbs. He saw the moonlight shining on the dolphins' medallions.

"Phew." SpongeBob looked at the dark corners of the thickets. His brows furrowed at the thought of the masked people hiding near his pineapple. "Who were those guys?"

A male dolphin walked towards them. He strapped his shield to his back. "They're a local cult who often disturbs our tribe's activities. We're not sure who or what they worship or how they got new members. They've been camping around this area of the country since several years ago."

SpongeBob noticed their lowered weapons and took his hands out of his pockets. His legs stopped trembling. The medallions made the dolphins look like the servants of the gods. He faced the group without hesitation. "Some of them looked like hungry anchovies that flooded into the Krusty Krab a few days ago. They attacked my friend here," he pointed at Squidward and smiled slightly, "and my boss."

The female dolphin shrugged. "That could definitely be a clue. They've been hoarding food recently."

Squidward sat up and lifted his knees. He checked his hands. His skin was unscathed. 'It's a miracle we even survived.' He saw intertwining foot-marks that led to unknown paths. He looked up with a solemn face and noticed that the medallions glowed with an eerie light. He raised his brow at the sight of SpongeBob and Patrick gazing at the dolphins. 'Why are those two trusting them so quickly?' He folded his arms. "Might I ask who are you people?"

One dolphin promptly turned to Squidward. "We're nomads who live around these parts." He pointed at his triangle medallion. "Our ancestry goes back beyond the time when there were civilizations under the sea. Like those cultists, we use magic. But we aren't as nefarious as them and don't use spells all the time."

Squidward perceived the calm demeanor the tribesmen carried. The medallions reminded him of the badges of police officers. He decided to lower his guard.

"Anyways, you city-folk can't stay here for long. That cult sometimes come back in larger numbers. We'll guide you out of here," said the male dolphin while walking through a less dense group of trees. "Follow me."

Patrick picked up Squidward by his shoulders and the bottoms of his knees. The three neighbors walked at the same pace as the dolphins.

The pain in Squidward's legs spiked whenever Patrick took wider steps. His eyes were as heavy as dragging weights. Squidward gazed at the sky and attempted to sink his senses back to sweet darkness. He opened his eyes when his head nodded. He could not recognize the constellations in the sky and perceived some of the stars being dimmer than previous nights. Uncertainty nagged him. "Why did the magic paper stop working?" He turned his head towards the dolphins.

A dolphin in the middle of the group spoke. "The papers are infused with a limited amount of magical energy. How long it lasts depends on how many times you use it and the intensity of the spells."

"Hmm…" Patrick swallowed a corner of his mouth. The flashing of the magic paper replayed in his mind until a light bulb lit up. "Don't they work when you think really hard about something?"

The same dolphin spoke again. "Yep. You just gotta focus on one thing for a few moments and a spell then activates."

SpongeBob winced at the sight of a slithering wild snail. He glanced at Squidward's legs and exhausted face. When a strip of gauze got caught in a tree branch, he pulled it out. He briefly saw Squidward's sensitive skin and placed the gauze back to its proper place. He bit his lip. "What about the sea bear?"

"The cultists use their spells to create monsters that fit their own needs. In this case, they used the sea bear to get that magic paper," said the middle dolphin.

"I was right." Patrick grinned. A sense of pride that he had felt when he got A's on tests returned. He heard the crunching of kelp leaves he was walking on. He scratched his head and another light bulb lit up. "We heard weird sounds when we came to Jellyfish Fields. Where did they come from?"

"It's caused by another one of their spells. The best way to describe it would be… magical echolocation. The sounds touch you and your energies then bounce back to them," said the female dolphin.

Squidward's head nodded again. He perceived a jellyfish that was flying above him. After several seconds, he then noticed that that jellyfish was keenly following SpongeBob. Squidward's eyes closed and his breath slowed. He felt floating sensations and sunk into thoughts that melted into nothingness.