Chapter 5: Jellyfish Jam
The next day…
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March 18, 2008.
SpongeBob strolled to the pineapple and grasped the front door's handle. He felt a large amount of air pass through the top of his head. He touched his crown. His employee hat was not there.
A jellyfish that was holding the hat flew towards SpongeBob.
"Oh, my hat! Thanks, little guy." SpongeBob grinned and seized the hat. He pet the jellyfish before opening the front door. When he stepped into the living room, his stomach gurgled. He turned and did not see a single spark of electricity from the stingers. 'He's friendly.' A light bulb lit up. He dashed to the kitchen; and came back with a jar, a bread loaf bag, and a spreading knife.
He gently took hold of the jellyfish's top, sat cross-legged on the path to the front door, and milked the jellyfish by squeezing and pulling the upper parts of the jellyfish's stingers towards the jar. He then spread the jar's jelly on two bread slices with the knife. He then leisurely ate the jelly sandwich while watching the pink creature. The jelly was thick and was as sweet as a sugar cube. He smiled contently and spoke in a French accent. "Ah, there is nothing better than the taste of natural jelly from a jellyfish."
SpongeBob stood up, closed the bag and the jar, let go of the jellyfish, and stepped into the living room. When the door was almost fully closed, the jellyfish attempted to squeeze through. "No, you can't go home with me," he said softly and without a smile. 'Poor guy. But him being around won't be safe for Gary.'
The jellyfish flew to the ground and closed its stingers into legs. It then mimicked the walking motion that SpongeBob had done. It managed to get through the opening.
SpongeBob picked up the jellyfish. He perceived the jellyfish's spots and wrinkles as a longing face. His eyes gained a slight sheen of moisture. 'He needs to go back to the fields, his colony probably needs him.' He held the jellyfish like a baby. He exited the pineapple and closed the front door with his foot.
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Ten minutes later…
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SpongeBob stood at the top of a hill. The grass and the jellyfish flying nearby swayed nearly in unison. "Jellyfish, you've gotta stay here." He placed the jellyfish on a nearby rock. "Stay." He walked backwards slowly and held out both hands. "Stay." When he saw a nearby jellyfish group fly near the hill, he smiled and turned around. 'So long, Mr. Jellyfish.' The beautiful rays of the lowering sun put him at ease.
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Five minutes later…
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When SpongeBob was about to close the front door, he saw the jellyfish floating near the handle. He stepped out. He glanced at Gary and then at the jellyfish. His brows furrowed. "Jellyfish! For the last time, you can't come home with me." He folded his arms.
The jellyfish fell to the ground and flattened itself.
SpongeBob noticed the stillness of the jellyfish's stingers. 'It must be lonely.' He saw a green tumbleweed bouncing across the road. He looked up at the sky and saw a cloud that had a shape similar to the tumbleweed. 'Maybe it's a sign from Neptune.' He still had clear memories of last night's miraculous turn of events. 'If the stuff that happened yesterday turned out different, I probably wouldn't be here. Now's the time to celebrate.' "Ah, what the heck." He smiled and grabbed the jellyfish's top. "You can come with me."
The jellyfish flew around SpongeBob in vibrant patterns.
Another light bulb lit up. "I think you're smart enough to learn a few tricks." SpongeBob's heartbeat quickened at the thought of showcasing the pink creature's talents. His smile widened to a grin.
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Twenty-three minutes later…
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Squidward opened the upper-left window. He put the clarinet to his mouth and began playing one of the oldest songs he had written. A pink line abruptly buzzed past his vision and swiftly flew around his tiki like a wasp near its hive. He winced and the clarinet landed on his lap. He groaned. He opened his mouth but saw SpongeBob standing near the tiki's lawn.
SpongeBob looked up and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, Squid. My new pet seems to like your music." Talking to Squidward, to him, felt like he was playing with a fire. 'Gotta give him time to himself. Can't let yesterday repeat.'
"New pet?" Squidward raised his brow. When the jellyfish slowed down, he recognized it. He frowned and shook his head. "That's no pet, that's a wild animal. SpongeBob, gimme a break. I don't want to deal with more of 'em." He pointed at his new wheelchair. "Those pests nearly broke my legs." When the jellyfish began to fly near the roof, he began to close the window.
SpongeBob forced his smile to widen. "Don't worry. He isn't that wild. Watch this!" He snapped his fingers three times and then did a short whistle.
The jellyfish's flight towards SpongeBob looked like the frolic of a young child. It then hovered before him.
SpongeBob held out three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Buzz. Buzz. Buzz." Each time the jellyfish buzzed, it held out a stinger.
"Play dead." SpongeBob smirked.
The jellyfish dropped to the floor and became still. At the snap of SpongeBob's finger, it flew again.
'That jellyfish is too smart…' Squidward narrowed his eyes. He remembered how the sea bear worked together with the masked people in their attack on him and the other two neighbors. "I wouldn't let that thing into my house even if it was potty-trained." He slowed his closing of the window to see if there were any more jellyfish tricks to be shown.
SpongeBob saw a wild worm slither in a rhythmic pattern on the other side of the street. He noticed how the swinging of the worm's tail was reminiscent of the dance move named after it. A light bulb lit up. He skipped towards his pineapple. "Well, we're going to my house to have a little fun."
"How can you possibly have fun with a jellyfish?" Squidward muttered before fully closing the window. He put his clarinet to his mouth again.
CRREEAAK
SLAM
Patrick emerged from his rock and saw SpongeBob. He opened his mouth but SpongeBob spoke first.
SpongeBob pointed at the jellyfish and at the pineapple. He pushed his vision away from the tiki. "Hey, Pat, can you help me with something?" His smile loosened. 'Maybe I was too reckless with that jellyfish.'
"Alright." Patrick nodded and smiled. His other thoughts surrendered to the pleasant feeling of being relieved from boredom.
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Several minutes later…
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A dusty stereo system was in the spot formerly occupied by the couch and the fake baited hook. A few scraps from the garage lingered on its back. A web of plugs and adapters connected to several outlets. A disco ball was taped to the ceiling with very strong duct tape and was also wired to an outlet.
SpongeBob opened an album case, stood on tip-toe, and inserted a CD into the central stereo tower. "Thanks, Pat."
Patrick waved his reddened hands until they no longer felt squeezed by the weight they had just carried. The sight of the stereo speakers and the album cover ensnared him with memories of music tracks that endured many stages of his life. "Can I dance with you guys?" He hopped alternatively between his left and right foot towards the stereo. He giggled.
"Sure!" SpongeBob beamed. His mind was flooded with possible re-enactions of childhood dances. He swiftly turned on the stereo. He pressed the right arrow button until the screen showed 'TRACK 8'. He swiftly turned several knobs.
The stereo system vibrated the living room as the bass-boosted dance music spread throughout the neighborhood like an earthquake.
The jellyfish swayed with the beat until it harmonized with the song. Its stingers shook so fast that it looked like the lines in seismographs.
SpongeBob snatched a remote, aimed it at the disco ball, and pressed the red button. When the disco ball alternated between red, green, blue, yellow, and purple; he leaped towards the jellyfish and bent his body shape whenever a vibration wave passed through the room.
Patrick cartwheeled around the center of the room and occasionally bounced or break-danced. Whenever he performed a move, he glanced to see if SpongeBob was watching.
After a while, SpongeBob began to do dances that imitated the karate moves he had seen in movies. He maintained a distance from the two others to ensure the accuracy of the moves.
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Four hours later…
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Squidward, wearing pajamas, was lying back-first on his bed with bloodshot eyes. The blanket and the mattress were creased. The loud music from the pineapple had chained him to the physical world. He glanced at the clock on the drawer and turned towards the closed window. His head filled with steam. "SpongeBob is the only guy I know who can have fun with a jellyfish… FOR FOUR HOURS!" He sat up. His feet nearly touched the floor but halted when he noticed that a few parts of the loud music sounded like clarinet notes being played in a concert. "Squid, you're playing the notes wrong. You need help?" "Can you stop playing? It's hurting my ears." "Wow, Squid, you suck at playing. Lemme show you how a pro does it." 'Huh, so they think my music is equivalent to that trash being played? They're lying. They're just jealous of my talent and superior taste.' When he heard the music's abrupt end, he stopped clenching his fists and laid again on the bed. His breathing slowed.
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SpongeBob had switched off the stereo system. His shirt was soaked in sweat and his heartbeat began to slow down. He noticed that the jellyfish was still shaking its stingers and flying in repetitive patterns. "Wow, you sure like to dance." He smiled with furrowed brows and glanced at the clock. He looked at the ceiling and imagined Gary meowing longfully and Squidward's baggy-eyed frown. He stopped smiling. "Well, that's enough for tonight. Time to go to bed."
Patrick walked up to SpongeBob while gazing at him. SpongeBob's dance continuously replayed in his mind. "Those moves you did were really cool." He glanced at SpongeBob's legs and at the TV. He scratched his head and his mouth leaned to the left. After a few seconds, the fog cleared. "Weren't those moves from those action movies we watched?"
"Yep." SpongeBob nodded. "I was kinda dancing," he stood on tip-toe and twirled like a ballerina, "and practicing karate at the same time." He did karate-chops and high kicks to the air. He landed on his feet, stood straight, and giggled. 'I still have alotta energy. Maybe the jellyfish's enthusiasm is rubbing off on me.'
"Oh." Patrick yawned. "See ya tomorrow, Sponge." He sauntered to the front door and exited the pineapple.
"Bye, Pat." SpongeBob waved. He heard a few button presses and the vibrations of the stereo's bass. "Huh?" He turned around and saw the jellyfish floating near the stereo. "You got it all wrong, little fella." He smiled awkwardly, gently turned a few knobs, and turned off the stereo system.
When SpongeBob walked away, the jellyfish pushed the switch to 'ON'.
'I can't be too mean to him.' SpongeBob sighed, tip-toed to the stereo system's back, and unplugged all of the plugs. He walked back to the jellyfish. The jellyfish's buzzes became quieter. He swallowed his lips and took a deep breath. He held out his index finger. He wore a frown. "Bed. Repeat after me." He saw a plug adapter from the corner of his eye and a light bulb lit up. He ran to the garage and came back with a leash. He put the collar around the jellyfish's top and fastened it. "Bed!" He jogged to the bedroom.
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Thirty seconds later…
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"We'll just keep you right here." SpongBob tied the leash's end to one of the bedposts. "This way, you won't get in trouble." When the jellyfish laid on the ground and became still, he took a breath of relief. He flicked off the lights, took off his shoes, and replaced his socks with new ones.
"Meow meow meow." Gary narrowed his baggy eyes at the sight of the jellyfish.
"Don't worry, Gary. He'll be just fine." SpongeBob glanced at the jellyfish, glanced at the snail, and smiled warmly. He put on his green pajamas, laid on the bed, and turned his body towards Gary.
"Meow meow."
SpongeBob rested his head on one hand and placed his words together before speaking. "Since me, Pat, and Squid survived the crazy things that happened last night, I thought we would celebrate by dancing." He adjusted his position on the bed. "I also did some karate moves during the dance so I could defend myself better. You'll never know what you'll encounter in the wilderness." He glanced at the window and did not see any shadowy being. He faced the ceiling and pulled the blanket over his body. "Good night, everybody." He closed his eyes. His breathing slowed.
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Ten minutes later...
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SpongeBob was still.
The pain of being separate from the colony caused the jellyfish's stingers to tremble. It flew to the window and pushed it open. It leaned over the windowsill as much as the leash would allow it. "BUUUZZZZ!"
Within a minute, several other jellyfish flew into the bedroom.
Gary's eyes opened widely. "Meow?" He narrowed his eyes and leaned back at the sight of the jellyfish group.
The stingers of one of the jellyfish produced more sparks than the others. That jellyfish then squirted a glob of jelly to Gary's shell. The jellyfish group's buzzes then sounded like the laughing of schoolchildren.
Gary attempted to shake away the jelly that was falling to his eyes. His pupils dilated. He raised his shell and hissed.
The leashed jellyfish slipped out of the collar by repeatedly twirling to the left and to the right. It then opened the door to the stairs. The group of jellyfish flew to the kitchen door.
As more minutes passed by, many groups of jellyfish surrounded the pineapple and slipped through the bedroom window.
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The formerly leashed jellyfish plugged the stereo system into the correct outlets. It turned some knobs, switched the stereo system to 'ON', and pressed the right arrow button until the mini-screen showed 'TRACK 8'.
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Seven hours later...
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March 19, 2008.
SpongeBob shakily opened his crusty eyes and wiped them before sitting up. When the slight dizziness passed away, he saw his pet's eyestalks. "Good morning, Gary." He saw the window's sunlight from the corner of his eye and beamed. "Good morning, jellyfish." He looked to his right but noticed that the collar was empty. "Jellyfish?" SpongeBob sat up, put on his shoes, and jumped to the floor. "Jellyfish? Here, jellyfish. Oh, jelly!" He looked under the bed, opened the treasure chest, and opened the door to the library. He noticed the glob of jelly on Gary's shell. 'Something must've happened to the jellyfish.' He bit his lip. "Oh, jellyfi-" He swiftly opened the door to the stairs but slipped on jelly that was on the floor. His vision was blocked with purple as he tumbled down the stairs.
THUD
He landed face-first on the floor. He grabbed the handles of the kitchen door as he shakily stood up. Nearly his whole body was covered in jelly. He scraped away the jelly on his shoes and wiped away the jelly on his face. He heard and felt the vibrations of Track 8. The image of Squidward's exhausted face reemerged. 'Poor Squid. He probably couldn't get any sleep last night.' He looked at his hands, shook away the jelly on them, and clenched them. 'It's my fault. I'll have to redeem myself.' He frowned and marched towards the living room.
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When SpongeBob entered the living room, he folded his arms. "Where'd you all come from?" He frowned and looked up at the jellyfish.
Some jellyfish surrounded SpongeBob and inspected him for several seconds before picking him up. They pushed his forehead through a turned-on light bulb and spun him around. The projected lights made him look like a disco-ball. SpongeBob watched the jellyfish intensify their dances near the lights coming from his holes. He swallowed his lips. He then dropped to the floor and landed on his hands and feet.
SpongeBob stood up. When he saw Gary's bowl filled with orange juice and the stains on the couch and the TV, he frowned again. "Okay, that's it. This party is over! You guys have overstayed your welcome." He ran towards the stereo system.
The jellyfish swiftly positioned themselves into a stairway. When SpongeBob reached the top, the jellyfish dispersed.
SpongeBob landed on the floor face-first. He shakily stood up. When his vision cleared, a jellyfish group picked him up and tossed him to the other side of the room. The group on the other side caught him and tossed him back. After a minute, the party resembled a volleyball game. "This music is way too loud." SpongeBob flailed his limbs as he attempted to dive towards the stereo.
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The blanket and the pillow were on the floor. Squidward, with baggy eyes, was sitting on the bed while his face rested on both hands. The steam building up inside of him, combined with the loud music, did not loosen his chains to consciousness. His light-headedness pushed his thoughts in aimless directions. He sat up and glanced at the clock. He imagined the enclosed field he would have to toil through as a wage-slave, the persecution he would receive for creating 'mediocre' art, and getting pulled by SpongeBob's alluring words. He stared at the pineapple and clenched his teeth. "GRRRRR!" The inner fire filled his mouth. He barged the window open. "ELEVEN HOURS!" he roared. He jumped to his wheelchair.
SLAM
He barged the door open. He furiously wheeled through the hallway and the stairs. "I'm going to give that dunce a piece of my mind!" he said while still clenching his teeth. When he got to the living room, he snatched the phone and hastily dialed SpongeBob's phone-number. He then held the phone while his other hand was on his hip.
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A jellyfish was holding the phone with one stinger. It was inspecting the phone's parts with its other stingers.
"Hello? SpongeBob, listen to me, you square-headed assault on my ears. I've had enough of this!"
"BUZZ!" The jellyfish squirted a bit of jelly on the phone and flew back to resume its dancing.
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Squidward slammed the phone down. When he heard the stereo changing to a different track, a light bulb lit up. "Two can play at this!" He wheeled back to the bedroom, grabbed the clarinet, and opened the bedroom's window. He aimed the clarinet at the pineapple and leaned through the windowsill like an archer. The notes that came out of the instrument were as piercing as thunder.
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SpongeBob stopped his fall by hanging on to the stereo's top. "C'mon guys, enough is enough!" He slipped to the floor and squeezed between two stereo towers until he reached the plugs. When the jellyfish became silent, he halted. He heard the unpleasant clarinet notes. He turned around and saw them gathering into one large group with electricity increasing in their stingers. "Uh-oh." He blanched. 'What should I do?' He hastily glanced to his left, right, the comfortably dark corners of the stereo system, and the front door.
The jellyfish abruptly darted towards SpongeBob.
ZZAAP ZAP ZZZAAP ZAP
ZZAAP ZAAP ZZAP
ZZAAP ZAP Z-ZAP
SpongeBob covered the top of his head with both arms as he sprinted across the room. His arms and back had several red spots. He looked up and saw the jellyfish gathering near the front door. "Okay, okay, I'll talk to him!" He swiftly opened the door and stepped out of his home.
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SpongeBob ran to the tiki and looked up at Squidward. He cupped his hands together near his mouth. "Squidward!" The clarinet music stopped. SpongeBob smiled nervously. "Would it be possible to play your clarinet a little better? I don't think the jellyfish like it."
Squidward looked at the jellyfish near the pineapple. 'Those things are a nuisance. They should get the message and stay outta here.' He glanced at the bed and the clock. His heavy eyes and light-headedness shrouded some of his memories in a fog. He looked at his gauze-covered lap and imagined the many moves that the dance contestants were going to do with their legs. He then looked at SpongeBob and narrowed his eyes. 'He caused the ruckus anyway by bringing that stupid jellyfish. Why should I do favors for him?' He smirked. "The jellyfish don't like my music? Why sure, pal, I can play better." He bit his tongue when the urge to chuckle surfaced.
SpongeBob grinned and ran back to the pineapple.
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SpongeBob held out a thumbs-up towards the jellyfish. "Okay, he said he'll play better."
The jellyfish stingers lost their sparks. The jellyfish resumed their dancing.
"Phew." SpongeBob sat on the couch. He gazed at the stereo system and put a hand on his chin.
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Squidward leaned through the window again. "They'll definitely leave this time." He had a sadistic smile. He was holding both his clarinet and a turned-on megaphone. He squeezed the megaphone's tip into the clarinet's opening. He inhaled until his cheeks were full and then blew into the clarinet. The notes were as loud as a volcanic eruption.
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When SpongeBob heard the clarinet notes, he jumped to his feet with widened eyes. "Oh no! That's not better!" He began to sweat as he dashed towards the front door. However, the jellyfish were swiftly flying through the opened entrance. He gasped. "Squidward, watch out!"
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The jellyfish surrounded the tiki. Most of them gathered near the opened window.
Squidward's heartbeat quickened. He winced and nearly dropped his clarinet. "Uhh, w-wait, I can turn it down." His arms began to tremble as the jellyfish inched closer. He then attempted to pull the window to a close.
ZZZZAAAP ZZAAP Z-Z-ZAAP
ZAAP ZZZAAP ZZAAP ZAAAP
Z-Z-ZZAAAAP ZAAP ZZZAAP
The jellyfish mercilessly stung Squidward until he managed to close the window.
SpongeBob furrowed his brows, put a hand on his hip, and pointed at the jellyfish. "Hey, now, that wasn't nice."
Squidward slowly opened the tiki's front door. Red marks covered his torso, arms, and head. He shakily wheeled towards SpongeBob. His eyes were half-closed. His light-headedness no longer controlled his thoughts. "Everybody's a critic. You won't be hearing from me for the rest of the day," he droned. Without much thought, he tossed the megaphone and the clarinet to the ground. He returned to the tiki.
SpongeBob picked up the clarinet and the megaphone. "You dropped the-"
A few jellyfish snatched them and hurled them into the pineapple's living room. The other jellyfish then zapped the megaphone and the clarinet until the objects ignited. The jellyfish then circled around the fire and buzzed with the rhythm of the stereo's music.
SpongeBob turned towards Squidward but the tiki's front door was already closed. The glimpse he had caught of Squidward's downcast face evolved into memories of sleepless nights where he felt the same light-headedness. The burning clarinet and megaphone looked like the offered lunch that was stomped by his former bullies. SpongeBob clenched his fists and stomped into the living room. "Okay, that is it! EVERYBODY OUT!" He pointed towards the opened front door when the jellyfish became silent.
SLAM
A jellyfish closed the front door and then resumed its dance.
SpongeBob charged towards the stereo system. He gritted his teeth as he shakily lifted a stereo tower. ZZAAP. A sting from behind felt like a hot needle being shot to his back. "OW!" He lurched and the stereo tower slipped from his hands.
The tower collapsed into the rest of the stereo system. A shower of black shards spread across the room. A few sparks spilled out of the system's remains before the system became fully silent.
SpongeBob blanched. He could hear his heartbeat and the increasingly loud hums of the sparks in the jellyfish's stingers. He shakily took a step forward and stared at the doorway until a path that weaved through the jellyfish seemed clear. Sweat drops ran down his head.
"Meow." Gary poked his eyes through the doorway to the kitchen.
"C'mon, Gary!" SpongeBob darted to Gary and grabbed him. He held Gary with both arms and pushed him against his chest. No further thoughts passed by as his muscles moved through the rooms in a blur. Within a minute, he reached the top of the library's tallest ladder. He opened the trapdoor right above him and leaped to the roof. He slammed the trapdoor shut.
SpongeBob sat on the grassy ceiling and took a few deep breaths. He watched the horde of jellyfish spilling out of the windows and flying past the large green leaves that surrounded the pineapple's roof. The paths of the jellyfish combined, in thick lines, to look like a tornado. SpongeBob felt Gary's shell pressing against him. Terror had shut the snail's mouth. "Gary, you were right. Thanks for not rubbing it in." His eyes moistened.
When the jellyfish began to close in on the roof, Gary cowered. His eyestalks, by repeatedly bumping into each other, clicked in the rhythm of a music timer.
The jellyfish moved slower and the groups shrunk their lines.
"Huh? They stopped?" SpongeBob bit his lip. 'This is it.' He took hold of Gary's eyestalks and squeezed the snail to his chest. He imagined his family, friends, and job disappearing as if they were all dreams. His throat became heavy.
Gary's eyestalks stopped clicking.
The jellyfish reassembled into thicker lines and flew faster.
SpongeBob opened his eyes. He looked at Gary's eyestalks and a light bulb lit up. 'It doesn't hurt to try.' When he let go of the eyestalks, they clicked again.
The jellyfish slowed and separated into smaller lines.
SpongeBob held the eyestalks again.
The jellyfish resumed their thicker lines and faster flights.
The clicks reminded SpongeBob of the drums used in high school music classes. Another light bulb lit up. He let go of the eyestalks and grinned. He said in the eyestalks' rhythm: "Gary. Don't. Stop. Shaking it." He wiped away the tears from his eyes. His throat felt lighter. He snapped his fingers to the eyestalks' rhythm.
The jellyfish circled the roof and shook to the beat.
SpongeBob opened the trapdoor.
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Thirty seconds later...
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SpongeBob skipped out of the pineapple while holding Gary with one arm. The jellyfish were following him in a single-file line. As the group danced down the street, nearby scallops and clams snapped to the rhythm.
The jellyfish moved up and down while their stingers wiggled.
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Fifteen minutes later...
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"Alright, we'll stop here." SpongeBob halted in a flat area of Jellyfish Fields. He stopped snapping his fingers and held Gary's eyestalks. He wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. The grass still had morning dew.
The pink creatures floated in aimless directions for a few seconds before scattering across the plain.
SpongeBob waved. Relief pushed away the lingering pressure in his chest. "Bye, guys!" The sun's rays abruptly pierced the mountains near the horizon. His eyes could not be pulled away from the landscape. He savored the scene for several minutes. He then turned around and strolled towards his neighborhood. His smile was nearly as radiant as the rays he had just seen.
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Ten minutes later...
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Patrick was gazing through the pineapple's opened front door at the wrecked living room. The burning clarinet's flames had both the pineapple's orange and SpongeBob's yellow. He had stared at the flames for so long that his vision was filled with the flame's colors and the illusory images he could see inside the fire. He drooled slightly. He jumped when a yellow finger poked his shoulder. "Oh, hey Sponge." He scratched his head before he perceived the damaged furniture. "Umm... what happened?"
SpongeBob glanced at the tiki's windows but could not see Squidward. He clasped his hands together. "The jellyfish I brought with me decided to bring some friends and continue the party. They didn't wanna leave. They also got upset when Squid played his clarinet and zapped him." His smile became faint. "You remember hearing a song that had a snapping sound to it?" He looked back and forth between the flames and Patrick.
Patrick put a hand on his chin for a few seconds. "Yeah. I kinda heard it right before I woke up." He glanced at the fire and noticed that it was beginning to consume the room. He noticed where SpongeBob was looking at. 'I should've talked about that fire. Why did I do nothing? This is why you gotta eat stuff like breakfast so the dumbness could stop.' He looked at the ground and swallowed.
"That's what I used to bring them back to the Fields." SpongeBob's smile regained some of its normal shape. He glanced at the window in the tiki's living room. His smile lessened again. "Maybe I should buy Squid a new clarinet and megaphone."
Patrick narrowed his eyes. "Wouldn't he get mad again?"
The memory of the argument in the camping night's turbulence resurfaced. The roars over the campfire echoed. SpongeBob sighed. "Yeah, that would probably happen. He's gonna keep spiting us as long as he thinks we're jerks." He put a hand on his chin as he futilely attempted to peel through the faces that Squidward used to hide his true thoughts. "It would be better if I buy them and just leave 'em at his door."
Patrick had a light bulb that was immediately followed by a brain fart. "Oh. Umm..." He leaned to the left and to the right until the fog was blown away. He smiled and released the restraints on his words. "Y'know, if I saw you do those same moves on stage," he traced a rectangle in the air, "I would've thought you were a pro."
Patrick's words painted a memory of a poster SpongeBob had seen yesterday. SpongeBob giggled. "I get it. You wanna be in that dance competition?" He put a hand on his hip.
"Yep." Patrick nodded. His smile widened. SpongeBob's rays spurred his brain's gears. "It'll be fun and it'll make Squid happy too 'cause he'll get some time by himself."
SpongeBob did a thumbs-up. "Good thinking, Pat. It's a win-win for everybody."
Patrick looked at the wrecked living room again. His heartbeat quickened the same way it had when the horde of watching faces from below had laughed at him. "Y'know, this might be like the... fifth time I'm gonna be performing something. I'm probably too dumb to remember all those advanced movements and that stuff." He looked at the ground again and put his hands in his pockets. "That's why I want us to compete together as partners. If a smart guy like you teams up with me, I'll become smart too."
SpongeBob stepped towards Patrick and put his hand on Patrick's shoulder. His eyes sparkled when they made eye contact with Patrick's. "If you wanna win, you gotta believe in yourself. There's many types of smart. You might be dumb in some things and smart in others." He skipped to the closet, took out his employee hat, and pointed at it. "I tried really hard and it all worked out it in the end when I got hired. And I couldn't do it without you. That's why we support each other." He glanced at the flames and bit his lip. He ran towards the kitchen's sink while still looking at Patrick. "Anyways, why didn't you stop the fire?"
Patrick swallowed his lips.