out. âI bring a message from the dawn of time!â
âWhat is it, Patrick?â SpongeBob asked.
âRUN!â Patrick shouted.
He took his own good advice as a SQUIDWARDOSAURUS REX burst out of the time machine, destroying it!
âA Squidwardosaurus rex!â Squidward cried. âFor a prehistoric monster, heâs terribly handsome!â
The dinosaur stomped through what was left of the Krusty Krab. The angry mob fled. The beast tore the remains of the restaurant apart.
âGee, thatâs exactly what IâVE always wanted to do,â Squidward said admiringly.
Still mad about bringing back the wrong bottle, Plankton glared at SpongeBob and growled, âNOW what do we do?â
âWell, Plankton, I guess we failed to accomplish our goals.â
âWE?â
âBut even failure hurts a little less when you do it asa team. Right?â
âTHIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!â Plankton yelled.
âOoooooooh,â the crowd said. Even the Squidwardosaurus rex stopped its rampage to watch the fight between Plankton and SpongeBob.
âMy fault?â SpongeBob asked.
âYOUâRE the one who stole the wrong secret formula!â Plankton said accusingly.
âI didnât know there were two bottles!â
âOF COURSE YOU DIDNâT! BECAUSE YOU HAVE COTTON CANDY FOR BRAINS!â
âOoooooooh,â the crowd said again.
Plankton turned to them. âNo, seriously. He really does.â
âWell, we wouldnât even be in this mess in the first place if you werenât so selfish and evil!â said SpongeBob.
âWrong! I WAS selfish and evil until you ruined everything with your teamwork.â
SpongeBob gasped.
âYou are the WORST TEAMMATE EVER!â Plankton ranted. âI wish Iâd never sung that stupid song with you!â
âYou take that back!â
âCome on! Letâs sing it again!â Plankton said sarcastically. He started singing, âTEAM JERKS! TEAM JERKS! TEAM JERKS!â
âStop it!â SpongeBob cried.
But Plankton just kept singing. âTEAM JERKS! TEAM JERKS! TEAM JERKS!â
âSTOP!â SpongeBob screamed, kicking over a trash can.
âOOOOOH!â the crowd said for the third time.
SpongeBob grabbed a recycling bin, dumped it, and mixed up everything on the floor.
âOh, my Neptune!â said one shocked citizen. âHeâs mixing garbage and recycling!â
Panting and gasping, SpongeBob noticed everyone staring at him. He looked at himself. âLook at me! Why, Iâve become like all of youâsavage, fear-ridden, and selfish!â
The angry customers looked at each other, feeling ashamed.
âAn entire town full of formerly good citizens, turned into heartless freaks!â SpongeBob went on. âBent on their own self-prever ⦠uh, prehver â¦â
âPreservation?â suggested one member of the mob.
âYES!â SpongeBob said. âWeâve become alienated from each other, each one an island unto himself, concerned only with ourselves. And in the name of all fishhood, I am NOT about to let that continue!â
SpongeBob tore a piece of cloth off a handy fishâs clothing and tied it around his head like a bandana.âAnd so if a sacrifice is needed to restore Bikini Bottom to its former glory, then I am willing to take one for the TEAM!â
Tears filled the eyes of all the citizens.
âYou heard him,â Squidward said.
The angry mob grabbed SpongeBob, lifted him over their heads, and carried him off!
T he crowd of angry customers chained SpongeBob to an altar shaped like a burger. âSacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!â chanted the mob. Squidward put on a black executionerâs hood and pulled on a rope, lifting a huge stone bun over SpongeBob. He tied the rope to hold the gigantic bun in place.
âLet the sacrifice begin!â announced Mr. Krabs.
The mob cheered! âAnd I thought MY
Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation
Sara M. Barton
Laura Kaye
Michael Ford
Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
JE Gurley
Elaine Levine
Clare B. Dunkle
K.C. Lynn
Jayne Ann Krentz