tore them off the curved glass dome. Through the dome, SpongeBob and Plankton could see a big sheet of paper with THE END on it.
Sandy stabbed her finger at the big sheet of paper. âWhen this came down from above, I knew it could only mean one thing. ONLY ONE THING!â
SpongeBob looked puzzled. âAnd that would be â¦?â
Sandy whipped around and held her hands wide apart. âIt MEANS itâs THE END!â
âI see,â Plankton said from his glass of water, humoring her. âThat certainly clears that up.â
âAnd I know why itâs the end,â Sandy continued. âThe SANDWICH GODS are ANGRY with us!â
Now SpongeBob and Plankton were really confused. âSandwich gods?â they asked.
Sandy started pacing again, moving even faster this time, waving her hands through the air. âI just donâtknow how weâre going to APPEASE them!â
âWell, maybe you should sacrifice an innocent,â Plankton said sarcastically. âThen Krabby Patties will rain down from the sky. That always works!â
Plankton realized that while heâd been making this sarcastic suggestion, he had risen up above the water level in his glass. âExcuse me,â he said, and dove back under the water.
Sandy thought about Planktonâs idea. âA sacrifice?â she mused. âThat makes PERFECT sense!â
She ran around her treedome, feverishly scribbling on the pieces of paper stuck to the inside of the glass. ââSacrifice ⦠innocent ⦠sandwich gods â¦,ââ she muttered as she wrote.
SpongeBob and Plankton slowly backed away from Sandy and then hurried through the air lock to get away from the deranged squirrel.
Outside, Plankton said, âWell, THAT was a complete waste of timeâ¦.â
Inside the cabin of his ship, Burger Beard lay in bed, reading from the old book. Seagulls were tucked in next to him.
âThatâs all for now,â he said, closing the bookdramatically. âYou sleepy little birds get some rest. We can finish in the morning.â
Kyle looked up at him with his big brown eyes. âPwease,â he pleaded. âJust one more stowy, Mistew Piwate! Pwease?â
Burger Beard tried to resist the adorable little seagull but failed. âOh, all right, Kyle,â he relented. âHow can I say no to you? One more story â¦â
âYay!â Kyle cheered. âWe WUV a good stowy! But nothing too scawy, Mistew Piwate!â
Burger Beard climbed out of bed and picked up a candle. The yellow light flickered below his face. âHow about THIS story? There once was a pirate who dreamed of being the worldâs greatest galley chefâ¦.â
He held the candle close to an old picture in a frame. It showed Burger Beard when he was young, cooking behind a grill crowded with food.
âThey all laughed at him in pirate school,â he continued. âBut with the help of this magical bookââhe held up the old book heâd stolenââhe would SHOW them! He would show them ALL!â
Burger Beard grinned a horrible grin in the candle-light.
âBut, Mistew Piwate,â Kyle asked innocently, âwhat makes that book so magical?â
âIâll show you,â the pirate answered. He quicklyscribbled in the book, and suddenly the seagulls were wearing pirate hats and eye patches! Cackling, Burger Beard told them, âNow say âAhhhhrrrr!ââ
âAhhhhrrrr!â said the seagulls.
Burger Beard laughed and blew out the candle.
W hen SpongeBob saw his pineapple home, he gasped. It had been severely damaged by a wandering mob! And for some reason, it was covered in gooey snail slime.
Where was SpongeBobâs beloved pet snail?
âGare-bear?â SpongeBob called.
A blob of snail slime dripped onto SpongeBobâs head. âRevolting!â Plankton said.
âBut it means Gary is close by!â SpongeBob
Joseph Lance Tonlet, Louis Stevens