Plankton dodged him.
âHold still, you!â SpongeBob said in frustration. âStop moving!â
âAre there rocket packs?â Past SpongeBob asked.
Plankton turned to SpongeBob. âHey! Hurry up over there!â
SpongeBob quickly made a big grab for Past Plankton but accidentally knocked over the secret formula bottle.
âUh-oh,â Plankton said. âThat ainât good.â
An alarm went off.
BWHOOP! BWHOOP! BWHOOP!
âInitiating lockdown sequence,â announced a computerized voice.
âCâmon, SpongeBob!â Plankton shouted. âWe gotta get out of here!â
âGot it!â SpongeBob exclaimed as he grabbed a bottle from the safe.
âCome on!â Plankton yelled.
They ran into the time machine.
VRROOM! WHIRRR!
In a flash, the time machine disappeared.
Inside the photo booth, SpongeBob said, âThat was crazy!â
âSo THATâS what teamwork is!â Plankton said, finally getting it. They high-fived.
âPriceless!â SpongeBob said, laughing.
Plankton looked at the bottle, taking in its beauty. âAll those years I tried to make you mine. And I finallydid it. I mean, WE did it.â
In Burger Beardâs book, a picture showed SpongeBob and Plankton high-fiving. ââAnd so,ââ Burger Beard read to the seagulls, ââit would seem that our heroes had accomplished what they had set out to do.ââ
While he read to the seagulls, Burger Beard steered his ship.
âYay!â one of the seagulls cried. âNow, THATâS an ending! SpongeBob wins!â
âArenât you glad we tore out that cruddy one you had before?â another seagull asked.
But Burger Beard dropped the book onto the deck and said, âOh, no. THATâS not the end. LAND HO!â The pirate steered his ship up onto the shore and kept going! His ship had wheels on the bottom! Burger Beard drove his ship through a crowded beach, forcing all the sunbathers to scatter.
âIâm coming!â Burger Beard shouted. âOkay, all you lazy people, OUT OF MY WAY!â
The beachgoers were confused. Why was this pirate driving his ship across the sand?
âOut!â Burger Beard shouted. âOut of my way!â
âSlow down!â the seagulls shrieked. âYouâre going too fast!â
He steered his ship straight into a parking place between two food trucks. âYES!â he yelled, satisfied to have found a spot that suited his plan perfectly.
Burger Beard turned to the seagulls. âAll right, you feathered rats,â he snarled. âTime to shove off!â
The seagulls looked at each other. Why had the pirate changed from a nice man who read them a story to a mean guy who told them to shove off?
âWhy?â asked one of the seagulls.
âWell, I canât have you pooping all over my restaurant, can I?â Burger Beard answered.
âRestaurant? I thought this was a pirate ship!â the seagull said.
âOh, it is,â Burger Beard said. âBut itâs also my very own food truck! You know, like a restaurant on wheels!â As he said this, the pirate opened hatches, turned on a stove, and tied on an apron. His ship had indeed turned into a food truck: THE BURGER-MOBILE!
âWell, weâre not leaving until we see how the story ends!â
Burger Beard thought for a moment, then said, âNo problem. You guys like a little snack while you wait?â
âSure! Iâll take a curdled milk!â one hungry seagullsaid.
âHow about a fish head?â another asked.
âAnd French fries covered in sand!â
The pirate reached into his food truck, pulled out a tray, and said, âWho wants some HOT WINGS?â
The seagulls drew back, horrified.
âHey, wait a minute,â one of them said. âWhereâs Kyle?â
âWhich one of you is NEXT?â Burger Beard growled.
âLetâs get out of here!â
Steve Sem-Sandberg
Jocelyn Davies
Helen Wells
Lizzy Ford
Joseph Lance Tonlet, Louis Stevens
Nancy McGovern
Clarissa Monte
Dorothy Clark
Kim Black
Scott Shoyer