The Road To Remembering

The Clarinet

Author's Note: I sense DRAMA!!!!!

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It takes more than two weeks before I'm finally allowed back at my house. Stupid, right?! The doctors kept me for observation and they accessed my injuries that I had apparently received from the boating accident. I don't really have any major damage, just bruises and a badly sprained wrist. And, of course, the memory loss.

I walk up to my moai house, which stands in the middle of a big brown rock and an ugly pineapple that looks so out of place. They are houses obviously belonging to Patrick Star and Spongebob Squarepants, who are two best friends but my own worst enemies. They always cause havoc wherever they go. I can only assume that they are still like that now.

As soon as I enter my house, I look for any changes. To my surprise, not much is different. It is still incredibly tidy, just the way I like it. The furniture has been moved around a little and there's a new painting on the wall, but there are no major changes. I decide to check my bedroom, so I walk upstairs. Nothing has drastically changed there either. It's very clean, like the rest of the house. I notice a few extra trinkets, however. A wooden case is sitting on my nightstand and it catches my eye more than anything else. I walk over to it and pick it up gently. For some reason, I feel like it's very special to me. So, I carefully open it to reveal. . . A beautifully-carved wooden clarinet! It looks almost perfect. My lips twitch upwards in a half-smile. I've always enjoyed playing the clarinet. This one has my name is carved perfectly on the side. Squidward Tentacles. It must've been made especially for me. Suddenly, there is a gentle breath against my earhole.

"It means commitment. . ."

I snap my head around to see nobody. What the hell? My eyes scan the entire room, but I'm alone. That voice must've just been my imagination. I sigh, turning back to the sexy instrument. I don't know what I do next, maybe I press a button or something, but suddenly three small versions of myself pop out of the holes and start playing mini clarinets of their own. Whoever built this clarinet for me put in a lot of work. My smile widens as I slip it carefully back into the case. The question remains: who exactly made it for me? I have the distinct feeling that I didn't craft it for myself - and the voice that I heard definitely offers proof to that statement. The voice doesn't belong to my father or Mr Krabs, and they are the only other males that I have contact with (other than the annoying Spongebob and Patrick, but it obviously wasn't them). So, who gave it to me? It feels important that I figure it out.

Perhaps Mr Krabs knows.

From what I remember, I work at a restaurant called the Krusty Krab, which he owns. My job is mundane and tedious, but it's a job nonetheless and I get paid for it. One day I'll be able to afford a lavish vacation somewhere far away from Bikini Bottom. But that day is not today.

I leave my house and start the relatively short walk to the Krusty Krab. When I arrive, I realize that it looks exactly the same as I remember. In fact, probably the most apparent change is Mr Krabs himself. He's still obsessive and greedy over money, judging by how he is staring at the cash in his red claws, but now he is wearing smarter clothing. I'm talking button-up shirts and the occasional tie. I remember how it was the most formal clothing that he ever wore - and now, apparently, it's a daily thing. I'm about to ask him about the clarinet when I accidentally drop a coin. His beady eyes are on it immediately but he doesn't make a move to grab it before I do. As I kneel down, I notice for the first time that I have grown taller.

"I guess they're not the only ones who have changed," I mutter, mostly to myself than Mr Krabs. He looks at me sadly, realizing how badly the amnesia has affected me. I notice that he didn't even try to steal my coin.

"Maybe you should leave, Squidward. You just came home from the hospital. You don't need to work for aw while." He says before walking away.

Hey! I was going to ask him a question. He can't just walk away from me.

Anyway, asking him about the clarinet is a good start to retrieving my lost memories. That, and the clarinet combined with the boy's voice that I heard is starting to make me ponder the entire situation. Maybe I have a new friend that I don't remember - but I've always been a bit of a loner, and I like it that way. I still do. I think. So, I feel unsure.

I walk over to what I remember was Mr Krabs' office. Maybe he went in there. The door is closed. I'm about to knock on it when I hear Squidette yell. Wow, I didn't know that she was here. . . "BUT WHY? YOU KEEP SAYING THAT? WHY CAN'T WE LET HIM KNOW?!" Her feminine voice screeches.

The next voice is my mother's, Squidanna. She speaks in a much softer tone than my sister. In fact, it's so quiet that I press the side of my head against the door to hear her words. "Squidward is still processing the new information. If we tell him now, he will most certainly freak out."

My father joins their conversation. "Besides, you know how he felt about the poor guy back then. Squidward wouldn't believe us. Even if he did, the news would be very confusing to him."

Confusing? I wasn't ever confused!

Mr Krabs' voice breaks the silence that stretches on as they all process what Dad has just said. "But he's hurting. You guys can't tell but he's heartbroken. That's why he refuses to come to work. Apparently his friend Patrick is out of town seeing his parents for the next few weeks and he has nobody else to help him. . .not that Patrick would be of much use, of course. . ."

"I know what you're trying to say, Eugene. He is grieving and we're all too busy with Squiddy to help him." My mother's voice cuts in like a sharp knife on fabric.

The entire room is quiet.

"Squidward would be overwhelmed if he knew." Dad's voice is now low and urgent. "Tell you what, if he starts remembering things about him, we can drop hints. But until then, nobody is to mention Squidward's lover, okay?"

"Okay." Mom, Squidette and Mr Krabs agree in unison.

What the heck?

I'm stunned as I walk out of the Krusty Krab, back to my house to flop down on the couch. I had a lover? A girlfriend? But why would someone ever love a grumpy jerk like me???

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Second chapter finished.

So, yeah, just a reminder: I own NOTHING. Only Squidette.

But even then, a character named Squidette makes an appearance in a Spongebob episode. I can't remember which one and I don't even know if she is related to Squidward. Oh, well. In this story, she is.

- Raven 💛