Here’s what it came up with: **SpongeBob.exe: The Lost Episode** It was a quiet afternoon in Bikini Bottom. The sun shone through the water, casting shimmering beams that danced across the ocean floor. SpongeBob SquarePants was at the Krusty Krab, flipping Krabby Patties with his usual enthusiasm. But today felt… different. It started with a strange flicker on the TV screen. The Krusty Krab’s old television, usually reserved for watching cooking shows during slow hours, blinked on by itself. Squidward, who was working the cash register, shot a glance at it, irritated. “Great, another glitchy episode of *SpongeBob*,” he muttered, rubbing his temples. But something caught his eye. The show on screen wasn’t the usual bright and colorful animation. The colors were muted, and the characters appeared… off. Their movements were stiff, like they were stuck in some kind of loop. SpongeBob, in the show, was standing in front of the Krusty Krab, but his usual cheerful expression was replaced by something eerily blank. His eyes were wide, unblinking, and a strange static buzzed in the background. "Squidward!" SpongeBob called out, his voice sounding slightly distorted, “Can you hear me?” Squidward stared at the screen, annoyed but curious. “What is this? Some sort of weird fan art?” The TV static crackled again, and the picture distorted further. SpongeBob on screen reached out, his square hand trembling. “Squidward, help me...” But Squidward wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be concerned. “You’re not real,” he muttered, “You’re just a cartoon. A dumb, annoying cartoon.” Suddenly, the Krusty Krab’s lights flickered, and the temperature in the restaurant dropped. A chill ran down Squidward’s spine. The show wasn’t just weird—it felt… *wrong*. A sound like scraping metal echoed through the air, and Squidward’s heart raced. He quickly grabbed the remote and turned off the TV, but the strange feeling lingered. SpongeBob, normally the upbeat and playful sponge he knew, now seemed like a distant memory. Something about that episode—whatever it was—felt haunting. Just as Squidward was about to turn back to his register, the door to the Krusty Krab swung open. It was SpongeBob, but something was off. His usual big, round eyes were dark, his expression vacant. There was no happy “I’m ready!” as he entered, just a quiet shuffle of his feet. “SpongeBob?” Squidward asked, voice shaky. SpongeBob didn’t respond. “Hey, are you okay?” Squidward asked again, louder this time. The sponge turned slowly, his head jerking unnaturally. There was a brief moment of silence, before SpongeBob spoke, his voice sounding like it came from both the TV and somewhere far away. “Squidward... can you hear me?” he asked, in a low, distorted tone. Squidward took a step back, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What do you mean, 'can I hear you'?" He knew something wasn’t right now. “You’re right here, SpongeBob! What’s going on?” SpongeBob blinked, and for a split second, his eyes flickered to a glowing red, just like in the distorted image on the TV. Then, as quickly as it came, the red faded, leaving his eyes empty and hollow. “I need your help,” SpongeBob whispered. Squidward felt a wave of unease wash over him. He wasn’t sure what to do, but he could tell this wasn’t just some weird joke. The SpongeBob he knew—the one who would laugh and get excited over jellyfishing—was gone. “I can’t help you, SpongeBob,” Squidward said, his voice trembling. "You need to leave. Now." SpongeBob just stood there, silent. Then, without another word, he turned and walked slowly towards the door. As he passed the counter, Squidward heard him mumble, “I’m not really here. Not anymore…”
(The story continues here because Scratch said the instructions were too long.) Just as the door closed behind him, the TV flickered on again. Squidward hesitated, heart pounding in his chest, but something compelled him to look. The screen was no longer showing the usual Bikini Bottom landscape, but a distorted version of the Krusty Krab, its colors twisted and darkened, the outlines jagged. On the screen, SpongeBob stood at the grill, but this time his face was completely blank—no expression, no eyes, just smooth yellow sponge. And then, the image of SpongeBob on screen turned to the camera, as if he was looking straight at Squidward. “Goodbye,” he said in a voice that echoed through the empty Krusty Krab. The TV cut to black, and the static buzzed loudly, louder than ever before. Squidward stood there for a long moment, frozen in place. The restaurant was silent, the air still cold. Finally, he let out a long breath and walked to the door. He peeked outside, but the street was empty. SpongeBob was gone. The next morning, everything seemed normal again. The Krusty Krab was bustling with customers, and SpongeBob was back behind the grill, grinning as always. But Squidward couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed. That night, when he went home, he sat down to watch a bit of TV. But when he turned it on, there was a flicker—just like before. The same episode of SpongeBob played. It was *that* episode. The one with the weird, distorted SpongeBob. And this time, the title card said: **"SpongeBob.exe"** And Squidward realized, with a shiver, that maybe he was wrong. Maybe SpongeBob had never left. The screen buzzed again, and for a brief moment, Squidward swore he saw a shadow move behind him in the reflection. It was SpongeBob. And he was still asking for help. The end. All credit to ChatGPT for the story and to @jtime12 for the request.
