Hello! Here's another story for ya. The concept for this story was not created by me, but by my wonderful and super talented friend, America's Got Fandom. We were playing around and she wondered, "What would it be like if the whole SpongeBob gang went camping?" So, I've taken pieces of dialogue that she and I came up with, tweaked them a bit, and the result is this story. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own SpongeBob SquarePants or any of its characters.

Camping in Lost Kelp Forest

~French Narrator~

"Ah, just a lazy, Friday afternoon, nothing too special. Well, lazy for everybody except SpongeBob; there is never a dull moment with him. Let us see what this day has in store for the sponge and his friends."

It was quite slow at the Krusty Krab for a Friday. The usually lively fast food eating establishment was rather dull on this weekend starter. The atmosphere was calm, quiet and peaceful. Yet, it was also uninspiring, especially for the spunky teen daughter of Mr. Eugene Krabs.

Pearl sat at a table, large head resting on her crossed flippers. "Ugh, it's so boring! There's literally no life in this hunk of junk place," she complained.

Squidward, who was actually enjoying the quiet time, spoke up. "I know, isn't it fantastic?" he sighed, placing his tentacles behind his head and leaning back in his station.

"Fantastic? Psh, sure. If you're an old fuddy-duddy like my dad," she said.

"Oh, you don't know how precious the quiet and boring days are until they're ruined by your obnoxious neighbor. And so far," he explained, "I haven't heard a single peep out of that annoying, reckless, ear-shattering nuisance of a fry cook. Ah, it just couldn't get any better than this- "

"ORDER UP!" the sponge swung the kitchen door open, banging it against the wall. The sharp, loud tone of his squeaky voice combined with the vibration of the door nearly gave Squidward a heart attack. He shrieked and fell over in his boat.

"Did anybody order the kelp fries?" asked SpongeBob, raising his voice at the dead dining area.

Squidward fumed in fiery rage at his neighbors' obnoxiousness. "NO, you buffoon! There's nobody in here!"

SpongeBob, keeping in good spirit, wagged his finger in front of his coworker. "Oh, you're wrong, Squidward. There's you, me, Pearl, Mr. Krabs, and- " his eyes scanned the room to see that not a single customer was in sight.

The well-meaning sponge scratched the top of his head. "Huh, I guess not." He looked down at the meal he held in his hands. "Hey, you hungry, Pearl?"

She shook her head. "No. Even if I was, I can't eat those. I'm on a diet, remember?"

"Ohh, that's right. You're eating the really good stuff," he smiled.

Pearl scoffed. "Pft, if you call boiled clam shells and seaweed pasta 'good stuff', then sure."

Just then, the restaurant's competitor, Sheldon J. Plankton, casually made his way through the large glass doors. "Hey, what's goin' on in here? Oh, that's right, nothing. Hehehe," he laughed in his usual maniacal way.

"Plankton, you get back here this instant and help me vacuum up the dead urchins under the stove!" demanded his computer wife, rolling her way through the doors only moments after her tiny husband had entered.

"Aw, come on, Karen. You know I can't get near that vacuum without getting sucked up into it."

"I know," she casually admitted.

"Arg arg arg arg arg! Looks like your wife's tryin' to get rid of ya again, but the vacuum ain't good enough. She needs a pest elimination specialist," said Mr. Krabs as he scuttled his way out of his office.

Plankton rolled his only eye at his giant nemesis. "Very funny, Krabs. But not the least bit clever."

"Just what in the barnacles are ye doin' here anyways, Plankton? If it's your latest lame attempt at stealin' me formula, forget it. I put it in a new hiding place; a place you'd never think to look." Mr. Krabs smiled with satisfaction as he placed his claws behind his back.

"Yeah, great idea hiding it in the septic tank, Mr. K! He'd never think to look in there," said SpongeBob. Gee, it seemed this day was one of SpongeBob's days where he thought and acted more like his best friend Patrick.

Mr. Krabs slapped his claw against his eyes in frustration with his employee.

"Heh, heh! Way to go, SpongeBoob. But I actually didn't come here to steal the formula today," Plankton explained.

Mr. Krabs peered down at him questioningly. "Then what are ye doin' here?"

Plankton shrugged, looking bored. "I just like to see my worst enemy get robbed of his precious cash on a boring day." A small smile crept up onto his face.

Mr. Krabs stared blankly. "Can't say I'm surprised."

Just then, Patrick entered the building, wearing his usual, clueless expression.

SpongeBob waved to him. "Hey, Patrick! What brings you here?"

Patrick shrugged. "Oh, you know, boredom." He looked around at all the empty seats and lack of people.

"Looks like the Krusty Krab is bored, too," he said.

"And it looks like Squidward has had his fill of buffoonery today," said Squidward in a sarcastic tone.

"Uh, Squidward, why are you talking in the third person?" asked SpongeBob.

"Yeah, what kind of weirdo does that?" asked Patrick.

"Oh, I. Give. Up." Squidward threw his tentacles in the air.

"Plankton, the stove," said Karen, her tone of voice similar to that of an annoying, nagging mother.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh. Just let me relax and unwind a bit," said Plankton, resting his back against Karen's wheels.

"You've been relaxing all day," she said, losing her patience.

"And you've been annoying me all day, but ya don't hear me complaining." He placed his hands behind his head and smiled.

Karen rolled her green, pixilated eyes at her frustrating spouse. For someone so small, he sure was a big handful.

"Oh, you're all so weird! I'm gonna go hang out at the mall," said Pearl, getting up from her seat. But before she could exit, her cheapskate father stretched his claw as far as he could and gripped her shoulder.

"Uh-uh, you ain't goin' anywhere today, darlin'. Not as long as I ain't gettin' me customers."

"But daddy, that's not fair!" she argued.

"No customers, no money. No money, no mall. Now do ye understand?" he smiled as if nothing was wrong.

"Oh, fine. I guess I'll just have to stay here and do nothing all day," Pearl felt frustrated and disappointed. She crossed her flippers over her chest.

SpongeBob, being the kind, supportive friend that he was, approached her. "Aw, cheer up, Pearl. It isn't so bad. Why, there are lots of things to do around here that are fun," he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" she asked, skeptical.

SpongeBob thought hard. "Well, there's… " he looked over at Squidward, who wore his 'I couldn't care less' expression. Nope, no answers out of him.

SpongeBob continued to think. "You could… " he then glanced at Patrick, who was sitting at a table, drooling.

"T-there's always…" he saw Plankton and Mr. Krabs glaring and gritting their teeth at each other.

"…Hm, I guess… There really isn't much to do today." SpongeBob felt defeated, which was very unlike him.

"See? Even SpongeBob knows how boring it is!" exclaimed Pearl.

"Oh, my. What a tragedy." Squidward was just as dull and sarcastic as ever.

"Well, when you have a failing business, everything else starts to fall by the wayside. Maybe people just aren't interested in Krabby Patties anymore… Maybe someone should get the secret formula and take over the wor- I mean, keep it safe until further notice… " said Plankton, glancing nonchalantly at his nemesis.

"Nice try, Plankton." Mr. Krabs cocked a brow at him.

"Well, I tried."

"And failed. Again," said Karen, annoying her husband.

"Don't worry, guys. Things will get brighter soon, you'll see," said SpongeBob, trying his best to make everyone feel better, just like he always did.

Squidward scoffed. "Heh, sure. Who knows? Maybe you'll fall into a deep, dark hole and never be seen again. Ah, what a blissful day that would be."

"That's the spirit, Squidward!" SpongeBob cheered. Squidward rolled his eyes at the cluelessness of his neighbor.

Oh, what were a bunch of sea creatures to do on such a lifeless summer day?

"Afternoon, folks!" a familiar Texan voice sounded.

SpongeBob's ears, (or whatever it was that he had), perked up at the sound of her voice.

"Sandy!" he greeted, turning around to look at her with a big smile.

"Howdy, SpongeBob! What are y'all up to today?" she asked the room.

"Losin' money."

"Not having fun at the mall."

"Regretting my life decisions."

"I'm hungry."

"Planning to annihilate each and every one of you."

Everyone in the room turned and stared at Plankton.

"…What? You should all be used to the idea by now."

"Any-who," Sandy started, noticing how dead the place was. "Golly, this place looks like it was hit by a ghost,"

"Ghost? Where?! HIDE ME!" said Patrick, jumping underneath a table and trembling.

"No, Patrick. She just means it's dead in here," SpongeBob explained.

"That's even worse!" said Patrick.

"How come no one has come here to eat today?" asked Sandy.

Mr. Krabs scuttled his way over with a sigh. "I ain't sure. All I know is I'm losin' money! So… much… money… " he felt a dizzy spell hit him at the thought.

Sandy, realizing how bored everyone was, looked down at her watch. "Well, it'll be closin' time in a few hours, there's no point in lookin' out for any customers. So, I have a suggestion."

"Whatever it is, it better make my life less miserable," Squidward said depressingly.

Sandy was a bit weirded out by his mood. Then again, this was Squidward.

"Well, there ain't no guarantee it'll solve all your problems, but it should give you people somethin' to do," she said.

"What is it, Sandy?" asked SpongeBob.

The smart scientist went on to explain how she was packed and ready to head out on her yearly summer camping trip to Lost Kelp Forest, a forest that was miles and miles long and deep, with lots of wildlife, trees, and even a volcano nearby.

"Are you suggesting we go camping with you?" asked Squidward, cocking a brow at the squirrel.

"Sure! It'll be fun. We can hang out by a campfire, tell scary stories, do some star-gazin', sounds amazing, don't it?" she asked, looking around at everyone hopefully.

"Will we be bringing food?" asked Patrick. Of course, that was all he could think about.

Sandy smiled. "Nope. Ya just eat whatever nature has to offer."

Patrick crossed his arms over his chest like a child. "Then forget it."

"Oh, come on, Patrick! It could be fun. Besides, you're bored, remember?" asked SpongeBob, smiling goofily at his friend.

Patrick showed his baby tooth smile. "Oh, yeah," he chuckled.

Sandy placed her hands on her hips and smiled. "So, what do ya say then?"

Mr. Krabs rubbed the back of his shell. "Well, I suppose there ain't no point in hangin' around in an empty restaurant. What do ye say, daughter Pearl?"

His whale offspring shrugged. "I mean, I guess. But we'd better bring lots of bug repellant; I just washed my hair!"

Mr. Krabs smiled. "What about you, Mr. Squidward?"

Squidward stared blankly. "Just keep me away from tweedle dumb and tweedle extra dumb, and things should go smoothly."

SpongeBob was excited. "Yay! What about you, Plankton? Do you and Karen want to join in on the fun- "

Mr. Krabs pinched his employees' lips with his sharp claw. Ouch! "SpongeBob, what are ye tryin' to do? Make me lose my sanity with that bacteria?"

"I heard that," said Plankton, who was not amused.

"Oh, give it a chance, Mr. Krabs. After all, if Plankton comes along, he won't be able to steal the formula," SpongeBob smiled reassuringly.

"That's what you think, but I have my ways," said Plankton, rubbing his hands together evilly.

Mr. Krabs could feel the anger rising inside of him. "And I have my own ways of disinfectin' germs," he glared, catching Plankton off guard.

"Alright, alright. I'll behave. What do you think, honeybunch?" he looked up at his wife for an answer.

"It sounds like a nice idea, but what if we lose each other?" asked Karen.

Sandy waved her off. "Aw, don't worry, Karen. As long as we make an effort to stick together, no one will get lost."

"Too bad," Squidward said under his breath. Too bad indeed. He was hoping maybe his yellow neighbor would get lost… Literally. Forever.

"Well, I think it's safe to say we're all in, darlin'," Mr. Krabs said with a smile.

"Yee-haw! This has got me all riled up!" Sandy exclaimed, making an enthusiastic gesture with her arm.

Her demeanor made SpongeBob feel all tingly inside; he just loved it when she got all excited!

Patrick noticed something was off. "Hey, SpongeBob, you've got something in your eye,"

"I do?" he asked dreamily. He then turned around towards a window and saw the reflection of his pupils. They had become pink and heart-shaped.

SpongeBob shrieked and nervously rubbed his eyes. "S-sounds like a plan, Sandy. I'll go home and help Gary pack!" he ran for the exit.

Sandy turned and looked at all of them. "What's the matter with him?"

"Everything," said Squidward.