But Burger Beard was cunning. He opened the magic notebook and began to write: “ And then, all the heroes turned into pickles. ”
“Patrick,” he said, “we’re not in Bikini Bottom anymore. The rules don’t apply.”
He looked at Patrick. Patrick, even as a pickle, gave him a goofy, confused thumbs-up.
“Burger Beard,” SpongeBob whispered, recognizing the face from the storybook Mr. Krabs kept in the safe.
Then SpongeBob had an epiphany. He looked down at his own hands—hands that had flipped a billion patties, washed a billion dishes, and never once held a real weapon.