Hey again, everyone. So, this is just another one-shot I've had going through my head for a while. It's a bit different than my other stories because it's my first attempt at a mystery-type story. And It might be quite lengthy, so hang tight.

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

Gary's Mysterious Sunday

Ah, Sunday. The day that every living creature got to relax and do whatever they pleased. Squidward would catch up on his beauty sleep, Mr. Krabs counted all his money (which he did on a regular basis anyway), Patrick watched his superhero movies, and SpongeBob was usually down in the dumps due to the fact that it was his day off; which meant no work at his beloved Krusty Krab.

However, on this particular Sunday, the sponge decided to just take it easy on himself and read a book. Despite getting a full night's sleep, his eyes still grew tired from reading, and he fell asleep in the red chair that sat in his living room.

He lay there, the book draped open over his lap and his head tilted back as he snored away. Little did he know, his little troublemaker of a pet snail, Gary, was quietly making his way through the living room with some secret items hidden inside of his shell.

He slithered inch by inch towards the front door, stopping every few seconds to peek at his owner. As he continued, he accidentally ran into SpongeBob's foot, causing him to stir.

"Hmmm… get away, nematodes. Stay away from my socks…" he mumbled.

Gary bit his lip. "I shouldn't be moving this close to him. What was I thinking anyway? His feet reek!" he thought, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

He finally managed to reach the front door and disappeared, leaving the door slightly ajar. This wasn't the first time the snail had left the house. In fact, he'd been disappearing from about twelve noon to six in the evening every Sunday for the past month or so. Sometimes he'd tell his porous owner, sometimes he wouldn't. And when he would, he'd come up with just a clever enough excuse for SpongeBob to believe. SpongeBob was easy-going, so of course, he'd believe his pet when he'd say he went out to get a haircut, despite not having a single hair on his slimy body.

After a few moments, the purple shell-phone began bouncing with rings, waking the sponge from his slumber.

"HUH? Oh, tartar sauce; I was just about to take a bite of that juicy Krabby Patty," he said aloud, bitter from being awoken from his peaceful dream. He reached over to the little table and answered the phone.

"SquarePants speaking," he said, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Well, aren't we formal today?" said a familiar Texan accent on the other end.

SpongeBob smiled at the sound of that voice. "Oh, hey, Sandy! How goes it?"

"Oh, it's goin' alright. I just finished bandaging up one of my robot's knees; poor contraption took quite a fall while on them roller skates," she explained, kneeling in front of the robot's leg, smoothing a band-aid over its knee.

SpongeBob was quite puzzled by her response. "Huh… that's funny, I thought robots don't get cut or wounded,"

"They do with the way I build 'em. I like my inventions to feel pain," she grinned, the aggressiveness evident in her tone.

SpongeBob gulped and sat up straight. "Heh, heh… t-that's real nice, Sandy."

"So, when do ya reckon is a good time for me to come over for our session?" she asked.

"S-session? OH, you mean our ka-ra-te session!"

Sandy scoffed. "Duh! Of course. Y'all can't remember nothin' no more, can ya?" she shook her head.

"Can, too! I remembered to floss this morning," he said smugly.

"Did ya remember to brush before that?" she cocked a brow.

He scratched his head in embarrassment. "Fish-paste… " he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, hahaha. Today's my day off, so any time is a good time."

"Alrighty then! I'll be there quicker than a pony on a train," she said with enthusiasm.

"Yeah! Wait, what?"

"Bye!" she hung up.

SpongeBob stared down at the phone. "I swear, sometimes squirrels make no sense."

The sponge stood up from the chair and headed upstairs to fetch his protective karate gear. Once inside his bedroom, he noticed the room was oddly quiet. He peeked out from behind his closet door after finding his gear.

"Gare? Are you in here?" he asked, his blue eyes searching every corner of the room. "Gary? Are we playing hide and seek?" he smiled. He got down on his knees and looked under the mattress.

"AH HA- Oh… hmm, where could he be?" he stood up. For the next few minutes, he searched every area of the house, finding no sign of his pet.

He now stood in the middle of the living room. "GARY THE SNAIL! This game is not funny anymore. Come out right now, mister, or no scary movie tonight!" he spoke sternly, his hands placed on his hips.

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

"Psshh, what? No, "Meow, meow? No, 'go play hide and seek with Tubby'? Huh! Gary, I'm going to get to the bottom of this, even if I have to break down a door-AHHHH!" he screeched as the front door busted open, the sound of it hitting the wall mixed in with a "HI-YAH!"

There stood Sandy in the doorway with her protective gloves over her hands. "Howdy, partner! I hope you're ready for a whoopin'," she said, smiling at him.

SpongeBob stood with his knees shaking and his lips quivering.

"Jeez, y'all act like you've seen a ghost. Has the Flyin' Dutchmen been around these parts?"

"N-no. I'm just not used to people breaking down the door, is all," he tried to calm himself.

"Ya think you would be after all the times Patrick's gone crazy, accusin' you of stealin' his pink frosted doughnuts." They stared at each other for a moment.

"You've got a point there." He said.

She stepped inside. "Well, me almost breakin' the door off the hinges aside, you look like somethin' else is bothering you," she said.

He sighed. "It's Gary. I think he left while I was napping in the chair. This is the fourth time he's snuck out of the house, and it always seems to be on Sundays," he shook his head.

"Well, maybe he's got a girlfriend," she said, shrugging.

SpongeBob scoffed. "Psshh, I sure hope not. He should know better after what happened the last time he liked another snail. He just refuses to stay a bachelor," he said, rolling his eyes.

Sandy resisted the urge to question the strange conversations between the sponge and the snail. "You said he sneaks out every Sunday?" she asked.

"Mm-hm," he replied.

"For how long?"

"Mmm… usually somewhere around noon to Neptune knows when."

She peered. "Hmmm…. Sounds a little suspicious."

SpongeBob became worried. "Suspicious? How suspicious? Y-you don't think my Gary is involved in any…" he gulped, "crimes, do you?"

"Ya never know, little buddy. Sometimes even the most innocent lookin' of critters can be hidin' a dark side," she spoke menacingly, causing the sponge to flinch in fright.

"G-gee, m-my Gary wouldn't do anything like that… would he?" he trembled.

"That's what I think we should find out. We gotta follow him and investigate." She said.

"But he left before I woke up, how are we gonna find him?"

"Easy, he's a snail, he leaves slime trails."

"Ohhhh… haha, I forgot about that." He said, chuckling. Sandy rolled her eyes. How could he forget such a thing? He was his snail, after all.

~French Narrator~

"Two hours of snail-searching later."

The two went out on a quest to find the little sneaky and secretive snail. They managed to find and follow a long, long trail of sticky clear slime that led them to a place they could've never imagined finding.

The sky had grown menacing and dark with heavy clouds, thunder booming throughout the depths of the water. The sounds were so frightening, SpongeBob had clung to his fearless friend a few times out of fear, jumping on her back. She rolled her eyes at his lack of courage. She'd call him a chicken, but that would be an insult… to chickens.

"Gosh, where is this place he's gone to? It feels like we've been walking for miles," said SpongeBob, taking in the dark and creepy surroundings.

"That's because we have been walking for miles, SpongeBob. It's no wonder he's gone for so many hours, and he slithers real slow, too. I feel bad for his underbelly," she winced at the thought.

As thunder continued to boom, they entered further and further into a dark and mysterious landscape. The kelp surrounding them only grew taller and thicker as they followed the trail. Strange sounds from unseen creatures could be heard.

Slurp, slurp

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" SpongeBob gasped, clinging to Sandy's side.

She patted him on the back. "Now, now, don't get your tie in a knot. It's probably just a little scallop," she said reassuringly.

Snap, crackle

"D-do scallops break twigs?" he trembled.

The sound got closer and louder. "I ain't sure, but we're about to find out… " she said. They both backed away.

Out of nowhere came a single nematode. "AHHH-huh?" they screamed simultaneously. They stared down at the little creature as it chomped away on a piece of dry coral, attempting to suck juice out of it that it didn't have.

"Ugh, nematodes. Didn't you guys get enough to drink after you sucked up my house?" said SpongeBob, his hands placed on his hips.

"Uh, wasn't that a really long time ago, SpongeBob?" asked Sandy, cocking a brow.

"Yes, but you'd think that would tie them over. That was an awfully big glass of pineapple juice for them." He crossed his arms over his chest.

A little while later, the two were exhausted from their walk. The kelp had become so thick, Sandy had to karate chop her way through the brush.

"Must… find… Gare…" SpongeBob said breathlessly as he hunched over, his hands on his knees.

"Don't-HI-YAH! Worry. We're almost-HI-YAH! There. I can-UGH! Feel it," said Sandy, grunting as she chopped down the kelp.

"Oh, what's the use, Sandy? My little Gare is nowhere to be found. He probably got lost while he and his cronies were looking for a spot to bury the body," he said, his eyes welling up with tears.

Sandy looked back at him. "SpongeBob, we haven't proven if he's committed any crimes yet; let alone killed someone."

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but I watch crime stories on TV every night. It always ends up this way. Oh, why'd you have to turn to a life of filth and darkness? Weren't you happy just being a pet? WHY'D YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DIRTY, ROTTEN, DISGUSTING EXCUSES FOR PEOPLE- "

Slap

She slapped him across the face with the back of her hand. "Get ahold of yourself, SpongeBob! We're gonna find him. Now, stop thinking your snail is a murderer," said Sandy, grabbing him by the arms and shaking him.

"B-but you said even the most innocent of creatures have a 'dark side'. And you spoke in a creepy, dark voice, like this… " he said, imitating the low tone of voice she had used while he wiggled his fingers.

Sandy sighed. "I gotta learn to keep my big mouth shut." She mumbled under her breath through gritted teeth.

"Well, what do we do now, Sandy?" he asked. His tone of voice showing how lost and desperate he felt.

She turned her back on him. "There's only one thing we can do: keep lookin' till we find that little varmint. HI-YAH! He can't be-HUUGGHH! That far away-HAH! Now," she said, continuing to chop her way through the thick kelp.

Finally, after one more chop and grunt, the pathway was clear. The sight before them was one of true fright and mystery. They stood in awe of a massive, dark, and abandoned-looking mansion. The structure was covered in old kelp, its six large windows foggy and covered in cobwebs. The large, mahogany-colored front door appeared heavy and thick, with a door knocker that was in the shape of a ghostly looking face. And to make things even more unsettling, the heavy clouds cast a shadow over the massive building, creating an overwhelming aura of unwelcomeness and fear.

SpongeBob and Sandy stared up at the structure before them, unsure whether this was such a good idea or not.

"Well, this is where his tracks lead…" said Sandy.

SpongeBob gulped. "Y-yeah… seems like there's no way out of it… " they glanced at each other.

"You go ahead, I'm right behind ya." She said.

He shook his head slowly. "Nuh-uh, ladies first."

Sandy gulped, took in a deep breath, and walked past him.

They made their way to the front door. The door knocker had seemed lower on the door from where they stood just a few moments before… it was almost as if it had moved up higher in that short period of time.

They looked up at it. SpongeBob stretched his arms as far as he could, grunting as he stood on his tiptoes. "I… can't… reach it… " he exhaled heavily as he gave up.

"Here," said Sandy, turning around and hunching over in front of him.

He looked puzzled. "Uh… Sandy, what are you doing?"

"Hop on my shoulders so you can reach it," she said.

"Are you sure?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend you didn't jump on my back earlier every time that dang thunder boomed."

He felt embarrassed at the memory and did as she said. He reached up while on her shoulders and banged the knocker against the wood as hard as he could.

The door creaked open, startling the two. "Whoa… WHOA!" Sandy cried out, tumbling to the ground.

They both sat up, shaking their heads rapidly. They peered inside at the darkness that peeked through the door. A cold chill could be felt around them as an eerie silence filled the air.

Suddenly, it began raining down on the two. "Yuck, let's go inside before we get wet," said SpongeBob. He then looked over at her to see her giving him a strange look.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot… we're… underwater… haha…" he chuckled awkwardly.

After dusting themselves off, they cautiously made their way in. Once inside, they took in the dark and haunting surroundings. They stood in the entryway, staring out into what appeared to be a massive living room full of old, dusty furniture. A large, dimly lit chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the dark-red colored walls. Over in the center of the room was a fireplace, with a large picture of a fish-lady hanging above it. She wore a puffy, lavender-colored dress with her hair put up in an elegant bun. She sat up straight in a chair, her fins clasped together over her lap. And her facial expression was as stone-cold as a pile of bricks.

SpongeBob gulped. "Sure is creepy in here… "

"I'll say…" Sandy replied.

"Why would Gary want to come to a place like this?" he asked.

"Who knows? We both know that critter's got some weird habits. So, this honestly doesn't surprise me much."

Slam!

The two turned around and gasped at the front door that had closed on its own. They looked at each other, eyes wide with shock.

"Dahaha. Must be the draft in here…" he laughed nervously.

They began wandering around the room. Sandy slid her hand along the old grey-colored settee, collecting a thick layer of dust over her white glove. "Golly, didn't anybody ever bother to clean around here?"

Meanwhile, SpongeBob slowly stepped up to the picture of the fish-lady. He stared up at it in awe. "Wow… Sandy, do you think she's pretty?" he asked.

She walked up. "Why, sure. She's just as pretty as a field of- "

The lady's green eyes began glowing. "Colorful… flowers… " Sandy finished. They began backing away as the glowing eyes melted out of the lady's head, like two scoops of melting ice cream.

"I guess maybe she ain't been takin' care of herself…" said Sandy, trying to make light of the disturbing situation.

"I think we should look elsewhere, don't you think?" asked SpongeBob, desperate to leave the area.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," she replied, following behind him.

They wandered around some more until they found a large white door.

"This must be the kitchen," said Sandy. She leaned towards the swinging door, pushing it open and walking inside.

The kitchen was the biggest one either of them had ever seen. The floor was made of pure white tile that obviously hadn't been swept in years (maybe even centuries). The walls were made of tiny little squares of dark-blue tile. The sink dripped with excess water that hit the pile of wooden dishes that sat in it. The old wood-burning stove sat in a corner, a scratched-up frying-pan sitting on top of it. And a beige-colored island sat in the middle of the room, with old, dusty spoons, pots and pans sprawled out all over the counter.

SpongeBob stepped up to one of the wooden cabinets. "I wonder what kind of food these people ate," he wondered. He opened the door to reveal a dozen spiders crawling out from it. He gasped.

Sandy came up to him, picking up one of the old tin cans that sat on a shelf. She read the label. "Precooked coral, apparently." She said.

"Gross, I always preferred freeze-dried coral," he said.

Whoosh

The two turned around upon hearing the strange noise. Their eyes searched the room. "Maybe it's the house settling?" he said.

Sandy shook her head. "That'd be awful strange. It seems like this place has had plenty of time to settle. And besides, since when does a house go whoosh when it settles?" she cocked a brow at him.

"Oh, you'd be surprised. I hear weird whooshing sounds coming from Patrick's rock all the time," he replied.

"That's probably him flushin' the toilet, SpongeBob." She rolled her eyes.

SpongeBob got down on one knee. "Maybe Gary's hiding in here…" he opened one of the lower cabinets that belonged to the island.

"AHH!" he screamed.

"What is it?!" she asked.

"S-s-s-s-s- "

"Spit it out, SpongeBob!"

"S-SEVERED HEAD!" he pointed as he stood back up. She bent down, spotting the 'severed' fish head that had curly black hair and thick eyelashes. She picked it up and held it out in front of her.

"EW! Sandy, put that thing down, you don't know where it's been!"

She stared blankly at him. "It's the head of a doll, SpongeBob. Probably one of them old porcelain dolls."

His expression softened. "Oh… haha, I heard some people collect those." He smiled.

After a few minutes, the two left the kitchen and found a very long, twisted staircase. They stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the darkness that enveloped the upper parts of the stairs.

"Well, we've searched the livin' room and kitchen… I guess it's time to head up there…" she said, feeling nervous.

"Aw, why do we have to go up there next? This place is huge! I'm sure there are tons of other unexplored areas that aren't as…" he took another look at the darkness and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Interestingly frightening… I think I'll go search those places." He spoke quickly and tried to run off. She grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Come on, SpongeBob. Ya can't be a scaredy-cat."

He cocked a brow at her. "Don't you mean a scaredy snail?" he questioned.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, scaredy-snail. That little critter could be anywhere in this house, even up there." She said, pointing up at the darkness.

"We've gotta find him. He's probably lost and alone up there," she said.

"You're right, Sandy. I don't want my little Gare to get eaten up by this monstrosity of a house. He needs to come home, safe and sound with me… " he pounded his fist into his palm, then paused.

"Or… maybe I should take him to the police station first. You know, in case they need to question him about the crime scene." He said.

"Why did I get him started on this?" she asked herself.

They cautiously proceeded up the old stairs, the wood creaking beneath their feet with each step. After what seemed like ten minutes of walking, they finally made it to the top, both out of breath.

"Man, whoever lived here must've been in real good shape; that was a dang workout!" she said.

There were two different long stretches of the hallway, both ends of them appearing dark and dreary. The two glanced at each other. "I think we should split up. I'll go this way, you go that way," said Sandy, beginning to walk off.

"Wait!" he said, grabbing onto her tail. She turned around and glared at him.

He dropped her tail. "Heh, heh, sorry. Listen, Sandy, are you sure it's such a good idea if we split up? W-what if we lose each other?" he asked.

"We can't worry about that, SpongeBob. We've gotta focus on findin' that critter. Besides, we can't get lost that easily; we're in the same building, for corn's sake," she argued.

SpongeBob thought about it. "Well… okay, if you say so. But I'm just warning you, I've gotten lost in my own closet before," he said, shuddering.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" she wondered aloud, then shook her head, proceeding down the right end of the long hallway.

SpongeBob watched her disappear. He then turned around, staring down the long, deep and dark hall where anything and everything could be hiding. Who knew what was in those shadows that weren't lit by the dim candlelight?

He gulped. Okay, SpongeBob. Remember why you're here; to find where Gary is and bring him home safely… and then PUNISH him for sneaking out to such a dangerous place! he shook with anger.

He took in a deep breath and slowly walked down the hall where he could possibly meet his doom.

Drip, drip, drip

He paused, feeling droplets of water hit the top of his head. He slowly looked up. There apparently was a hole in the ceiling and it seemed that the rain was making its way through.

He sighed with relief and continued walking. After a minute, he stopped in front of a dark wooden door. Assuming it had to be a bedroom, he slowly turned the old-fashioned-looking doorknob and the door creaked open.

"Gare?... are you in here?... Gare?" he stepped inside the neatly kept room. There sat a bed with a white lace blanket and the body of a headless doll slumped against the pillow. He gasped once again.

"Oh… Hey, miss? We found your head downstairs in the kitchen! Hahaha… ha… ha…" he rubbed his arm nervously.

"Gary, I know you're in here somewhere… we followed your tracks all the way here, you can't hide from us." He suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of fear and dread wash over him as he backed up towards the dark-brown, wooden armoire.

The door to the armoire creaked open, causing him to freeze. "G-Gary? I-is that you?" he slowly turned around, not knowing what to expect.

He felt relieved when he noticed it was just another doll sitting up on a shelf. He smiled. "Phew, for a second there, I thought I was dead meat."

"That can be arranged." A creepy voice spoke as the doll suddenly turned to look at him.

"AHHHHH!" he screamed, backing out of the room quickly, stumbling in the process.

He panted. "S-Sandy? Sandy, where are you?"

"Right here- "

"AHHHHH!" he screamed once again, grabbing an old mop bucket and placing it over his head. He crouched to the floor, trembling.

Sandy rolled her eyes. She grabbed him by the arms, pulling him up. "Will you stop screamin'?! You're gonna wake up the other dolls!"

"Y-you mean there are more creepy talking dolls?!" he asked, pulling the bucket off his head

She jumped in surprise. "How'd you know they talked?"

"I just had a not-so-friendly encounter with one in that room over there," he pointed.

He stood close to her. "Sandy, I've got a really bad feeling about this place. It's cold, it's dark, things move on their own, the dolls talk for crying out loud!" he trembled.

"You're tellin' me. This is confusin' me more and more by the minute why Gary would come to a place like this. This place has gotta be a hundred and fifty years old, at least," she said, looking around the hallway.

"Oh, Sandy, I'm so scared we won't find him," he bit his fingernails.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, SpongeBob. Gary's a smart little guy. If there's danger, he'll know what to do. We'll find him." She spoke in a soft, reassuring tone, which calmed his nerves.

"Okay. But… can we not split up again? This place makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up," he said.

"I thought you didn't have any hair?"

"I don't; that's the weird part."

Sandy shook her head. "Alright, we'll stay together. But we gotta be quiet, we don't wanna disturb any… residents." Her choice of words scared the sponge once again.

The two then proceeded to head down one of the hallways. As they inched their way along, they couldn't help but notice the eerie paintings of men and women hung up all along the walls.

"Whoever lived here must've had a lot of money. Look at the jewels around this gal's neck," said Sandy, pointing at a picture of a ladyfish in a red dress.

"Ooh, if it wasn't so covered in dust and cobwebs, it would probably be so shiny…" said SpongeBob, staring at the diamond necklace around the woman's neck.

As they continued on, they failed to notice the loosening curtain rod on the window they were passing.

Crack, crack

They froze.

"What in tarnation was that?" said Sandy.

Suddenly, the rod came crashing down towards them. They both gasped, grabbing onto one another as they jumped back before the object could hit them.

They stared down at it. "Phew, that was a close one," said SpongeBob.

"Yeah, that must've been loosenin' up for quite some time," Sandy replied.

The two then realized they were holding onto each other in a protective hug. They glanced at one another before they pulled away, both blushing.

After the awkwardness had died down, they continued their search for the snail. "Gary?" called SpongeBob.

"Gary, where are ya, little slimeball?" called Sandy, peeking behind torn drapes.

After a few more minutes of searching, the two stood near the end of the hallway. "Oh, what if this was just a big mistake? We're never gonna find Gary…" SpongeBob spoke hopelessly, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Aw, cheer up, SpongeBob. He has to be here. His trail of slime is unmistakable. We'll find him." Sandy said reassuringly, patting her friend on his back.

He sniffed. "Here I was thinking he was sneaking off to get involved in town gossip. I wasn't expecting this… not in a million years would I have expected this. And what if it's worse? What if this is some secret hideout for him to go to after he's been on a… " his lips quivered, "Killing spree?"

"Oh, come on now. I was just jokin' when I said he might have a 'dark side'. I didn't really mean it. Gary's too innocent and wholesome to ever do a thing like that," said Sandy.

SpongeBob sniffed again. "You really think so?"

She smiled. "Sure. He may be a little troublemaker, but he's a good critter deep down. He was probably just wanderin' along one day and found this place. Maybe he finds it interestin'."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Gary's got a lot of unusual interests. Not to mention he's got a warped sense of humor." He said.

Sandy chuckled awkwardly. "Heh, heh… I-I don't know about that. After all, I was the one who thought it'd be funny to say he had a 'dark side'."

Hiss, hiss

A strange hissing sound could be heard. "S-Sandy, did your suit spring a leak?" asked SpongeBob, tensing up with fear.

"N-no. If that were the case, I'd be flyin' all over the place right now."

"Then… what's that noise?" he asked. The two slowly turned around to see a massive, menacing shadow being cast up on the wall.

The two gasped in fear and backed up against the wall. The hissing only got louder as the shadow neared them.

They held onto each other yet again, both trembling. "W-would this be a good time to use karate on that thing?" asked SpongeBob.

Sandy shook her head. "I'm afraid not, SpongeBob. It looks like this thing might use it on us…"

As the shadow got even closer, SpongeBob clung tighter to her. "Well, I guess this is it… Sandy?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Before we get eaten, there's something I need you to know…"

"What's that?" the hissing became louder. "MAKE IT QUICK, SPONGEBOB!"

He bit his lip and shut his eyes tightly. "I-I've always- "

Before he could say anything more, the source of the shadow appeared. The two opened their eyes to peek. It was… a snail? But it wasn't Gary. This snail had razor-sharp teeth, a purple underbelly, and an orange shell with a blue swirl and neon green spots.

"Huh?" wondered SpongeBob. He slowly stepped towards the creature.

"Be careful, SpongeBob!" warned Sandy.

The snail continued to hiss and gag until it coughed up a hairball.

SpongeBob smiled. "Hey, Sandy, look! He's not a monster, he's just like Gary. And he wasn't hissing at us, he just had a hairball."

"Meow? (Who are you people? Don't you know Sunday is a private day for the club?)" the snail asked.

SpongeBob glanced back at Sandy. "Club?" they asked simultaneously.

The snail rolled his eyes. "Meow (Come on, follow me.)"

The three made their way down towards a massive library, much like the one SpongeBob had in his own house. They stepped inside the room to see mile-high shelves of books, a lit fireplace towards the center of the room, and, the one they'd gone crazy searching all day for, Gary sitting around in a circle with a bunch of other 'cronies.' The snails all had books open in front of them.

"Meow (we have visitors)" said the purple snail. Every one of the creatures looked up at the sponge and squirrel.

"Gary?!" asked SpongeBob, shocked.

Gary peered above his eyeglasses. "Meow? (Papa-Bob? Sandy? Aw, man! I knew you guys were gonna eventually follow me here…)"

"What in the world is all this, Gary?" asked Sandy with great curiosity.

"Meow (I'm a new member of the Mystery Manor Book Club)"

"You mean… you've been sneaking out of the house just so you could read at some creepy old mansion?!" asked SpongeBob, his hands on his hips.

Gary smiled sheepishly. "Meow?... (yes?...)" he waited for his owner's response.

"That… is so… COOL! This place is so creepy. It must be awesome to tell each other scary stories while you're all up here," he spoke excitedly. Sandy rolled her eyes. Of course, he'd approve of such a thing. Right? After all, he did outrageous things himself all the time.

Gary was relieved. "Meow? (so, then you're not mad?)"

"No, of course not, Gare. Although, I would like to know why you didn't just sit and read in the library at home. We've got all the books you could ever need, you know." He smiled.

"Meow (I would, but it just isn't the same without these guys)" he looked around at his snail buddies.

"Aww, I get it. You wanna hang out with your little pals, huh?" asked SpongeBob, his tone of voice similar to that of a baby's.

"Meow (yeah. That, and they don't talk incessantly while I'm trying to read.)"

SpongeBob shook his head. "Ah-ha! There's my little sarcastic snarky-shell."

Gary grinned smugly.

"So, let me get this straight; Y'all have been keepin' a secret book club, risking your lives in some weird, old, abandoned horror house, just so that you could avoid SpongeBob's blabbering?" asked Sandy.

The creatures all looked at each other and nodded.

"Sounds about right. Gary, I might wanna join ya here sometime," she said.

The snail winked at her.

SpongeBob scoffed. "Pssh, you guys are no fun. What good is reading if you can't talk about it?"

"That's what I always say," said a familiar voice.

SpongeBob and Sandy turned around.

"Patrick? What are you doing here?" asked SpongeBob, surprised.

The starfish shrugged as he held a stack of books. "I decided I needed another hobby besides jellyfishing." He smiled.

Sandy leaned in towards SpongeBob. "This don't make no sense. He can't even read the time on the clock," she whispered through the side of her mouth.

"Hey, I heard that!" said Patrick defensively.

"Well, she does have a point, Pat."

Patrick stuck his chin up smugly. "Anybody can learn to read. Ol' Calvin over there has been teaching me. Haven't you, Calvin?" he asked, looking over at the yellow snail with a green shell.

The snail looked up from his book. "Meow (that's true. I just wish we could get past the word 'the'.)"

Sandy bit back a laugh. "Well, we'll leave you bookworms to your 'mysteries.' SpongeBob and I have got a karate session to deal with. See ya, Gary!"

"Meow! (see ya!)"

"Goodbye, Gare! Make sure to watch out for the creepy talking dolls. And come home before your curfew!" said SpongeBob, waving and disappearing out the door.

After the two left, Patrick came and sat down between two of the snails. "Alright, tonight's gonna be good!" he said excitedly, only for his expression to turn serious as a thought occurred to him. "Hey… did anybody hear what he said about talking dolls?"

The snails all glanced at each other. "Meow (okay, onto chapter two.)" Gary meowed, turning the page in his book.

Meanwhile, outside, SpongeBob and Sandy slowly came further and further from the mysterious house.

"Boy, what a day this has been, huh?" asked SpongeBob.

"Well, it's sure been one of the most interestin' days I can remember. And at least the rain stopped." She replied.

"You think Gary will be okay back there? That place was pretty freaky…" he asked, unsure.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Besides, he's got all his little friends for protection. And… Patrick." She said blandly. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up once again.

"Hey, SpongeBob?" she turned to look at him while they walked.

"Hmm?"

"Um, back there, when we thought we were gonna get eaten… you said you had somethin' to tell me."

His pulse sped up. "I-I did?"

She nodded. "Mm-hm. In fact, I could've sworn I heard you say somethin' else… somethin' like… you always…. Oh, what was it that you said afterward?"

He bit his lip in embarrassment. "Uhhh…. That's just it, I didn't say anything after that."

"Well, then what was it that you were gonna say?" oh, boy. She wasn't gonna let this slide.

He racked his brain. "I-I was gonna say… that…" he looked up at her.

"…I'VE ALWAYS PREFERRED MY GRANDMA'S COOKIES OVER YOURS!" he ran.

"What…. YOU TAKE THAT BACK, SQUAREPANTS!" she chased after him.

Yeah, good save, SquarePants.

A/N: And we're done! Lol. Thank you so much for reading.