SpongeBob's Sleepy Day

It was 9 o'clock on a Sunday night, and SpongeBob was supposed to be getting ready for bed.

"Gary," SpongeBob said to his pet snail, "I know I should go to sleep, but I just want to finish building this card house first!"

Gary meowed, which meant "You have work tomorrow."

"I know, I know! Just five more minutes!"

But five minutes turned into ten minutes, which turned into twenty minutes. Soon SpongeBob was reading comic books, reorganizing his spatula collection, and practicing his bubble blowing.

"Okay, NOW I'll go to bed," SpongeBob said, looking at the clock. It was 11:30 PM.

But then he remembered he hadn't picked out his work clothes for tomorrow. And he needed to polish his shoes. And maybe practice his laugh one more time.

When SpongeBob finally crawled into bed, it was almost 1 o'clock in the morning.

"That's okay," SpongeBob yawned. "I'll still get plenty of sleep!"

But he didn't.

When his alarm went off at 6 AM, SpongeBob felt terrible. His eyes were heavy, his body was tired, and he definitely didn't feel ready to make Krabby Patties.

"I don't want to get up," SpongeBob groaned, hitting the snooze button.

Gary meowed loudly, trying to wake him.

"Just five more minutes, Gary..."

SpongeBob finally dragged himself out of bed and trudged to the Krusty Krab, yawning the whole way.

"Morning, SpongeBob!" Mr. Krabs said cheerfully. "Ready for another beautiful day of—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," SpongeBob mumbled grumpily.

Mr. Krabs and Squidward both stared in shock. SpongeBob was NEVER grumpy in the morning.

"SpongeBob," Squidward said carefully, "are you... feeling okay?"

"I'm FINE!" SpongeBob snapped. "Can everyone just leave me alone so I can cook?"

He stomped over to the grill and started making Krabby Patties, but his movements were slow and clumsy. He dropped a spatula, forgot to add pickles to an order, and put the buns on upside down.

"SpongeBob, you're making mistakes," Mr. Krabs said worriedly. "That's not like you!"

"I SAID I'M FINE!" SpongeBob yelled, rubbing his tired eyes.

As the lunch rush started, SpongeBob got more and more exhausted. His eyes kept drooping shut, and he couldn't stop yawning.

"Just... need to... flip this patty..." SpongeBob mumbled, his eyes closing.

His head slowly tilted forward, lower and lower, until—

"YEOWWW!" SpongeBob screamed, jumping back from the grill.

He had fallen asleep standing up and burned his forehead on the hot grill!

"SpongeBob!" Squidward rushed over with ice. "Your head!"

Mr. Krabs turned off the grill immediately. "That's it, boy! You're taking a break!"

SpongeBob sat down, holding ice to his burned forehead, and started to cry. "I'm sorry, Mr. Krabs! I stayed up too late last night and now I'm tired and grouchy and I burned myself!"

"Why didn't you go to bed on time?" Mr. Krabs asked gently.

"I kept procrastinating," SpongeBob sniffled. "I said 'just five more minutes' over and over, and then it was really late."

"Well," Mr. Krabs said, "I think you learned an important lesson today. Getting enough sleep isn't just about feeling good - it's about being safe too."

"You're right," SpongeBob said sadly, touching his sore forehead. "I'll never stay up late on a work night again."

Mr. Krabs sent SpongeBob home early to rest. When he got back to his pineapple, SpongeBob went straight to bed, even though it was still afternoon.

"You were right, Gary," SpongeBob said, climbing under his covers. "I should have listened to you last night."

Gary meowed, which meant "I told you so, but I still love you."

And SpongeBob slept all afternoon and all night, dreaming of perfectly cooked Krabby Patties and the importance of bedtime.

The End.