He didn't understand what the point of such a job was. The pitifully small salary was only enough to support himself, and it was hard to even listen to a top-notch concert. Is it possible to live only to feed yourself?
He doesn't dare to think about the meaning of living, because the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that life is meaningless. He sees life itself as a huge swamp in which he is sinking deeper and deeper.
The only thing that brings him joy is music. He still keeps the habit of playing the harp every day before going to bed. Music heals his tired soul.
When he was young, he wanted to be a world-famous musician, to be on a world-class stage, to be celebrated by millions. But now, earning his daily bread through music is a luxury for him.
The hard work of practicing day in and day out did not bring him a single penny of income, but was met with disbelief and ridicule from his friends and family. He wanted to give up several times, but whenever he picked up the harp to play, he would dismiss the idea.
Perhaps the work itself is meant to be annoying, and what you really like can only last as a hobby?
Today was an ordinary day. He came home from work as usual. The night had long since fallen, but the stars had not appeared, and he was walking home alone.
"I smell the unlucky man."
A strange voice sounded overhead, and he looked up to see a sailboat with a glowing green light hanging overhead. On board stood a bearded man covered in green light.
"Flying Devil!"
Squidward screamed, pulling his legs out and running.
"Don't be afraid, it's my birthday, I won't hurt you."
Squidward continued to run wildly.
"At least hear me out!"
The Flying Devil pooh-poohed. A mouthful of spit flew out of his mouth and flew straight to the back of Squidward's head.
"Touch"
Brother Octopus screamed miserably and fell to the ground.
When Squidward woke up, he found himself lying on the deck of the ghost ship. The Flying Devil was looking at himself kindly.
"Please, don't eat me, I ......"
Squidward fell to his knees and kowtowed, tears and snot pouring from his eyes, and his forehead soon bumped blood.
"If you promise me one thing, I will let you go."
"What ...... thing?"
Squidward asked, shivering.
"I'm going to borrow your body for a day, is that okay?"
Brother Octopus hastened to respectfully agree, "You are too polite, to such a great man as you, want to use it, why ask me? Only do not know what you want to do?"
Thinking that the Flying Devil might use his body for something bad, Squidward couldn't help but feel scared.
"You don't have to care, just say yes, hahaha."
The Flying Devil laughed maniacally several times and turned into a green tornado to drill into Squidward's body.
Brother Octopus felt that his legs and feet were not under control, and he walked towards the north.
I don't know how long he walked, Brother Octopus only felt that his feet had blistered, and when he complained in his mind, he saw a cross made of tree branches.
"Mom, I've come to see you."
He felt his mouth move at the same time he heard the voice of the flying devil ringing in his ears.
He felt his eyes moisten and also heard crying.
The Flying Devil didn't say anything for a long time after he said just that, but Squidward felt a hard-to-conceal grief take over. He saw a blurry image.
A plainly dressed, short, middle-aged woman was holding the Flying Devil in her arms.
There were no words, not even eye contact, only silence and warmth.
Squid brother suddenly thought of his own mother, although each other meet always quarrel, but it seems to have been a long time to meet ah.
I wish I could see her again.
The sun is out, and a new day has come. The flying devil still hasn't left Squidward's body. He left the grave and went to a bakery.
He bought a loaf of bread with Squidward's money and sat in a chair by the window, tearing the bread while leisurely watching the pedestrians outside the window.
Squidward sees one person after another dangle in front of him, but feels a warmth in his heart. He knew this feeling wasn't his own, he never did, it must be what that flying devil was feeling right now.
What a strange feeling!
After eating the last piece of bread, the flying devil will be in the street wandering, here to see, there to see. Finally, he came to the Krusty Krab.
The crab boss stood on the roof of the Krusty Krab, binoculars in hand, and as soon as he saw Squidward, he jumped down from the house, and flew in front of him with an iron face and yelled.
"Squidward, you're already one hour, thirty minutes and five seconds late. Don't go to work yet!"
"Slap." Squidward slapped Mr. Krabs.
"You ......"
Snap
Two more slaps.
"I'm not working today!"
Mr. Krabs covered his face and took a few steps back, pointing one finger at him, shivering with anger: "You ......"
Squidward didn't wait for him to finish, so he turned and walked away.
"You screwed me over!"
Squidward screamed in his mind.
"Haven't you been wanting to do this for a long time?"
Flying Devil's voice sounded again.
"I ...... didn't."
"Come on. There's no need to hide it, I heard your heart a long time ago. Are you eager to be a world-famous musician? Why don't we make a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"I can realize your dream, but as a price, you have to give me your soul, how about that?"
"Without a soul, what good is it even if I realize my dream?"
"Dreams can't be realized, it's useless for you to have an empty soul!"
Squidward was silent. From the current point of view, it is difficult to realize the dream in one's own life, but is it possible to give up one's soul in order to realize the dream?
"I ...... am thinking about it?"
"I'll let you realize your dream first and see."
The Flying Devil's laughter swirled around his brain for a long time.
As the laughter faded, Squidward found himself back at home, the moon shining brightly outside his window.
"Try playing the flute."
The Flying Devil's voice rang in his ears. The person, however, did not show up.
Squidward did as he said, took out his harp and blew.
Just blowing out a tone, already feel the melody is beautiful and beautiful, with the usual is very different.
As he continued to play, he closed his eyes and became intoxicated.
When the song was finished, there was thunderous applause all around.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was on a golden stage.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was on a golden stage, the stage of the world's greatest concerts.
He looked at himself. He was wearing a bright and colorful suit, and the harp in his hand was black and shiny. They were all expensive designer labels.
The audience closed their eyes, mesmerized by his music. His name was held high in the air by a row of beautiful girls, their faces beaming with excitement and thrill.
The show ended. Hordes of fans trying to flood the stage were stopped by suited and booted bodyguards.
He got into a black stretch Lincoln surrounded by many bodyguards. The car had a large screen in-car TV and even an in-car refrigerator.
As soon as he got in the car, the driver in the front asked without looking back, "Sir, is it the same place tonight?"
"The usual place?"
Squidward was pondering what the old place was. The Ferrari has started.
When the stretch Lincoln came to a stop, Squidward hadn't realized what kind of place he'd be in.
But he no longer had to think.
The beautiful Octopus women themselves opened the door for him and, in twos and threes, swarmed him into a nine-story hotel.
All Squidward could sense was the scent of women's perfume and whiskey.
His eyes couldn't see, so he closed them and let himself be passed lightly.
He had not been so content since birth.
"How was it? Not bad."
The voice of the Flying Devil sounded in his head.
He nodded his head vigorously, unable to stop the smile at the corners of his mouth.
"One minute left, grab it and enjoy!"
One minute?
He winced as if struck by lightning.
"Why is it so short?"
"This is just the experience version, you haven't given me your soul yet?"
"Can I really have this forever?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll ......"
Squidward was about to agree. Instead, there was a heavy tap on his shoulder.
"Hey, Squidward, do you recognize me?"
Surprisingly, it was SpongeBob's voice.
He opened his eyes and saw SpongeBob.
He was dressed as a courier and had a box of Krabby Patties at his feet. He still had the same look, looking goofy and out of place with the people around him.
"Why don't you go to work and come here for what? Just go back quickly. Mr. Krabs isn't mad at you. The store is too busy for us without you."
Go back? Continue to be a silent cashier?
Squidward thought it was funny.
"I'm not going back!"
"Not going back?"
"Don't you see? I'm not what I used to be? That I'm popular? There are so many people here who like me."
"So many people? Here?"
SpongeBob looked around suspiciously, like he couldn't see the beautiful women around him.
"Squidward, what's wrong with you? It's just me and you here, huh?"
"What?"
Squidward froze, and after a moment, he took a bottle of whiskey handed to him by one of the bargirls and knocked it into SpongeBob's head.
"How could that be!"
SpongeBob was actually knocked into a million pieces.
"What's going on?"
He froze.
"He's just a demon in your mind. Don't think about him and quickly offer your soul to me."
The flying devil's voice floated through the air again.
"Did you just see a yellow square?"
Squidward asked one of the wenches beside him.
The girl smiled and shook her head.
Squidward rubbed his nose and laughed.
"Must have been my eyes."
"Squidward, wake up!"
He heard SpongeBob's voice again, and this time didn't see him. It just felt like his body was shaking, as if he was being pushed by a pair of invisible hands.
"Hurry up and agree."
The flying devil was urging.
"I ......"
Squidward was at a loss for words.
"Squidward! Squidward!"
SpongeBob was still calling.
"Will I ever see SpongeBob and the others again?"
"Of course. You've just changed your identity, they're still in your world. Feel free to look for them whenever you want."
"Then ......"
Squidward was about to agree when he suddenly received a slap on the face. This was followed by a succession of slaps.
He was suddenly dizzy and gradually passed out.
When he woke up, he was lying on a bench in the Krusty Krab's office.
"What am I ......"
He covered his reddened cheek and froze, looking at Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob.
"I saw you passed out on the street, blue in the face, so I brought you to the Krusty Krab. Mr. Krabs said you were possessed, so ......"
"I fainted?"
Without answering, Mr. Krabs asked, "Did you meet a flying devil?"
Squidward nodded.
"Did he say he could fulfill your dream, but in exchange for your soul?"
"Yes."
"It's a good thing I saved you, have you forgotten the horrific prophecy of Bikini Bottom? That the devil who wanders the dark night deceives ignorant beings from time to time, using dreams as bait to devour souls?"
"This ......"
SpongeBob snaps to reply, "This I know, it is recorded in the twenty-ninth entry of the Bikini Bottom Book of Mysteries."
Mr. Krabs grimaced, "It's a good thing I hit it just in time or your soul would have been devoured by the Flying Devil."
"Thanks, thanks."
Mr. Krabs patted his shoulder, "It's nothing, although you're lazy, but you've been with me for years after all, work hard. Dreams such things can only be realized by yourself to be meaningful ah!"
Squidward listened, but felt sad: "What if you can't realize it by yourself?"
Mr. Krabs pulled out a dollar coin and held it up high. The light of the coin shines brightly in the eyes of the crowd.
"Then go make money. Only money is real!"
"Shouldn't life be about pursuing something meaningful?"
Mr. Krabs casts a puzzled look, "Isn't making money something meaningful? It's the most meaningful!"
"SpongeBob you sure don't think so. What do you think is meaningful?"
SpongeBob scratched his head, "What is something meaningful?"
"It's the things that make you feel happy when you do them and feel fulfilled in life."
"I think just being able to work with you guys and hang out with Patrick and Sandy is fun and fulfilling."
"Don't you have any dreams?"
"Of course I do."
"What dreams?"
"I want to go to the jellyfish fields with Patrick and catch the King Jellyfish."
"Is that something you'd be frustrated if it never came true?"
"No, I won't. As long as I'm with Patrick, I'm happy."
Squidward froze, was SpongeBob too optimistic or was he too pessimistic. Is it possible that a person can just have a dream and not necessarily realize it?
He could not answer this question. But he looked at SpongeBob's innocent smiling face and smiled himself.
Yes. Even if you don't realize your dream in this life, you don't have to be grim, you can still live with a smile on your face.
After all, time is still long, the future, who knows. But first of all, you still have to have yourself. If you even lose yourself. What is a dream?
Squidward bowed solemnly, "Thank you, SpongeBob. Thank you, Mr. Krabs! As a token of gratitude. I ......"
He pulled out his harp and played it. Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob plugged their ears with their fingers.
"No!"
The harp's chilling sound drifted far above Bikini Bottom.