The Ghost of Capricorn's Isle

Chapter 1: The Arrival

Handy Smurf stared into the murky depths of the river as he waited for the one person he loved above all others to arrive. She had promised him that she would come to him on this day, as she had finally found a way that they could be together at last. Handy couldn't wait to see her once again; he was overjoyed that he would finally be able to reunite with the love of his life. Time seemed to crawl by as the minutes faded away, as though the world was determined to make Handy's wait as long and torturous as possible.

Finally, a beautiful jade-colored tail broke the waters, and crystal-clear laughter rang out like a bell before a young mermaid's head popped up from under the blue waters. She shook out her long amethyst hair, causing white sprays of water to cascade and twist around in the air like sparkling rays of sunlight reflecting off a diamond. "Marina, stop that; I don't have any towels here and I'm certainly NOT going to shake myself off like a dog!" laughed Handy as he wiped water from his face, smiling back at the beaming sea maiden floating before him.

"Sorry about that; I keep forgetting that you're not waterproof like I am," she apologized in her shy little voice, which sounded like a young bird's chirp.

"It's okay; I'm just glad to be here with you. So…what was that thing you found that you said could bring us back together? It's been so heartbreaking to have to live without you, you know…" Handy trailed off as he took Marina's delicate hands in his. He held his breath as Marina seemed to hesitate in her announcement. He had been thinking a lot about her lately, and it seemed unbelievable that she'd found a way to make things work out the way that they should.

Finally, Marina took a deep breath and began to tell Handy the news that he had waited for since he had met her. "Well, I found out about this spell from my father that could let you grow gills when you're in the water and…" But before she could finish her sentence, a ferocious sea monster rose from the depths of the river and roared; shaking its tail and smashing the water like a glass window.

"MARINA! SWIM FOR YOUR LIFE! THERE'S A SEA SERPENT BEHIND YOU!" screamed Handy in alarm as the sea beast wrapped his tail around Marina and squeezed her like a lemon.

"HANDY! HELP ME! HELP ME!" Marina yelled back as she helplessly thrashed in the serpent's iron grip. However, Handy was paralyzed and there was nothing he could do as the sea serpent squeezed the life out of Marin. He pulled her towards his gaping maw, as if she were nothing more than a tasty morsel of crab….

A small nudge on the back brought Handy back from his nightmarish reverie, leaving him panting and sweaty as he tried to recover his composure. "Thanks, NutBot; things were getting really intense there," gasped Handy as he blinked hard and stared desperately at the rushing river water in front of him. To his relief, he saw nothing but his own reflection in the waters, but he couldn't help being just a tiny bit disappointed that Marina was only a figment of his imagination-at least for the moment.

He had fallen in love with the gorgeous young mermaid when she had floated unconscious into the river when her father had fallen ill with food poisoning. She had tried to jump up a waterfall to the Pool of Avalon, where she could find the cure for her father. After the Smurfs had put her into a bathtub and restored her to consciousness, she told them about the quest and her father's sickness. Handy had found himself helplessly falling in love with her, and he wanted nothing more than to help this lovely creature who was prettier than anyone he had ever known. With his help, the Smurfs had successfully retrieved the cure and saved Marina's ailing father.

After that, Handy had tried everything in his power to get together with her, but no matter how hard he tried, all his attempts had failed miserably and he was left with only a strong desire and a broken heart. He and Marina had always promised each other that they'd get together again when they found a way to unite, but it seemed like Fate was determined to keep the two young lovers forever separated from each other.

Another nudge in the back reminded Handy that he should be leaving and getting back to work as soon as possible. He sighed and turned around to find NutBot, his pet robotic squirrel, staring anxiously at him with his blank white eyes. "I'm sorry, NutBot; I'm just having a moment here…I promise I'll give you your afternoon snack and then I'll go fix those windows that Clumsy broke. I just need a minute or two to put myself back straight, OK?"

"Ok, Master; as you wish," sighed NutBot in his high-pitched mechanical voice; plunking himself down on the riverbank next to Handy and staring impatiently at his owner as he sighed and stared into the waters once more.

After a few minutes had passed, Handy reluctantly got to his feet and started to follow the course of the river; sighing as he stared behind him and feeling a wave of utter hopelessness crash over him. NutBot eagerly scampered along behind him, squeaking and making all sorts of noises as he licked his lips hungrily. There was nothing he liked better than a few nuts and bolts in the afternoon, preferably with just a tinge of rust and a dash of salt.

However, just as Handy was about to turn away from the river and take the path back to the village, he absentmindedly rested his foot on a dangerously slippery stone. He tried to keep his balance, but instead he fell headfirst into the river and was swept away by the raging rapids. "HEEEEEELLLP! SOMEBODY, HELP ME! I C-CAN'T SWIM! I'LL D-DROWN!" screeched Handy in a panic, thrashing helplessly as he struggled to keep his head above the waters. Icy cold liquid rushed into his ears and nose; clogging his windpipe and making his sinuses burn.

It can't be that hard to swim in water like this; what is it that Hefty always does when he's at the beach? The backstroke? But how am I supposed to get on my back when these waters are so strong that they could take out a full-grown ox? Oh, I'll never make it out… Handy thought in a panic as he tried to roll onto his back and push the water behind his head away from him. He barely managed to do one stroke before the river pulled him under and pressed down on him with a tremendous force before cruelly tossing him back to the surface again. He coughed out water and again tried to paddle to safety, but the waters were just too strong for him. It was like trying to fight with a grizzly bear; a cold grizzly bear with fur like ice that had a murderous desire to suffocate you between its paws.

Handy was beginning to think that things couldn't get any worse when suddenly, the river's current became stronger and he heard a rushing sound ahead of him. He tried to turn his head and barely managed to get a glimpse of a thundering waterfall that was surrounded by thousands of knife-sharp rocks. "Oh NO….I'll never make it out….." gulped Handy, desperately paddling away from the waterfall but failing once more. "It's too bad Hefty isn't here; he could get me out for sure….oh, how did I get into a mess like THIS just by walking home? I'm starting to think I'm worse than Clumsy now…"

There was no time to waste pitying himself; Handy had to escape before he fell down the waterfall and broke every bone in his body. With determination, he cut through the water, careful to avoid the rocks and whirlpools. Every second was precious, and even half a minute could make the difference between survival or destruction. After about half an hour had passed, he seemed to be getting closer to the banks, and the water was almost shallow enough for him to stand. "Almost there…I think I can just about make it now," mumbled Handy to himself as he took a final stroke and placed his foot on the sand below. "I almost did it…just a few more steps and I'm home safe…"

Just as he was about to put a foot on dry land, the sand seemed to sink beneath him, and he realized to his horror that he had discovered a treacherous sandbar. Once again he found himself being swept towards the dangerous falls, and judging by the distance between him and the waterfall, it would only be a few more seconds until he fell to his death. Tears of fear and frustration filled his eyes as he was tugged ever closer to the edge and certain disaster.

A single current knocked Handy under the surface, and he felt a horrible falling sensation in the pit of his stomach as he fell head over heels through the air, flailing and screaming in horror. The water below rushed ever closer to him like a dream turning into harsh reality. He closed his eyes and gulped, hoping with all his might that NutBot would be okay if he died and that he wouldn't throw himself over the edge as well. NutBot had a tendency to be very dramatic, and he had been loyal to Handy ever since he was created.

Just when Handy thought that he would smash into the water below and die a terrible early death, he felt sharp teeth clamp onto his overall strap and he found himself hanging freely a few hundred feet from the pond below. Gasping for breath, he coughed water out of his lungs and tried to twist around to see who had saved his life.

Behind him stood a valiant NutBot, clamping a jutting rock with his hind paws and clinging to Handy's strap as if his life depended on it. As soon as his eyes met with his master's, he gave a sheepish grin and flicked his tail, as though he were embarrassed about the interference. "Sorry, Master; I was worried you might drown and forget to give me my snack," he said, lowering his head and pretending to be preoccupied with picking a piece of rock from his claws.

"Snack! NutBot, I was DROWNING; you should've been thinking of more than a measly little SNACK!" teased Handy, patting NutBot's head gratefully and trying to figure out how he was going to get back to land without falling and breaking his neck.

"I know, I know; but still…I'm hungry!" NutBot said, his eyes glazing over and getting that strange gleam that they always got when he went into his 'hyper mode'.

"Uh oh…..errrrmmm, NutBot, can you put me down? You're getting that weird look again….you know…" trailed off Handy, crossing his fingers that NutBot wouldn't think he was telling him to drop his master.

"OK! Sure! Then you can feed me!" squeaked NutBot eagerly, and just as Handy had feared, he let go of his overalls and sent him once more tumbling through the air towards certain death.

"NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTT! WHEN I SAID DROP MEEE, I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAAAAT!" screamed Handy as he plunged towards a particularly large stone that was easily the size of a small island. He tried to position himself so that he would fall into the water instead, but it was no use. Within seconds, he felt his body slap against the rock and a sharp pain shot through him. He yelped in pain, and then everything seemed to fall away as his body went limp and his vision went black.

"MASTER! MASTER! ARE YOU OKAY?!" screamed NutBot, completely beside himself as he flung himself through the air and launched himself at Handy's body, which had been washed off the rock and was being carried swiftly down the river. However, he misjudged his leap and hit his head on the rock too. His vision blacked out, and soon his unconscious body was being swept along the same path as Handy. The two companions were washed down the river and into a current that lead towards a vast and uncaring ocean that would surely impose many dangers upon them…..

…..

A tropical sun beat fiercely down upon the crystal sands as Handy lay on his back on the beach, staring up at the sky. A gentle breeze was caressing his face, and puffy clouds lazily drifted across the sky as if they were in no hurry to get anywhere. The sand under his back was warm, and the sky was the clearest blue he had ever seen. Handy was glad that he wasn't in the water anymore. He could've laid on this beach forever; it was so relaxing and peaceful. As time went on, the sun shone brighter and rose higher in the afternoon sky, and Handy began to feel tired. I guess it couldn't hurt if I closed my eyes a bit. After all, what could possibly hurt me here in this little paradise? Handy thought to himself as he closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.

It felt like he had only slept for five minutes when suddenly, he felt a mysterious hand on his shoulder and a mystical voice saying, "Wake up, brave hero, and let me introduce you to our woes." "H-huh? Who said t-that? W-where am I?" Handy stammered, sitting bolt upright and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"You do not need to know, Oh Great One; just follow me and you'll see," hummed the voice, and a grainy green mist swirled somewhere to his right.

"But…what do you mean? I'm no hero; I'm just a handyman! Besides, I don't even LIKE magic…" Handy trailed off as he slowly got to his feet and stretched, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

The voice only laughed mirthfully, and the mist appeared a little farther up the beach. "Follow me, great hero, and see what you must do to save our lives," sang the voice, and Handy suddenly felt compelled to follow the mist. As he trudged through the sand, he realized that the island he was on wasn't just a beach paradise; it was a steamy jungle with mysterious secrets that nobody should know and could threaten the lives of even the strongest of the strong. He shivered in fear and wondered why the voice was calling him a hero; he'd never done anything supernatural in his life and always viewed magic as a bunch of mumbo-jumbo that brought trouble upon his village and never did anyone good.

After a while, the mist stopped in front of an abandoned coal mine that moaned eerily in the wind and seemed to be surrounded in a sort of unnatural aura. "This is the site of your quest, young hero. For over a thousand years, the inhabitants of this isle have been haunted by the ghost of Capricorn; he who discovered this island and has never slept since."

"Ghosts?! But ghosts aren't REAL! And what do you mean, he hasn't slept since?" scoffed Handy, rolling his eyes and thinking that it was rather ridiculous that his quest, whatever that was, had to do with appeasing the needs of a deceased person. He'd always thought ghosts were made-up stories told to little Smurflings to keep them from going too deep into the forest and to respect the dead. Besides, how could somebody's spirit be alive after they'd been dead and buried? It just wasn't possible, in his point of view.

Suddenly, a loud wail echoed throughout the island and shook the trees, causing coconuts and rocks to fall onto the ground. A glowing white figure flitted in the mine and screamed when he saw Handy and the mist. He rattled some chains wrapped around his hand, and suddenly, a boulder fell off a nearby cliff and started rolling towards Handy.

"You see, young hero, that Capricorn has been unsatisfied ever since he fell to his death in the mine long ago. He has been taking out his vengeance ever since on the islanders and brought much misfortune upon them. No other hero besides you could do this task. If you don't, then…" A rock rolled through the middle of the mist, causing it to break apart into wisps and disappear.

"If I don't what? What if I don't do the quest? Why me? And what sort of bad luck ARE these islanders having?" shouted Handy as he ducked underneath a palm tree and covered his head with his arms. He had a bad feeling about this whole quest, and he also had the feeling that there would be some sort of apocalypse if he didn't complete it. Not that he believed in apocalypses, anyway. Or ghosts, for that matter. He tried to convince himself that everything would be all right if he slipped up in this quest, but something told him it was the most important thing for him to do at this point in his life.

Before he could muse any more about the quest, the rock struck him in the back, and he heard loud, raucous laughter from Capricorn just before he slipped into blackness.

…..

"What on Earth IS this thing? It looks like a dead imp!" snorted the lanky dryad as he roughly poked Handy's body with his spear.

"I have no idea, Aries…but what about this metal thing here? It looks like it might be dangerous…" faltered the slim nymph next to him as she tentatively touched NutBot with the tip of her toe. He stirred a little bit and mumbled something incomprehensible in his sleep before he rolled over and snored again. "AAAAAAHHH! IT'S ALLIIIIVEEE! Kill it, kill it; it's terrifying!" screamed the nymph melodramatically as she leaped into the dryad's arms and clung to his neck for dear life.

"Calm DOWN, Gemini; it can't be THAT dangerous. It's probably a golem or some such, and you know you're pretty enough to charm even the wildest dragon," winked the dryad as he set the shaking nymph on the ground and kicked NutBot again. He didn't stir, and the nymph hesitantly got to her feet, careful to keep a good distance away from the lifeless metal squirrel.

"I-I guess you're right, Aries. But what should we do about the young man? He might be that hero, you know…" said the nymph, tapping her foot on the ground and staring dreamily into space.

""Young man'?! Gemini, you're not in LOVE, are you?! Besides, it says in the legend that the hero has to have green eyes, and we can't tell if he's a Greeneyes or not because he's got his eyes shut," snorted the dryad, bored with the conversation and eager to get rid of these strangers that could possibly spell trouble for the inhabitants of the island.

"N-no…of course I'm not! I'll never be in love! I mean, he's not ugly or anything; I'm just excited because then Capricorn will be gone and we can finally live in peace again after all these years," stammered the nymph, quickly snapping out of her daydream and picking up her spear, which had fallen on the sand when she'd jumped into the dryad's arms.

"Yes, I understand that; all I want to know is whether we should boot them off or heal them. I don't like the looks of that squirrel there…I've got a funny feeling about him…" trailed off the dryad as he stared at the strange figures lying prone on the sand.

"Well, maybe we should heal him; he might be the Greeneyes from the legend, and we won't be able to tell if he's the one or not until he opens his eyes. Besides, if he ISN'T and he brings trouble, then we have THESE…" grinned the nymph devilishly, raising her spear and turning it so that its razor-sharp tip sparkled in the sunlight.

"Guess you're right. I'll check. Hang on," grunted the dryad as he knelt down in the sand next to the still Smurf. Without any hesitation, he gently took a hold of Handy's eyelid and slowly opened it until he was gazing into Handy's blank eye.

"EEEEEEWWWWW! Aries, that's gross! I can't believe you…I can't look!" groaned the nymph, covering her eyes and turning her head away from the unsettling sight. However, the dryad took no notice of the nymph's discomfort and continued to stare into the inventor's eye for a few moments until he nodded and let go of Handy's eyelid.

"So…IS he the Greeneyes or not? If he's not…" trailed off the nymph, slowly turning around and uncovering her eyes.

"Well….I think so. His eyes are kind of green, but not as green as I expected...they're the color of old palm leaves that have fallen to the ground but haven't turned brown yet, if you get what I mean. You can see for yourself when he wakes up," shrugged the dryad, sighing in resignation and impatiently waiting for the nymph's verdict.

A look of wonder dawned on the nymph's face as she stared at the unconscious Handy with growing awe. "That's…incredible…I can't believe a Smurf like HIM would be our hero…."

"Yes, yes, I get all that; what I want to know is: Are we going to heal him or feed him to the sharks?" said the dryad in exasperation, leaning lazily against his spear.

"Are you CRAZY?! Of course we're going to heal him! He's the Greeneyes, for coconut's sake! We can't just let him rot!" insisted the nymph, grabbing Handy under the arms and dragging him across the sand.

"Ok. So that's that. Want me to get the squirrel too?" said the dryad, following the nymph and trying to hide the amazement on his face as he stared at the Greeneyes.

"Yes, please do! It might be a weapon in disguise or some such. The gods know we could use as much help as we could get in fighting Capricorn," said the nymph, looking around herself as if she was expecting someone.

"All right then, princess; have it your way," sighed the dryad as he scooped NutBot into his arms and carried him across the beach, wondering if the hero would live up to everyone's expectations and what on Earth the squirrel might do to the island's coconut supply when he came around.