No More Smurfing Chances

Chapter 3

It had been a fraught few months. Once the Smurf village had got over the shock of their greatest enemy being in the village as a Smurf, things settled down, but it was an uneasy peace.

Many of the Smurfs had been angry with their Papa. How could he have brought that evil wizard into the heart of their community? He was going to be dangerous. His mangy mouse Azrael had already got into the grain bins and eaten some of the winter store. They wanted assurances that this 'evil' Smurf would not be able to harm them.

Gargamel who was now know as 'Gargy Smurf' was not so happy about it either. The Smurflings would taunt him, shouting out his new name. It was the things he most despised, the nickname 'Gargy' and the word 'Smurf'. But he knew that if he hurt any one of them they would surely rip him to pieces.

He did not have the advantage of size and power anymore.

All he had left was passive resistance tinged with pent up aggression.

He would refuse to eat any of their food, he even went on hunger strike for the first month of his captivity. He became painfully thin and would not move from his bed. Papa caved in and sent some Smurfs to get food that Gargamel would accept, they should have realised that the wizard would never, ever eat any of their Smurfberries in a million years. It took another month just to get the human well again. Some wondered why Papa was even trying to save this abomination.

It became of battle of wills between Gargamel and Papa Smurf. For the first four months, Smurfette, Vexy and Hackus had nothing to do with him. Papa forbade them from even talking to their father. He never tried to escape, his fear of the woods was greater than his fear of the Smurfs. Out there creatures could eat him whole, the worst the Smurfs could do to him was beat him up. They were too merciful to kill him outright.

That was their weakness. This one thought kept his mind clear for the future. He would get his revenge if he ever got out of his captivity, he would show no mercy whatsoever! Just the thought of it made his days go faster.

But he had no idea how cruel the Smurfs could be.

Unbeknown to him, they had something planned. They were going to teach him a lesson on what it's like to be a Smurf in captivity. It was Smurfette's idea as she had to put up with her father constantly capturing he. She wanted to make him feel what she went through.

And the one thing Gargamel feared was Bigmouth!

One rainy night when the Smurf village was asleep, a red clad Smurf walked along one of the village paths followed by an Ogre . This 'giant' carried a metal cage, it was one of the cages from Gargamel's hovel.

They sneaked up to one of the mushroom houses where Gargy Smurf was sleeping soundly. It was one of the older houses that was due to be demolished anyway. The village elder nodded to the giant and putting down the cage, the Ogre took hold of the roof and pulled it clean off with a roar!

Little Gargy Smurf woke up screaming and upon seeing his hated enemy Bigmouth, he quickly ran for the door, but it was locked from the outside.

Papa had his back to it holding a big key and he muttered to himself,

"This is where the Smurf gets real Gargamel!"

He then moved to one of the windows and saw a sight that almost made him ashamed to be so cruel. It had to be done, for the good of the Smurfs and even Gargamel.

He was going to get the biggest lesson in humility of his life!

As soon as he was grabbed by the Ogre, Gargamel struggled, hit and tried to bite the giant's hand, but he forgot that the giant was capable of crushing his ribs.

"Stay still little Gargamel, You're coming with Big Mouth. Big Mouth very happy to see you so small! We are going to have fun! Ha,ha,ha!"

And he unceremoniously stuffed the squirming blue wizard into the cage. Papa Smurf waved Big Mouth off. He had instructed the Ogre to keep Gargy Smurf for a couple of days and to 'threaten' him a bit. Maybe prepare a soup, wizard soup! Anything that would put fear into the cold heart of the wizard.

The next morning;

"Papa Smurf! Papa Smurf! Something terrible has happened. Gargy Smurf has escaped!"

The banging on his front door made the elderly Smurf wake up from his stupor. He got out of his bed, put on a red dressing gown and opened up his door to a sea of blue faces. Right in front was Vexy who looked ready to explode with anger!

"What have you done Papa?" she demanded

"Don't worry Vexy, your father won't be harmed. He is just learning a valuable lesson with our dear friend Big Mouth."

"Big Mouth? Who is this Big Mouth, is it a Smurf, a human?"

"Not exactly, he's an Ogre who is always hungry. But he would never eat a Smurf. I think he wanted to once, but we talked him out of it"

"What? What were you thinking? We've got to rescue him, now!"

Vexy started to push her way through the other Smurfs, but Papa grabbed her arm and pulled her inside his home, closing the door hastily behind them.

"Listen Vexy. I can assure you that no harm will come to your father, but he has to learn this lesson. It's very important for his future."

"What do you mean his 'future', you're going to turn him back into a human eventually aren't you?"

"Well, that's the thing I was meaning to talk to you about, but it's never seemed like the right time" said Papa, squirming a little.

"You see, the spell I used is irreversible. Gargamel will forever be a Smurf. It's an unfortunate side effect of using a Hornet as a delivery system"

Vexy looked down at her black clad feet for a moment and shuffled them a bit, unsure of what to ask next. She then looked up at Papa, with a tear in her eye.

"What if he never changes? I don't think I could live in the village with him around. What about Hackus and Smurfette, when are you going to tell them?"

"One thing at a time my child, but eventually I'll need you all to work together and help Gargy Smurf. He needs to know what the love of family can do. I know that he has a kind heart deep, deep down and I'm determined to find it. Once he knows that he can never go back to the power he once had, he may well change"

"Or go insane? I just hope you know what you are doing for all our sakes Papa!" said Vexy, and she opened the door went through it, slamming it shut and making a mirror on the wall fall to the floor and shatter.

"Oh dear, hope this doesn't mean seven years of bad luck!"

Papa went off to find a broom.

Deep in the forest at Big Mouth's Cottage;

"Big Mouth is happy to have you. Do you know why little wizard?"

Gargy Smurf was in the cage, that he had made not so long ago. The irony of it all was unbearable. But whilst he tried to ignore the Ogre, he noticed that the bars of the cage were quite wide. Why on earth would he have made them so wide? No wonder they kept escaping. He would have to fix that once he became human and unleashed his terrible revenge on his blue tormentors. He started to daydream about it...

He was suddenly flung to the floor of the cage.

Big Mouth had become impatient and had whacked the cage, so that it now swung around alarmingly and Gargy Smurf started to feel very sick.

"Stop it you dirty great heap of meat! If I had my wand you'd be turned into a rat and I'd take enormous pleasure in chopping you with my spade!" spluttered the dizzy Smurf.

It had been a very foolish thing to say. Before his head had even stopped spinning, he found himself once again in the sweaty grasp of the Ogre. He was brought inches away from the giant's mouth and he could smell the putrid stench of it's breath.

He then threw up all over Big Mouth's hand.

The Ogre dropped him, Gargy Smurf recovered his senses in time and made a run for it.

If he could only reach the front door then he would be free. Big Mouth's house wasn't far from his hovel and he knew the way. If only he could get to his spell books then he could cure himself.

Damn his little blue Smurf legs, how come he couldn't run as fast as them? He was feeling quite out of breath as he threw himself under the gap in the door.

He was free! Free from that Ogre! Free from the Smurfs!

But as he slid under the door, he came face to face with a vulture. Not any old vulture. This one belonged to Hogatha.

And she was towering right above him.

"Snort! Well what have we here? Why it's little Gargamel as a Smurf! Oh my, this is just too good to be true. You've been cut down to size at last! Big Mouth said he had a surprise for me and this is the BEST surprise that I've had all my life! You and me are going to have LOTS and lots of fun! Snort, snort!"

And she bent down and stuffed him head first into her ample bosom.

Now most men would have loved this, but to Gargy Smurf it was worst than death. It smelt just as bad in this woman's brassier and he was grateful to have lost consciousness.

She had plans for him.

To be continued...