(Slouchy)
I felt a hand shaking me awake. "Slouchy… Slouchy wake up, ya hickory nut!" I heard the scratchy voice of Nat in my ear.
I opened my eyes. It was close to nighttime. The sun was just starting to set. "We're almost there, my little smurflings!" Papa smurf called to us.
I had to squint to see the kingdom. The castle walls were pure white, high and jagged. Feathers made a slow descent to the drawbridge of the castle. Once she finally touched ground, she cawed and stretched out her wing so we could slide down. Nat whispered soft words and patted her head. Feathers cooed in reply, then started to take off again. "Stay close, Feathers! We may need you again soon." Papa smurf called to the big crane as she flew away to find a place to roost.
We approached the drawbridge. On the other side of the moat, two guards stood. "Who goes there?" one asked.
"I am Papa smurf, leader of the Red Mushroom Smurf Tribe. These are my travel companions, Farmer, Smurfette and the Smurflings." Papa smurf introduced us. "And we have urgent business with the king."
"I see." The guard nodded, his armor creaking slightly with every move he made, "Lower the drawbridge!"
The drawbridge slowly came down, making a safe path over the moat. The gate on the other side rose too, letting us into the castle. Then, a real tallish page wearing expensive looking clothing met us inside the castle. "Ah, Papa smurf!" he said, holding out his hand to Papa smurf, "It is so good to see you again, even given the circumstances."
"Likewise, Elias." Papa smurf said, shaking his hand, "My little smurfs, this is Elias, royal page to the king."
He had light blue skin, a lighter color than us smurfs. He didn't look too much taller than Farmer, but he was really, really thin, so I guess that's what made him look so tall. And he had tattoos on his face. Big, detailed tattoos. I tried really hard not to stare. But they were so… so—"Leapin' Lizards!" Sassette gaped, "Your tattoos are so strange!"
I guess that was when she got her voice back. "Sassette!" Smurfette scolded her, "That was not very smurfy!"
"Oh, no it's quite alright," The page said, kneeling down to her eye level. "I suppose to you, they are rather strange. If I recall correctly, there's only one smurf in your village with tattoos."
Sassette nodded. "Mmhmm! Hefty!" she said with a smile. "He's the strongest smurf in th' whole village!"
I think she would've talked a lot longer if it weren't for Papa smurf. "Ah, Elias, I'm afraid we have urgent business with his majesty… If you would be so kind…?"
"Ah, yes! Terribly sorry, Papa smurf! I have a tremendous soft spot for children," Elias smiled and ruffled Sassette's hair. "I will show you to the king right away!"
He led us down wide hallways with lots of tapestries and suits of armor, and eventually led us to a really big wooden door. "I shall let him know you've arrived." Elias said, opening the door slightly and shutting it quickly behind him.
Smurfette kneeled down and started dusting us off and fixing our clothes so we looked good when we saw the king. "Now remember," She said, straightening Snappy's hat a little, "You have to be very polite to the king. No wise-smurfs or backtalk, and you HAVE to stand still! Sassette, please don't say anything about his tattoos, alright? Papa smurf says that all of the Miraguans have tattoos on their faces, but it's still rude to point them out like that."
Sassette was still a bit humbled from making her last observation. "Alright," she mumbled.
"Good," Smurfette said, smiling at her and brushing some lint off her overalls.
Before she could say any more, the door opened again. "Papa smurf?" Elias spoke quietly, "King Ric'alla will see you now."
The doors swung open and revealed a gigantic room with a really, really tall ceiling. It was white inside, like the outside walls, and had lots of paintings and tapestries hanging. A dark red carpet led to a large throne, where a Miraguan with long black hair up in a tall ponytail and a gold-colored crown sat. "That mus' be th' king," I whispered to Nat.
Once we stopped walking inside, all us guy smurfs kneeled and bowed our heads. I peeked over at Snappy, but saw he was still marveling at the vastness of the room. "Snappy!" I whispered, elbowing him.
He turned his attention to me, then quickly kneeled. Sassette and Smurfette curtsied politely, smiling. "Rise, noble smurfs," The king spoke, "What brings you to our humble kingdom, Papa smurf?"
Papa smurf slowly and respectfully rose from his knee. "Unfortunate circumstances, I'm afraid, old friend." He said, solemnly, "One of our smurflings is sick, and neither I nor Homnibus know what it is."
"I see," The king said, nodding his head in understanding.
Sassette started coughing again, really, really hard this time. Nat held her up and patted her back, helping her suffer through the coughing fit. It took a few minutes before she stopped coughing, and her voice was all scratchy when she was done. "I suppose I do not have to ask who it is, then," The king said, rising from his throne.
He descended down the stairs, a long cloak fluttering behind him. He approached Sassette and bent down to her level. "What is your name, little one?"
Sassette studied him with wide, owlish eyes and curtsied respectfully, "M-my name's Sassette, Your Mag'sty" she said.
"I see… and how old are you, Sassette," The king smiled kindly at her.
"Im'a hundred an' thirty years ol' Your Mag'sty!" she beamed proudly.
"Ah, I see… I have a daughter that looks just like you." The king said, ruffling her hair slightly.
Sassette looked at him with wide eyes, "Flyin' flatfish! Does she have pretty tattoos, too?" She asked, forgetting her promise to Smurfette.
Snappy elbowed her. "Oops!" she said, realizing her mistake, then curtsying again, "I'm real sorry, Your Mag'sty. That wasn' very smurfy of me t' ask."
The king chuckled a little, then patted her head, "It's quite alright, little one. You've never been to Miragua, after all." He said, smiling a little, "No, she doesn't have tattoos, not yet. She's not old enough."
"Oh," Sassette replied.
The king stood at his full height, then spoke in a strange language to a nearby guard. "My guards will show you to the royal infirmary, Papa smurf." He said, motioning towards the guards.
Sassette tilted her head a little. She looked up at Farmer, who was standing next to her. "Farmer? Wha'sa 'firmary?" she asked.
Farmer looked sad for a moment, then blinked a lot and bit his lip. His small smile looked weak and like it took a lot to keep it. "It's a hospital, shugah… We're gon' find out wha's matter with you." He assured her.
Sassette looked at the floor. "Oh…" she said, sounding scared again.
The king's guards led us outside, through a big village just outside the palace. There were Miraguans everywhere, young old, tattooed and not tattooed. "Papa smurf," I looked up at our leader, "How come some'a them have tattoos, but some don'?"
"It's a custom in Miraqua, Slouchy," Papa smurf explained, "that on their eighteenth birthday, a Miraguan scales that mountain and receives blessings from their goddess. These tattoos tell their whole life's story."
"Wow…" I marveled, then turned to Sassette, "Isn' that neat, Sassette?"
Sassette didn't answer. She watched the ground as we walked, looking scared and sad all at the same time. Something inside me made me put a hand on her shoulder. Snappy and Nat seemed to notice how sad she was, cause they both gave her a little nudge. "What're you so sad 'bout?" Snappy asked, cheekily, "Farmer said we're gon' find out wha's wrong, then you'll get better, an' you kin play with us again. You're gon' be ok, so don' go feelin' like you won' be, ok?!"
She looked up at us and tried to smile a little. "I'm sorry, Snappy…" she apologized, "I jus' feel scared… tha's all…"
"We're scared too, Sassette," I said, calmly, "Bu' it's no use bein' sad AN' scared. I dunno 'bout th' rest of you, bu' I don' do sadness…"
Nat and Snappy agreed. She twirled her red braid nervously in her fingers. "I'll try, Slouchy…" she said, weakly. "But I won' promise you anythin'…"
The guard led us to a big white building. The inside looked sad, and empty. "This's where they go t' feel better?" Nat whispered, "Boy, I wouldn' wanna see where t' go t' feel worse."
Him and I shared a snicker, then looked back at Sassette. She sat in between Papa smurf and Smurfette, both of them taking one of her hands and saying quiet things to her to try and make her feel better. A girl Miraguan dressed like a nurse stood in front of us, "Smurfs? The doctor will see you now." She said.
Sassette let go of Papa smurf's hand, then turned to Smurfette. "Kin you come with me, 'stead of the boys?" she asked her weakly.
Smurfette nodded a little and gave her hand a little squeeze. She helped her stand, and slowly walked towards a hallway. "Hey! No fair!" Snappy protested, "How come Smurfette gets t' go?"
Papa smurf stifled a little chuckle, "Would you want Sassette to go with you if the situation was resmurfed?" he asked plainly.
Snappy blushed a deep beet red, "No…" he admitted.
Farmer and Papa smurf shared an amused look, then watched as Sassette and Smurfette walked down the hallway.
(Smurfette)
Sassette held onto my hand, fear and nervousness making her grip much stronger than normal. The nurse led us into a little gray examination room. There was a table with paper covering it in the center, with chairs and cabinets on either side. Sassette scrambled up onto the table and sat down. "We ask that you take off your overalls, for sanitary reasons," the nurse said.
Sassette gave me a slightly confused look. "She said you have to take off your overalls to keep the room clean." I explained.
"The doctor will be with you shortly." The nurse smiled, leaving the room.
Sassette took off her overalls and sat on the table in her little pink undies. I took the overalls from the ground, then folded them on my lap. We didn't have to wait too long before a doctor came into the room. She had thin rimmed, rectangular glasses and long dark hair, pulled up in a messy bun. Her tattoos were gentle figures, sparrows and doves, giving the drab room a pleasant air. "Hello," She smiled warmly, "My name is Doctor Nava, and I'm gonna be trying to find out what's making you feel bad. What's your name?"
"My name's Sassette." Sassette chimed happily.
"Ok, Sassette," the doctor said, moving the stethoscope from around her neck to into her fin-shaped ears, "Can you do me a huge favor and breathe in and out real deep?"
Sassette tried to do as the doctor instructed, but when she breathed in too deep, she'd start coughing. Doctor Nava wrote on a paper attached to a wooden clipboard, then returned her attention to Sassette. She examined her ears, making jokes about how she could see me on the other side, then wrote more on her paper. She examined Sassette's throat and tested her reflexes, then wrote more on her paper. "Okay, sweetie, can you do me another big ol' favor and lie down on your back, please?" Dr. Nava asked.
Sassette laid down on her back. The doctor gently prodded around her torso, examining her internal organs. Sassette flinched a little when she palpated around her left arm and around her chest. "Does it hurt when I do that, Sassette?" Dr. Nava asked gently.
Sassette nodded a little, a small pout on her lips. "Ohh, okay…" she answered, writing more on her paper.
I wondered what it was she was writing… Good things? Bad things? "Okay, Sassette," Dr. Nava said, going to a cabinet across from the table, "Now, what I'm going to do next is I'm going to take some of your blood so I can show it to other doctors that will be able to figure out what's making you feel bad."
The doctor took a needle that was shaped like a dragonfly and a rubber tourniquet from the drawer and closed it with a quiet click. Sassette squirmed a little; she doesn't like needles. Then again, who does? Dr. Nava tied the tourniquet tightly around her upper arm, then swabbed the inside of her elbow with a little white cotton ball. Sassette whimpered a little bit, squeezing my hand. As soon as the needle pierced the skin, she bit her lip a little. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" she whimpered quietly.
"Shh… It's almost over…" I assured her.
It wasn't very long before Dr. Nava had filled three small vials worth of Sassette's blood, and untied the tourniquet. She taped a little gauze over the needle prick, then put the little vials on the counter. "Ok, I suppose we're all done here." Dr. Nava said, washing her hands in a nearby sink. "You can go ahead and get dressed, and I will be right outside with your family."
She closed the door behind her as she left. I gave Sassette her pink overalls. She put them on, then jumped down from the table. I noticed one of her straps was twisted, and stopped her before she went outside, "Waait, a second," I stopped her, "your strap's all twisted."
I stooped to her level and fixed her overalls. "There we go. That's better." I said, opening the door for her.
She smiled in thanks, then skittered back down the hallway we came from. I followed her back to the waiting room, then took my seat next to Papa smurf and Farmer. Sassette was sitting with her friends, showing off the little gauze on her arm. "Eww, why'd they take blood?" Slouchy asked, twisting his face a little in disgust.
"The Miraguans have technology that use blood to find out what's wrong," Papa smurf explained.
Dr. Nava adjusted one of the chairs so that she sat across from us. "I'm afraid I might have some bad news, smurfs." She said, her sad, sympathetic green eyes glittering.
Sassette looked away from the smurflings, up at Papa smurf. "Pappy? Wha's she mean, bad news?" she asked, her eyebrows in a worried slant.
Papa smurf looked at her and gave a little smile, "Ehm- I'm sure it's nothing, Sassette," he tried to sound convincing, "Farmer, perhaps you should take the smurflings back to the palace. We will meet you there."
Farmer nodded his head in understanding, "Orright, kids, les' go." He said, ushering the smurflings out the door to the waiting escort.
Papa smurf watched them go, a sad look on his face. Once they had left, he turned back to Dr. Nava. "Yes? What is it, doctor?" he asked, concerned.
Dr. Nava adjusted her glasses and shifted in her seat. "As a former oncologist, I think it would be my duty to inform you that Sassette shows all the symptoms of something very dire indeed." She said seriously.
Oncologist? "Forgive me, I am not well learned in these… newer sciences," Papa smurf apologized, "What is an oncologist?"
"Cancer, Papa smurf." She explained, "A doctor who specializes in cancers. It's a very err—for lack of a better term, 'unsmurfy' disease that affects the body in different ways… And unfortunately, if not found in time can be fatal…"
I felt my heart sink in my chest with every word. "It seems as though as little Sassette shows almost all of the symptoms of lung cancer." She said sadly.
Papa smurf drew a sharp breath, leaning over his knees on his elbows and hiding his face. "For all we know, it may not be cancer, Papa smurf," she said, trying to sound hopeful, "we won't know for certain until we get her blood work back from the labs, and run a couple more tests."
I took a deep breath. "When's the soonest we can get these tests done?" I asked.
Dr. Nava flipped through her papers. "There are openings just after lunch time… the soonest one is at 1:30, down the hall in the oncology department."
Papa smurf hid his face longer, as if he was trying to process everything that was going on. None of this felt real… it was like everything was rushing by in some terrible dream…. Like I was watching everything through someone else's eyes… "Yes… schedule us for 1:30…" Papa smurf said, trying to keep his voice even. "I will not have peace of mind until I know what is afflicting my little smurfling."
The following minutes of paperwork, questions, and other possible diagnoses seemed to be muted in my ears. I couldn't stop running the words over in my head… It can be fatal… I buried my head in my hands and fought tears. Not Sassette… She doesn't deserve something like this… "Smurfette," I heard Papa smurf's voice, "we'd best be smurfing back to the palace…"
I looked up at him, and gave him a little smile and a nod. We stood and started out the door. I cast a glance at Papa smurf. He looked worried, forlorn. "P-Papa smurf…?" I asked, in a voice I couldn't recognize as my own.
He looked up at me, concern in his eyes. "Sh—she'll be okay… right?" I asked, trying to sound hopeful.
Papa smurf sighed a little, then wrapped his arms around me. "I don't know yet, Smurfette." He admitted, his voice heavy, "The best we can do now is smurf a little faith…"
I buried my face in his shoulder and let the tears flow. It's not fair… Sassette doesn't deserve something like this… She doesn't deserve to have to worry about this… She's only a child… Papa smurf and I walked back to the palace, led by an escort. We arrived right at lunch time, where Farmer and the smurflings had sat down to lunch. "Hiya, Pappy!" Sassette chimed loudly, "Wha'd th' doctor wanna talk about?"
Papa smurf tensed up a little. "Ehm—I'll tell you later, Sassette," he said, "how are you smurflings enjoying the palace?"
"Smurfaroo! It's th' smurfiest place ever!" Snappy piped up, nearly knocking his glass over with his excitement, "Th' princess has a big ol' play room, an' she even let us play with her toys!"
"Well! That sounds very smurfy of her," Papa smurf smiled, "You'll have to remember to thank her before we go."
"Yes, Papa smurf." The smurflings chorused happily.
During lunch, the smurflings told us all about the time they spent in the short time they'd spent at the palace in our absence. Once we were finished, Sassette cornered Papa smurf to talk to him. I watched as he told her what the doctor told us. Even from a distance, I could see her fear. I could see her wiping away tears of anxiety. "Wha's wrong with Sassette?" Slouchy asked, looking in her direction. "Why's she cryin'?"
"Yeah," Snappy agreed.
"She was just fine just now." Nat added.
I looked at them, then looked back at Sassette. The little smurfling now hugged Papa smurf, her little smurfling arms trying to reach around him as best as she could. I sighed a bit, then turned back around to the smurflings. "The doctor… she said it may be something really bad…" I said, trying to think of a gentle way to say it. "They need to run a test in a little while so they know what it is…"
There was no way to lightly describe their emotions. All three looked worried. Nat squirmed a little in his place, guiltily and uncomfortably. Snappy had his arms crossed and his eyes pointed at the ground. Slouchy looked numb, yet at the same time, had a certain sleepy- sadness that floated around him.
In an attempt to tear my gaze from theirs, I caught a glimpse of the clock. It was already 1:12. I looked over to Papa smurf. He was still holding Sassette, stroking her hair soothingly. I approached them quietly. "P-Papa smurf…?" I said, sounding and feeling worried, "It-it's almost 1:15…"
He looked up at me and wiped his tired eyes. "Th-thank you, Smurfette," he smiled sadly.
Farmer, who'd been watching the whole time, stood up with the smurfling boys. "C'mon, kids… Les' go with her…" He said softly.
Slouchy's hand found his and gave it a little squeeze, his sleepy-sadness aura mixing with a sense of fear and unease. Snappy found me, and pouted a little before he wrapped his little arms around my waist. "I'm scared for her, Smurfette," he admitted.
"I am too, Snappy…" I sighed a little, patting him on the forehead.
We walked to the hospital, escorted by guards again. I watched as the smurflings seemed to subconsciously drift to Sassette, as if they were drawn together by magnetic pull. They didn't actually say anything to her. She didn't say anything to them. Yet somehow, she seemed to look more at ease with them than she ever has when she was with me, or even Farmer or Papa smurf. It was as if being with these three somehow repelled her worry… We reached the hospital all too soon.
(Slouchy)
Papa smurf had told us we were going somewhere different for the test, but we still went to the hospital. "But Papa smurf, I thought you said we was gon' be someplace else for th' test?" Nat asked, moving his big straw hat out of his face.
"Oh, no, Nat." Papa smurf suppressed a little chuckle, "we'll still be in the hospital, but a different part of the hospital."
"Oh." He said in reply, stepping around a little snail as he walked, "That's too bad…" he added with a mumble.
We walked through the doors, and sat down in the same drab- looking spots we sat in earlier. Snappy sat looking at the ground, bouncing his knee anxiously. Nat sat slumped over, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. Sassette sat in between me and Snappy, playing with her fingers in worry. Papa smurf stood at the front desk, speaking with the Miraguan woman behind the desk. Nobody said anything… It was real quiet in our corner of the waiting room. Papa smurf walked back over to us. "Come with me, my little smurfs," he said, motioning for us to follow, "It's almost time for the test."
Sassette seemed to huddle up around herself and whimper, scared. I patted her on her knee. "C'mon Sassette." I said, "It'll be done soon. Then we can all go home soon."
She looked up at me and tried to smile. We all stood up and walked down the gray hallway. Sassette's hand subconsciously wrapped around Farmer's as they walked down the hall. Nobody said anything, still… everyone walked down the hallway very seriously, not really having anything to say. Papa smurf stopped, then turned into a doorway with a small sign hanging from the end. I didn't recognize the word. It was long, and it was just a strange word to look at. "Farmer?" I looked up at the tan smurf, "Wha's On-col'gy?" I tried to sound out the word.
Farmer shrugged. "Yo' smurf's as good as mine, shugah." He said, "Maybe Pa' smurf knows."
Before I could ask Papa smurf, a nurse entered the room and approached him. She spoke to him for a minute, then led us down a hallway. There were little rooms on either side. I glanced through an open door, seeing a Miraguan woman sitting on a bed and holding someone, a kid I think, close to her and sobbing. Somehow it didn't seem right to watch… I turned my head to the other side of the hall. My eyes wandered into another room. Inside this one, there was a male and a female pair embracing and crying. It seemed like every room I could see into there were tears and sadness… What kind of a place IS this?
The nurse led us to a large room, with a big white donut- shaped machine thing with some kind of table coming out of the hole. The nurse patted the table. "Okay, Sassette… I'm going to ask you to lay down right up here."
Sassette cautiously climbed up on the table and swung her legs over the edge. "Alright… Now I'm going to ask you to lie down." The nurse added, guiding her head towards the end of the table closest to the doughnut hole.
Sassette laid down on the table and watched us, uncertainty in her eyes. "Now, I want you to lay perfectly still, Sassette." The nurse instructed. "Now what's going to happen is this table is going to move inside this doughnut hole, and it'll take some magic pictures of your lungs, so we can find out what's making you sick… Simple as that!"
She looked a bit more peaceful. That didn't sound SO bad… "Your family and I, we'll be right in the other room…" The nurse said, ushering us into a small room. "Remember. Stay perfectly still!"
The table moved inside the doughnut hole, and made a few bright flashes. Then, the table moved back out of the machine, and came to a stop. "There," the nurse said, shuffling some papers in her hands, "all done."
That sure was fast. We followed her back into the room. "Ok, Sassette, you can get back up. It's all done now." The nurse said, helping her down.
Sassette smiled and stood next to Papa smurf. "Snoopin' snappin' turtles! That wasn't so bad!" she said happily.
The nurse smiled at her, then turned to Papa smurf. "We should have the results and a definitive diagnosis by tomorrow morning." The nurse assured us.
(Smurfette)
The guards escorted us back to the palace, where we toured the royal gardens and the rest of the castle. The smurflings spent the remainder of their day playing with Princess Micha, the king's youngest daughter. Supper was like something out of a dream, exquisite food, the music and entertainment was just heavenly, and the wine was like an elixir created by an angel. "Well then," The king said, standing upon concluding his meal, "Care to join me for a brandy, Papa smurf?"
Papa smurf patted his stomach contentedly. "Ah… Yes, please, don't mind if I do, your highness."
He started to stand from his seat, then cast a glance at the smurflings. They looked sleepy and lethargic. "But first… It's past four certain smurflings' bedtimes." He added with a little chuckle.
Snappy, of course, was the first to protest. "Bu' we're not tired!" he pouted.
"Yeah," Slouchy added, "Not-" he yawned widely and covered his mouth, "tired…"
"Come along, little smurflings," Papa smurf said, ushering them towards the door, "Off to bed."
The smurflings grumbled in reply, then pulled out their chairs and started walking to the room. "I'll be in to tuck you in." Papa smurf called after them.
I stood up and followed them. "Sassette," I said.
The female smurfling turned and looked at me, her tired eyes half open and a lazy smile on her face. "Hi, Smurfette," she said.
"Hi," I smiled in return, "Come with me," I added, offering her my hand.
She stared at it for a moment, then took it and walked with me down the hall. The smurfling boys turned into a room they'd been showed to earlier, and Sassette and I turned into one Elias had showed me during the day. The rooms in the palace were very impressive. Something truly fit for royalty. Sassette and I changed into our nightgowns. "Here, sit right here." I said, patting a little stool in front of a vanity.
She looked at me with a tilted head, and sat down on the little stool. I took off her hat, and put it on the edge of the Vanity. Then I took out the little black hair bands that held her braids, and put them on my right wrist. I used my fingers to comb through her soft braids, unraveling them. "Your hair's so pretty, Sassette," I told her, "And it's gotten so long."
Unbraided, her hair fell just below her shoulders. "Thanks," she smiled a little and watched me in the reflection.
I took a hairbrush from the edge of the vanity and gently ran it through her hair. Since she always kept it braided, it was very wavy, and didn't have many knots. And for as much time as she spent down in the dirt playing with the boys, her hair was very clean and shiny- looking. I suppose that was the only thing she was even moderately "girly" about- minus her "Smurfy Lou" doll that Tailor made her. Then again, even that doll went on some interesting-and dirty- adventures with her and the boys. "Smurfette? How do you keep your hair so straight?" she asked, admiring my gold- colored hair.
I shrugged my shoulder a little, absentmindedly brushing her soft hair. "Brushing it," I said, "I use a conditioner the Pussywillow Pixies gave me, little things like that."
"Ohh…" she said.
She was quietly watching me brush out the little knots. "Smurfette? Will I ever have as pretty hair as you?" she asked, watching me brush her auburn locks.
I smiled at her a little. She already did. "I think you defiantly will…"
She was quiet for a moment, watching the brush with tired eyes. She jerked away for a moment and started coughing into her fist. I stopped brushing her hair and looked in my travel backpack. There was a white hankie at the top, next to one of my dresses. I took it out, then gave it to Sassette. She kept coughing harder and harder for a few more moments before it finally started getting better. She looked at the handkerchief and froze. Her hand was trembling and her face had turned nearly white. "S-S-S-Smurfette!" she squeaked.
She turned around and threw her arms around my waist. I sat on the bench next to her and held her head close to me, rocking a little bit. She sobbed little girl tears into the shoulder of my nightgown. "Shh… shh… What's wrong, Sassette?" I whispered.
She sniffled and whimpered a bit, then moved her hand and showed me the handkerchief. It had little spots of blood on the white cotton fabric. My heart nearly stopped in my chest. She snuffled and sniffled a little and kept her face buried in my shoulder. "Oh, Sassette…" I said softly, trying to blink away tears, "I- I- It'll be okay…. We're going to find out what's wrong… A-a-and we'll fix it… I—I promise…"
She held onto me tightly, sniveling and crying her little eyes out. I held her in my arms, rocking and shh-ing her a little bit. She doesn't deserve to be so scared… she's just a little girl… she hasn't even lost all her baby teeth yet and she has to be worried about illness…? It's just not fair…
We stayed like that for a few minutes, until her sobs finally started to cease. She sniffled more and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Sm-Sm-Smurfette?" she sniffled.
"Yes, Sassette?" I replied, stroking her hair.
"C-c-can you finish braiding my hair…?" She asked, "I-I-I'm real tired…"
"Okay…" I said, giving her one last squeeze and picking up the brush again.
I stood up and stood behind her again so I could pleat her hair. I divided her hair down the middle of her head. I twisted one half into a tight braid, then used one of the hair bands on my wrist to tie it. I braided the other half of her hair, then tied the other braid with the other hair band. "There… All done…" I said.
She looked up at me and smiled. "Thanks, Smurfette."
I smiled a little in return, then went to the head of my bed and upturned the covers. "You can sleep in my bed with me, if you want to." I offered.
She shook her head a little. "Actually, Smurfette… No 'fence 'er nothin', but I'd rather sleep with Snappy, Nat n' Slouchy…"She replied, looking at the floor embarrassedly.
I actually wasn't too surprised. I don't think they've ever really spent a night without each other. "Okay…" I said, "I'll walk you over to their room."
She slid off the stool and walked to the door. She waited for me to walk to the door before she skittered a little ways down the hallway and pounded on the door. "Are ya naked?" She called to the boys on the other side of the door, snickering a little.
"NO…" they all answered at once, annoyance and exasperation in their voices.
She opened the door and peeked her head inside. She let the door swing open and walked in. I saw the smurfling boys all tucked under the covers on the bed, Papa smurf sitting on the edge with them. "Err- Sassette. What're you doing in here?" Papa smurf asked, sounding honestly befuddled.
"I wanted t' sleep with th' other smurflin's…" she said. "Pleeeease, Pappy, cant I stay?"
"Well—" Papa smurf wrung his hands a little bit, trying to find the right words to say.
"Pleeeeease, Pappy smurf?" she pleaded with wide eyes.
Papa smurf caved. "Oh, all right…" he caved.
"Thanks, Pappy!" Sassette said, giving him a squeeze, then climbing up onto the bed, "Scooch over, Nat!"
The boys scooted over underneath the covers and made room for Sassette. She snuggled underneath the fluffy comforter and pulled it up to her nose. Papa smurf gave all four of them a kiss on the forehead, then left a small candle on a plate on the dresser as a nightlight. "Goodnight my little smurflings." Papa smurf said, gently closing the door behind him.
"G'night Papa smurf." Four tired smurflings chorused tiredly.
"See y' in the mornin' Pappy!" Sassette called back to him, yawning a great big yawn.
Papa smurf smiled and closed the door with a quiet click. "Goodnight, Smurfette." He smiled at me and walked down the hall.
"Goodnight, Papa smurf." I replied, yawning and walking to my room.
I went to bed soon after. But I was awakened by a loud screaming noise. I jolted awake, listening for more noise. It only took a moment or two before I started hearing more screaming, coming from the smurflings' bedroom across from mine. I jumped right out of bed and ran for the door. I went right in, only to see the smurflings shaking and trying to wake Sassette. She was lying on the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks, screams of terror rocking her whole body. Then, Slouchy got out of bed and ran, the fastest I've ever seen him, and found a cup to fill with water. Then he darted back, careful not to spill any water, and poured some of the water on her face. She drew a deep quick breath and sat up, nearly tagging snappy on the lip with her forehead. "N-NAT!" She stuttered, grabbing onto the first smurfling she saw and holding onto him for dear life, sobbing and wailing her eyes out.
I heard fast sets of footsteps from down the hall. Papa smurf and Farmer ducked into the room. "What happened?" Papa smurf demanded. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"It sounded like y'all were screamin' smurfy murder in here!" Farmer exclaimed.
Sassette sobbed and sniffled hysterically as Nat tried to comfort her. Slouchy awkwardly felt the glass in his hands. "Sassette was havin' a nightmare…" Snappy explained, "An' we couldn' wake her up…"
Papa smurf sat down on the bed next to Nat and Sassette and put his hand on her back. "Sassette… It was only a dream…" He said softly, "And it's over now... It's all gone…"
Sassette looked at him and eased out of Nat's embrace. She seemed to flinch at the sight of him and went right back to sobbing into Nat's nightshirt. That was when Farmer moved in, sitting closer to the crying child "Sassette… Is' alright, shugah…" he said softly. "It was just'a dream… Dreams cain't hurt you… An' even if they cou' they'd hafta smurf through me t' get'cha!"
Sassette sniffled and sniffed loudly, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Then she moved out of Nat's arms and into Farmer's, burying her face into his nightshirt and drawing jagged breaths. "Shh… shh… Is' okai, shugah…" he shushed the scared child. "Nothin's gon' hurt you when Ah'm here…Smurf m' heart, don' hope t' die."
She sniffed a little and spoke a little, "It's 'hope t' die', Farmer… Smurf my heart an' hope t' die…"
Farmer shook his head. "Naw, shug… You should NEVA say 'hope t' die'… coz it can always happen…." He said, "Wha' was yo' dream about, shugah?"
Sassette tried to gather herself so she could talk. "S-s-s-slitherin s-s-s-sidewinders…I-i-it was AWFUL, Farmer…" she whimpered, "There was this big red river… b-but it wasn't water, it looked more like icky red p'sketti or somethin'... An- an- an- then I started coughin' again, a-an I was coughin' blood, an' I tried to call for somesmurf… b-but no'un would answer me—" she started sobbing again, and Farmer rocked her back and forth soothingly, "b-b-b-bu' wait, there's more!! I—I tried looking for where the river was comin' from, an I came to this big red pool… an' when I tried t' look for somethin' t' use t' get across… an- an- an- an then this giant clear-colored crab—it-it-it came out from the pool, an' it started chasing me! I tried running away, or smurfin' for help, but…But..." She started bawling again.
Farmer held her to his chest, letting her tears drench his nightgown. "I know… I know shugah… It's scary…" he said, his honey-like voice soothing the crying child, "Bu' Ah'll never let tha' scary crab get'cha… Smurf's honor…"
It took a lot of coaxing and convincing for her to finally fall back asleep. Papa smurf smoothed her hair out of her face and kissed her on her temple. "Goodnight, Sassette…" he whispered, "Sleep well, little one…"
We all went back to sleep, then woke up the next morning. Breakfast was mostly silent, minus the mindless prattling of the (very young) Princess Micha. Once breakfast was all done, the guards guided us to the hospital. The halls of the depressing building never seemed so long… No halls ever felt so long… It felt like hours before we finally reached the oncology ward… Once we did, we all took our seats in the waiting room. The waiting was the worst… Snappy paced the area anxiously, fidgeting his hands. Nat sat with his knees to his chest, covering his face. Slouchy sat slumped over his knees, resting his eyes. Farmer sat in between Slouchy and Nat, rubbing both of their backs reassuringly. Sassette sat on Papa smurf's knee, anxiously waiting for some kind of news.
Unfortunately, we did get the news. The doctor from yesterday, Dr. Nava, entered the room with a dossier in her hands. "Hello, smurfs." She greeted us cordially. "I have your test results back…"
Snappy stopped pacing and sat down next to me. Slouchy and Nat looked up and studied her with hopeful eyes. Sassette looked up at Papa smurf with a scared expression. The doctor opened the file and showed us a picture of a pair of lungs. There was some kind of deformity in the left lung. Is that what's making her so sick? "I'm afraid that we have identified the growth as limited stage lung cancer… I'm truly sorry…" she said, sounding sincere.
I watched as Papa smurf hugged a stunned Sassette close to his chest and rocked her back and forth, sounding as if he was crying. Tears were flooding my eyes, having heard such horrible news. Cancer… My adopted sister has cancer…
I saw a little flash of yellow, brown and red, then looked over to Sassette. Sassette had tears running down her cheeks, her face frozen in a mixture of shock and fear. The smurflings surrounded her, wrapping her in a hug. "D-d-don' cry, Sassette!" Snappy demanded, "Y-y-you'll be ok! You're gon' get better! You'll be okay! You'll be okay…" he cried a bit himself, burying his face in her shoulder.
Nothing seemed right in the world. It was as if the whole world had just been put in a state of perpetual sadness… Like some kind of an unsmurfy spell had been cast on us to make it so we couldn't smile again… Not a word was said for a short while. Not even from the doctor.