Great Smurfs of Fire –
"PAPA SMURF, PAPA SMURF!" Clumsy yelled out as he ran through the village trying desperately to find him. Instead of stopping at Papa's door as he wanted, Clumsy found himself flying through the air after he tripped over a bucket someone had set down. Papa heard the noise and opened his door, "What on smurf is going on?" he asked right before Clumsy landed on him. They both flew into the lab and the only thing the others could hear was the smashing of something glass. Inside the lab, Papa found himself on the floor with Clumsy strewn across his stomach. "Clumsy!" he began yelling, but Clumsy's panic interrupted him. "G-G-G-G-G-GARGAMEL! He smurfed Vanity." he literally shouted. Papa's eyes shot open wide, "What? How?" he asked. After taking several deep calming breaths, Clumsy finally told Papa, "Me and Vanity were out picking Smurfberries for Greedy and Baker, when Gargamel and Azrael smurfed out of nowhere and grabbed Vanity."
"That can't be possible, the Smurfberry bushes are well beyond his reach inside of the barrier." Papa said as he and Clumsy stood up. Suddenly everyone could hear the cries of Handy as he ran through the village, "Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf!" When he finally reached the open door of the lab, he looked in with a panic, "Someone smurfed the lever and the crystal was out of the water. Who knows how long it's been like that."
"What?" Papa shouted before he glared at Clumsy angrily. "Uh oh." Clumsy said as he realized that it very well could have been him. "We'll talk later Clumsy, but first we need to save Vanity." Papa said, and took off to gather the other Smurfs. Handy walked up to Clumsy in a kind of surprise, "Gosh Clumsy, did you smurf the lever on the bridge?" he asked. Clumsy once again began to panic, "Yes… wha, no…I mean, it was an accident if I did." Handy stopped him from continuing, "I know you wouldn't smurf us on purpose, Clumsy. Just be more careful from now on." When Handy left the lab, Clumsy just began to feel worse.
In the town square, Papa stood on a small still growing mushroom as he announced to the entire village, "My little Smurfs, I'm afraid that Vanity has been smurfed by Gargamel." After hearing the news, the entire village gasped in shock. "But Papa, you said we didn't have to worry Gargamel anymore." Dreamy called out. "The crystal was smurfed out of the water and Vanity and Clumsy were out in the forest." Papa replied. This feedback only started gossip about how it was most likely one of Clumsy's 'accidents' and how he finally got someone in trouble, and others brought up a conspiracy theory. The only smurf who didn't get involved with the banter was Brainy, he just lowered his eyes and refused to believe even Clumsy would do that on purpose, and he wondered just how bad his best friend felt about this. "Now, now my little Smurfs, we first need to smurf Vanity out of Gargamel's clutches, before it's too late." Papa said and quickly formulated a plan to take six Smurfs with him and rescue Vanity. The six Smurfs were Handy, Hefty, Blacksmith who now wore a thick white apron and leather gloves, Brainy, Smurfette and Grouchy. Smurfette decided to make a quick stop to Sam's hut before she was to leave, "Sam, I'm going to help and rescue Vanity, you behave yourself." she called out and turned around to leave. Sam opened his door a crack, to see if the shade had moved over his house, and formed his own plan.
The seven Smurfs approached Gargamel's house, a rundown stone house shaped like a shoe. But they had no idea that the wizard was watching and waiting for them. "Heee, heee. Look at them Azrael." he said and turned to look at his cat, who was attempting to take a swipe at Vanity using his claws. "AZRAEL! Not yet you stupid cat!" he yelled and threw a boot at his pet, hitting the animal square in the back of the head. "You sorry simpleton." Gargamel said to Azrael, "You almost cost me seven more Smurfs." Azrael voiced his own unpleasantness with meows and growls. "This one needs to be alive for my plan to work." Gargamel explained and with that, Gargamel wrapped a small scarf over Vanity's mouth to keep him from warning the others, then he grabbed Azrael by the scruff and brought him into the closet with him. "Now hide yourself, and be patient." he said. Within seconds, Papa and the others came to his window. "There he is." Papa said to the others, "But I don't see Gargamel."
"Don't worry Papa, he's probably out smurfing for more Smurfs." Hefty reassured him. As the Smurfs leapt from the sill to the floor, they found themselves surrounded by a cage, one that had been waiting for them on the floor. "Oh no!" Smurfette said in shock. "Quick let's smurf out the top." Handy said, but when the lid closed, they all looked to their backs to find Gargamel's assistant and nephew, Scruple. The boy was no older than twelve years old, and always wore a light purple tunic and dark blue hat, with a red scarf. "I got em' Gargy." he said. "Nicely done Scruple." Gargamel said, as he and Azrael came out of the closet. "Gargamel you mean old wizard, let us go!" Smurfette demanded. "I think not my deer," he said in as much pleasantness as he dared, "In a few moments we'll have a Smurf feast." he added harshly as he rubbed his hands together and laughed maniacally. As he kept laughing, the other two joined in and laughed along.
Sam crept through the forest, tracking the Smurfs as he went. Thanks to the thickness of the trees, the forest was nearly encased in shadows at this time of day. He soon found himself exiting the barrier and entering a clear area with a small boot shaped stone hobble in the middle of some barren ground. To his dismay the sun still shone and covered the land between the house and him. Staying in the shadows was becoming more and more difficult for him. Moving further into the forest, he soon came to a pile of small stones. He picked one up, and noticed that the stone, though actually a pebble, fit perfectly into his hand. Tossing it in the air a few time, he remembered, back to his childhood in Japan, specifically a certain game he and the other children would play, a game he learned in England. Sam drew his katana, and moved back to the edge of the forest shadows, grabbing a few pebbles as he passed by. Back at the edge of the forest, h e stepped so that his left side faced the hobble, and placed the few stones he had grabbed before placing all but one on the ground next to him. The one pebble he kept, he tossed into the air, and grabbed the handle of his sword in both hands, brought it around his head, and swung, striking the pebble with the broad side of the blade. Like getting hit with a bat, the stone flew through the air and struck the door of the hobble, making a loud knocking noise.
Gargamel was standing over his pot, waiting for the water to boil when he heard a knock at the door. "Oh, who could that be? Scruple, answer the door." he said. When Scruple did open up the door, he felt a sting on his fore head. Looking down he noticed a pebble as it rolled around after hitting him in the head. Scruple looked back up and noticed a blue glint as something moved behind a tree. "Hey Gargy, I think another Smurf is throwing things at us." the young boy said. Gargamel turned from his stewpot to gaze at him, "Another Smurf you say?" he asked. Gargamel grabbed Azrael and tossed him at his nephew saying, "Don't just stand there, take Azrael and go get him." The cat screeched as he flew through the air and landed, claws first, on Scruple's head, the small boy stumbling backwards out of the door. "Soon you will have your friend joining you." Gargamel said and laughed again. Inside of a minute, Scruple and Azrael came back into the house, without a Smurf. "Well? Where's the Smurf?" Gargamel asked. "Get off our backs, he got away Gargy." Scrupel said in a huff. Azrael meowed in agreement.
Suddenly something dropped from Scruple's scarf, and onto the floor. After that, it moved quickly to become a blur to the old Wizard. "There, a Smurf." he said. The blue blur moved toward the corner, always staying in the shadows as Azrael, Gargamel and Scruple all ganged up on it, trying to corner the thing, only to find it with a dark hood on and blue armor. The three of them lunged for it and the Smurf-like creature jumped over the three of them, causing the three to collide with each other's heads, making a distinctive hollow sound, which Smurfette found amusing. As they all rubbed their heads, the cloaked figure moved like lightning to perch atop the fireplace, away from the light, and lowered his hood. Sam stood their defiantly gazing at the three villains. "Sam! You came to rescue us." Smurfette said. Sam gazed into her eyes and nodded, smiling brightly at her. A groan from Gargamel broke his revere, and Sam focused on his mission, glaring at the Wizard. "You must be Gargamel. The Smurfs have told me so much about you." Sam said as if trying to be pleasant. Gargamel began stuttering slightly, "Ab…be…be…they have?" he asked. Then Sam frowned heavily, and darkened his voice to a menacing tone, "You have my friends in a cage, let them go." and drew his katana. Blacksmith Smurf's eyes brightened at the sight of such a beautiful sword, and he vowed right there and then to duplicate them both someday. Gargamel laughed out loud as well as Azrael and Scruple, "Look at the size of that sword." Scruple said as he pointed at the miniature weapon. Azrael just kept laughing hysterically at the thought of such of a thing. Gargamel tried desperately to breath while laughing, "Or what will you do you pint sized Pipsqueak, poke me to death with your needle?" Sam kept his face as straight as an arrow, showing no emotion, as he lifted his sword high above his head, or as high as he could. "I'll only ask one more time, let the Smurfs go." The three baddies just laughed even harder and the Smurfs looked on curiously, but none more curious or excited as Blacksmith. "Go ahead, I dare you to…" Gargamel said, but was interrupted when Sam's sword lit ablaze and grew to the size and width as Gargamel himself. All eight Smurf gasped in surprise and Blacksmith's eyes shined with an awe and wonder of the spectacle he witnessed.
Gargamel stopped his sentence right there and Scruple and Azrael stopped laughing to look in awe at the power of the sword before them. "Now...now. No need for that," Gargamel stuttered as he bent down to the ground and opened the cage containing the Smurfs. "There you see, uh run along little Smurfs and uh be free." Gargamel said. The eight Smurfs all ran as fast as they could to the door, with Smurfette ducking behind the frame to stay behind and watch as Sam finished his work. "Do me one more thing Gargamel," Sam said. Gargamel worried what that might have been but asked anyway, "What is it?" Sam once again smiled and said, "Run." It seemed as if Gargamel's feet couldn't move fast enough for himself, "You don't have to tell me twice." he shouted as he, Azrael and Scruple all ran out the door and away from the house all at the same time. Sam doused the light from his swords and put it away. Climbing down from the fireplace the other Smurfs all walked calmly back into Gargamel's place, this time willingly. "I didn't know you could do that." Smurfette said to Sam. Looking up from the shadows, Sam smiled and said, "I'm glad that bluff worked." All eight of the Smurfs went silent, each dropping their jaws in their own way. "Bluff?" Papa asked in complete surprise. Sam looked at the Smurfs quizzically, "Yah, It was too spread out to do anything more than sunburn him." he explained. "Huh?" Smurfette asked. "Usually when I use the light, it's all my light condensed into the blade. This time I spread it out to look more dangerous to someone his size, but its power was too spread out to do any real damage to him." he said smiling, then added, "Well the sun's gone down, I say we head home."
End of the chapter.