SmurfWillow sighed as she finished her list of chores for her little Smurfs to complete. She could hear them all from her house going about their day with Dragonflies buzzing around in the background. The leader couldn't help but chuckle the more she thought about it. If someone had told her three years ago that Smurfs and Dragonflies would be living together in peace, she would have called them insane. Yet here they are and the village hadn't known peace like this in decades.
A low thundering boom suddenly echoed across the land and broke Willow's concentration.
Looking out of the window she saw the dark storm clouds slowly rolling in the once clear sky. This forest was a place where enchantments grew, and she knew that the weather could change on a dime. She had seen it happen almost forty years ago. That was one of the worst storms the village had ever seen and had almost wiped their home off the map. But not all things were bad about that storm. SmurfWillow smiled as she remembered, looking at a slightly damaged, beautifully designed trunk tucked away in the corner of her house.
The trunk hadn't been opened since it washed up on their shores.
She could remember that day as if it only happened yesterday...
(FLASHBACK - 40 YEARS AGO)
At first, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary on that day. The sun had been shining, the bees had been buzzing, and her little Smurfs had been going about their day and completing their chores. Then, almost out of nowhere, the wind began to pick up speed and it started to rain heavily. Knowing how wild and unpredictable the Forbidden Forest's weather could be, Willow had called for an immediate evacuation to the emergency storm shelters.
It had turned out to be the right call.
Less than an hour since Smurfy Grove had been successfully evacuated the rain storm had turned into a raging typhoon, one, unlike anything the Smurfs had seen in many years. However, what stuck out to Granny and Willow was that the storm lasted three days. Yes, Forbidden Forest storms could be long and hazardous, but neither Smurf had seen one so long or so strong. Granny's theory was that Mother Nature was upset at something or someone and sent a monster storm after them.
Willow felt that there was something more to it, however.
Yet with no proof and knowing that all her Smurfs were safe and sound, she decided to drop it. Once they were sure that the storm had passed, Willow and Granny went outside to check the damage. After leaving the shelters, they cautiously made their way through their home and the surrounding area, taking in all of the damage. The once jam-packed trails that led to Smurfy Grove were torn to pieces by the elements. Grass filled the labyrinth of cracks and mud covered whatever was left.
Fallen trees blocked some of the paths while others continued to grow, even if more than half of their branches had been ripped off in the evening storm.
The village itself wasn't much better. Most of the houses were either completely gone or mere remnants of wood, leaves, and furniture. Silence had taken the place of the sound of playing Smurfs, talking neighbors, and the sounds of a working community. The silence was deafening. But despite all of the destruction at least there was happiness among the animals. Most had found a relatively haven during the chaos and they were all just overjoyed that the storm was over.
Things seemed to be typical after a storm until the two Smurfs made it to the beach.
When they got there, Willow and Granny froze when they saw what looked like the remains of a long rope bridge scattered along the sandy shores. There were over two dozen planks of wood spread around with shredded ropes. The two shared a look and began to investigate some more. Further along the beach, they were stunned to find a smurf-sized hand mirror sticking right side up in the sand. It was gold and the reflective surface was shattered.
Looking past the broken mirror, they saw a crate, but it wasn't a plain wooden crate.
It was perfectly white and decorated with paintings of pink roses and gold vines.
"What do you make of that?" Willow asked as they walked over to investigate the crate.
"It's a pretty thing." She replied as she opened the trunk to reveal it was filled with clothes and accessories for a girl. As Granny continued rummaging through the trunk, Willow continued investigating the beach. At the far end of the beach, she noticed a pile of the bridge remains and broken tree branches. Thinking there was nothing else to see, Willow turned to get Granny and head back to the village. She suddenly stopped. As she was turning to leave, a flash of familiar blue caught the corner of her eyes from behind the pile.
Fearing that she had miscounted and one of her Smurfs had been swept away in the storm and was now injured, or worse.
Running faster than she ever had in her life, SmurfWillow rushed over to the little blue body and gasped.
"Granny, come here." She called to the older Smurf, who still had her head in the trunk, completely oblivious to what was going on.
"Hold onto your petals, Willow."
"Granny, now!" She snapped impatiently. Knowing that Willow seldom snapped at her like that, Granny closed the trunk and walked over.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming." She sighed loudly. "What could be so important that- Oh." She stopped when she saw what Willow was looking at. Lying in the sand was a Smurf, but unlike the ones back at Smurfy Grove, this one was a boy Smurf. He looked to be possibly a few years younger than the Smurfs back home. He was wearing a white hat and white pants, but his clothes had seen better days. They were badly torn up, stained, and soaking wet.
His body wasn't much better.
His skin was wet and covered with large bruises and small cuts. The right side of his head was bleeding and was straining his barely white hat. As they watched the boy, he suddenly groaned lightly and they could see his breathing.
"He's alive." Willow gasped.
"Good," Granny replied, but she didn't sound as relieved as Willow did. "When he wakes up he can smurf back to wherever he smurfed from." She huffed and turned to leave, but Willow refused to leave the poor Smurf.
"We need to help him." She insisted and Granny sighed, knowing how stubborn the leader could be.
"We're going to regret this." She muttered as she walked over to help Willow carry the boy back to the village. "And when we do, remember, it was your idea."...
(PRESENT DAY)
It had taken them almost an hour for the two of them to carry Clumsy back to the village and into the healing hut. While Granny was trying to keep the girls back, Willow tended to the boy Smurf's wounds and made to get him a change of clean clothes. When she removed his hat, she saw 'Property of Clumsy Smurf' stitched inside the large hat and that was how they learned his name. After cleaning and bandaging his wounds and sewing him up some new clothes, all Willow and Granny could do was wait.
It was a full day until Clumsy woke up again, yet sadly he had no memories.
He didn't even know his name until Willow told him. All the little Smurf could remember was thunder, water, and fear. While Granny and a few of the girls were still arguing for the boy to be sent back out into the forest, Willow took one look at the bandaged, shivering Smurf in front of her and her mind was made up. It took a few years, but eventually, the girls started seeing Clumsy as a member of the family. Despite the mess his clumsiness could cause, the girls still cared for him and wouldn't be without him.
Willow chuckled lightly as she remembered Granny's words that day.
She wondered what the elderly Smurf would say about Clumsy know. It was thanks to him and Wisp that they now had this great peace and lived with the Dragonflies. Sadly, Willow knew that some girls in the village that didn't like all the Dragonflies around Smurfy Grove. Some still didn't want Clumsy around the village. Some Smurfs just didn't like change. Another flash of lightning and boom of thunder made Willow jump back into reality and she got back to work. Grabbing her emergency bag, Willow ran out and sounded the alarm to signal everyone to get to the shelters.
As she watched her little Smurfs running towards the shelters and doing a quick head count, she panicked when she saw that Stormy, Lily, Harmony, Blossom, Clumsy, and their Dragonflies were nowhere to be found.
Where were they?...