Chapter Seven: Illumination

The glow surrounding Vanity's mirror faded, but the brilliant glow surrounding Vanity didn't. Now surely, the moment the others saw him, they would suspect something was amiss.

Could Brainy glow, too? Or was it just Vanity? Was something particularly special about Vanity, that even he couldn't see? Brainy wanted that brilliant, supernatural sheen too. It wasn't fair…

"Smurf!" Brainy cried out as Vanity tripped over, taking Brainy down with him, "can't you at least TRY to look where you're going?"

Despite the mirror's glow fading, its magic clearly remained.

Returning to the village was a great shock that Brainy was not expecting. Everywhere he looked, there were smurfs, and a multitude of inner selves jumped out at him, swiftly washed over him. At first it was thrilling. He could see, he could see, but it quickly grew overwhelming. If he managed to keep just one smurf in his line of sight, he could focus, but if any others entered his vision, it was too much. And the glowing. Couldn't anyone see it? The other smurfs hardly gave Vanity a second glance. And then he saw Smurfette, and she was glowing too. What was smurfing on? He shut his eyes against it all, swiftly began retreating to his house.

Smurfette's voice came to him from nearby, "Brainy? Are you alright?"

Brainy reluctantly opened his eyes. She was still glowing, it was too bright. "Smurfette," he told her, "you're glowing." Why couldn't she see how much she shone?

"Oh, Brainy…" she smiled demurely in surprise, "thank you…"

He left her there, found refuge in his home. Laid down for a while.

At length, he peered out his window. He could see a couple of smurfs. It was still overwhelming. But… if he really tried, he could just focus on a particular smurf, and the information being thrown at him from the others would dim. Perhaps he could train his eyes…

He couldn't read thoughts. He didn't have access to those, and in fact it would most certainly be too much to bear if he could. But if he saw into their essence for long enough, Brainy sensed that it would allow him a decent estimate of what a smurf was probably thinking at a given time. That was an awful lot of power…

"Brainy's sure taking his time to come get his dinner," Greedy commented.

"He didn't have any lunch either," Smurfette pointed out.

It had been a good lunch, too. Greedy would almost be offended that Brainy had chosen not to come out and eat, but nothing had gone to waste, so it was alright. Greedy had eaten his portion. And if Brainy insisted on not having any dinner either… Perhaps Greedy could live with that, too. He licked his lips.

"It's 'cause I think Brainy said he wasn't feelin' too smurfy," said Clumsy, getting up from his seat. "I'll go over an' see how he is, tell him t' come get some food."

"Ah, alright," Greedy said, trying not to sound disappointed. He could bake himself up something later.

Handy ran his finger along his spoon absentmindedly. "Well if he's coming down with something… I don't want to catch it. It would halt progress on my current project."

Catch… From next to Handy, Baby Smurf stirred, slipped under the table.

"Come now, sit up at the table properly like a good boy," Tracker instructed, trying to pull him back up again, but Baby wriggled free.

"Let's play catch," the young smurfling said slyly, "catch me…!" and he rushed off, on somewhat uncertain little legs.

Grandpa stood up. "I'll get him," and he went and scooped up the little smurf who had just tripped over, dirtying his outfit.

"You're a sneaky little whippersmurfer," Grandpa told him, "it's time for dinner now, yum yum! So let's go back to the table."

Baby shook his head.

"Come on, Baby, I don't want to tell Papa that you're being cheeky. He's busy in his lab right now."

"Let's eat away, let's eat away," Baby insisted.

"Away from the table? Hmm… You know, Papa tells me I'm far too easy on you sometimes, and I think he's right. You're a very lucky little smurf, because I think this is quite a smurfy evening. Why, I've eaten my meals out in the forest and while on the move many a time. We can go and briefly visit Wild…"

"Yes!" Baby exclaimed loudly, "Wild!"

Clumsy knocked on his best friend's door, "Uh, Brainy? Greedy's already served up dinner. Don't want ya to miss out! If ya not quick, I think Greedy'll eat it all up."

Just when Clumsy thought Brainy was just going to stay in there, not saying anything, the door opened. Brainy looked at him very strangely.

"…Brainy?" perhaps he was starting to fall ill…

"Yes, yes… I'm… Really hungry. I shouldn't have skipped lunch."

First Baby had left, Grandpa following. Then, just afterwards, Vanity had sidled up to the table. Greedy slid Vanity's bowl over to him, but Vanity did nothing at all to even acknowledge it.

"Yeah, you're welcome, Vanity," Greedy grumbled.

Grandpa returned with Baby soon after, walking up to the table from behind where Vanity sat.

"We're gonna go say hi to Wild," Grandpa told them, scooping up his and Baby's bowls. Baby jumped down from Grandpa's arms just as the door to Brainy's house opened, stood just behind the older smurf. If Greedy didn't know better, he'd almost say he was hiding.

Before Greedy even had a chance to reply, they were walking off into the forest. Clumsy came over with Brainy shortly thereafter. Brainy looked like he'd smurfed better days, readily sitting down, and looking at Greedy far longer than he was comfortable with.

"Um, Brainy. Your meal."

"Ah, yes, thanks." As he ate, he started to look just like anyone looked when Harmony played his "music". He closed his eyes, ate a mouthful with them still closed. Greedy was about to ask him what was wrong when Brainy's eyes snapped open and he stood up.

"I can't, I can't… I'll… finish this in my home…" and just like that, Brainy was gone too, his dinner with him.

"Well, that smurfs it," Greedy said, exasperated, "so much for a nice dinner we smurfs could all have together!"