Has Anyone Seen Papa Smurf?

Baby Smurf is found hidden away in Papa Smurf's lab, caked all over with that black slimey stuff, which had started to get a little sticky and dry. A fuss is made, a brief test is done before it's declared that the goo is "non-toxic" and that Baby is therefore perfectly fine, before a bath is drawn up to get Baby all cleaned up.

Only once it was determined that Baby was safe was the little smurfling chastised for causing such a mess.

"You should have known better than to be in Papa Smurf's lab all by yourself…! Look at your clothes, and goo is splattered all around… When Papa Smurf gets back I don't think he'll be very happy!"

Baby managed to slip away unseen to go off by himself to play once his bath was finished and he was all dried and dressed. He didn't notice the distraught smurfs who were beginning to return to the village one by one, bringing with them terrible news and looking for all the world as if they were completely lost.

No, the littlest smurf played contentedly by himself, starting to feel a bit hungry after a while, and eagerly waiting for a lunch that does not come.

…Lunch is late. Lunch is very late.

When his hunger gets too distracting, he has an idea. He sneaks up to Greedy's kitchen from the outside. He does not need to go inside. And then, his fingertips extended, with just a little bit of magic, some cookies float over into his waiting hands, and he rushes off back into his little playing spot, where he was before.

The other smurfs seem busy, so he doesn't really want to disturb them. No, not busy. They are not really doing anything. But… preoccupied. And the snacks are enough to fill him up for a while.

But it's strange, he thinks, that he doesn't get any dinner. Maybe it is still coming… but it is late. He stops playing with his toys again. Well… more of Greedy's goodies for him, then. He supposed there was nothing to complain about there, because they were so yummy. Today must just be a special day, where he can get away with something special like this, so he should make the most of it, right?

So he ate some cupcakes.

And it's starting to get dark, now.

So one question starts pressing on his mind.

"Where's Papa Smurf?"

A couple of smurfs Baby asks simply turn away, and do not answer. Or, Baby decided, perhaps they cannot answer. And when a smurf starts looking sadder by the moment… he steps away from them.

He found Grouchy. He was seated on the ground, knees pulled up into his chest. He noticed Baby wandering over to him from nearby.

"I don't… I don't wanna talk right now," Grouchy warned.

But Baby didn't have much choice. None of the other smurfs so far were answering him! He was getting a little impatient now.

"Grouchy, where's Papa?"

"Oh…" and just like that, it was like all the air was knocked out of Grouchy. A whole range of emotions seem to flicker over him, and Baby worries that Grouchy will just ignore him, like the other smurfs, or simply not answer.

"He's gone…" Grouchy muttered miserably.

"Where?" Baby asked curiously.

Grouchy brought his hands up to cover his eyes, his face. "He's just… gone! Okay?!"

"Okay," Baby says, even though it isn't. Grouchy clearly wants to be left alone, so Baby went to wander off.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…" Grouchy called apologetically after him. Baby turned back to acknowledge the words before heading on his way once more.

Perhaps it was not so much that the smurfs were ignoring him, but that they didn't seem to hear him at all, didn't react to his words.

He just wanted to know, because it was bedtime now, and he needed Papa Smurf in the room with him… he wanted Papa Smurf to be there. Usually some other arrangement was made in advance whenever Papa left on a trip.

Baby doesn't like to be left alone when he didn't choose to be alone. It looked like Baby was going to be alone tonight.

Smurfs already seemed to be going to bed, or shutting themselves away in their homes. Baby isn't sure if they are going to bed early or if it is really that late. Dinner still hadn't come, there was no light shining in Greedy's kitchen.

So, too, Baby supposed, he should probably sleep, as it was definitely sleeping time for him… He was predictably starting to feel tired. Reluctantly, he took himself to the room, to the bed where he sleeps. The room is so big, and he is so small. He looked out the window. Not even Puppy was there to be with him by the house tonight. For perhaps the first time in his life, he felt lonely.

Slowly, slowly, he feels sleep beginning to embrace him, but it will be a little while longer.

Then there was a noise at the window demanding his attention.

"Sm…Smoogle?"

Smoogle climbed into the room and gave Baby a hug before settling down on the bed. After a little bit, Baby felt much better when he realised that Smoogle was going to stay, snoozing by his side.

Light was streaming in through the window, greeting Baby's opening eyes. Smoogle was already awake, the small creature making its way about the room.

Baby has no idea what time it could be. Had he slept in late? Who could say? Or was he early, waking up far ahead of the breakfast bell?

But no breakfast bell came.

Did he miss breakfast? Did he sleep through the bell? Why didn't anyone come and get him?

It wasn't an ordinary day in Smurf Village. Baby could sense that something was wrong, but he didn't know what it was. He wasn't inclined to investigate right away; it could wait a little bit.

Smoogle caught him sneaking some more treats from Greedy's kitchen after a while when he got hungry again - but he was sure that Greedy would understand. That must've been why, before Baby had the opportunity to grow too hungry once more that day, Smoogle managed to bring him some fruit to serve as a kind of late lunch. Where he'd retrieved it from, Baby didn't know, but he found that he was somewhat relieved – he was starting to get a little sick of Greedy's goodies now, if such a thing was even possible!

For the most part, Baby was content to remain hidden away and absorbed in his own games, not least because everysmurf else seemed sort of… distracted.

He noticed something curious when wandering about the village: Brainy wasn't wearing his glasses. It looked like Clumsy was there to guide him if he needed to get somewhere.

Baby watched from a distance as Dabbler approached them. "Here's what I, um, could find…" he heard Dabbler say, laying a bunch of small pieces in a pile on the ground. It took Baby a moment to realise that they were what used to be Brainy's glasses, which caught his attention.

"Can you… fix it?" the unseeing Brainy asked.

"I'll… certainly try," Dabbler said, sounding entirely unconvinced.

Ah, but what was the big deal? What was the use crying over a pair of broken glasses?

Dabbler took all the little pieces to Papa's lab and left them there for safekeeping, leaving soon afterwards. Once the lab was unattended, Baby slipped inside. He knew he wasn't supposed to be in the lab alone, and he'd only been scolded for this exact thing just yesterday, but this was different! He wasn't just getting up to mischief – he was doing a good deed, this time!

Baby approached. If he put his mind to it… Baby concentrated over the pile, and the pieces slowly began to shift. Focus, focus… and they started to move into position. There were bits missing from the mess, but… A minor setback. Once they were all in place, the missing gaps in the glass could be filled in… same with the stems, and the frames… No one saw, no one noticed the glasses magically being repaired as Baby stood by.

And then, he stood back, a little bit tired from that, and left the fully repaired glasses there.

Smoogle managed to find Baby, surrounded by his toys and acting out makeshift stories with them. When Smoogle walked off again, he decided to follow, which led him to Nanny's house.

Were Nanny's thoughts not so preoccupied and thrown into disarray, perhaps she would have picked up on Baby's recent lack of supervision, would have questioned just who was taking care of him presently. But Baby was always being taken care of by someone. Smurfs were always stepping in and sharing the responsibility if need be or being designated babysitter or carer. That's just how things usually were. Baby seemed healthy and fine, so she questioned it no further. She pulled him into a hug, holding him tight before releasing the embrace.

She was making dinner.

But when it was ready, she didn't ring the dinner bell. Baby followed behind her as she went from house to house, pressing a bowl into the hands of any smurf who would answer the door in a bid to get them to eat something. And when that was done, Nanny took the chance to eat something herself with Baby.

Papa Smurf was gone, right? That's what Grouchy had told him.

It was when they both finished the food that Baby brought up what was idly on his mind. "Nanny, when will Papa come back?"

Nanny froze momentarily, wasn't able to look at him. Why wouldn't she look at him? Had he done something wrong? Then she put her utensils down carefully and drew him into another embrace. It was all very confusing.

She answered very softly, just by his ear, as she hugged him. "I'm very sorry. He's… not coming back."

Why not? That didn't make sense. "Where is he?"

He felt Nanny shake her head – she didn't reply.

"Is he lost? I can help! I can help find him."

Nanny was crying.

After a moment, she withdrew from the hug, and turned her face away from his as she pulled out her handkerchief, but that did nothing to prevent Baby from seeing the streams of tears from her eyes before she had a chance to dab at them. But she continued to conduct herself as if nothing had happened, asked Baby if he had liked the dinner she made. He did. She started gathering their dishes to clean, didn't seem to notice that tears were flowing down her face again. Baby didn't know what to say, didn't understand at all, so he said nothing.