"And so Handy smurfed a team of Smurfs to work on the new
bridge, which smurfed some time as Handy wasn't used to smurfing
things on a tight schedule," Trader said to Empath. "Meanwhile,
Papa Smurf was starting to smurf better as he was now able to
talk, and he was asking how things were smurfing in the village.
For the rest of the Smurfs, though, they were now out of money
and had to smurf to me in order to get more, so I had them smurf
their houses on a mortgage, which meant they will continue to
smurf in their own place by smurfing a monthly rent."
Empath pondered on what he had seen up until now. "This smurf
wonders if this smurf would have had to deal with the same issue
if this smurf was living in the Smurf Village at the time," he
said.
"Truth to tell, Empath, I did smurf aside a bag of 100 coins
for you for the day that you would smurf back from Psychelia,"
Trader answered. "I had even smurfed up a private savings
account so that when you did smurf home, you would have smurfed
interest from it being smurfed in a bank for a few years."
"Hmmm...well, that's very thoughtful of you, Trader," Empath
said.
Then he saw that Farmer decided to go back out into the forest
to find his lost coin. On his way there, though, he noticed that
there was a Smurf standing in a booth right next to the
completed bridge. "Stop! The right of passage across this bridge
is one coin!" the Smurf in the booth said.
"Are you out of your smurfing mind?" Farmer said, sounding
exasperated. "I will surely not be smurfing one coin just to
cross a bridge and smurf another coin that I have lost."
"I just smurf here, Farmer," the Smurf in the booth said,
sounding bored. "Smurf one coin or you cannot pass."
Farmer looked really steamed as he paid his coin and crossed
the bridge. He reached the spot near the Great Oak where he had
left the coin and noticed that it was still there, just lying on
the ground waiting for him. He became a happy Smurf again.
But then Farmer noticed another coin, and then another, until
he was following a trail of coins. "Surely another Smurf must
have been smurfing out in the forest to smurf their stash away
like I was trying to smurf," he said to himself. "Well, smurfers
keepers, losers weepers."
However, at the point where the coin trail ended, a cage then
fell upon Farmer and trapped him inside. Soon Gargamel appeared
with his cat Azrael, seeing that they now have captured a Smurf.
"Well, well, well," Gargamel said, sounding pleased. "I can see
that you wretched Smurfs have caught gold fever, which is how I
have led you into this trap...with a bunch of shiny lead fake
coins, made to look like gold so that you little blue dummies
won't know the difference. And thanks to you, I will soon have
all your gold. Your greed will be your downfall...as it will be for
all your friends."
Gargamel then took Farmer into his castle, where the Smurf was
held high from the ground inside a cage, while the evil wizard
was busy writing up something on a piece of parchment.
"There," the wizard said as soon as he was finished writing. "I
have written a ransom note that they will surely pay me in gold
for your safe return. And when they do, I will also capture them
as well."
"Sweet mother of Smurf, Gargamel," Farmer shouted. "You will be
the one who will pay for this!"
Then Gargamel went out toward his window. "Corbelius?
CORBELIUS? Where are you, you miserable little bird? Come over
here!"
A ragged black crow flew toward the window, looking rather
bored and disinterested in anything that Gargamel wanted from
him.
"Here, Corbelius, I have a little note for you to deliver to
those despicable Smurfs," Gargamel said as Corbelius landed on
the window sill. "There will be some seeds in it for you if all
goes well."
Corbelius took the rolled-up note in his beak and flew off.
Empath followed the bird as he flew over the Smurf Village and
dropped off the note to one of the Smurfs below.
It was Trader who picked up the message and read it aloud.
"It's from Gargamel," he said. "He wants us to deliver all our
gold to him before dawn tomorrow at the Great Oak because he is
smurfing Farmer Smurf hostage!"
The other Smurfs who heard the message read aloud were
muttering to themselves. It seemed to Empath that the last thing
they want to give up is their gold.
Then Papa Smurf came onto the scene. He was wearing a scarf and
walking with a cane, being supported by Smurfette. "What's all
this commotion about, my little Smurfs," he asked, still
sounding rather weak.
"Thank Smurfness you're up and about, Papa Smurf," Trader said.
"We smurfed this note from Gargamel."
Papa Smurf took the message and read it for himself. "'Be at
the Great Oak at dawn with all your gold'? But we have no gold."
"We do have it now, Papa Smurf...as part of our money system,"
Trader explained. "I tried to smurf you this earlier, but you
were sick."
"I see," Papa Smurf said as he stroked his beard in thought. "I
am under no illusions, knowing that Gargamel will not smurf his
end of the bargain, even if we're faithful to ours." He then
turned to Zipper Smurf. "Go to Gargamel's castle and see what he
may be smurfing for us. And be careful!"
"De inmediato, Papá Pitufo," Zipper said. He quickly rushed
through the forest and found himself at Gargamel's castle, where
he saw carefully through the window the evil wizard with a net,
and Farmer Smurf hoisted high inside a cage.
"Behold, Azrael," Gargamel said. "Once they bring them all
their gold, the net will close in on them, and I will be rich."
"You'll be rich, all right...rich in rat smurfings," Farmer
shouted.
"Ay caramba!" Zipper said to himself. "Papá Pitufo is right! I
have to go back and tell him!"
Zipper then rushed back to the village to tell Papa Smurf about
the net that Gargamel was preparing to drop on the Smurfs.
"That's just what I thought he was going to smurf," Papa Smurf
said. He took off the scarf and handed the cane to Smurfette,
feeling his own strength returning to him. "I need some Smurfs
who will smurf with me to the Great Oak."
"Papa Smurf, this is not safe for you in your condition,"
Smurfette warned.
"I'll be all right, Smurfette," Papa Smurf said. "I won't be
smurfing this job alone."
"As long as this rescue mission isn't going to cost us anything that Trader's charging, then I'm in," Duncan said.
Empath watched Papa Smurf and several other Smurfs hide out in
a bush near the Great Oak, waiting until after nightfall for
Gargamel to show up. He then appeared, hanging his net on some
branches, ready to spring his trap on them at dawn. Gargamel
seemed pleased as he finished his job and left. Then Papa Smurf
had some of his Smurfs bring a ladder so that they could adjust
the net trap themselves.
At dawn, Papa Smurf appeared at the Great Oak with some of his
little Smurfs with a wagon full of gold coins from the First
Smurf National Bank. Papa Smurf warned the others to stay on
their toes as Gargamel appeared.
"So we meet again, my friends," Gargamel said, cackling. "Do
you bring all the gold?"
"Here it is, Gargamel," Papa Smurf said, showing him the cart.
"We smurfed our end of the bargain, now smurf us the prisoner."
"Why, certainly," Gargamel said, showing the Smurfs the cage
that Farmer is in, with a cloth draped over it. "Just bring the
cart closer."
"Agreed," Papa Smurf said. "We will smurf each other halfway."
As Gargamel and the Smurfs got closer to each other, the wizard
started to worry about the trap. And then suddenly it
sprang...snaring him instead of the Smurfs, who were now
cheering, with Papa Smurf letting out a sigh of relief.
But as the Smurfs examined the cage, the cheering stopped.
"It's empty, Papa Smurf," one of the Smurfs said.
Gargamel cackled viciously. "What were you thinking, you tiny
blue fools? That I was actually going to bring you your
companion? I have left him in my hovel with Azrael guarding
him...and if I don't return, that Smurf will be my cat's meal
for the day!"
"Quick, my little Smurfs!" Papa Smurf shouted. "Let's smurf to
Gargamel's castle before it's too late!"
"Me and Brainy will smurf the money back to the village, Papa
Smurf," Trader called out as Papa Smurf and a few other Smurfs
headed for the castle.
At the castle, Farmer watched as Azrael chewed and clawed away
at the ropes holding up the cage. "Azrael! You stupid beast!
Stop it!" Farmer shouted.
But soon the rope snapped and the cage broke as it fell to the
ground. Azrael had already pounced on Farmer, pinning him to the
ground with one of his paws, and lifting up another paw to
strike at him.
"AZRAEL! SMURF YOUR PAWS OFF HIM!" Papa Smurf shouted as he
arrived at the window with his Smurfs. They all poured into the
room, with one Smurf striking Azrael directly with a stick
before swiping at him with a paw.
"Wait! There's an easier way to get rid of the cat!" Duncan said. "Crazy, smurf to that funnel on the table!"
Crazy understood what his fellow Smurf wanted. He hopped onto
the table and used the funnel as a megaphone, making convincing
dog barking sounds that scared Azrael. He fled into an open
chest, which the Smurfs closed the lid of and sealed shut so the
cat wouldn't escape.
Every Smurf laughed as they saw Azrael fall for Crazy's sound
effect trick. "What a cat...but a stupid cat!" one of the Smurfs
said.
"Let's smurf back to the village," Papa Smurf said. "I've had
enough of smurfing in this place."
"Thanks for smurfing to my rescue," Farmer said to one of his
fellow Smurfs as they all ran out of the castle.
"It's all in a day's smurf, Farmer Smurf," that Smurf
responded.
The Smurfs that remained in the village were glad to see Papa
Smurf and the others return with Farmer, who was glad to see all
his fellow Smurfs again as they crowded around him.
"And so, my little Smurfs, for the successful rescue of Farmer
Smurf, I would like to smurf a little party for us to
celebrate," Papa Smurf announced. This made the rest of the
Smurfs cheer...except for Trader.
"Hold it, Papa Smurf," Trader said. "A little party? But who's
going to pay for it?" This made the Smurfs let out a collective
groan in frustration.
"I hate paying for parties," Grouchy said.
"Aye, you and me both, Grouchy," Duncan said.
"As much as I hate to admit it, that's true," Party Smurf said.
"Who's going to pay for the lamps?"
"And for the cakes?" Greedy asked.
"And for the music?" Harmony asked.
"And for the sarsaparilla ale?" Tapper asked.
"And what about smurfing admission?" Trader added.
Papa Smurf sighed, sounding disappointed. "It's too bad, my
little Smurfs. Since this is the case, I'm afraid there won't be
a little party after all."
And this made all the Smurfs walk away, sighing in great
disappointment.