Chapter 4

While Handy worked on repairing the spaceship, and Empath concentrated on re-energizing the energy crystals used to power the ship, the other Smurfs took Flyro around the village and out into the forest to show him what exists on their world.  Tracker and the Smurflings taught Flyro all about the various animals that live in their forest.  Smurfette told him about plants and flowers.  Greedy and Farmer described the foods they ate to him.  Harmony, Painter, Sculptor, and Poet explained the various creative works of the Smurfs.  Brainy endlessly lectured to Flyro about his philosophies.  There was so much information the computer entity had gleaned from the Smurfs about the world they lived in, Handy was surprised that it didn't give Flyro's memory banks an overload.  Empath felt the same way about Flyro himself, but somehow he suspected something more than that.

Sometime later, during an evening at Tapper's tavern where most of the Smurfs were busy listening to the weird space-inspired music of Orbit, a keyboard-playing Smurf musician wearing wraparound sunglasses, Tapper was holding a conversation with Flyro about Dreamy, whom they noticed was sitting near the window, staring at the spaceship outside.

"It seems that one of your fellow Smurf beings has taken an interest in my spaceship, Tapper," Flyro commented.

"Aye, that there is more to what's on Dreamy's mind than just smurfing your vessel out there in the grassy knoll, my good Flyro," Tapper replied. "Ever since his 150th smurfday, Dreamy's been wanting to smurf out into the stars so badly, he'd smurf anything to make that wish come true.  He even tried to smurf his own spaceship, but unfortunately it couldn't smurf itself off the ground.  Papa Smurf and the rest of us tried to make Dreamy believe his wish had come true and that he had smurfed off to a world where the Swoofs exist.  Later, Dreamy found out that he had never truly smurfed out into space at all and hasn't smurfed the same since."

"It is unfortunate that your people are not technologically advanced enough to reach the goal that the people of my world who created my spaceship have achieved many years ago," Flyro stated, sounding empathetic to Dreamy's situation. "Perhaps in time, when your level of technology reaches that of my own people, Dreamy's ambition may finally be realized."

Tapper found himself almost agreeing with Flyro when something else came to mind. "Or perhaps this may be the opportunity to help Dreamy make his smurfday wish come true!"

Flyro looked at Tapper, seemingly puzzled. "I cannot grasp exactly what it is you are trying to say, Tapper.  Please elaborate!"

"As I was smurfing to Dreamy some days ago, when your spaceship smurfed down out there in our forest, Flyro," Tapper continued, "sometimes fate decides to smurf things happen at times other than when anyone expected to smurf them for a reason.  Dreamy has been smurfing his thoughts out toward the stars at the same time your ship gets smurflanded here.  It doesn't take a Smurf with more than two eyes to see this smurfing more than just a smurfincidence."

It took a while for Flyro to realize what Tapper was trying to say, and then it was startled.

"You are asking for Dreamy to make use of my spaceship to realize his ambition?!?" the computer finally said, reacting in disbelief. "That is a very dangerous thing to even suggest!"

"Aye, I didn't smurf that it would or wouldn't be, Flyro," Tapper responded. "All I'm smurfing is to try smurfing it from Dreamy's point of view.  Even for a machine, you have smurfed more from what exists out there beyond our world than Dreamy ever will in his lifetime.  You know all about the possible dangers of smurfing into the great macrocosm as well as the potential natural wonders because you have smurfed there.  Had you been smurfed as part of a more grounded piece of machinery on the homeworld that you smurfed from, you most likely would never have smurfed any of that nor would you have cared.  Dreamy has barely smurfed beyond the Smurf forest, and yet he is willing to smurf any risks just to smurf what exists out there, even if that means never smurfing back home because the journey to him would be as equally rewarding as the final destination.  To deny Dreamy a chance to smurf this one opportunity for smurfing this smurfday wish of his to come true is to risk denying that adventurous part of himsmurf to fully live."

Flyro turned his visual receptors toward Dreamy, trying to see what Tapper was trying to say about Dreamy and his ambition.  Apparently, Tapper had pointed out the difference between what Flyro could have been designed as and what Dreamy was born to do with his existence.  A machine could function for many years without any concerns for its own well-being and desires, but living beings, even Smurfs, couldn't do the same without something wrong happening.

"I will take what you're suggesting under consideration, Tapper," Flyro finally said.

Meanwhile, Dreamy continued to look out the window of Tapper's tavern while Papa Smurf sat down at the same table.  The village leader knew something was on Dreamy's mind, and Dreamy had asked to see him here to talk about it.

"So what is it that you want to smurf about, Dreamy?" Papa Smurf asked, pulling Dreamy's attention away from the window and speaking low enough for only Dreamy to hear him.

"Papa Smurf, I was just smurfing that if this Flyro would allow it, I could smurf his spaceship out into the stars and be able to smurf firsthand what exists out there beyond our world," Dreamy answered, also talking low.

"Dreamy, what you are suggesting is very dangerous," Papa Smurf objected. "No Smurf knows exactly where it smurfed from, or where it may be smurfing on to once it's fully repaired.  Besides, Flyro may not wish for any Smurf to still be on his ship once he smurfs it back into operation and ready to smurf away from here."

"Papa Smurf, I just know that Flyro won't refuse if I even asked him to smurf a flight out into the stars, even if it's just smurfing up to the moon and back," Dreamy persisted. "All I'm asking you is to just let me smurf this one smurfday wish to finally come true."

"I'm sorry, but not this time, Dreamy," Papa Smurf adamantly said. "I know it's very tempting for you to smurf this, but right now I don't think it's a very smurfy time for you to try fulfilling this wish of yours."

"There you smurf again," Dreamy complained, "always trying to make me smurf that Smurfs were never meant to smurf out into outer space...first by turning yoursmurf and the other Smurfs into Swoofs, and now this!"

"Dreamy, you can't keep wallowing in smurf-pity over a simple failure, even if it's our failure," Papa Smurf scolded him. "We never meant to hurt you by smurfing up that fantasy, but maybe you should realize that what really exists out there beyond this planet could be more than you can handle by yoursmurf."

"Yeah, and you never meant to hurt Empath by not smurfing him that he was your only true son, Papa Smurf," Dreamy fussed, not believing Papa Smurf's sincerity on this issue. "And we never meant to hurt Sassette by smurfing her about something that she really wasn't, either."

Papa Smurf watched as Dreamy just got up from his seat and left the tavern, heading straight to his own house.  He never liked seeing Dreamy or any Smurf acting like this when things never went the way they want them to go.  But he had to make Dreamy listen to reason, even if he didn't want to hear it.  Now he had to let Dreamy walk off and hope that he would be able to think things over in solitude.

Empath saw Dreamy leave the tavern just as he was approaching it, and then saw Papa Smurf leave as well, but going no farther than a few steps away.  "This smurf can sense from the both of you that Dreamy was denied a chance for him to fulfill this fantasy with the help of Flyro, Papa Smurf," he casually mentioned.

Papa Smurf turned to Empath, sighing. "I just wish Dreamy would smurf that it would be dangerous for him to smurf up there in that spaceship all by himsmurf, Empath!"

"This smurf agrees with you on that, Papa Smurf," Empath said, "which is why this smurf is only going to suggest allowing Dreamy to take this journey into outer space with two other Smurfs accompanying him along the way."

Papa Smurf looked at Empath, realizing what he meant. "You mean...you and Handy?!?"

"You are correct, Papa Smurf," Empath answered. "Handy knows the mechanics of the entire spaceship, and this smurf can serve as their protector to make sure nothing happens to either of them when we make the journey."

"Empath, smurfing Dreamy up there by himsmurf is bad enough," Papa Smurf protested. "But smurfing you and Handy up there with him is even more out of the question."

"Papa Smurf, you have chosen this smurf to be your assistant counselor in the hopes that you would trust this smurf enough to lead this village in your absence," Empath reminded him. "With only a few exceptions, this smurf has proven capable of guarding the lives of this smurf's fellow Smurfs in times of dire need.  All this smurf is asking of you is to place your trust in this smurf to put the safety of Dreamy and Handy's lives in this smurf's hands, and to give Dreamy this opportunity to make his birthday wish finally come true.  Because if we let this one opportunity in his lifetime pass him by, Dreamy may not be able to live with himself knowing that."

Papa Smurf felt trapped by Empath's words, which he knew was a daring thing for any of his little Smurfs to even ask, and yet he knew Empath was willing to take the responsibility that he was hesitant to give his own son.  In a way, it almost felt like Papa Smurf was arguing with himself over what to do.

That made him realize one thing — he certainly raised Empath well enough to understand what it takes to be a leader.

"I will talk to Flyro about this and see what he smurfs about it, Empath," Papa Smurf promised. "If he agrees to smurfing it, then you can smurf up there with Dreamy and Handy. But I can't guarantee you that he would agree."

"And this smurf will talk to Handy about joining this smurf and Dreamy on this journey," Empath added, nodding with some acceptance.

Dreamy heard some knocking on his door.  He opened it and saw that Empath and Handy were standing outside.  "This smurf wishes to talk to you, Dreamy," Empath began.

"Well, if you two are going to smurf me out of asking Flyro to smurf his spaceship into outer space, then don't even bother smurfing to me," Dreamy snapped.

"Dreamy, that isn't what we're here to smurf you about," Handy responded. "Empath came to me smurfing about what you wanted to smurf, and he asked me if I wanted to smurf along with him and you in that spaceship as long as Flyro smurfs that it's okay with Papa Smurf."

Dreamy looked at them, his look of anger turned to surprise. "You mean...you two also want to smurf off into outer space with me?"

"That is correct, Dreamy," Empath answered.

"I just figured, since I was part of Papa Smurf's scheme to make you smurf that you were able to smurf into outer space with that spaceship of yours years ago, I owed you more than just smurfing that I'm sorry," Handy explained. "I want to be part of your crew, Dreamy, so I can smurf my hands on a real spaceship."

"You do?!?" Dreamy exclaimed.  He couldn't believe that Empath and Handy were willing to make that same journey with him.  He felt so excited that he could barely contain himself.

"Oh, thank you, Handy, Empath!!!" he cried out, happily hugging the both of them.

"This smurf is honored to help you out, Dreamy," Empath responded. "However, it is still up to Papa Smurf and Flyro to decide whether or not to allow us this one flight into outer space.  Strangely, though, the more this smurf thinks about what we are doing, even if this smurf is only doing this with you for your own safety, the more this smurf feels compelled to explore this region of space beyond our world for the sake of simply experiencing it for myself.  It would be more than unfortunate if this smurf also wasn't allowed to make that journey."

"Hey, smurf your chins up, you two!" Handy perked. "We'll smurf what's out there...I just know that Flyro isn't going to smurf us the cold shoulder, or whatever he smurfs for one, and smurf us down in a smurfbeat!  Everything will smurf out just the way we wanted it!"

Empath looked at Handy and Dreamy, and found himself the only Smurf among them that wasn't thinking positive about the whole thing.  He couldn't help feeling concerned that Dreamy may not be able to handle a rejection for such a request, even if it was made to a computer entity from another world.  They had such faith in a favorable decision that he just couldn't do anything about it other than merely going along with it and hoping for the best, no matter what the outcome might be.