Wild's First Christmas/Part 8

Back inside the house, Miranda helped Elise return to bed while Willem dealt with the confessing thief. "Do you wish to press charges against him?" the sheriff asked.

"No, I don't think so," Willem said. "After all, I've gotten my gold back and it's Christmas eve.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," the thief said, sounding very excited about his freedom. "I swear that you will not regret it, kind sir."

"All right, release him," the sheriff said. The guards allowed the thief to leave and watched him dance off into the night, sounding ecstatic.

"Either that man is crazy or he's got the Christmas spirit in him," one of the guards said, watching the thief depart.

"Only time will tell what will become of him," the sheriff said.

"Oh, your house looks beautiful," Miranda said as she saw Elise resting. "How did you manage to do that?"

"It's all the help of those wonderful little Christmas elves who paid us a visit," Elise said.

"Christmas elves?" Miranda asked.

"Why, they're hiding right under my bed," Elise said as he looked under it, but then noticed something. "They're gone."

Miranda laughed. "Oh, well, whoever did this, I would only hope they would decorate my house the same way."

Gustav handed Hans one of his puppets. "I would like for you to have him as your very own...provided, of course, that your father will allow it."

"Father, may I have this toy?" Hans asked, sounding eager.

Willem sighed. "I suppose this once, I could allow you." He then turned to Gustav. "My apologies for having taken the toy you have given my boy earlier and destroyed it. I should have realized to not be so hasty in judging you. In fact, I would like to make sure you are well supplied in the craft of making toys."

"Oh, sir, I couldn't accept your offer," Gustav said. "All that I'm good at is making puppets now."

"Gustav, you are so modest," Elise said. "This man is the best toymaker that I have ever had the pleasure to live with. I could tell you stories of the kind of toys he has made over the years."

"Really?" Willem said, his interest peaked. "Please, you must tell me." - As the Smurfs rode back to the Smurf Village on the sled pulled by Puppy, Hefty and Brainy explained about the thief they were tracking down.

"Well, it's just surprising that I didn't smurf along with you, Hefty," Duncan said. "That laddie wouldn't even know what smurfed him if it was the two of us smurfing him."

"Ah, he wasn't worth fighting, Gutsy," Hefty said. "He was too afraid of his own shadow to even bother smurfing my knuckles dirty on him."

"What say we smurf a visit to the Slime Bar when we smurf back home and give some undeserving Wartmongers our version of the 'Christmas spirit'?" Duncan asked.

"As long as you're smurfing the drinks, Gutsy," Hefty said, pounding his fist with Duncan's.

"Well, Elise certainly sounds like she's feeling better, Empath," Smurfette said.

"They had a life together that makes this smurf wonder what it would be like for us in our later years, Smurfette," Empath said. "If helping them enjoy one more Christmas together is what will make them happy, then this smurf would look forward to what our future would have in store for us."

"But what if I decide to marry Wild instead of you, Empath?" Smurfette asked. "What would you do then?"

"Then this smurf would never stop loving you regardless," Empath said. "This smurf can only hope at that point that you and Wild will grow gracefully old together and that your love for each other will always be strong."

"Right now Wild seems to be interested in Sassette's new toy," Smurfette said, pointing at Wild watching as Sassette made the puppet dance by pulling its strings, seeming very excited.

Papa Smurf took a look at Wild having fun with Sassette's toy. "It smurfs like Wild will never forget his first Christmas with us."

"Smurfatootie, it makes me wish that I was his age again, Papa," Grandpa Smurf said.