The Reluctant Dark Knight/Part 7

Please note that only Numbuh 404 may edit this page.&nbsp

Every Smurf chattered like chipmunks over the fruitless efforts to apprehend Gargamel when the group returned to the village. Papa stood on a mushroom in the center of them all and raised his hands, gesturing to cease their talking: “Calm down, my little Smurfs! This is not end of the world.” Brainy was about to cut in, but a simple throat-clearing noise kept him from opening his mouth. “I have a hunch that Gargamel intends to use this strange spell to repel us from someone or something, so we must smurf our best to smurf him before he succeeds.”

“What do you want us to do, Papa Smurf?” asked Handy.

“From what I already know of his spell, I will search for a counterpart in my lab,” he explained. Then he turned around and pointed to several members of his audience. “Clumsy and Greedy will follow Gargamel on Feathers – wherever he goes, you go, and if you believe he is going to commit any sort of un-smurfy act, do your best to stop him.” He looked over his shoulder. “Vanity, Grouchy, and Painter will keep an eye on Scruple and Azrael just in case Gargamel wants them to do the dirty work. Remember, he may be trickier than we think.”

“What about me, your faithful assistant, Papa Smurf?” Brainy interjected suddenly, waving his arm in the air, “After all, you may need my help finding the proper counter spell, or perhaps I should go with the others to supervise their duties, or I could -”

“That’s not necessary, Brainy, just stay in the village with me.” Papa shook his head and drew in some air as he added, “I suppose you could smurf me a hand smurfing the books in my lab.” The four-eyed Smurf beamed, puffing out his chest with his hands behind his back in blissful confidence.

The two other groups set out immediately to Gargamel’s hovel; Feathers took Greedy and Clumsy by air while the Painter, Grouchy, and Vanity made the journey on foot. Papa watched them go and hopped off the mushroom to get to work. He remembered – at best – half of the ingredients on the list when he had gotten the chance to see it in the old wizard’s book and with only that to work off of, his task would be difficult. It would be more time-consuming, too, if Brainy decided to “improve” one of his instructions, so he collected his worries and reminded himself to be patience. He trusted his little Smurfs to do what he had asked of them – all he was concerned over was his apprentice, as usual.