Somewhere Over The Rainbow/Part 3

Meanwhile, the progress of the Smurflings toward their goal was being monitored by the Wicked Witch of the West, who was seeing all this through her magic crystal ball.

"So the little snip has found her three friends, eh?" the Wicked Witch said. "Well, let's see how far they shall go across the field of poppies in order to get to the Emerald Village. And I have just the spell that shall slow the little goody-goody down."

She went over to a shelf to grab some magic powder she had ground up and sprinkled it over the crystal ball showing the image of the field of poppies. "Magic flowers upon such creep, send the girl off on a nice deep sleep." - The four Smurflings followed Puppy toward the light that the yellow smurf road was leading them to in the deep dark forest. Suddenly it became so bright as they saw that they were now in a wide open field. But that's not the only thing they saw.

"There it is! The Emerald Village!" Sassette cried out.

They took a moment to stare at the beautiful green crystalline structures that make up the village, especially the castle that was in the center, standing off in the near distance. "Wow...I have never seen such a city like this before!" Nat said.

"It must have taken a lot of emeralds just to design this kind of city," Slouchy commented.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Snappy said. "We came all this way to see the Wizard, so let's get smurfing already."

"Last Smurfling there is an ugly wizard named Gargamel," Sassette said, challenging her fellow Smurflings to run across the field with her. Slouchy ended up lagging behind because of his metal body, but didn't mind as he was eager to get to the city like the other Smurflings.

After a while, though, Sassette started to feel herself getting tired. "Oh...what's happening to me?" she said. "I didn't think that smurfing across a field would make me feel like this."

"Come on, Sassy, I'm going to beat you right to the gate," Nat said.

"Sassette's not the only one who's feeling tired," Snappy said as he was also slowing down. And then the next thing, both Sassette and Snappy dropped to the ground and fell asleep.

Nat and Slouchy looked down at the Smurflings that fell asleep. "Wake up, you two," Nat prompted as he and Slouchy tried to shake them awake. "You can't sleep now, not when we're this close to the Wizard."

"It's no use, Nat," Slouchy said. "It must be something in these flowers that are making them fall asleep."

"Something in the flowers?" Nat asked. "You mean...oh no! I should have know that's what the Wicked Witch would do to keep us from getting to the Wizard."

"There's got to be something we can do," Slouchy said. "Maybe we can drag them both to the entrance."

"With this body of straw that I have?" Nat said. "I'm afraid that I might end up smurfing my arms off."

As both Nat and Slouchy cried out for help, Glinda the Good Witch stood afar off at a distance and used her magic wand to make it freezing cold so that it would snow.

"Look, it's snowing out here," Nat said. "Maybe that should waken Snappy and Sassette up." But then he turned and saw that Slouchy became immobile again.

Sassette awakened, as also did Snappy. "What happened? What am I doing smurfing on the ground?" Sassette asked.

"Thank Smurfness you awakened," Nat said. "Now we need to give Slouchy some oil so that he can smurf again."

Snappy yawned. "Well, that was a nice nap I had. Sure is great to see some snow on the ground, though." - Meanwhile, the Wicked Witch of the West watched the four Smurflings in the field of poppies as two of them had been awakened by the snowfall.

"Curse that Glinda the Good Witch for interfering with my plans," the Wicked Witch snarled. "I'll get my hands on those smurfberry red heels yet...just you watch." - Soon with Puppy also awake, the four Smurflings made it to the entrance of the Emerald Village, where they saw two guards standing at the gate.

"Halt!" one of the guards said. "Do you have any business in the Emerald Village today?"

"We sure do," Snappy said. "We've come all this way to see the Wizard of Odds."

"The Wizard, eh?" the other guard said. "Nobody is allowed to see the great and powerful Wizard of Odds. Not even the people who smurf in this city are allowed to see the Wizard."

"But you've got to let us see the Wizard," Slouchy said.

"He's the only way that we can ever smurf back home," Nat said.

"And may I ask who sent you to see the great and powerful Wizard of Odds?" the first guard asked.

"Glinda the Good Witch did," Sassette said. "She's the one who smurfed me these smurfberry red heels of the Wicked Witch of the East."

Both guards took a good look at Sassette's heels when she showed them. "Well, what do you know? This girl does have business in this city," the first guard said.

"You and your friends may enter, my young lassie," the second guard said, as the both of them stepped aside while they opened the gate.

"Thank you very much," Sassette said as she and her friends entered the city. They were amazed by the sight of how everything in the city was in various shades of green. It looked like the very place that Tapper might feel at home being in since his favorite color was green.

"Hello, and welcome to the Emerald Village," one of its citizens wearing a green-colored dress suit said as he approached them. The Smurflings noticed that he seemed to act and sound just like Vanity. "I am your host and tour guide for your visit in our famously fabulous and breathtaking city. Is there any place that you specifically need for me to take you to?"

"Uh, we're just here to find where the great and powerful Wizard of Odds lives because we have some business to smurf him for," Slouchy said.

"Hmmm, some business with the Wizard," the tour guide pondered. "Well, first of all, I think all four of you do need a bit of a fresher-upper since there's no way you're going to ever see the Wizard smurfing the way that you do now. Here, let me smurf you over to our world-famous boutique, and I'm sure that we can give your entire party a makeover that would be truly divine."

"An entire makeover...just to see the Wizard?" Snappy said.

"I don't know about that," Nat said. "It seems rather a bit too much for me."

"Aw, come on, Smurflings, let's just play along and have them smurf us up so we can smurf our best," Sassette said. "Why couldn't that hurt?"

The three boy Smurflings let out a sigh, realizing that Sassette may have the right idea. "Okay, we might as well smurf some time at the boutique to make us smurf a little better," Nat said.

"Oh, goodie," the tour guide said. "You're never going to regret this! Just follow me in this direction, please!" - A short while later, Sassette and her fellow Smurflings have stepped out of the boutique, with Sassette now wearing a fancier dress than she did when she first started off on her journey to see the wizard.

"Hey, now you really smurf the part of Dorothy for sure!" Snappy said.

"Well, the Cowardly Lion sure looks really handsome smurfing a bow tie," Sassette said.

"And look how shiny Slouchy became after he got all polished up," Nat said.

"Well, now that we're smurfing our best, why don't we see if we can find out where the Wizard of Odds lives in this city so we can smurf ourselves out of this place," Slouchy suggested.

"Hey, look at that Smurf over there by the big doors to that castle," Nat said. "Maybe he can help us gain entry to see the Wizard."

They went over to see that particular Smurf, whom they noticed looked and sounded like Brainy Smurf. "Ahem, what business do you gentlesmurfs have being on the doorsmurfs of the great and powerful Wizard of Odds?" the Smurf asked.

"We're here to see him, because Glinda the Good Witch has given Sassette the smurfberry red heels of the Wicked Witch of the East, and only he knows how to smurf them off her feet, and how to smurf us back to being normal Smurfs, and how to smurf us back home," Snappy explained.

"Hmmm, so I see," the Smurf said, looking at the four Smurflings as if scrutinizing their appearance and intentions. "Well, as the official custodian of the great and powerful Wizard of Odds, only I can determine who will be allowed access to see the Wizard...and from what I am able to determine from you four, I will allow you to have an audience with the great and powerful Wizard...tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!?" all four Smurflings said in unison.

"But you don't understand!" Sassette said. "We need to see him today! We can't wait until tomorrow to see him!"

"Of course you need to see him today," the custodian said. "Everybody needs to see him today. However, if I let everybody who wants to see him today have their way and see him today, then nothing would ever get done in the city. I'm sure that you are able to wait at least one more day so that you can take care of other important matters that do not involve him. So please run along and wait until tomorrow."

"I bet we can make you let us smurf an audience with the Wizard," Snappy said.

"Nobody but the great and powerful Wizard of Odds can make me, his custodian, do anything for anyone," the custodian said, sounding adamant.

"Oh yeah?" Nat said, pulling out a strand of hay. "I bet we can tickle you and make you laugh."

"You, tickle me, to make me laugh?" the custodian said. "That will be the day that I..." He started laughing when Nat lightly stroked him with the strand of hay on an exposed part of his body. "Hey, stop it...!" He laughed again when Nat stroked him in the same spot. "Hey, cut it out...none of you can make me...!"

"Let's smurf him a tickling that he'll never forget," Slouchy whispered to Sassette. Soon the other three Smurflings joined Nat in tickling the custodian with strands of hay to make him laugh.

"Oh, please, stop it...," he said, trying to maintain control of himself. "You can't make me...oh, this is too much...I can't...ooh, that smurfs me right there...please, I've got to...oh, no, please, stop it...you're making me...I can't stop laughing...please, I'll do anything...just make it stop..."