Where The Wind Carries You/Part 4

"It's just what I thought...this dream does sound like you've smurfed too many mushrooms before bedtime, Lazy," Handy said.

"But that was the dream that I had when I was smurfing in the volcano, waiting for you Smurfs to finish with the whirlysmurfer," Lazy said. "I had weirder dreams than that, but that was the weirdest dream that I had when I wasn't smurfing anything."

"This smurf believes you, Lazy," Empath said. "Your mind was trying to deal with an emergency situation the best way it knew how, along with the guilt you felt about possibly letting your fellow Smurfs down in a crisis."

"I only wish I could sleep in a situation like that, Empath," Handy said. "But being blessed with the kind of skills that I have doesn't smurf me that kind of luxury, not when I have his life and the lives of other Smurfs at stake."

"I'd still be asking Lazy to smurf his weight if I were there in the volcano with you laddies, Handy," Duncan said. "I'd feel better if we could all smurf a good night's sleep once everybody's smurfed to safety and not a moment before then."

"This one would also expect Lazy to be productive in that situation, Duncan, even if his desire to do so is to atone for his misdeeds in regards to his fellow Smurfs," Polaris said.

"Hello, boys," Smurfette said as she approached the tavern and saw the Smurfs gathered around it. "How are things smurfing with you since we had the hurricane?"

"Oh, my dear Smurfette, it's so good to smurf your beautiful face again," Tapper said. "We couldn't be more pleased to know that we smurfed through this storm in one piece, more or less."

"I only wish the same can be smurfed about my garden this time around," Smurfette said. "We were so well-prepared for the hurricane we smurfed a few years ago, but now even with Duncan and Farmer's help, it smurfs like I'm going to have to smurf up my garden and start anew."

"That's unfortunate to hear, Smurfette, but this smurf is certain that your new garden will look better than it was before if you have anything to do with making it look better," Empath said.

"So what were you Smurfs talking about here?" Smurfette asked.

"It's just the story we're telling Empath and Polaris of how we escaped the volcano, Smurfette," Lazy said. "You were there with us, remember?"

Smurfette sighed. "How can I forget? Handy and Brainy were upset with you, Lazy, but I was worried about you, and so was Tapper. Hefty, he was so worried about smurfing us all out of there, I guess he didn't care whose fault it was."

"If you must know, Smurfette, I actually did care whose fault it was," Hefty said as he overheard the conversation while he was passing by and stopped to see what was going on. "But I was just too busy with making sure all of us smurfed out of there alive to even say anything about Lazy."

"At least you have your reasons for not saying anything, Hefty," Empath said. "Anyway, this smurf would love to hear from you, Smurfette, about how you finally managed to escape the volcano."

"Well, if you must know, Empath, we were just getting finished smurfing the whirlysmurfer together when the lava smurfed high enough that we were going to get swallowed up by it really soon if we didn't smurf out of there," Smurfette began to speak. - As Smurfette told her part of the story, Empath and Polaris saw in her recollections the group of Smurfs in the volcano putting the windmill sails on top of the whirlysmurfer to act as its propeller, making sure that it was firmly set in place. They have finished with that task around the same time that the lava was about an inch or so away from reaching the ledge.

"Now if it can only fly as good as it smurfs, Handy," Brainy said, sounding worried.

"There's only one way to find out," Handy said. "Smurf your stations, everybody. This volcano's about to smurf any second."

"I'm going to get Lazy," Smurfette said. "Don't smurf off without us."

"Hurry, Smurfette," Handy said as he, Brainy, Hefty, and Tapper got inside the whirlysmurfer and took their places at the controls, which were a series of seats with pedals attached. "Prepare for smurfoff in one minute."

"Let's get smurfing right now, Handy," Brainy said as he strapped himself into his seat. "This place is going to blow any second."

"We're waiting for Smurfette to get Lazy," Handy said as he strapped himself in at the topmost seat.

"Oh no," Brainy groaned as he unstrapped himself. "Lazy's going to do us in yet. If we all have to go smurf for him, we're all going to get smurfed." He went to the door of the whirlysmurfer and called out, "Smurfette, forget about Lazy! We'll smurf back for Lazy after the eruption! How hot can it get?"

Hefty grabbed Brainy and tossed him back into his seat. "Just strap yourself in, Brainy. They'll get here."

Meanwhile, Smurfette was racing through the cave she entered as fast as she could, calling out Lazy's name and hoping to find him as soon as possible. "Lazy! Lazy! It's time to..."

She stopped when she saw Lazy sleeping on the ground next to a flow of lava that was slowly pouring down toward him. "Lazy, Lazy, you have to wake up," Smurfette said as she approached him. "We have to..."

"I'm not asleep, Smurfette...I'm staying right here," Lazy said, sounding a bit angry.

"What?!?" Smurfette exclaimed, not believing what she was hearing.

"I don't deserve to live," Lazy said, sounding defeated and helpless. "I let my friends down...I fell asleep. They ended up in a volcano."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Lazy," Smurfette said, grabbing Lazy by the arm. "We're not leaving you here."

Back at the whirlysmurfer, Brainy was getting more nervous by the second, and Tapper found himself praying for enough time that they could get Lazy and then get themselves out alive soon. Then Handy saw through the window Smurfette leaving the cave with Lazy. "She's got Lazy," Handy said. "Okay, every Smurf, start smurfing the pedals. It's time to get this thing smurfing."

Every Smurf on board the whirlysmurfer -- Handy, Brainy, Hefty, Tapper, and soon Smurfette -- started to work the pedals in their seats, which started making the propeller on top of the invention spin. "Strap yourself in, Lazy," Handy said. "We're about to take off."

Lazy looked at his seat and noticed something. "But my seat doesn't have any pedals on it, Handy," he commented.

"That's right, Lazy," Brainy said in a condescending tone. "We don't want your help. You're just too unreliable."

"Brainy Smurf, stop with your lecturing," Tapper barked.

"It's only a five-Smurf design, Lazy," Handy said. "Sorry."

"Let's go, Handy," Hefty said, feeling the rumbling outside getting worse. "We've got to smurf out of here."

Handy adjusted the flaps with the controls to prepare the craft for liftoff. "Full smurf ahead!"

"Oh sure, Lazy, sleep easy, while the rest of us are smurfing for our lives," Brainy continued to speak in the same manner while looking at Lazy just sitting there, feeling sorry for himself.

"Here we smurf!" Handy said, and soon the whirlysmurfer started to lift off from the ledge, slowly ascending its way toward the opening at the top of the chasm. The Smurfs continued to pedal as hard as they could to keep the propeller moving while the craft continued its ascent until it was all the way out of the chasm.

"Keep smurfing, my fellow Smurfs," Handy said as he adjusted the controls to the steering flaps. "We're not out of the clear yet."

The whirlysmurfer then started to move away from the top of the volcano, but it didn't get too far when the force of an explosion from the eruption caused the craft to lose control, with Handy bumping his head on the controls, knocking him out.

Lazy realized that it was time for him to do something. "Hang on, fellow Smurfs," he said, unstrapping himself from his seat and climbing up the ladder into Handy's seat to take over with the pedaling. "I'll get it! Hang on!"

The whirlysmurfer started to take a sharp dive toward the ocean as Lazy reached Handy's seat and started pedaling like crazy. "Keep smurfing, Smurfs! Keep smurfing!" he cried out.

To be expanded on.