At The Mercy Of Thy Enemy/Part 2

"So you were of a mindset that it's possible for Gargamel to change and become a good person if it would benefit him in the long run, Tapper," Polaris said.

"I believe that it's possible for the Almighty to change the evil wizard into a good person, my fellow Polaris," Tapper said. "Of course, it's also possible that God simply created Gargamel to be a vessel of dishonor smurfed unto destruction that He may smurf the riches of His mercy unto those who are made to be vessels of honor. We may never know for sure on this side of eternity."

"And I thought that this Almighty wants nobody to perish, but for all to smurf to repentance and be saved," Duncan said.

"That's still very much true, my fellow Duncan," Tapper said. "But for those God had forsmurfed in His infinite wisdom that would never smurf to the full knowledge of the truth to be saved, He lets them smurf on their way to destruction without any interference, though not without witness that they have smurfed their backs unto Him that loved them enough to offer the gift of salvation unto all."

"As you have said, Tapper, we will never know for sure on this side of eternity," Empath said. "Anyway, getting back to the story, Papa Smurf and Smurfette came back with the news that Gargamel had polluted his muck pond, which was in turn polluting the River Smurf. So what happens next?"

"From what Narrator had smurfed me, Gargamel truly wasn't smurfing all that good when he smurfed out of the polluted muck pond," Tapper said.

And as Tapper continued his story, Empath and Polaris saw that Gargamel was standing in front of a mirror that was on his table, examining himself. His tongue was a different color, and his eyes looked rather shot, as if he had stayed up all night working on an experiment for several nights.

"Ooh, I feel terrible, just terrible," Gargamel groaned as he clutched his stomach. "Swallowing that pond water has made me nauseous. It's worse than the swill Mummy would boil for dinner when I was young. Just thinking about it now is only making me feel worse than I already am."

Gargamel headed for his bedroom, walking carefully so that he wouldn't collapse and hit his head on anything before he got to his bed. "Just wait until I get my hands on that no-good feline furball," he fussed. "He's going to have one less life of the nine lives he has when I'm through with him." He clutched his stomach again, feeling the sharp acute pain like somebody had shoved a knife into it from the inside out. "Yo-oh, I'm so sick. I'd better get some rest. Hopefully I will feel so much better if I laid down for a while."

And so the wizard gently laid himself down on the bed and closed his eyes, feeling like he wanted to just drift off into a neverending sleep so he could no longer feel any pain. - "Meanwhile, back in the village, Papa Smurf was working on his anti-pollution solution, hoping that the foul mixture Gargamel had smurfed into his muck pond hasn't affected any living creatures," Tapper said.

Then Empath and Polaris saw Papa Smurf in his laboratory working on the solution, making calculations on a sheet of paper. "Pi R squared...no, no, no, that's not it. Pis are round," he said to himself before making the necessary corrections.

Just then, Brainy and Clumsy appeared at Papa Smurf's door, with Brainy carrying Baby Smurf. "So, uh, Papa Smurf, can I help you with your anti-pollution solution?" Brainy asked.

"Uh, no thank you, Brainy," Papa Smurf said, not turning away from his work.

"But you always say that two Smurfs are better than one, Papa Smurf," Brainy said as he and Clumsy entered the laboratory together. "And since I have enough intelligence and knowledge to help you out with any problem, I was figuring..."

"Yes, you can help me out right now, Brainy," Papa Smurf said, briefly turning away from his work. "Why don't you and Clumsy take Baby Smurf out for a walk in the forest?"

"Me and Clumsy take Baby out for a walk?" Brainy said, sounding incredulous. "It would seem to me, Papa Smurf, that Clumsy could smurf that simple task alone. Why would you need me to..."

"As you have said, Brainy, 'two Smurfs are better than one,'" Papa Smurf said, interrupting Brainy before he went any further with his explanation.

"Uh, yeah, Brainy, you just said that a minute ago," Clumsy added.

Baby Smurf laughed, as if he had heard the best joke told in the village that rivaled anything Jokey would tell his fellow Smurfs.

"Oh, very well, Papa Smurf," Brainy said with a sigh. "If I said it, then it must be true. Come along then, Clumsy."

As Brainy and Clumsy both left the laboratory, Papa Smurf turned his attention again to his work. "Let's see now...hmmm...yes...well, no," he said to himself while continuing to write things down.

Smurfette met the two Smurfs after they have left the laboratory. "How's Papa Smurf doing with his anti-pollution solution, Brainy?" she asked.

"He's still rather busy smurfing it together, Smurfette, so it should be a while before it's even ready to smurf," Brainy answered.

"But you're not going to help him with the solution?" Smurfette asked, sounding a bit puzzled.

"Of course not, Smurfette," Brainy answered, sounding a bit frustrated. "Papa Smurf's got it all under control. Why would he need me for anything that he can handle by himself? It's not like I could smurf anything for him besides take care of Baby, which to him is more important than needing any of my help for figuring out solutions."

"I'm sorry if that's how you feel right now, Brainy," Smurfette said. "If you want to, I can take care of Baby while you take care of other important things."

"I'll be all right, Smurfette," Brainy said. "Baby Smurf is just as much my responsibility as he is everybody else's in the village. Besides, he needs to learn for himself from somebody who could smurf him life's important lessons that he's going to need someday when he grows into a Smurf like us."

"Uh, yeah, what Brainy had said, Smurfette," Clumsy said, sounding very eager to agree.

"Very well, Brainy," Smurfette said. "But just remember that I care about you, even if you annoy me to no end at times."

To be expanded on.