Smurfing Like A Ray Of Sunshine/Part 4

As Empath and Smurfette looked around the entire village, they could see that their fellow Smurfs looked really unhappy. It seemed that without music in the world, every form of activity in the village had also stopped dead. There was no working or playing of any kind.

"This is just terrible, Empath," Smurfette said. "I can't imagine how life would ever be like without music, and now I don't even want to know."

"This is very disturbing for this smurf to witness, Smurfette," Empath said. "For the years that this smurf has lived in Psychelia, this smurf has witnessed the Psyches were able to function without any music because the Psyche Master prohibits any kind of emotional expression."

"The Psyche Master thinks that even music is something that only savages would create?" Smurfette asked.

"The Psyche Master is so restrictive about what he lets the Psyches know and experience for themselves, that if it weren't for the dream sharing relationship this smurf has with Polaris, this smurf would have just imploded from not being able to express myself at all," Empath said.

"What will happen to us if we can't smurf the music back?" Smurfette asked. "It makes me wish that I haven't thought of smurfing together any sort of music album if nobody will be able to hear it."

"We will deal with this situation together, Smurfette," Empath said, looking her straight in the eyes. "Whether you will sing again or not will never change how much this smurf feels for you."

Smurfette looked at Empath and felt the sincerity from his words. "I know, Empath. I smurf the same for you."

Just as they were about to kiss, Polaris approached them. "This one is aware of the disquieting situation that has happened in the village since all the music in the village has ceased," Polaris said.

"And how are you holding up now that there's no music, Polaris?" Empath asked.

"This one's mental state is the same as before this incident happened, Empath," Polaris said. "However, this sudden inability to express oneself through music will eventually take its toll on the stability of our fellow Smurfs. We must eventually prepare to adapt to the possibility that the ability of musical expression may never be restored if we are to continue functioning."

"O ye of little faith," Empath said. "Papa Smurf will return with the answers we need for the solution."

"Your optimism in this situation is admirable, Empath," Polaris said. "This one can only hope that the answers he brings back will lead to a favorable solution for our fellow Smurfs."

Meanwhile, unnoticed by any of the Smurfs, Slouchy was sitting on the back of Puppy behind a bush. He felt like he couldn't just sit around and wait for Papa Smurf, Tapper, and Harmony to return with the answers.

"Come on, Puppy, let's go follow the music notes," Slouchy said. "I've got to get the music back so I can smurf my song."

And as Slouchy played his horn, Puppy followed after the music notes produced by the horn. - Out in the forest, Papa Smurf and Tapper continued to follow the music notes produced by Harmony's horn as they flew up into the air. Tapper couldn't help but notice how silent the forest sounded with all the music gone from the world, as if even the animals were not allowed to sing.

After a good while, Harmony stopped playing his horn so he could catch his breath. "Now that's the longest that I've ever smurfed a note," he said.

"Maybe you should smurf a break while I try to whistle a tune to keep us smurfing in the right direction," Tapper suggested. He then started a soundless whistle that produced the musical notes that they could follow.

The three Smurfs continued to follow the path of the musical notes until they saw something ahead. "It's Chlorhydris' castle," Papa Smurf said.

"Great Smurfiny Crickets, Papa Smurf! Look at all the musical notes!" Tapper pointed out.

"It's as if every single smurf of music from the world is being smurfed to her castle," Harmony said.

"Let's try to smurf up to her castle to find out what it is, my little Smurfs," Papa Smurf said.

As the three Smurfs drew closer, they saw that all the musical notes were being pulled into a horn that was just sitting outside her castle. They could also hear the music that was being pulled in as well.

"Chlorhydris must have smurfed something to this horn in order to smurf music in instead of smurfing music out, Papa Smurf," Harmony said.

Papa Smurf approached the horn and touched it, only for him and the two other Smurfs to be blasted back by a magical force.

"It seems that this magic spell doesn't want us to be smurfing this horn," Tapper said.

"Then we'd better smurf into the observatory and find a way that we can remove the spell," Papa Smurf said.

The three Smurfs carefully climbed up the tower into the observatory. They saw an open window up ahead that they could enter in through and found out that it led into the study.

"The luck of the Smurfish is upon us, Papa Smurf," Tapper said as they reached the window and looked inside. "There's nobody in this room."

Papa Smurf looked at the book that was sitting on the lectern near the window. "Hmmm, I wonder if that book might be able to help us."

Using a bit of ivy vine, Tapper and Harmony lowered Papa Smurf onto the book on the lectern so that he could study its pages. The two Smurfs watched to make sure that Chlorhydris wouldn't be entering her study anytime soon so that they may be able to escape at a moment's notice.

Meanwhile, Chlorhydris was sitting at her magical telescope observing everything in the world through it. "There's not a happy face in sight, is there, my pet?" the evil witch laughed as she spoke to her toucan. "Now that I have done away with all the musical notes in the world, I have also done away with all the love in the world." This made her toucan laugh along with his mistress.

Soon Papa Smurf found what he was looking for. "Here it is, my little Smurfs...it's a spell for doing away musical notes." He continued to read onward. "To break this evil spell, take heed: music is the thing you need."

"Music?" Harmony said. "But that's impossible! There's no such thing as music anymore!"

"That's absolutely correct, my little guests," a familiar voice broke in, "and that's just the way that I like it!"

Tapper and Harmony gasped. "Chlorhydris!" They both pulled on the vine to get Papa Smurf up to the window as fast as they could so they could escape, but Chlorhydris grabbed onto Papa Smurf before he could reach the window.

"Not so fast, Papa Smurf," Chlorhydris said. "You've been a constant thorn in my side, and I don't intend to have you ruining my plans."

"Smurf back to the village, my little Smurfs!" Papa Smurf called out.

Tapper and Harmony started to descend to the bottom of the tower, but Chlorhydris also got Harmony in her clutches. "Quick, Tapper, smurf Empath to come save us!" Harmony cried out.

"Well, at least two out of three is not bad," Chlorhydris chuckled as she looked at her two captives in hand. "The little one won't be much of a problem since there's nobody left among them who can do anything about the spell."

Tapper made it safely to the bottom of the tower. "Lord, keep my fellow Smurfs safe until I return with help," he prayed while he ran as quickly as he could back to the village. - Back in the forest, the female woodelf known as Laconia was busy extracting pollen from a flower that she made blossom when she heard a whooshing sound coming from behind. She ducked as she saw musical notes flying over her head, wondering where they were coming from. And then she heard a dog bark.

Laconia looked and saw that it was a dog, and riding on it was one of the Smurfs. "Laconia!" Slouchy cried out as he got off Puppy and approached her. "Are you all right?"

Laconia signed her response. "'What's happening?'" Slouchy interpreted. "Someone has cast a spell to smurf all the music out of the world. Nobody is able to sing anything."

Laconia shook her head as she signed her next response. "You say that there's still music in the world?" Slouchy asked. "But how can that be? The spell smurfed away the music I can hear, but I still have music inside me? I don't understand!"

Laconia signed a third response. "You want me to close my eyes and imagine myself singing my song?" Slouchy asked. "Well, okay, here smurfs."

Slouchy closed his eyes and did exactly what Laconia told him to do: he imagined himself singing the song that he wrote. Soon he could hear the music of his song playing in his head, very loud and clear.

"Hey, this is smurftacular," Slouchy said. "Now if only I can get the other Smurfs to hear the same music in my head, then I can..."

Laconia signed a fourth response. "You want me to sing my song in sign language?" Slouchy asked. "Oh, you've got to smurf me how I could..."

At that moment, Slouchy saw Tapper passing by him and Laconia. "Hey, Tapper, what's going on?" Slouchy asked.

"I can't smurf you right now," Tapper shouted back. "I've got to warn Empath and the others."

Slouchy had a feeling that whatever Tapper had encountered with Papa Smurf and Harmony was bad news. "Come on, Laconia, we've got to smurf to the village," Slouchy prompted. - Meanwhile, back in the village, Empath and Polaris observed that every Smurf became upset as they were lined up waiting outside Greedy's kitchen for dinner to be served. They didn't like having to wait forever to be able to eat.

Empath went into the kitchen and found Greedy in tears. "Great Ancestors, Greedy, what's happened to you?" Empath asked as he went to check on Greedy.

"I just can't do it, Empath," Greedy moaned. "I'm not able to cook my best if I can't whistle while I work. Even my staff isn't able to smurf it."

Empath looked at Polaris. "This one isn't certain how long the Smurfs will remain stable if this inability to musically express oneself continues to persist," Polaris said.

"This smurf will see if it is possible to get dinner started as soon as possible, Polaris," Empath said. "Meanwhile, you should go outside and try to maintain order before things really get out of control."

"This one acknowledges, Empath," Polaris said. He went back outside and saw that the tensions among the Smurfs were starting to break as arguments among them were heating up into fights.

Smurfette and Sassette safely watched from a distance as Polaris tried to handle the situation as peaceably as possible. "I can't believe this is all happening just because we can't smurf any music," Sassette said.

"I just hope Papa Smurf returns soon with the answers, Sassette," Smurfette said.

Suddenly Tapper arrived at the scene. "Fellow Smurfs! It's Chlorhydris! She's the one who smurfed that evil spell! She's captured Papa Smurf and Harmony!"

"Chlorhydris?" Smurfette asked. "Did Papa Smurf find out how to break the spell?"

"He did, just before he was captured, my dear Smurfette," Tapper said. "He said that music is the thing we need."

"Music?" Sassette said. "But how are we supposed to smurf music? It's all gone."

"No, it isn't, every Smurf," another voice broke in. Every Smurf turned to see that Slouchy arrived with Puppy and Laconia. "Listen...Laconia says that there's still music inside of us."

"Music inside of us?" Slouchy said. "Now that's a good one, Slouchy. How are we supposed to hear it?"

"Just close your eyes and imagine yourself singing it, that's how," Slouchy said.

Empath joined the Smurfs outside the kitchen. "This smurf sensed that Tapper has returned without Papa Smurf and Harmony," he said. "And that the other two Smurfs are in danger."

"Chlorhydris has captured them, Empath," Tapper said. "Papa Smurf told us that music is the only way we can break the spell that is smurfing all the music from the world. Slouchy has just arrived with Laconia and told us that there's still music left inside us."

Empath realized it. "Of course! All music comes from within our own spirits. If we're able to generate music from our spirits, then there is a way that we use that music to break the spell."

"We can still express ourselves through music, Empath?" Smurfette asked. "But how?"

"Laconia seems to know the answer to that, Smurfette," Empath answered. "We must get to Chlorhydris' observatory as soon as possible."