The Day Of The Machine Smurfs: A Narrator's Story/Part 8

"And so over the course of the next few days, all the machines that Handy had smurfed for his fellow Smurfs were dismantled as they smurfed back to the things they used to do by hand," Narrator said. "Greedy smurfed back to cooking, Baker smurfed back to baking, Painter smurfed back to painting, Miller smurfed back to grinding, Carpenter smurfed back to building furniture, Potter smurfed back to making dishes, Farmer smurfed back to farming, and so on and so forth. Papa Smurf was glad to see every Smurf back to work and enjoying what they smurfed, not to mention the Smurflings having the adult Smurfs playing with them once more."

As Empath and Handy listened, they saw Handy in the story putting up fence posts along a path next to Farmer's fields when Hefty came jogging by. "How does it feel to be smurfing back to work now?" Hefty asked.

"I honestly never felt any better, Hefty," Handy answered. "Even though I enjoyed having the Machine Smurfs smurfing things for a time in my place, it did make me feel rather restless and itching to smurf something for myself for a change."

"It's good to smurf some time to rest, Handy, but you just can't let machines smurf over your whole life," Hefty said. "Would you really want to remain a slave to your own creation and have it smurf control over you forever?"

"Well, of course not, Hefty," Handy answered.

"It's a good thing I smurfed myself in shape while the Machine Smurfs were still smurfing," Hefty said. "If I didn't love exercising so much, I would be just as helpless as you and the other Smurfs."

"This work should smurf me plenty of exercise now," Handy said. "I may not end up being as strong as you, but at least it will help me smurf longer and be smurfier."

"Just don't oversmurf it, Handy," Hefty said. "I don't want you to collapse from too much exercise when you're not used to it."

"Thanks, Hefty," Handy said. "I really appreciate you smurfing out for me."

"What are brothers for, besides constantly arguing over whether smurfing brawn or brains is better?" Hefty said, smiling before he headed off.

Handy chuckled over that statement before he picked up the hammer. He was about to pound the post into the ground when the top part of the hammer had broken off at the point where he struck the post. He looked at the handle part and noticed that it appeared to be chewed off.

"Ooooh, those smurfed beasts," Handy muttered to himself, realizing what it was that caused his hammer to break.

Throughout the village, things started to break off: tables, chairs, beds, ladders, wagons, buckets, doors, everything made of wood.

Even Papa Smurf began to realize it when he was working on an experiment in his laboratory. The village now had a termite problem. - "Great Ancestors, that was a terrible way to end the story," Empath said with some amusement. "The Smurfs get rid of one problem, and they end up having to deal with another."

"That's the way that it ended, Empath," Narrator said. "I'm just glad to have smurfed out of there in one piece. I don't think any of them have noticed my departure from the story."

"This smurf can't say that they wouldn't miss you, Narrator, but then this smurf isn't the one who's living your life," Empath said.

"I personally can't see us smurfing back to the ways things used to smurf if my inventions can smurf things better without having to smurf all that work away from us," Handy said.

"Nobody says that we have to, Handy," Empath said. "It's just that we have to use those inventions wisely, and it's something we and our fellow Smurfs have to learn for ourselves when you create those inventions."

"But still, I don't think anyone would be complaining about an invention that recycles garbage anytime soon, Empath," Handy said.

"Speak for yourself, Handy Smurf," another voice broke in. It was Lazy who was just getting up. "How can a Smurf like me get any sleep with all this noise that the recycling plant smurfs, and how can I sleep when I have to smurf in the smell that smurfs from the machine?"

Empath and Handy watched as Lazy walked off with his pillow. "You think I may have oversmurfed a few things in the building of my recycling plant, Empath?" Handy asked.

"Well, we could examine the blueprints together and see what could be improved with your invention, Handy," Empath suggested.

"At least we don't have to deal with King Trash here," Handy said as he and Empath started off toward their workshop.

"Unless you count Sloppy, who is king of the trash in this village," Empath said with a laugh.

THE END