The Magic Flute With Six Holes/Part 4

"Peewit, open your eyes," Johan said.

Peewit did, and saw that he was in a very strange and yet beautiful forest. "Where are we?" he asked.

"If Homnibus cast the spell correctly, we should be in the Smurf Forest," Johan said.

"Hmmm...I've never seen this kind of forest before," Peewit said as he got up from the tree that he and Johan appeared next to. "But where are these Smurfs?"

"I don't know," Johan said. "Maybe we should look around the forest for a house or something."

Peewit yawned and decided they should do that. "Hello...Smurfs! Where are you?" he called out as he and Johan walked through the forest.

After a while of walking, Johan said, "I don't see any sign of them, Peewit."

"I don't see them, either. Do they even know we're coming?" Peewit asked.

"If that magic flute came from them, they must be looking for it just as we are," Johan said.

"Hey, why don't you smurfs look where you're smurfing?" a voice said from behind a bush.

"Did you say that, Peewit?" Johan asked as he stopped to look where the voice came from.

"Honestly, Johan, I didn't," Peewit said. "I just heard it from somewhere nearby."

"But I don't see anyone nearby except you," Johan said. "Anyway, we need to keep looking for the Smurfs."

"That's what you're smurfing for?" the voice said again. "Then maybe I can help."

"Okay, whoever you are, show yourself right now!" Peewit demanded.

"There's no need to smurf like that," the voice said. And then as Johan and Peewit watched, a small blue-skinned humanoid figure no taller than a human hand emerged from the bush. "Oh, it's you two. We've been smurfing for you ever since you smurfed the magic flute."

"Wait a minute...you're a Smurf?" Peewit asked, looking incredulously at the small figure.

The Smurf laughed. "That's me. You must have smurfed from far away, for no one can smurf our forest unless it's through magic. We've been smurfing all over for that flute, which that smurf McCreep has now smurfed."

"What are you even saying? I can't understand you!" Johan said.

The Smurf looked puzzled. "Oh, I see that you don't know Smurf. Well, smurf with me and I will smurf you to someone that can smurf in your language."

"My guess is that he wants us to follow him," Peewit said.

"Then we might as well, Peewit," Johan said. "Maybe someone among them knows how to tell us plainly about the magic flute."

And so Johan and Peewit walked through the forest, carefully following the Smurf they have found. "Are the others about as tall as you are, Smurf?" Peewit asked.

"Oh, yes," the Smurf answered. "Of course, everything in our forest is big. We happen to be the only smurfs that smurf the right size."

"So what happens if something big attacks you and your...uh, fellow Smurfs?" Johan asked.

"We usually smurf with it together," the Smurf said, "but most of the time we rely on Papa Smurf, who smurfs his magic to smurf us from danger."

"This Papa Smurf is your father?" Peewit asked.

"He's every Smurf's father, and we're his sons, all 98 of us," the Smurf answered. And then they saw a clearing up ahead. "Here's the village. We're smurfed."

Johan and Peewit saw the village that the Smurf led them to...and like the Smurf they have found, it was also small, and filled with about a hundred of little blue people that looked almost identical to the Smurf they have found. The village looked like a patch of oversized mushrooms made into houses.

"Fellow Smurfs, look at who I've smurfed," the Smurf said. "It's Johan and Peewit, the two humans who smurfed the magic flute."

The Smurfs all gathered around Johan and Peewit to get a closer look. Most of them acted as if they have never seen beings like Johan and Peewit before. And like the Smurf, they were also talking in the same language that neither Johan or Peewit understood.

"What's all this commotion smurfing on, my little Smurfs?" an older voice broke in. Johan and Peewit saw another Smurf approaching that was much different from the others, wearing a red suit and a white beard.

"It's Johan and Peewit, Papa Smurf," one of the Smurfs answered. "They've smurfed here from the world of humans smurfing for the magic flute."

"That's Papa Smurf," the first Smurf said to Johan and Peewit. "He's called 'the great Smurf'."

"'The great Smurf', eh?" Peewit said. "Then I wonder how tall 'the greatest Smurf' is."

The other Smurfs stepped aside to let Papa Smurf approach the two humans. "Welcome, Johan and Peewit, to our village. We've been waiting for you to come and were hoping that you would help us."

"Yeah, like have you smurfed the magic flute yet?" one of the Smurfs asked. And the others also chimed in with a similar question.

"Please, my little Smurfs, let me handle this and don't smurf around them," Papa Smurf said, trying to get the other Smurfs under control. He then sighed. "Those Smurfs...just because they're 150 years old, they think that they're all grown up."

"They're all 150 years old?" Peewit asked. "Then how old are you supposed to be?"

"Well, according to my last birthday, I became 542 years in chanterelles," Papa Smurf answered.

"542 years old?" Peewit said, amazed. "Well, you sure don't look it!"

"Let me show you two around the village," Papa Smurf said. "It isn't often that we have visitors like yourselves, so please watch your step. I'll make sure my little Smurfs will not get underfoot by accident."

As Johan and Peewit followed Papa Smurf around the village, Johan prompted, "Peewit, ask Papa Smurf about the magic flute."

"Just a minute, Johan," Peewit said. "I have a question, Papa Smurf. These Smurfs all seem to look alike, wearing the same white hat and pants unlike yourself. How is it that you're able to tell each other apart?"

"That's simple, Peewit," Papa Smurf said. "Like you humans, each of us has a name, and our name indicates who and what we are, whether it's a personality or a profession. Take for example this Smurf right here." He pointed to a Smurf wearing a chef's hat who is working in the kitchen. "His name is Greedy, because as the village cook, he likes to eat whatever he cooks for us...sometimes more than his fair share for everybody."

"Looks like somebody you have something in common with, Peewit," Johan noted as he and Peewit saw Greedy in action.

Peewit snorted. "I bet I can outeat that Smurf anyday."

"And those two Smurfs out in the field," Papa Smurf said, directing Johan and Peewit's attention to them. "The one with the hoe is Farmer, and the other with the quill and scroll is Poet. You can pretty much tell what they're supposed to be just by their names. Farmer likes to do farming, and Poet likes to do poetry."

"And who's that Smurf in the field, that's just sleeping with his shovel?" Peewit asked.

Papa Smurf frowned. "That's Lazy, doing what he normally does. He hardly does any work around the village." They watched as another Smurf appeared with a giftbox in his hand, placing it right next to Lazy before walking off. Lazy then fell to the ground and landed right on the giftbox, which exploded, waking him up afterward.

"Ha ha, very funny, Jokey Smurf," Lazy muttered.

"Ooh, a prankster Smurf," Peewit noted. "Looks like we're going to be the best of friends."

Johan rolled his eyes at the thought. "I'm very sure you will be."

"And over there is Handy working on an invention," Papa Smurf said, directing the humans' attention to the Smurfs he was speaking about. "And with him is Clumsy, who just has a habit of making a mess of things. And this one is called Festive Smurf, because he likes to party. And this one right over here is called Grouchy...who unfortunately doesn't talk much." He waited for Grouchy to respond. "Well, aren't you going to say hello?"

"I hate saying hello," Grouchy said.

"Ah, these must be the two humans who are smurfing for the magic flute," a Smurf with a pair of glasses spoke. "I'm sure you would want to know about me, the smartest Smurf in the village. My name is Brainy Smurf, and my job is to elucidate, elaborate, and illuminate my fellow Smurfs to the wonders of morality and wisdom, which most of them tend to be lacking for reasons I can't fathom. You see, Papa Smurf happens to be the wisest Smurf of us all, and my duty as a Smurf is to emulate him as much as possible to be an example for my fellow Smurfs to follow, because every great leader needs to have a disciple who can learn from them, and I just happen to be that kind of Smurf who can learn all the virtues of proper living as a Smurf, and besides all that, I am well-educated in all manner of studies that leave me as the envy of the entire village, and furthermore..."

The rest of Brainy's speech was cut short when the Smurfs passed along a mallet to the Smurf closest to Brainy, who then bonked him in the head with it. Peewit laughed at the sight.

"As you can see, Brainy is the Smurf who loves to talk, much to our annoyance," Papa Smurf said. "And over here, bending this bar of iron with his bare hands, is the Smurf known as Hefty."

"They don't call me the strongest Smurf for nothing, folks," Hefty said, which he demonstrated by breaking a table in half with a single hand chop.

Johan laughed. "I'm sure that Smurf could be plenty useful, Papa Smurf."

"So how do they get their names, Papa Smurf?" Peewit asked. "Do they get them when they're born, or is it after they exhibited some character traits?"

"Yes...and yes," Papa Smurf answered. "That may sound very confusing to you, but it makes a lot of sense to us. You must be in need of some refreshment after such a long journey to reach our village."

"Actually, Papa Smurf, I'm quite fine, thank you," Johan said.

"Well, I could sure use some refreshment," Peewit said.

Papa Smurf laughed. "My boy, you've come to the right place in our village. This is our tavern, which is where the finest in sarsaparilla ale is served. We also serve raspberry juice here, which I'm sure you'll find to be the most tasteful."

Peewit noticed a Smurf coming out of the tavern wearing a green tie and green-striped vest. "That Smurf sure looks a little different from the others."

"Smurf o' the morning to you, my fellow humans," the Smurf in the vest greeted. "The name is Tapper Smurf, and I'd be happy to smurf you gentlesmurfs."

"Two glasses of raspberry juice for our guests, Tapper," Papa Smurf said.

"Smurfing right up, Papa Smurf," Tapper said, going into his tavern. "I would invite you to smurf right in, but I'm afraid I'll have to smurf you outside."

"That's all right, Tapper...I'm sure we can manage," Papa Smurf said.

A few minutes later, Tapper appeared on the balcony of the tavern with a tray containing two Smurf-sized glasses and a bottle of raspberry juice. "Here's to your health!"

Johan and Peewit carefully took the two small glasses, which were smaller than a thimble, and drank its contents. "That went down rather quick," Peewit said.

"We don't normally smurf anyone bigger than ourselves around here, I'm sorry to say," Tapper said.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Tapper," Johan said, handing the glass back to him. "We appreciate it."

"Now what is so special about this magic flute, besides that it can make people dance, that you Smurfs are so eager to know where it is?" Peewit asked.

"It was made by our ancestors to cure a condition among humans that is best known as 'languor monotone', Peewit," Papa Smurf said. "It's supposed to make listless people more lively, and it isn't meant to be played for long periods of time, as I'm sure you're aware of by now."

"I can see why it would be so important for you to retrieve this flute, Papa Smurf," Johan said.

"But can't you do something to the flute, like remove its power completely?" Peewit asked.

Papa Smurf sighed. "Unfortunately, there isn't anything we can do to the flute once it's been made. It's made with a special kind of wood and sealed with a coating that prevents it from ever being destroyed."

"The green smoke from the king's chamber," Johan realized.

"That's just great, Papa Smurf," Peewit said. "You make a magic flute that can't be destroyed, and you can't even remove its power."

"That's why we were trying to get it out of your hands, Peewit, as well as McCreep's," Papa Smurf said. "However, there is one thing we can do...we can simply make another magic flute. That way, you can fight McCreep on equal terms, and get the flute he stole from you back from him."

"It's really that simple?" Johan asked.

"But how long will that take for us?" Peewit asked.

"It's been a time since the Smurfs last made a magic flute, so I will have to look it up in my books," Papa Smurf said. "Follow me to my laboratory, and I will try to find your answer as quickly as possible."

Johan and Peewit followed Papa Smurf to his laboratory, where he spent a good deal of time looking through his books for the answer about the magic flute. After an hour or so of the two humans waiting, Papa Smurf came back out with the answer.

"It should take us no more than a few days, and that's with the entire village working together," Papa Smurf said.

"A few days?" Peewit said. "Who knows what McCreep would be doing while we are waiting!"

"It's a chance we have to take, Peewit," Johan said.

"I'll have Tracker and Dreamy keep an eye on McCreep while we are busy," Papa Smurf said. "For now, I will summon the Smurfs together and tell them that this is a matter of urgency and cooperation."

Soon Johan and Peewit had to plug their ears as they heard another Smurf with a horn, whose name was Harmony, sound an alert for the Smurfs to gather together.

"My little Smurfs, we have a grave situation that requires the entire village to participate in," Papa Smurf said while standing on a mushroom in order to get his little Smurfs' undivided attention. "Our friends from the outside world need to have a new magic flute to be smurfed in a few days in order to smurf the flute from Matthew McCreep, and so I'm going to need every Smurf to smurf their part so we can get this job smurfed in time."

"You can count on us to get smurfing on it, right, Hefty?" Handy said.

"Just show us which tree we need to smurf, and we'll get smurfing," Hefty said.

And soon every Smurf among them raised up their voices to say that they will help.

"All right, then smurf your gear with you, and follow me into the forest," Papa Smurf said.

As the Smurfs went to get their axes and other equipment, Papa Smurf turned to Johan and Peewit. "You might as well join us, since this is going to be a long process, though I honestly don't know what either of you can do while we're busy," he said.

"Just one question, Papa Smurf," Peewit said. "Why do you need to chop down a whole tree? Can't you just make a new magic flute from a branch or something?"

"You're not going to tell me how to make a magic flute now, are you?" Papa Smurf said.

"Just saying that it seems pretty wasteful for you to chop down a whole tree just for a small flute, that's all," Peewit said.

"Listen, there are some things about the way Smurfs do things that you humans will never fully understand, such as how we make magic flutes, but chopping down a whole tree is how we have been making flutes, so if you would kindly allow us to do it our way, since we know what we're doing, we will not have to get into such an argument where I wouldn't be making for you a magic flute," Papa Smurf said. "Do you understand?"

"So you just want me to be silent and not say how you should make a flute and all that?" Peewit said.

"Peewit, Papa Smurf and all the other Smurfs are going out of their way to help us," Johan said. "Do you want us to leave here empty-handed just because we can't get along with the Smurfs?"

"Uh...no, of course not," Peewit said, realizing that he would be better off keeping his opinions to himself. "Just show us the way, Papa Smurf, and we'll stay out of your hair...your hat...whatever."

"Well, I can see that you're being reasonable with us, Peewit," Papa Smurf said. And then he saw his little Smurfs all carrying axes and other equipment for chopping down trees. "All right, my little Smurfs, let's smurf!"

To be expanded on.