Handy's Wild Road Trip/Part 2

After breakfast, Polaris decided to do his rounds in the role he normally held as the village security officer. As much as he wanted to assign the job to someone else, Polaris felt that Hefty was the more capable Smurf who could run things in the village and that he himself truly belonged in the position he was originally given.

He came across Handy's workshop when he heard some noises going on inside. Suddenly the doors of the workshop opened and Handy was driving some sort of vehicle out of it. "Good morning, Polaris," Handy greeted. "Hope that I didn't startle you."

"Salutations, fellow Handy," Polaris greeted back. "This one can see that you have a new invention ready to be tested."

"It's my new Smurf wagon, Polaris," Handy said. "I've been smurfing this for the past few days so that I could smurf a group up to Dreamy Steamy Springs without hiking."

"Your invention looks interesting, Handy, though you could have introduced it at the time Empath and Papa Smurf left for the place with the Smurflings and a few others," Polaris said.

"I wanted it to be a surprise for every Smurf, Polaris," Handy said. "Besides, it has all the acommodations and comforts of home. It will be the new way for us to smurf all sorts of hiking trips from now on."

"This one will 'take you at your word' for this claim you make of the invention," Polaris said.

"Why don't you try it out for yourself, Polaris?" Handy invited. "Just think of the fun you'll have smurfing with your fellow Smurfs."

"This one will respectfully decline the offer, Handy," Polaris said.

"Well, too bad...I'll be smurfing you later after my first trip with this thing," Handy said as he drove off. - Meanwhile, in Tailor's shop, Smurfette was feeling rather fidgety, which was making it hard for Tailor to concentrate on his sewing the dress that she was modeling. "Come on, Smurfette, you want this dress smurfed for the concert or not?" Tailor demanded.

"Sorry, Tailor," Smurfette said with a sigh. "It's that I feel so terrible not smurfing to Dreamy Steamy Springs with Empath and the others."

"You wanted this dress to be smurfed just right, Smurfette, and I'm only trying to smurf you what you want," Tailor said. "Besides, it's a little too late for us to smurf our minds about not smurfing on the hiking trip."

"I just wish there was a way we can smurf to the springs and still have this dress smurfed for the concert, Tailor," Smurfette said.

"That's nearly impossible to smurf, Smurfette," Tailor said. "I would have to smurf my entire shop on wheels in order to smurf that."

Just then, a horn honked outside Tailor's shop. Tailor and Smurfette looked through the window to see Handy driving by in a new vehicle that none of them have ever seen before. He pulled it to a stop in the center of the village, with the Smurfs all gathered around in wonder of seeing the vehicle.

"That sure is something, Handy...if I only knew what that something is," Clumsy commented.

"It's my latest and greatest invention called the Smurf wagon," Handy said. "With it, we can smurf all the way to Dreamy Steamy Springs without hiking, and we can smurf all the comforts of home while we're smurfing it."

"All the comforts of home?" Tuffy said. "In that thing?"

The Smurfs took a look inside the Smurf wagon and saw that it had curtains, beds, a stove, a desk and chair. They all imagined what it would be like to travel in this vehicle with all the things Handy had promised.

"No more smurfing through the damp forest, no more smurfing on a soggy pile of leaves, and best of all, we can smurf all our stuff along," Handy said.

"Hey, not a bad invention you smurfed," Hefty said. "Now I can smurf my workouts while smurfing to the springs."

"And I can smurf on my masteurpiesa," Painter said.

"And I can smurf on my recipe," Greedy said.

"And I can smurf on my rock collection," Clumsy said.

"And I can smurf on Smurfette's new dress," Tailor said.

"And I can smurf on the greatest literary masterpiece of all time, the Brainy Smurf Story," Brainy said.

"And we can all smurf to the springs before Empath and Papa Smurf smurf there," Handy said. "What do you have to smurf about that?"

A good deal of the Smurfs were eager to try out Handy's new invention. They went inside their homes to get the things that they need for the trip. Polaris just simply stood there and watched with most of the other Smurfs choosing to stay.

"Golly, Polaris, you're not going to smurf along with us to the springs?" Clumsy asked when he returned with his rock collection.

"This one is going to decline the offer, fellow Clumsy," Polaris said. "The village still needs a leader to be in charge of things while the other important Smurfs are gone."

"Suit yourself, Polaris," Clumsy said. "Hey, Grouchy, why don't you smurf along for the ride?"

"I hate smurfing along for the ride," Grouchy said. "But I hate staying behind even more."

Polaris watched as several of his fellow Smurfs loaded up the vehicle. "This one would suggest a bit of caution with the amount of things you would hope to bring along with you," he tried to speak. "The vehicle doesn't look like it is able to carry..."

Suddenly Polaris and Handy saw that the wheels of the Smurf wagon were buckling from the weight. "Maybe we should not smurf everything with us when we go," Handy said. - Soon, with the vehicle properly loaded with several Smurfs and their things, Handy turned a crank in the front of the Smurf wagon to get its motor started.

"How far do you think you will get before you need to crank up the motor again?" Polaris asked.

"Oh, this should smurf us some good mileage, Polaris," Handy said. Soon they could hear its motor kicking in. "Ah, sounds like it's smurfing perfectly. Just got to smurf behind the driver's seat and smurf the pedal, and away we smurf."

"This one hopes that your journey to Dreamy Steamy Springs will be safe, Handy," Polaris said. "May the spirits of the Great Ancestors guide and protect you and your passengers."

"Hey, Handy, let's get the smurf on the road!" Hefty called out from the passenger end of the Smurf wagon.

The other Smurfs inside the wagon were all saying the same thing, eager to get the journey started.

"Get ready, Smurfs, for the ride of your life," Handy called out as they all cheered.

Handy got behind the steering wheel and put on his safety belt as he pressed the accelerator pedal to the floor to get the Smurf wagon moving forward. And then suddenly the engine stopped running.

"Apparently your new invention has a few things that need to be worked on, Handy," Polaris commented.

"I think I know what it needs," Handy said. "All you Smurfs in the wagon, I need you to smurf out and push the thing."

The Smurfs in the wagon groaned as they got out and went behind the vehicle to push it forward while Handy continually pressed on the accelerator. Soon the vehicle rolled forward again with its motor running. The traveling Smurfs found themselves chasing after the vehicle, hoping Handy will stop it long enough for them to get on board.

The other Smurfs waved goodbye as they watched the Smurf wagon leave without its passengers.

"That's got to be the funniest invention I've ever seen Handy smurf," Jokey commented, laughing.

Polaris sighed. "This one senses that the trouble they will encounter with his vehicle will be anything but humorous, fellow Jokey." - Somewhere out in the forest, a good deal from the Smurf Village, the hiking Smurfs took a break from their hike to rest and enjoy their surroundings.

"Aaaaah...the fresh air just smurfs so good around here, doesn't it, my little Smurfs?" Papa Smurf commented as he laid back and relaxed.

"The flowers around here are so smurfy, I want to smurf some for Smurfette when we smurf back home," Sassette said.

"We couldn't have smurfed for a better day to smurf on the hike to Dreamy Steamy Springs, Papa Smurf," Tapper said as he was reading from his holy book.

"Or a place where we can practice our stick fights with each other," Snappy said as he was engaging Slouchy with his walking stick.

"You Smurflings are just too eager to learn how to fight, or at least you are too eager, Snappy," Duncan said. "You must know that a good fighter is careful when smurfing an offense so that he doesn't smurf himself too open for his opponent to smurf him."

Suddenly Slouchy managed to knock Snappy's stick out of his hand. "Hey, how did you manage to smurf that?" Snappy asked.

"You should be watching how Duncan smurfs his moves, Snappy," Slouchy said calmly.

"Yeah, you seem to have forgotten your lessons on Smurfling Island," Nat commented, laughing.

"That's because we don't always have pirates to fight here in the Smurf Forest, Nat," Snappy said.

"It doesn't matter if there are pirates to fight around here or not, Snappy," Duncan said. "What matters is smurfing from your mistakes when you're not smurfing with a blade, because there may not be a second chance for you when you get smurfed with a blade."

"This smurf agrees that it is very good advice to take heed of, Duncan," Empath said, sounding a little less enthusiastic.

"What seems to be the trouble, Empath?" Papa Smurf asked.

"This smurf is still thinking about Smurfette, Papa Smurf, and how this trip would be much more fun with her taking a part in it," Empath answered.

"I can imagine it must not be easy for you to have to smurf some time away from Smurfette, Empath," Papa Smurf said. "But sometimes the greatest love you can smurf somebody is to let them go smurf their own thing, as my other little Smurfs are wont to do."

"This smurf only hopes that the effort that she's putting into the concert she's preparing for is worth it, Papa Smurf," Empath said.

"I'd be eager to smurf how it all turns out when the time smurfs, Empath," Tracker said. "Anyway, we have smurfed by on hiking trips without a Smurfette before. This isn't anything that us adult Smurfs couldn't handle ourselves."

"The Almighty willing, you'll have time to smurf with Smurfette when we return," Tapper said, smiling.

Suddenly they could hear the sound of a machine approaching. "Quick, my little Smurfs, let's hide from whatever it is that's smurfing toward us," Papa Smurf called out.

All nine Smurfs hid themselves behind rocks and bushes and watched as Handy's Smurf wagon came into view. It drove right past them, going right over a brook and splashing water on the hiking Smurfs before it came to a stop nearby.

"Great Smurfiny Crickets, what is that thing?" Tapper asked.

"I would wager it is one of Handy's inventions that he's smurfing out, Tapper," Duncan said as he and the other Smurfs came out of hiding.

"That is what this smurf is sensing as well, Duncan," Empath said.

The back door to the Smurf wagon opened and Smurfette stepped out, still wearing the dress that Tailor was busy working on. "Well, hello there, Empath," she greeted, smiling.

"Smurfette, what are you doing here?" Empath asked. "This smurf thought you would be too busy preparing for the concert to go on a trip to Dreamy Steamy Springs."

"Who says I can't smurf both at the same time?" Smurfette answered. "Handy smurfed the Smurf Wagon so that we can smurf there without hiking, and I just had to smurf it out for myself."

"So what do you think of my latest invention, Papa Smurf?" Handy asked as he got out of the driver's seat to show the village leader.

"Well, it's...uh, interesting at very least, and I'm glad that you Smurfs changed your minds about smurfing to the springs," Papa Smurf commented, sounding uncertain.

"It's just that I don't call smurfing to the springs in this thing hiking at all, if you ask me," Duncan said, rubbing his chin while looking at the invention.

"At least we'll be smurfing there before you and Empath will, Gutsy, and I'll smurf a much better workout from smurfing my weights in the Smurf Wagon," Hefty said when he and the other Smurfs came out.

Duncan snorted. "And I always thought you were the Smurf who wanted to smurf things the hard way, Hefty."

"Hefty is right in that we'll smurf to the springs much sooner in this thing and have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves," Handy said. "Why don't you Smurfs smurf a ride with us and see what the Smurf Wagon has to offer?"

"That is a very interesting and appealing offer, Handy, but it is one that we will have to refuse," Empath said.

"I have to agree with Empath," Papa Smurf seconded. "While I'm sure that you would rather smurf comfort and ease, we've been so used to roughing it out in the wilderness to change our minds."

"Besides, how will the Smurflings ever appreciate hiking if they were to smurf to the springs in that thing?" Duncan said.

"Sometimes I can't understand what the younger generation really wants, Duncan," Brainy said. "It's like they can't smurf up their minds at all about whether to smurf on to the tried-and-true or to smurf something that hasn't been tried before."

"It's still their decision of whether they want to endure the long hike with us or to go to the springs with you Smurfs, Brainy," Empath said. He then turned his attention to the Smurflings. "What do you four want to do?"

"Gee, Empath, I'd want to smurf with you and Papa Smurf," Nat said.

"I think it would be rather crowded inside the Smurf Wagon," Slouchy said.

"Not to mention we have to smurf up with Brainy throughout the trip," Snappy said.

"Yeah, who wants to smurf to the springs with him?" Sassette said.

"I wouldn't mind Brainy's company at all, but I would have to agree with the Smurflings, my fellow Smurfs," Tapper said. "I think the trip would be much more peaceful if we weren't smurfing in such close quarters with each other."

"Well, that's too bad," Handy said, sighing. "I guess we'll just smurf on ahead without you."

"Don't let your legs smurf tired out from all the walking there, Gutsy," Hefty said.

"That's Duncan to you, Hefty," Duncan said. "And I'm betting that we will smurf the springs sooner than you and Handy's invention will smurf it."

"If Empath flies you all there, which is more likely," Hefty said.

"I'll smurf you later, Empath," Smurfette said as he and the other Smurfs got back into the Smurf Wagon.

Handy tried to get the vehicle going again, but it wasn't moving forward. "I need you Smurfs to get out and smurf it a push."

"You sure you don't want any help in getting the Smurf Wagon moving forward, Handy?" Empath asked.

"Don't worry about it, Empath...we'll smurf it ourselves," Handy said. The Smurfs in the wagon again got out and went behind the vehicle to push it forward as Handy pressed down on the accelerator. Soon the motor began to run again, and the Smurfs ran after the vehicle hoping for Handy to stop it long enough to get back inside it.

Empath laughed. "Some Smurfs just have to do things the hard way."

"It's their journey to Dreamy Steamy Springs, Empath," Papa Smurf said. "I only hope that they don't smurf themselves into too much trouble."