A Hundred Smurfs Of Gray: A Narrator's Story/Part 5

"Hey, what's all this commotion about?" Hefty asked, as he saw several of his fellow Smurfs all gathered around the counter of Tapper's Tavern listening to Narrator's story.

"Just smurf yourself up a chair and listen, laddie," Duncan said. "Tapper will smurf up your usual house drink."

"One glass of Vita-Juice smurfing right up," Tapper said.

"I didn't think this is one of those nights where Narrator smurfs us a story of being anywhere besides this village," Hefty said.

"It normally isn't, Hefty, but Narrator's willing to tell the story nonetheless," Empath said. "So what happened after the Smurfs were shooed away from the dam?"

"It's been a few days, and Farmer was smurfing his crops drying up in the sun without any water," Narrator said. "That's when Papa Smurf had to send Smurfs out into the forest to smurf more food there, because without the crops, the Smurfs would be going hungry. And that's where they had another problem with the Grey Smurfs."

As Narrator continued the story, Empath and the other Smurfs now saw Farmer standing in what was left of his fields, seeing his poor plants withering away in the heat. And then he looked and saw the Smurfs who were sent into the forest coming back with nothing but empty baskets they were carrying. They looked rather fearful, and Farmer had to find out what had happened to them.

"Those Grey Smurfs ambushed us out in the forest," one of the Smurfs said. "They wouldn't let us smurf home unless we smurfed them all of our harvest."

"Let me smurf this straight...there were three of you ambushed by these Grey Smurfs, they smurfed your harvest, and you didn't smurf anything against them for smurfing that?" Hefty said in disbelief.

"Well, um...they were smurfing spears with them, Hefty," another Smurf said.

"Cowards! You're just a bunch of Smurfettes!" Hefty said with disgust. "These Grey Smurfs have smurfed too far. First they smurf our crops, then they smurf our dam, and now they smurf our harvest. You want them to smurf over you like that? Well, not me. I'd say it's time for us to smurf back what they have smurfed from us, and send them smurfing back into their village with nothing but bruises. So who's going with me to smurf them a lesson?"

Hefty looked to see if any other Smurf was brave enough to volunteer. But most of them were just backing away, not willing to do anything that would risk injury or worse unto themselves.

"Okay, I guess that settles it," Hefty said. "It looks like I'm going to have to smurf this all by myself."

As Hefty started off into the forest, Brainy rushed up to him to try stopping him. "Hefty Smurf, what you're going to smurf is foolish and totally against Papa Smurf's orders. He specifically smurfed us not to answer violence with violence, because as a once-famous Smurf said, if everyone smurfed an eye for an eye, then..."

Hefty picked up Brainy and hurled him to the other side of the village.

"...then everyone would smurf blind," Brainy muttered weakly after landing on his head.

"Well, I'm not going to let Hefty smurf this all by himself now," Gutsy said. "I'm smurfing after him."

"Me too," Tuffy said, as he and Gutsy also went into the forest. - On the other side of the bridge over the dried-up River Smurf, the three Grey Smurfs were enjoying the spoils of their pilferage.

"We should have those stupid Smurfs working for us, smurfing us more food," one of the Grey Smurfs as he was eating an apple.

"Yeah, you smurfed it," a second Grey Smurf said, enjoying a cherry. "Pretty soon, those Smurfs will be our slaves to smurf with as we wish."

"Especially that one with the tattoo, who thinks he's so big and strong," the first Grey Smurf said with a sneer. "He's such a braggart, he makes me laugh."

"Me and my 'tattoo' would like to smurf a few words with you Smurfs," a familiar voice spoke from behind them. The Grey Smurfs turned and saw that it was Hefty, looking like he was going to use his fists to talk.

"That's three Grey Smurfs against him, Gutsy," Tuffy said as he and Gutsy watched Hefty from the other side of the bridge. "I'd say we smurf him a hand."

"Hold on there, laddie," Gutsy said. "Let's see how Hefty deals with them by himself."

As Tuffy and Gutsy watched, a fight between Hefty and the three Grey Smurfs ensued. Some minutes later, the Grey Smurfs were running off with major bruises.

"Yeah, that's it...smurf off like the cowards you are!" Hefty railed at them, shaking his fist.

"You haven't smurfed the last from us," one of the Grey Smurfs shouted back. "We'll smurf you back for this."

"All right, Hefty...you really showed them Grey Smurfs who's the Smurf," Tuffy said as he and Gutsy crossed the bridge to greet him.

"You've got the mark of a real Smurfsman in you, boy," Gutsy said. "I'm very proud of you."

"Glad you're here to smurf it," Hefty said. "Now let's smurf these things back to the village where they belong." - Back in the village, Brainy was trying to tell Papa Smurf about what Hefty did to him when one of the Smurfs ran up to him, sounding very excited. "Hefty did it! He smurfed those Grey Smurfs a good smurfing!"

The village leader watched as Hefty was carried into the village by a group of Smurfs praising him for his efforts.

"Hefty Smurf, you disobeyed my orders not to engage the Grey Smurfs with violence," Papa Smurf reprimanded. "Do you have any explanations for your actions?"

"Yes, I have disobeyed, Papa Smurf," Hefty said boldly. "But I couldn't smurf by and just let those Grey Smurfs smurf us of everything we have. Somebody needed to smurf them a good lesson, and I took it upon myself to smurf the job that nobody else would. You can punish me however you want, but I would gladly smurf it again if it means that we won't be smurfed around by a bunch of cowards."

"He smurfed honor to our village, Papa Smurf," Gutsy said. "Surely he can't be punished for that."

"Those Smurfs are hypocritical and selfish," Tuffy said. "We smurfed them the welcome mat, and they smurf us nothing in return but trouble. They don't even smurf anything for others."

"Hefty still disobeyed Papa Smurf's specific orders not to smurf violence with violence, and as Papa Smurf's assistant, I would need to remind you that...," Brainy scolded.

"I will let the matter drop, Brainy, since I have not personally smurfed that order to any Smurf," Papa Smurf said. "From now on, Hefty, do not dare to disobey me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Papa Smurf, very clearly," Hefty responded.

"But...but...but, Papa Smurf...," Brainy retorted.

"The matter is closed, Brainy," Papa Smurf said, sounding like he didn't want an argument with him.

"Yes, Papa Smurf," Brainy muttered humbly.

As the Smurfs cheered for Hefty, Papa Smurf smiled, seeing that the spirit of unity of the Smurfs has been restored once again. He went off to head back into his laboratory when another Smurf came rushing to him, crying out his name.

It was Farmer Smurf. "Papa Smurf! The Grey Smurfs have smurfed me a message, and they want me to smurf it to you!"

"A message? Where is it?" Papa Smurf asked.

"Right here," Farmer humbly said, turning around to show a message tied to an arrow that pierced his behind.

Papa Smurf carefully removed the arrow and read the message it was carrying. "What is it, Papa Smurf?" one of the Smurfs asked.