"Oh my goodness!" Lilac cried out when she heard that part. "I hope that you were all right, dear!"
"I was out of things for a bit," Marina said. "Fortunately the Smurfs brought me to their village, where Handy put me in his resmurferation tub filled with water so that I could be revived."
"Only you didn't know who it was that brought you to their village, or for what intent they brought you there for," Polaris said.
"Like I said, I was out of things for a bit, so I didn't know who my rescuers were until I had awakened in Handy's workshop," Marina said.
And as the story continued, Polaris and Lilac saw the Smurfs gathered around Marina in the resmurferation tub in Handy's workshop, where Papa Smurf tried to revive Marina by exposing her to breathing in a powerful reviving scent to her nose.
"Oh, Papa Smurf, she's so beautiful," Smurfette said when she saw Marina. "I hope that we can awaken her to find out what she smurfed up here for."
"I'm sure we'll find out smurf enough," Papa Smurf said, as he continued to wave the reviving scent before Marina's nose.
Slowly Marina stirred. "Lilyroot...Avalon...oh please," she murmured.
"Lilyroot? Avalon?" Papa Smurf said, wondering about what Marina said. "There must be something about what she's smurfing." Then it dawned on him. "Of course! She must be talking about the magical pool of Avalon, where the lilyroot grows. She must be trying to smurf her way to that pool to smurf it."
"Poor lassie," Duncan said. "To smurf all her way up the River Smurf and not make it to her destination is something I wouldn't want to happen to anyone."
"But at least she's safe for now, Duncan," Tapper said. "We can find out what she wants with the lilyroot when she awakens."
Just then, Handy appeared, carrying a bouquet of flowers. "I'm here to smurf up on our patient, to make sure she's smurfing all right," he said as he approached the resmurferation tub. He then took a good look at Marina and sighed. "Golly smurf, she sure smurfs beautiful for a fish...I mean, a mermaid."
"Is she a fish, Papa Smurf?" Smurfette asked.
"She belongs to a group of people called the Merfolk, Smurfette," Papa Smurf answered. "They were created on the First Day when all creatures of this world were created by Mother Nature. They can only exist in water, which is why they must be consmurfly immersed in water or else they will perish."
"You mean she has to remain in the resmurferation tub while she smurfs here, Papa Smurf?" Tapper asked.
"Unfortunately yes, Tapper," Papa Smurf answered. "I'm going to smurf to my lab and see if I can smurf through my books about the magical pool of Avalon and what we should expect to find there should we need to help out the mermaid. I'm leaving you Smurfs in charge of watching over her and to inform me the instant she awakens. Brainy, Clumsy, you're smurfing with me."
"Yes, Papa Smurf, anything you say, but do we really need Clumsy to smurf us?" Brainy asked.
"I was figuring he could help us search through the books, Brainy," Papa Smurf answered. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Oh no, Papa Smurf, I'm not going to question your decisions," Brainy said defensively.
"Oh boy, I get to help Papa Smurf!" Clumsy said, sounding excited at the prospect. "Aren't you pleased with me for doing that, Brainy?"
"I could only wish you still smurfed that magnified memory before Gargamel smurfed it away with his Babble Bath, Clumsy," Brainy said, rolling his eyes as he, Clumsy, and Papa Smurf left the workshop.
"Is there anything we can smurf to help her in the meantime?" Smurfette asked.
"I can pray for her, if the Almighty can smurf anything for our guest, Smurfette," Tapper answered. He then bowed his head and closed his eyes. "O Lord God, Father Almighty, I pray for the mermaid that we have found in the river, that You give her complete rest as well as peace, comfort, and healing from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, that You let her know that she is safe in Your hands, that no one can be smurfed from You as long as Your hands are upon them for their protection. In Your only begotten Son Jesus' name, I pray. Amen."
Duncan sighed. "I hope that your Almighty is listening right now, laddie."
"I know that He is, Duncan, trust me," Tapper said.
"And in the meantime, according to Narrator, Brainy and Clumsy were helping Papa Smurf smurf through his books in his laboratory to find out more about the magical pool of Avalon, hoping we would find the answer of what Marina was seeking for smurfing to that place and why it was so important," Handy said as the story continued.
Then Polaris and Lilac saw Papa Smurf, Brainy, and Clumsy working together in the laboratory, going through stacks of books that Brainy and Clumsy had placed on the table for Papa Smurf to search through.
"Gosh, I didn't think I would smurf much help helping Papa Smurf, Brainy," Clumsy said as he placed the last stack of books on the table.
"Me neither, Clumsy, but I'm still wondering why a mermaid would smurf all the way up the River Smurf just to smurf something in the Smurf Forest," Brainy said.
"Maybe if she awakens, we would find out," Clumsy suggested.
"Ah, here it is, my little Smurfs...the pool of Avalon," Papa Smurf said when he came across the right book. "It is a place of special healing herbs that is guarded by a mean custodian named Ruffian. He will only offer the herbs to anyone who will give him a bag of gold in exchange, or else he will use his magic to torture those who will take the herbs for free."
"But Papa Smurf, we don't smurf a bag of gold anywhere in the village now, do we?" Brainy asked.
"I'm afraid not, but I'm sure there's something that this custodian needs more than gold, Brainy, and until I find out what it is we can smurf him, I'm going to warn the Smurfs to be careful when smurfing to this magical pool," Papa Smurf answered.
"Golly, I can only wonder what this custodian would need with a bag of gold," Clumsy said.
"Well, I'm sure that he would undersmurf the reasons behind what we would need the herbs for, Clumsy, if our mermaid patient ever awakens," Brainy said.
"Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf, the mermaid has awakened!" Smurfette cried out as she ran into the laboratory, accidentally causing the stack of books to tumble and fall on top of Brainy, Clumsy, and Papa Smurf. "Oops, sorry, Papa Smurf!"
"No problem, Smurfette, I just smurfed what I needed to find in my books," Papa Smurf said, as he, Brainy, and Clumsy digged themselves out from under the pile of books. "I'll join you in Handy's workshop immediately."
"And I thought that I was Clumsy," Clumsy said, joining Papa Smurf and Brainy as they left the laboratory together.
Handy, Tapper, and Duncan were gathered around the resmurferation tub when Marina had fully opened her eyes. "Oh, my head hurts," she groaned. "Where am I?"
"You're in the Smurf Village with my friends, my dear," Tapper replied. "And you are..."
"Marina...Marina of the Merfolk," she said, still feeling out of sorts. "My father...he needs the lilyroot from the pool of Avalon that is in the Enchanted Forest. I need to leave right away to help him!"
"Easy, lassie, you need to rest and smurf your strength," Duncan said. "Papa will smurf you the help that you need."
"Gosh, Marina, I've never met a mermaid who is as beautiful as you before," Handy said, his heart going out to her. "I would smurf anything to help you and your father."
"You must be the one who rescued me," Marina said, looking at Handy. "I sense that it was you who have brought me up from the deep to bring me to your village."
"I was just smurfing underwater when you smurfed down to me from upstream, Marina," Handy said, looking into Marina's eyes.
"Michty me, laddie, go easy on her," Duncan said. "She just smurfed a bump on the head, and you're already smurfing in love with her!"
"Leave them alone, Duncan," Tapper said gently. "If she's more comfortable being around Handy than around any other Smurf, that's her decision and we should smurf to it."
Just then, Papa Smurf came into the workshop with Brainy, Clumsy, and Smurfette. "How's our patient smurfing?" Papa Smurf asked.
"She's just awakened, and she smurfed us her name...Marina," Handy answered. "She's come up the river to seek out lilyroot from the pool of Avalon for her father."
"Welcome, Marina, to our village," Papa Smurf said. "I am Papa Smurf, and we will smurf you our uttermost care while we help you with what you need from the pool of Avalon."
"Oh, thank you, Papa Smurf," Marina said, sounding grateful. "By the way, what is this thing that I'm bathing in?"
"It's called a resmurferation tub, Marina," Papa Smurf answered. "Handy built this thing in case we ever had fish or beings like you that need to be smurfed in oxygenated water while they recover."
"You built this thing, Handy?" Marina said, sounding surprised. "You are indeed a very resourceful being."
"Most Smurfs consider me, Handy Smurf, to be the greatest inventor of things in the village, Marina," Handy said. "Although I don't usually boast about my skills as an inventor and a mechanic, I smurf the best that I can for my fellow Smurfs as well as people like you."
"You've never seen a member of the Merfolk before?" Marina asked.
"Not until today, Marina," Handy answered. "I have always wondered what they smurfed like, and now that you're here, I don't have to wonder anymore. It must be smurfy living in the world that you smurf in under the sea."
"I'm sure that you may be able to visit us now that you're able to travel underwater, Handy," Marina said, looking deep into Handy's eyes.
"Okay, you two, we need to focus here on what we need to smurf," Brainy said. "Marina needs the lilyroot, and we need to help get Marina's father smurf to the village where we can smurf better care of him."
"I agree, Brainy, and so I will smurf the village together to smurf what our next smurf of business will be, in accomplishing both smurfs together," Papa Smurf said.
"We can't leave my father alone without help, Papa Smurf," Marina said, sounding upset. "He'll die if I don't return to him soon with the lilyroot!"
"We'll bring him to our village, where he'll receive the best care there is, Marina," Handy said.
"You will?" Marina said. "Oh, please, Handy, I would be very grateful for your efforts."
To be expanded on.