Chapter 10: The Lone Smurf
"Brilliant, Gargamel, brilliant!" Gargamel said to himself. "Who else could capture every single Smurf with just one measly Smurfette?"
"Na na na na na!" a rough voice teased. Gargamel looked towards the sound and saw... a Smurf! A Smurf he hadn't yet caught! The Smurf fanned their hands out from the side of their head and stuck out their tongue. "You didn't get all of us, Gargamel!"
"The smurf's on you, Gargamel! You missed a lone Smurf!" Papa Smurf said.
Gargamel turned to look at Azrael. "You let one escape!" He said, blaming it on the cat. Azrael meowed in confusion, but Gargamel just pointed towards the lone Smurf. "Get him, get him! Wait... him? Her? Ehhh..." He squinted, trying to tell the difference. Since he'd been assuming for years now that all Smurfs were male, he had a hard time guessing now that he knew they weren't. Azrael didn't care, and just rushed off after the Smurf. Gargamel quickly followed, yelling, "I must have them all!"
As Gargamel dove to try and grab the lone Smurf, they leaped into the air. Gargamel crashed into a tree root. Headfirst.
"That's using your heads!" The lone Smurf laughed.
Gargamel stood up. "Follow that Smurf!" He yelled at Azrael. Azrael ran towards them. The Smurf grabbed a vine from a tree-
"Going up!"
-and swung up and away. Azrael's head got stuck in a rabbit burrow beneath the tree, and he strained to push himself out.
"Ooh, you idiot, Azrael," Gargamel said, "after him!" But when Azrael finally managed to get himself out, the force sent him flying into Gargamel, knocking the wizard back.
The lone Smurf swung over to the wooden box and opened it. "All asmurf that's gonna smurf!" They said.
The grateful Smurfs nearly poured out of the box in their desperation to be free.
"Let's hear it for The Lone Smurf!" cried Flashy Smurf, as the lone Smurf climbed a tree with ease.
"Who is The Lone Smurf, anyway?" Brainy asked, staring up at them.
Gargamel grabbed onto the tree's lowest branches, trying to climb up. "Where are you, you miserable wretch?" He called out, managing to get a few branches up. Azrael, being a cat, got much higher. "Faster, Azrael," Gargamel told the cat, "he can't climb much further! He's almost out of tree!"
The lone Smurf popped out of the leaves at the top of the tree. They dove back down, climbing down the other side. Gargamel, meanwhile, was still attempting to climb up. But the thin branches near the top of the tree were far too thin to support his weight, and kept breaking. He didn't know how to climb down either. Neither did Azrael. The human and cat clung to the highest branch that could support them both.
"I'm almost out of tree!" Gargamel cried out. Azrael yowled.
The lone Smurf hopped down off the tree, and waved up to Gargamel. "Bye-bye, Gargamel! Looks like this time, the smurf's on you!" The other Smurfs cheered, and Brainy did a little twirl, as the lone Smurf ran over to them.
"Gee, thanks, Lone Smurf!" Clumsy said, his hands clasped together.
"Yeah," Hefty added, "You sure showed Gargamel!" He gave them a friendly pat on the back- which ended up knocking them to the ground. "Oh, sorry," he said, grabbing their hand and helping them up.
"It's fine," said the lone Smurf.
"But who is Lone Smurf?" Brainy asked. Said Smurf winked at him, bowed low, and pulled a pair of twine strings out of their- her- hair. Long, voluminous, golden blonde hair, now free from its restraints, billowed out.
"Smurfette!" The Smurfs gasped.
"Yes!" Smurfette said, the smile on her face more genuine than any she'd smiled before. "And I feel just like a... a Smurf!"
"Now we've really got something to celebrate!" Reveler said. "Let's have a party!"
Papa Smurf nodded.
"But first," he said, "we need to smurf Gargamel just like he smurfed us. Here's the plan..."
In the village that night, the Smurfs celebrated. A band played, and everysmurf danced. But something was missing.
"Where's the Smurfette?" asked Magician.
"Right here," Smurfette's voice said. Magician, and the other Smurfs, turned to look at her.
Well, her, a very annoyed Tailor, and a very satisfied Vanity and Brainy. Smurfette was wearing a long silk dress with puffy sleeves- the exact thing she had asked Tailor for back before she'd been a real Smurf. She looked like an angel come down from Heaven.
"Come on, Smurfette!" Dancer called. "Join us!" To the band, she said, "Smurf us something we can really dance to, won't you?"
The Smurf on the lute nodded. "Next up, Two Magicians!" He called out. The others in the band nodded or gave thumbs up, and the Smurfs immediately transitioned into a jaunty tune.
"I'm leaving," said Brainy, as soon as he heard the tune start up.
Dancer didn't care, and once she'd grabbed Smurfette by the hand and pulled her into the line, Smurfette didn't care either. She was having far too much fun.
"The lady sits at her own front door
As straight as a willow wand
And by there come a smurfy smith
With his hammer in his hand"
The band sang. Smurfette laughed in surprise and delight as Dancer whirled her around, and they danced together. Other Smurfs joined in, until Smurfette had been twirled between nearly every Smurf there was.
"Come on, Smurfette!" Tuffy said, pulling her away from the others. "Now that you're one of us, let me show you how to dance like a real Smurf!"
Though it was hard to do in her dress, she managed to mimic his motions. The more she did it, the easier it got.
"Away away you coal black smith
Would you do me this wrong
For to think to have me maiden head
That I have kept so long"
"Now yer gettin' it!" Woolly called out as she passed by with a drink in her hand.
Smurfette danced, and danced, having the time of her life. She'd never been happier. Eventually, once the song ended and she was too tired to keep dancing, she went to the table that held refreshments. One side had room for Smurfs to sit. She pulled out a chair next to Chef.
"Ciao, Smurfette," he said. She nodded.
"Hello. You're Chef Smurf, right?"
"Sì." Chef nodded. "Grazie for saving us today, Smurfette."
Before Smurfette could respond, Spinner piped up as well. "Yeah, thank ya."
Many Smurfs joined Chef and Spinner in expressing their gratitude. "Thank you!" "Merci, Smurfette!" "Thanks for saving us!" "You're true blue, Smurfette!" "¡Gracias!" "Yer one swell gal, Smurfette!"
Smurfette blushed. "You're welcome, but I couldn't exactly leave you there to die..."
"We love you, Smurfette!" Enamored said. Smurfette blushed even more, overwhelmed by happiness and astonishment. Here, she was loved. Here, she was no longer alone. Here, and now, she had a family.
At the edge of the party, Grouchy Smurf heard what had been said. She crossed her arms and looked away. "I hate..." No, she didn't want to say that. "I... hate..." She didn't hate. "I..." In fact, she liked the Smurfette quite a lot. "I... love, the Smurfette," Grouchy said quietly to herself. "But I hate anybody to know about it."