Ch1

The day started like any other. I woke up and stared at the bunk above me. My two best friends, Nat and Snappy were still huddled under their blankets snoring a little. I yawned widely and sat up, moving my droopy hat so it would stay on my head. Across from mine and Nat's bunk bed, there was a short, energetic smurfling girl with bouncy red hair and pink overalls. She was humming softly and brushing out her wavy, shoulder-length hair. Her name's Sassette, and she's our friend too. I watched as she twisted half of her hair into a tight braid, then did the same on the other side. She admired her auburn locks in the mirror, then turned to put on her traditional white smurf hat. "G'mornin' Sassette." I said groggily.

She jumped a little, then turned her attention to me. "Tired turtles! Did I wake you up, Slouchy?" She half whispered.

I shook my head and adjusted my cap. "Nuh-uh. I jus' woke up."

She smiled her pretty smile and snuck a peek at Nat and Snappy. "Ohhh! These two are jus' gonna sleep the whole day away!" she said, opening up the large toy chest that sat at the foot of the bed.

I already knew what she was gonna do. "Sassette, maybe we shou' let them sleep in t'day." I said, watching her pluck Snappy's drums from the toy chest. "Everysmurf was up real late las' night."

She shook her head, making her shiny braids bounce. "No way, Slouchy! Both of 'em PROMISED we'd get up early t'day so we could finish our secret clubhouse!" She pouted.

I couldn't argue with her there. We DID promise. Out of nowhere she started pounding on the drums, making both Snappy and Nat hit the roof. "AAH! Sassette! Wha' was that for!" Snappy complained.

"You just about scared me half t' smurf, ya hickory nut!" Nat chimed in.

Sassette folded her arms defiantly. "You guys PROMISED we'd get up early an' work on th' secret clubhouse!" she pouted.

"Oh yeah..." Snappy grumbled sheepishly.

"I guess we forgot 'bout that..." Nat added, adjusting his straw hat.

I rolled my eyes a little and leaned against the bunk bed. Sassette's mood smurfed a complete 180. "Smurfaroo!" She said with a wide smile, "You guys get dressed an' ready, I'll go see if Handy's up yet!"

She turned and ran out, slamming the door behind her. I walked to the big dresser across from my bunk bed and opened up my drawer. "C'mon you guys," I said getting a clean red shirt and pants. "Might's well get dressed."

The three of us got dressed and started towards Handy's workshop. "I STILL don' see why we hafta get up so early jus' t' work on that dumb ol' clubhouse." Snappy grumbled.

"Cause we promised Sassette we would." Nat said, watching a passing butterfly, "An' you know Sassette. You KNOW she never lets us forget our promises."

I nodded a little in agreement. Sure, Sassette's our friend, and we love her and all, but she's such a stickler about promises! She holds us to every promise we make. Even the ones we just make as a joke! We're all still nervous because she made us promise one of us'd marry her!

The three of us found Handy hard at work in his shop, Sassette eagerly studying his movements. "Mornin' smurflings," Handy said tiredly, "You kids all ready to finish up that secret clubhouse?"

Sassette nodded excitedly. I smiled lazily. Snappy pouted a little. "Sure, Handy!" Nat said happily.

"Orrright! Help me load up the wagon and we'll start out!" Handy said, putting his tool box in a wagon.

We put lots of wood and nails and stuff in the wagon, then started out towards the forest. We walked a little while more, and came to a big hollow tree. "Chatterin' Chipmunks! This's gonna be the best secret club house EVER!" Sassette said, turning a cartwheel and climbing up the tree.

"What should we do, Handy?" I asked calmly.

"Here, Slouchy. Smurf this piece'a wood up there." Handy said, pointing to the high level of the clubhouse.

Nat and I carried the large piece of wood up to the top level of our clubhouse, and waited for Handy to give us more instructions. We all worked on the clubhouse for a good two and a half hours, before Snappy sat down and wiped his forehead. "Gee wiz, Handy! Can we please take a break?" he asked.

My tummy grumbled a little. "I'm hungry..." I muttered.

"Me too." Nat agreed.

"Me three." Sassette said, sliding down the tree trunk.

"Well, I'm sure there's some wild smurfberry bushes around here." he said. "Why don't you kids go find one and have some breakfast? I'll finish up on the top level."

"Smurfaroo!" Snappy exclaimed, jumping up and dashing off into the forest. "Thanks, Handy! We'll bring you some back!"

"Thanks, Snappy! But don't go too far away!" he called after him, "Remember- don't go past the Great Oak without me!"

"We won't Handy!" Nat shouted back, following Snappy and Sassette.

I followed them at a slower pace. Sure, I was hungry and all, but what's the point of being hungry AND tired? I followed them through the forest, looking for a wild smurfberry bush. Our search for smurfberries soon led us to a big, tall tree. "Okay, guys." I said, turning around, "Let's go back an' Handy we couldn't find anythin'"

"Aw, don' be such a soursmurf, Slouchy!" Sassette laughed a little, "I know where there's a great big ol' smurfberry bush just covered with smurfberries!"

"I dunno, Sassette." Nat said, letting a butterfly rest on the wide brim of his hat. "Flutterby says he saw Gargamel and Azrael in the forest t'day."

"Aw, not you too, Nat!" She rolled her eyes a little.

"I'll go get Handy an' then we'll go look for Smurfberries over there." Nat said, walking back through the shrubbery.

I leaned against the Great Oak. Sassette motioned for me and Snappy to follow her. A little curious, I followed her. She led us a little further from the Great Oak, where there was a great big ol' smurfberry bush with lots of really big ripe berries. "WOW!" Snappy exclaimed, holding one of the big berries in his palm, "they've gotta be the smurfiest smurfberries in th' whole forest!"

Sassette beamed a little, harvesting the fruits of her findings. "I toldja I knew where t' find it!" she hummed a little, popping a berry in her mouth.

"And I knew where to find SMURFS!" an all too familiar voice boomed.

My heart dropped into my stomach. "GARGAMEL!" We shouted in unison.

He laughed an evil cackle and snatched us up before we could get away. "I have you now!" he laughed evilly.

We struggled in his grasp, trying to get away. I looked and saw Nat and Handy watching us with their mouths hanging open. They got smaller, and smaller as Gargamel took us away. The evil wizard held us tightly in his grasp. No matter how much Snappy, Sassette and I struggled, the looser of a sorcerer kept a firm grip of us. It wasn't long before the gross smell of pond scum and failure hit my nose, telling me we were at Gargamel's hovel. The door was stuck from decades of being torn open and slammed shut. With one big kick and a nudge of his hip, he forced the door open. This hovel is probably the most disorganized place in the forest- and I live with three other smurflings! It's honestly amazing he can find anything in this mess… "I've done it, Azrael!" he shouted to a ruddy red cat curled up on a on an old wooden rocking chair.

The large cat opened his eyes and perked up at the sound of his master's voice. His large nicked ear twitched in slight annoyance as he rolled his amber eyes. "Mreah, mreaaah..." he meowed in reply.

"I'll use these three to lure the rest of those rotten miserable smurfs right into my trap!" he plotted, "Then I'll turn them ALL into GOLD!"

"Sufferin' sorcerers, Pappy Gargamel! Does tha' mean you an' me finally get t' spend some time t'gether?" Sassette chimed so excitedly.

Snappy and I shared an irritated eye roll. It drives everysmurf so SMURFY when she calls him that. She calls him "Pappy" like she's his own flesh and blood, just because it was one of his dumb spells that made her. All I can say is he is one smurfofa deadbeat dad. Failed out of wizard's school, laughingstock of the magical community, and on top of that, his only friend is that mean ol' cat. Smurf up "pathetic" in the dictionary and you'll see Gargamel's picture. "Yech, NO, you little blue bumpkin!" he grimaced, "You are going in a cage out of my sight so I won't have to see or hear your-"he grimaced-"Disgusting little voice!"

"Oh," she said, looking disappointed.

The disorganized bumbler stuffed Sassette in a cage, then put it on top of the bookshelf next to his cauldron. Next he forced the tenacious Snappy into a separate cage and hung it over a table. Lastly, he herded me into another cage and put me on a tall bookshelf opposite to Sassette. "Hey! What gives?" Snappy shouted, "How come we're all in diff'rent cages!"

"Divide and conquer, you little blue blabbermouth," Gargamel sneered in reply, "Now that you three are apart, there's less of a chance you'll escape!"

I don't like being alone, I admitted, stuffing my hands in my pockets and leaning against the back of the metal birdcage. Where on smurf are Handy and Nat?

Gargamel started mixing ingredients in his big, black cauldron. He sang his "Toast a Few" song while he worked, his gravelly voice piercing my eardrums. The fumes and smoke from the alchemy mixture drifted upwards, staying about where Sassette's cage sat. She started coughing. Quietly, at first, then getting worse and worse until it got so bad it looked like she couldn't even smurf a breath. "Hoppin'-cough- "Horny-toads, Pa-" cough- "Pappy Gargamel! Can'tcha please mo-" cough-"move this thin' somewhere else? I can't-" she cut herself off with a loud coughing fit.

"I will NOT!" Gargamel boomed defiantly, "You're faking that cough to get closer to your miserable little blue bosom buddies! I wasn't born yesterday!"

"We can tell!" Snappy retorted. Gargamel shot him a dirty look.

Sassette sure didn't look like she was faking. Her face started to turn a deep purple color as her coughing got harder and harder. She fell to her knees and gripped the bars of her cage, coughing hard. "P-PLEASE, Pappy-" she couldn't even finish her sentence.

"At least move the cauldron!" I begged, "PLEASE, she can't breathe!"

Slowly, Sassette's coughing started ebbing away. She slumped face first to the floor of the cage, grasping the bars of the cage desperately. My heart nearly stopped. Is she…? "AHA! Fake cough!" The bumbler didn't even seem to realize the direness of the situation.

Snappy angrily rattled the bars of his cage. "Y-YOU SMURFITY SMURF SMURF!" he yelled, sounding angry and scared, "When the other smurfs come an' get us, they'll-!"

"Mwahahaha!" Gargamel laughed, shaking Snappy's cage, "NO one can save you now!"

"No one 'cept ME!" I heard a familiar voice from the window.

I turned my gaze from the unconscious Sassette to the window. Hefty, Handy and Nat stood in the windowsill. "MORE SMURFS!" Shouted Gargamel, "Get them, Azrael!"

The large cat hissed and mewled in loud reply, then leaped for the windowsill. The smurfs dodged him just in time, jumping onto the table. While Nat drew Azrael's attention, Hefty threw a hook onto the latch of my cage and gave a hard yank. The latch unhooked, letting the door swing open. "Slide down the rope, Slouchy!" Hefty yelled to me.

I inched my way along on the door of the cage, then slid down the rope. Hefty caught me just as I reached the end, then gave the rope a hard flick to unhook it from the cage. "Where's Sassette?" Handy asked, helping Snappy down from his cage.

I pointed up at the bookshelf. "S-she passed out!" I managed to say, "She can't get out by herself!"

Hefty looked up at the cage and furrowed his brows. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "I'm gonna go get her then!" he said, bravely swinging the hook over his head.

He threw it, and let it hook onto the bars of her cage. Hefty gave it a few tugs to make sure it wasn't gonna smurf free. "But Hefty!" Snappy tried stopping him, "You're scared'a heights!"

Before the smurfling could get another word in, Hefty swung to the bookshelf and started climbing the wooden shelves. Gargamel noticed Hefty climbing around his magic tomes, and started swatting at him. "Hey! Garbage-smell!" Snappy bravely shouted, turning Gargamel's attention from the scaling smurf, "Betcha can't catch me!"

Gargamel brought his hand down on the table, nearly squashing Snappy and me. I stumbled backwards, knocking over an empty beaker. Snappy and me avoided the loser wizard's grabbing as best as we could. I cast a glance to Hefty. He'd opened the cage door and draped Sassette over his shoulder. He repelled from the bookshelves as quickly and carefully as he could. Once he reached the ground, he ran for the window. "C'mon, Snappy! Slouchy!" Handy shouted, grabbing Nat from Azrael's claws and hauling him up onto the windowsill by his brown overalls.

I dodged another one of Gargamel's attempts to catch me, and ran to the end of the table. Snappy and I cleared the table, but I came up a little short at the windowsill. I missmurfed the distance and landed too close to the edge. "Woooaahh!" I exclaimed falling backwards a little.

"We gotcha, Slouchy!" Nat said, grabbing my red shirt and pulling me back from the ledge.

"Thanks," I said, wiping my forehead.

"Thank us later!" Handy said, leaping from the windowsill to the ground outside, "Let's smurf outta here!"

We all followed him, running from the disheveled hovel. The six of us ran into the forest, leaving behind a cursing, fuming Gargamel in the messy shanty. Once we were pretty far away from the marsh, we all stopped to smurf our breaths. I turned to Hefty and Sassette. He had her cradled in his strong arms, her little hands folded over her chest. Her braids hung limply away from her face. Her face was a slightly purplish color, and dirtied with a sooty substance. Hefty gave her a gentle shake. "Sassette?" he said, worriedly, "C'mon, Sassy… wake up…"

She didn't respond at all. "Is she-? Is she-?" Nat half-whispered, his normally tan skin flushing to a pale blue.

He looked so scared. We all probably did. Handy frantically felt around Sassette's neck, trying to find any signs of life. He paused for a moment, then breathed a sigh. "She's alive," he assured us, "But we'd better hurry and get her to Papa smurf."

I couldn't take my eyes off Sassette. She looked so… So…. STILL…. "C'mon," Hefty said, shaking me from my thoughts. "Let's go."

We started running for the village. I only hoped we weren't too late to save her.

(Smurfette)

I had just put Baby down for a nap when I heard the news. I was about to start watering my flowers when I noticed the other smurfs in the village starting to gather by the village square. I was curious. What's going on? I wondered, I hope everything's all right. I joined the throng of smurfs on their way to whatever was so interesting. I saw Vanity and Farmer walking hand in hand and conversing quietly, tension outlining their body language. I walked towards them. Whatever was going on, Vanity was sure to know. "Hi, Farmer, Hi Vanity," I smiled casually at my friends, "what's with all the hubbub?"

Farmer turned to me, worry in his face. "'lo Smurfette." He said, anxiety in his voice, "Th' smurflin's jus' got back from a smurfin' with Garg'mel."

"Oh no!" I said, "But they're all okay, right?"

He looked away, squeezing Vanity's hand. Vanity whispered something incoherent in his ear, then looked at me. "S-Sassette…" he said, worry in his voice, "She's passed out, and won't wake up."

A wave of worry passed over me. My… My adopted sister… Won't wake up? It wasn't long before we reached the epicenter of all the activity. Farmer and I pushed our way through the crowd, trying to get past the others. That was when I saw her. Hefty had the little pink and blue bundle cradled delicately in his arms. Handy stood with the three worried boy smurflings, sharing in their anxiety. Farmer approached Hefty, ruffling Sassette's auburn hair and gently stroking her forehead. He was her mentor; it was only instinct that he was so worried for the little child. I, on the other hand, wasn't sure what I felt. Fear? Shock? Sadness? Maybe all three.

Whatever the driving emotion, I approached Hefty and my adopted little sister and took her hand. It felt almost- cold to the touch. I cast a glance at the smurflings. Slouchy looked close to tears, worry dominating his features. Snappy looked angry and scared like he wanted to punch someone, then break down crying. Nat looked the most spooked of the three. He actually had small tears in his glassy eyes, and he couldn't take his eyes off the unconscious little smurfling. He looked more white than blue, and had guilt and fear written all over his face. "Make way! Make way! Papa smurf and his assistant coming through!" A loud, almost whiney voice called from within the crowd.

I tore my gaze from the smurflings to see Papa smurf making his way through the crowd, Brainy shooing smurfs and creating a path for him. Papa smurf looked at Sassette, shock in his face, and approached the child. "Papa smurf?" Nat asked, "Is she going to be all right?"

Papa smurf put a hand on Sassette's forehead, smoothing her hair back behind her ear. "I'm not sure yet, Nat." he replied, much to the shock of the smurflings, "I have to find out what exactly is the matter, first. What happened when you were in Gargamel's hovel?"

Snappy was the first to speak up. "That dumb ol' Gargamel! H-he was makin' some kinda potion, an' she was where all th' smoke an' stuff was goin'…" he fumed.

"An' then she just started coughin' like there was no t'morrow!" Slouchy added, his usually calm, even voice broken with fear, "W-we begged him t' move the cage, or mix th' potion somewhere else, but-" Slouchy sounded close to tears, "H-he wouldn't listen to us…"

Papa smurf scratched his beard thoughtfully. The smurfs in the crowd chirred amongst themselves in concern. "I see," Papa smurf said at last, "Hefty, Farmer, bring her inside and tuck her into my bed."

Hefty silently nodded and walked into the mushroom house, Farmer, Handy and the other smurflings trailing close behind. Farmer gently tucked the fragile looking little smurfling under the covers, and took a seat next to her. I sat next to him, watching her motionless little body. "Is she gon' be okay, Papa smurf?" Slouchy asked, not taking his eyes off Sassette.

"Don't be stupid, Slouchy!" Snappy snapped, his eyebrows ridged in worry, "Sassette's gon' be ok, an' we'll finish that dumb ol' clubhouse, an' she'll be ok! Right, Papa smurf?"

Papa smurf started to answer, but Nat cut in. "How d'you KNOW, you hickory nut?" he shouted at Snappy, tears rolling down his cheeks, "She might not ever wake up at all!"

We all recoiled a bit at the normally peaceful smurfling's outburst. Nat still looked the most scared of all of us. He sniffled a bit, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "We could never see Sassette alive again… and it'd be all my fault!" he blubbered a little, "If I'd never left t' go find Handy, maybe she woulda stayed!"

The smurfling hung his head, his big straw hat falling in his face. He had done a lot of growing up since Dreamy died. I'd be more surprised if he hadn't, having lost his best friend to suicide. Nevertheless, he was still a smurfling. Losing someone so close to him… poor fellow didn't deserve that to happen twice. "Nat." Farmer spoke quietly, "C'mere."

Nat wiped his eyes and nose and sniffled a little. He went over to Farmer, who sat him down on his knee closer to Sassette. "It wan't your fault, shugah." He said, his mellifluous southern dialect low and calming, "You know Sassy's well as Ah do. She'da gone even if ya stayed. Then Garg'mel woulda caught all four'a ya, an' we mighta not found ya til it was too late…. Sassette mighta died right there…"

We all knew he was just exaggerating, but the boys took it at face value. "You prolly saved her life gettin' Handy, Nat." Farmer told him, "You're a hero."

Nat smiled a little and beamed at his newest title. "Nat, Snappy, Slouchy," Papa smurf said from behind his bubbling potions, "Perhaps it would be best if you boys let her rest. We'll find you when she wakes up."

Snappy pouted. Nat crossed his arms. Slouchy shook his head, his large hat nearly falling off in the process. "Come on, you three! Papa smurf always says 'A watched pot never smurfs!'" Brainy lectured, trying to shoo the three out the door.

The boys, however, remained adamant in their decision to stay. "NO!" Snappy protested, "We wanna be here when she wakes up!"

Slouchy and Nat nodded firmly in agreement. I could just see Papa smurf sighing internally, so I stepped in. "How about us four go see if Greedy's made a batch of smurfberry ice cream," I suggested, "Then Brainy will find us when Sassette's woken up."

The boys looked only barely deterred from their decision. I'm going to need more, I thought to myself, thinking of what to say next. "Mmm, yes… A great, big bowl of smurfberry ice cream," I snuck a peek at them.

"With lots of crushed almonds," they glanced at eachother.

"Ooh! And lots of yummy hot fudge," the boys smiled a little and rolled their eyes dreamily.

"And a great, big crushed cookie on top!" That did it. Now these smurflings were putty in my hands.

"Well- uh—on second thought, maybe we SHOULD let her rest." Slouchy spoke calmly, a discreet smile on his face and his hand rubbing his little tummy hungrily, "Papa smurf always says a watched pot never smurfs."

Brainy grinned a little, smugly. I rolled my eyes a little with a smile and watched the young smurfs walk out the door. "I don't know how you do it. I can't get those kids to do anything some days. You are a goddess, Smurfette." Handy remarked, scratching his temple in wonderment. "Truly a goddess."

I walked past him on my way out. "Tell me something I don't know, sweetie." I said with a wink and a tickle of his chin.