Chapter 20: Epilogue

Hefty walks down the well-treaded path towards a large meadow by the Smurf Community. He is wearing white shorts, red shoes, black torn sleeve shirt, white hat, and a pair of shades over his eyes. It has been three months already ever since Hefty and Toughette woke up to the new, unfamiliar world. So far it feels like it has been three years, but now Hefty seems to be adjusting nicely to his new home. In fact, he and Toughette often enjoys their times taking care of the smurflings, as well as the times with Sorcerette and Sorcerer Smurf in riding the motor bikes into town to see either a movie or visiting their human friends. As the brawny smurf heads for the playing field, he adjusts the sunglasses slightly so they don’t slip off his nose. Noticing smurflings at play, he stops to watch and smiles at the youngsters eagerly participate in their vigorous games with youthful joy.

So much has changed indeed. Smurflings don’t play like they used to in his day. Smurf-ball had been the usual sport Hefty and his brothers used to play, many years ago. Some of the smurfs from Old Village would fish, while others play other simple little games like leap-frog. Not so in the new world, though. The games the smurflings are playing are much more sophisticated and complicated nowadays, such as football among other things. Hefty notices that not all the youngsters are actively involved in complex teamwork games, though. Scanning across the field Hefty observes smurflings sitting quietly by themselves, engrossed in small things such as hand-held video games. Still others are gliding on what are known as skateboards and rollerblades. Sure, there is still some smurflings playing the classic smurf-ball games, but those are the only odd group out of all others. Even so, the small group of smurflings are playing the old-fashioned games with slightly different rules to them.

That is not all; Hefty himself had been involved in those new sports that he finds to be fun and challenging at the same time like basketball, lacrosse, and especially hockey. Last month Snappy, Sassette, Sorcerette and Sorcerer Smurf, along with a small group of smurflings took Hefty and Toughette down to the city and into a building called a Rec-Center. There Hefty and Toughette visited the ice rink for the first time and had learned what a hockey does. They had gone very early in the morning before the rink opened to the public, so they were able to play without many humans around to trample them on the ice, and no time Hefty and Toughette became thoroughly hooked on hockey. It was just so much fun!

There had been a few times during their trips down in the city, though, that Greg Gargiullo, a descendant of the evil wizard known as Gargamel, came close in capturing the smurfs. But with quick thinking and knowledge of the best strategies, the smurfs had escaped Gargiullo’s grasping hands unharmed, many times. Just thinking about Greg Gargiullo makes Hefty shivers slightly and worries for the smurflings’ safety and future. He doesn’t want the same fate to come to them as it had to the Old Village. Still, even to this day, Hefty can feel his heart aching with regret that he was unable to do anything to prevent the death of his brothers and friends so long time ago. Subconsciously, he lets out a heavy sigh.

“Something on your mind, smiley?” A soft, feminine voice coos just slightly off to the right of Hefty. It doesn’t take him long to recognize the sarcastic tone and smiles. He turns to see a beautiful smurfette with golden hair, pinned back into a long ponytail. She is wearing her new black shorts, pink and black tank-top, light grey smurf hat and sneakers. Toughette is also wearing a snazzy pair of sunglasses on her face. It is certainly a perfectly bright day to be wearing them. Hefty can’t help but to smile at the sight of her. How smurfy she looks! Even if she doesn’t wear many dresses, these new, fashionable sporty outfits make her more beautiful then ever.

“Oh, nothing much, just stuff,” Hefty replies, still smiling. “How about you?”

“Well,” Toughette begins in a slight stutter, unsure of how she wants to answer him. “Um… Yeah, stuff…”

For a moment the couple just stand there gazing at each other in silence. A movement up on balcony at smurf’s community home not far off catches Hefty’s eye. “Hey, there’s Brainy,” he says in surprise, “I wonder what he’s doing up there?”

Toughette turns around to look where her boyfriend is pointing at.

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen him up there before,” she replies, “He just watches the smurflings and doing something on that thing…what is it called again?” She pauses again, fumbling for the word for the object that Brainy is often fond of using. Tapping her finger on her chin, Toughette ponders on the right word that would at least describe the metallic object in Brainy’s hand. Suddenly it comes to her and she perks up with a smile. “Oh yeah - a palm pilot!”

Hefty’s curiosity is piqued at what is going on with Brainy. “Perhaps I should go up, then,” he says, “And see what exactly he is doing.”

Toughette nods. “Alright, but don’t be too long,” she says, “it’s almost time to round up these smurflings up for their afternoon classes.” She grins at him, “After that it will be our turn to give them a real workout in a game of ‘Capture the Flag’ before washing them up for dinner!” She adds this with a warning wink.

“I know,” Hefty leans over and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “I won’t be long.” Then he starts heading toward the smurf’s community home in the mountain cave.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Brainy stands quietly, leaning slightly against the railing and peering down at his little smurflings playing in the meadow. In the position he is in, the red-capped elder have a good view of the entire field and every single smurf, smurfette, and especially smurflings below. Of all the places he had been, this is his favorite spot in the entire Smurf Community. Using his palm pilot pen, he mutters out numbers as he does a head count of each of the smurflings below. After counting a certain amount, Brainy jots it down on the palm pilot before continuing to count a second group in another part of the field. He even includes the older smurfs in the head count as well.

He is so busy counting he doesn’t notice a certain smurf entering the room just behind him. Smirking a bit, Hefty walks to the open glass sliding door which separates the balcony from the living room, and steps out through it to take a stand just a bit to the right of his older brother. Puzzled, Hefty watches as the older elder continues to move the palm pilot pen in the air. ‘What is he doing?’ Hefty wonders silently to himself, removing the sunglasses from his face to see better.

What is even more baffling is the fact that Brainy doesn’t even acknowledge the fact there is another smurf besides him on the balcony. After a few moments of watching Hefty can’t take it anymore; he clears his throat loudly enough to cause Brainy to jolt slightly.

Startled, Brainy spins his head around to see who had snuck up on him without him knowing it. With a sigh of relief he realizes it is only Hefty.

“Geez, Hefty, you scared the daylights out of me!” Brainy groans. “What is up with you this time?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing.” Hefty chuckles sheepishly. “I was just curious on what you were doing up here.”

“Oh…I’m just doing a head count of all the smurfs,” Brainy answers simply as he proceeds to do one last count of the final group below.

The young strong smurf perks up with interest. “You mean how Papa Smurf used to count heads back in the Old Village?”

Brainy nods. “Well, in a matter of speaking, yeah.” With a satisfied sigh and a smile, he jots the remaining number down on the palm pilot and mentally adds the calculations together.

“There, all 230 smurflings are accounted for. Plus you and I, along with Snappy, Slouchy, Sassette, Nat, Sorcerette, and Sorcerer Smurf making 240 smurfs altogether.” Brainy proudly states as he closes his palm pilot up in its protective case and put it in his pocket. Hefty lets out a little whistle, impressed with the numbers of the living smurfs out there.

“Whoa, that is quite a count…” Then Hefty notices Brainy gazing down at the smurflings with a sad look on his grizzled face. Concerned, the brawny brother leans towards him. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Hefty asks softly.

“Wha…?” Brainy blinks, his mind still somewhere else. Shaking his head slightly, Brainy realizes what his younger brother is asking him. “Oh, I’m just thinking of Papa Smurf and the others from the Old Village. I wonder what they might say about all of this.”

Hefty cocks his head to one side and raises his eyebrow. With a smirk he reaches out, places a reassuring hand on Brainy’s shoulder and speaks to him in a respectful manner.

“You know, Brainy, I think if Papa Smurf were here to see what you’ve done, I’d say he’d be very proud. Even the other smurfs would agree to that,” Hefty grins slightly, “And, you know, that is a lot coming from me!”

To Brainy, that was the most touching thing anyone has ever said. As a young smurf he’d often hoped the other smurfs would think that way of him, including Papa Smurf himself. But with all that was going on after the disaster of the Old Village, Brainy has just been more worried about the well being of the surviving smurfs to fuel his own ego. With tears in his eyes, Brainy tilts his head up at his younger brother and says softly, “Thank you.”

Hefty smiles back at his older brother. Then, glancing at the watch, he looks at the red-capped elder again. “Um, it’s getting time to start rounding up the smurflings for their afternoon lessons.”

Brainy inclines his head in understanding. “Yeah, I myself need to prepare for my group for their pop quiz.” He says amicably, “We can talk again later, perhaps after you put the young ones to bed.”

“Sure. Later, Brainy.”

Brainy watches his strong brother walk back out the door and is soon out of sight. With a heavy sigh, the older elder too leaves the balcony, preparing to collect his papers for his class session with the second group of smurflings of the day.

THE END!

Author's Note: I sincerely hope you have enjoyed "How Things Smurf" as well as the Smurfette Village and Return to the Smurfette Village. Hopefully soon I'll have time to start writing the fourth and final story to this saga. Thanks for taking the time to read my story. Don't forget to leave me a review, I often like to hear from you and your comments.

A special thanks goes to my beta-reader, Tabby for her help with this story.

Stay Creative.