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"Sh#t!" cursed a smurf at the top of his lungs, I ran out of my lab and found Chernov steaming with rage outside his home.

"Uh oh," I said to myself, "Here we go again."

The 4 apple tall grass green smurf stormed back inside his mushroom house and slammed the door behind him, when I arrived at the scene I found Brainy sitting patiently on a log near Chernov's house.

"What happened Brainy?" I asked my 4 eyed smurf.

"One of Chernov's experiments smurfed him in his face yet again Papa Smurf," explained Brainy, "His hair nearly caught fire so he ran outside to jump and jumped into the pond, I just got here just intime to watch him smurf his language."

"Chernov must be grumpy again," I sighed, "I'll have the rest of the smurfs steer clear from his house for the rest of the day, you best go home Brainy."

"Okay Papa Smurf," said Brainy, "I'll see you later."

Brainy got up and head back home, I took one last look at Chernov's house and stared at its really tall steel chimney as it belch out thick black smoke. Not willing to spend another moment in the area, I quickly turned around and head back to my lab.

Over the next few days, no smurf has never seen Chernov leaving his home. The only sign of life inside the house was its industrial chimney belching out noxious fumes into the atmosphere. The whole Smurf Village began to smell like sulpher, and Tracker easily traced teh source back to Chernov's home. No one wanted to voice their complaint to Chernov, they all gathered nearby as I decided to act on the issue.

After knocking on the door, Chernov opened the door after a few seconds. He had dark circles around his eyes and appears sleepy, not to mention he appeared to be miserable. His skin had grime on him and his camoflage pants and smurf hat were tattered, its obvious to me that he's having the blues again but this isn't he usual blues.

"Let me guess," he said, "Is the black smoke burning your smurf's noses?"

"Yes," I said, "They're not very smurfy about it."

Its best not to tell Chernov what to do, he understands us when we have problems and is quick to act about it.

"Good," he said, "Its just what I designed the chemical to do. It a smurf repellent you see, the smurfs don't like the smell but others including green smurfs won't notice."

"Are you okay Chernov?" I asked.

"No," he admitted, "Usually I'm not, but this time I'm more than not okay, I'm pissed. Green Smurf Radio claims their are reports of Gray Fly sitings around Pussywillow Hallow, I literally have to stay up all day and night just to examine the reports being ejected from the printer."

I glanced inside his home and saw Chernov's electrical equipment, I haven't figured out what they're for but I did see a machine slowly spitting out a continous sheet of paper containing fine print. It was taking over Chernov's lab space, which could explain Chernov's distress. It didn't.

"That continous sheet of paper just started printing a few minutes ago," said Chernov, "Its all the crap that the Green Smurf Colony has been sending me, most of which is unimportant or circumstantial data about the Gray Flies. Damn bug."

The Gray Fly is infamous for creating zombies among animals and smurfs, I remember such a zombie outbreak occuring weeks ago. It felt like ages, but its just recent history. Chernov had the green smurf deal with the Gray Fly by burning their breeding grounds, most of which is in Creepy Deepy Swamp, it seems that the fly's will to survive is stronger than anyone has anticipated and thus are returning to their hold hunting grounds. AKA, the smurf forest.

"If you want I could help," I said, "Its our problem?"

"Our problem?" asked Chernov stirnly, "Its not the Gray Fly, its those green smurfs. My smurfs. You know how hard it is to lead a thousand smurfs?"

"Leading a hundred smurfs is just as difficult." I said.

"What about leading smurfs who don't want a leader? 9 out of 10 green smurfs don't want a leader. So in order to keep my status as papa smurf of the green smurfs, I have to go with what everyone wants. In order to get them to do something they don't want to do, I have to come up with the most convincing argument in why it should be done. They all view me as a mean-spirted drill seargent and I act like it, which is entirely different from your reputation."

A rancid odor began to emit from Chernov's body, indicating that his testosterone levels are way higher than normal.

"And you know how it feels treating those green smurfs like that?" he finally finishes, "It feels horrible, its obvious I'm not trying to lead because I don't want to. But I have no choice if these green smurfs are to live, I only wish someone understands my suffering."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Chernov held his hand up to stop me, "No, you do not understand. It is worst than you could ever imagine."

Onec he put his hand down, I exhales, "You ever try taking a day off at times?" I asked.

"The last time I did that, I got Typhoid Fever." said Chernov, "All thanks to starvation which lead to a weakened immune system."

"How about I help you with your problems?"

"You can't do it alone."

"Other smurfs would back me up."

"Not even Hefty would help me with what I have in store."

"What's in store?"

"Stuff that could make your eyes bulge out of your skull, its the stuff I'm trying my dear hardest on not to have you and the smurfs be exposed to. Since I can't protect you guys from it, and knowing I can't protect myself from myself, I guess I'll let you help me. You seemed to be the only one who can do things right, all the other smurfs including mine can't do it perfectly nor do it in time."

"Doing what?"

"Accomplishing the impossible. For example, how do you remove a mountain from the landscape?"

"That's easy, you melt it."

"How long do you think the smurfs will figure that out?"

"Until Miner runs out of steam."

Me and Chernov chuckled, seems that I'm finally getting through to him.

"Well anyway," he says, "Its better than talking into a radio if I step out for a bit, I internal clock might kill me for this but I don't care anymore. I just want to live and enjoy life for once, I miss the sun by the way."

I stepped aside and Chernov steps outside, when the sun hits his eyes he immediately covers them with his hands. "Ah!" he yelped, "That hurt alot, now I see why I only venture at night."

Chernov turned around and ran back inside, "Oh where's those goggles?" he asked himself, "Awe, here it is."

He stepped out again wearing a pair of rounded tinted goggles, "That's better," he muttered, "That's a lot better."

He closes his door and walks off, normally he locks his house to keep the smurfs out but this time it seems he's trusting them this time. I only wonder if that trust can last.

The next day, I woke out of bed with the sound of a smurf fist pounding on my front door. I scramble out of bed and answered teh door to find several smurfs standing before me, they appeared to be very frightened. "What's wrong smurfs?" I asked.

"We heard noises inside a mushroom house," said a smurf ,"It doesn't sound good."

"What are the sounds like?"

"Like a monster."

"Give me a moment."

I shut the door and quickly ganged out of my pajamas and into my usual pants before opening the door again, "Let's go."

The smurfs lead me to a mushroom house north of the village, I heard something claw at the back of the door as it groans. "How long is this been happening?" I asked the spectating smurfs."

"Just now," said Handy, "I saw a hand at the window earlier, it looked kinda gray."

"Gray?" I asked, "That doesn't sound very smurfy, who owns this home?"

"We don't know sir," said Jokey.

"Smurf back smurfs," I said as the smurf stepped backwards away from the house, "Someone get Hefty, I'm going to need him for this."

A smurf rushed to Hefty's house to get him as I get ready to open the door to the mushroom house, he came just in time to see me make the attempt. "Get ready to back me up Hefty," I told him.

"Okay Papa Smurf," said Hefty, "Smurf when your ready."

I nod at Hefty before turning my attention to the doorknob, I slowly approached the door and grabbed the handle. The suspense grows among the smurfs as I slowly opened the door, I heard one of the smurf's teeth is chattering. The inside of the mushroom house was dark, some light are barely getting through the curtains from the windows. I took a step inside, and then it happened.

It came out of nowhere, literally out of the pitch black darkness. It shot out of nowhere and sank its teeth into my lower left arm, I screamed as I pull away of the thing. Hefty pull me out of the home before I reached out to grab the door handle and pulled the door shut using Hefty's momentum, "Smurf!" I screamed as I grabbed my arm, "What was that for?"

When I looked at the bite wound, my heart dropped to my stomach. I wasn't expecting blood, I panicked as I saw my own blood ooze out of my body and drip onto the ground. For some reason, it barely even hurt. "Papa Smurf!" cried Smurfette.

"Don't worry about me," I said, "Let's get Chernov, he know's what to do with a wound this deep."

TO BE CONTINUED...