The story of one sorcerer

"So the years went by. Shortly before 65th birthday, another thing happened, and a pretty good one. I found another familiar. It happened like this: I woke up, was about to go in search of the Smurfs, but right in the river near the house I found an almost dead bird. It was an exhausted griffon vulture. I have always loved large birds and so I decided to cure him with my potions. Even though I was an experienced potion maker, sometimes potions had strange results, and that’s what happened this time. I managed to cure the bird, but the bird became cross-eyed and changed color from brown to green-violet. In the evening I left the bird in a basket, covered with a warm rag and smeared with magical ointment, I thought the bird would not survive, the creature was so tortured. But when I woke up in the morning, the bird was happily climbing around the room. It was a saved creature, and saved and cured creatures are always grateful to their saviors, the vulture jumped on my hand and looked straight into my eyes, so I realized that I had a second familiar. I named him Monty. It is worth saying that Monty lived up to my hopes; more than once he saved my life and protected me from ill-wishers. Therefore, I celebrated my 65th birthday not on my own, but in the company of two of my most faithful friends and assistants - Azrael and Monty. That same year, something else happened: there were a lot more Smurfs than I expected. Somehow, Smurfette and her friends found a village of Smurf girls. No! These were monsters, real Amazon Smurfs. That same year, I was inspecting the house, and in my box I found that same rod with a silver dragon top. Memories flooded back to me, my memory returned and I remembered everything. About time travel, the creation of Vexy and Hakus and the dragon-topped wand, and most importantly, the secret of the Smurfs' elixir! It was as if a third eye had then opened in me and, inspired by the goal, I was even more determined to catch the Smurfs. One day I almost managed to catch a lot of Smurfs, but I left one out, there were only about 50 of them. And my plan required 100. And then Smurfette appeared, she said that she would come over to my side and tell me about the location of the main Smurf village. I naively believed it, but it was her plan. The Smurfs ran away again and I was thrown back by a huge wave of magic. But as they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And I'm still pursuing the goal. I'm 66 years old now, but does it really matter? I have a dream and a goal. I will still become a strong sorcerer. I have heard how people consider me just a crazy old man, and recently they began to consider me a heretic, they no longer believe in magic as they did before, and I know that someday society will completely change and stop believing in magic, I have seen the future, the future in which people believe that magic is just children's fairy tales, and that witches and wizards are fiction. But when a person believes in a dream and goes forward with a goal, strives to achieve it, I know that the person achieves it. As Confucius said, “When it seems to you that a goal is unattainable, do not change the goal - change your plan of action.” “Whenever I come up with a plan and catch the Smurfs, I will achieve my goal...”

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Gargamel looked out the window, dawn was already beginning to appear on the horizon, it was early morning, the sun had not yet risen, but the stars were already disappearing. Nightingales sang in the forest. He put aside the thick notebook, half of which was covered in writing, but half of which was still empty, put aside the inkwell and the red bird's feather, putting everything in the husk of an antique desk and lay down on the bed made of boards, covering himself with a rag patched blanket. Azrael crawled and lay on his owner's back, purring soothingly. "You'll see, we will achieve our goal, our dreams will come true." - The old man whispered, stroking the cat on the back; it always acted on him like a sedative sleeping pill before bed. After some time, they fell asleep in a blissful sleep, and at that moment the last morning star fell from the sky and fell somewhere beyond the horizon as a symbol of a dream come true...