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Author
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Topic: "Days Of Auld Lang Smurf" -- full story
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:24 AM
Here's the full story of my EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story "Days Of Auld Lang Smurf", which takes place on the days leading up to New Year's Eve.
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Part 1
Empath’s personal journal, December 28.
It is only a few days left in the year that on some human calendars is the year 1006, and the village is preparing for another celebration, this time to ring in the new year once the clock strikes midnight on December 31. This smurf has been to at least several such celebrations during this smurf’s visits to the Smurf Village when this smurf was still living in Psychelia, and this smurf had the pleasure and privilege of celebrating this smurf’s first New Year’s Eve being a free Smurf at last. According to custom, the point of celebrating New Year’s Eve is to let go of the past and embrace the future, a fresh new year full of promise and hope. It is usually a joyful time of year, because for some it means yesterday’s burdens and failures have been done away with, and for others it is a time of thanks for the blessings of the year that has been given to them. Indeed the Smurf Village has gone through enough situations since this smurf’s birth, and probably even before that, that would make a Smurf really wish to celebrate the New Year with such honest emotion and vigor. We all have lost our families, and yet gained a new one in the process. Smurfette herself never had a family until she was refashioned into a real Smurf by Papa Smurf. The Smurflings left the security of their Smurfling Island, where they would have lived forever as children, to live in a village where Smurfs would grow up and even grow old. Baby Smurf also came from that island as well, a year or so before the Smurflings left it. Polaris Psyche, this smurf’s only friend in Psychelia, has recently been exiled and disconnected from the link of the Psyches, and has now made the Smurf Village his new home, with Papa Smurf as his mentor.
However, this year Papa Smurf has been noticeably absent during the evenings, and he even has missed celebrating Christmas Eve, which he usually is present to initiate. This smurf feels concerned for Papa Smurf, that there must be something on his mind that’s drawing him away from wanting to spend time with his little Smurfs, including this smurf. Since the Imaginarium has been up and running for several months without any further problems, it has on some occasions become a place for certain Smurfs to lose themselves in as an escape from being socially active in the Smurf community. Could Papa Smurf, despite his wisdom concerning the use of the Imaginarium, have fallen victim to this particular vice of losing himself with a particular fantasy inside the Imaginarium?
The Smurf Village was busy at a point between two holidays, when they were just getting over the excitement of giving and receiving presents on Christmas and they were now getting ready to say goodbye to the old year and greetings to the new. It was on this day that Polaris Psyche was making his usual rounds as the village’s security chief, examining every detail of his fellow Smurfs’ daily routines to make sure things were running smoothly without any problems. He was wearing in addition to his Psychelian bodysuit a pair of boots, a pair of gloves, a woolen scarf, some earmuffs, and a thick floppy white winter cap, all of which were Christmas gifts given to him by Empath himself. Despite how embarrassed Polaris felt about wearing them, he noticed that hardly any Smurf made a negative comment about these particular items.
Polaris was passing by the outskirts of the village where the Smurflings’ treestump playhouse was located when he was hit in the side of the face with a snowball. He turned and noticed that he walked right in the middle of a friendly snowball fight the Smurflings were having with each other. He realized that it was Snappy who was the one that threw the snowball that hit his face. He gave Snappy a look of consternation, as if demanding an explanation.
“Sorry, Polaris,” Snappy responded, sounding guilty. “Guess I should have watched where I have smurfed that one.”
“Please make certain that you do, fellow Snappy,” Polaris warned firmly before he moved on and the snowball fight resumed.
Polaris met Empath outside Tapper’s tavern at the end of his round, handing him a clipboard that contained his report. Empath was also similarly dressed, though he wore his normal star-patterned hat instead of a thick woolen winter cap. “So far the only incident that this one has witnessed was a snowball fight in the vicinity of the Smurflings’ playhouse,” he commented.
Empath looked over the report and noted Polaris’ comment. “Well, at least the Smurflings are busy having fun with each other, staying out of harm’s way,” he remarked, smiling.
“Empath, why would the Smurflings engage in an activity that has the possibility of inflicting serious harm on each other?” Polaris asked, curious about the snowball fight.
“Polaris, snowball fights aren’t supposed to be harmful,” Empath replied. “They’re supposed to be fun. These are young Smurfs with a lot of energy that needs to be directed somewhere, and things like snowball fights are a good way for these youngsters to blow off steam. It’s a whole lot better than them using their fists on each other.”
“Couldn’t these Smurflings use the Imaginarium for ‘blowing off steam’ with their snowball fights instead of having them in a public place where someone is likely to get hurt?” Polaris suggested.
“What good is a snowball fight in an Imaginarium at this time of year when we already have the snow?” Empath answered. “Granted, Imaginarium-created snow won’t get wet, cold, or even hard enough to give some Smurf a black eye or something. But it just isn’t as fun as having a real snowball fight even with those kinds of risks.”
“You must have enjoyed yourself during your visits to the Smurf Village engaging in those kinds of winter activities, Empath,” Polaris surmised.
“This smurf certainly did, Polaris,” Empath answered, sighing as he remembered those times. “It was certainly worth having to be laid up in bed afterward for days, sick to this smurf’s stomach, running a fever, doing nothing but eating soup and drinking Tapper’s hot cinnamon cider tea. This smurf and Hefty were basically waging war with each other with his army on one side and this smurf’s army on the other side, ready to let each other have it, all for the sake of victory and having fun at the same time. Then again, we were very careful to have our snowball fights in places where even Papa Smurf wouldn’t get socked in the face by a snowball.” He stopped when he realized something. “Did Snappy just get you in the face when you were passing by their playhouse?”
“You are very perceptive and correct, Empath,” Polaris responded, still feeling the sting on his face.
Empath groaned. “This smurf thought that this smurf told them to use the open field on the north end of the village for their snowball fights. Don’t worry about it, Polaris; this smurf will take care of this situation.”
“This one appreciates the gesture, Empath,” Polaris stated.
“You’re this smurf’s Psychelian brother and this smurf’s friend, Polaris,” Empath grinned, giving Polaris a brief light shoulder slap. “By the way, the winter gear looks good on you.”
Polaris rolled his eyes, trying to keep his emotions in control as Empath headed off in another direction.
It was at the end of another day – a day mostly spent preparing and eating food, taking down some Christmas ornaments and decorations, and keeping walkways clear of snow – when most of the adult Smurfs were gathered in Tapper’s tavern, keeping themselves entertained and social while enjoying hot cups of cinnamon treebark brew. It was there that Actor Smurf, who once demonstrated his ability to act by portraying various Smurfs in the village with uncanny accuracy, presented Empath with a very unusual proposal for a project of his own.
“Let me get this straight,” Empath said, unsure if he fully understood what he read from the written proposal Actor had given him. “You want to film an entire movie…using the Imaginarium?”
“It’s entirely smurfect, Empath,” Actor explained. “The Imaginarium can smurf up whatever we need in order to create a movie – actors, actresses, set designs, lighting, costumes, props, special effects, you name it, it can smurf it.”
“This smurf just doesn’t see the point, Actor,” Empath objected. “I mean, why bother creating an entire fantasy environment full of characters and all if it’s just going to be put into a two-dimensional format with a rather limited narrative? Wouldn’t it be more entertaining if it was just an Imaginarium scenario that any Smurf could take part in rather than making it into a movie?”
“Smurfonally, I think that an Imaginarium-created movie would be a lot of fun for an audience to smurf,” Actor countered passionately. “It would smurftainly make better use of the outdoor theatre on those hot summer nights when there isn’t anything better to smurf. Besides, there isn’t anything better to smurf up the old imagination than having something with a limited narrative smurfing it.”
“Okay, then, are you sure that you’re able to film anything that happens to be inside an Imaginarium fantasy environment, Actor?” Empath asked.
“Vanity’s been smurfing pictures with his photo-smurfer whenever he smurfs into the Imaginarium, Empath,” Actor replied. “So far, they smurf out just the same as those that he smurfs anywhere else. I’m sure that it can handle a movie camera smurfing what the Imaginarium smurfs.”
Empath pondered for a bit over what he had read and heard. As crazy as the idea sounded to him, Actor was very certain that he could make this idea a reality. It would indeed be interesting to see the final result.
“This smurf will make sure Papa Smurf knows about your proposal, Actor,” Empath promised. “And if he says that it’s okay for you to do it, then the Imaginarium is all yours. You have this smurf’s word on it.”
“Oh, thank you, Empath,” Actor gushed, shaking Empath’s hand very vigorously. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to smurf something like this.”
“Just out of curiosity, Actor,” Empath added, “what kind of story idea have you got in mind for this movie project?”
Actor thought about this for a moment. “Smurfthing that begins with, ‘long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away…’”
“Hmmm…an outer-space adventure,” Empath deduced. “That would be something the whole village might enjoy on a hot summer night.”
Just then, Brainy joined Empath at the table where he was enjoying his treebark brew, causing Actor to get up from the table, taking his written proposal with him. “Was Actor trying to smurf you on this crazy idea of using the Imaginarium for smurfing up a movie, Empath?” Brainy asked, trying to speak low enough for Actor not to hear.
Empath nodded, though not agreeing entirely with Brainy. “This smurf has the feeling that Actor may be able to accomplish this particular goal. Of course, this smurf is intrigued to hear that his first attempt at such a movie would be an outer-space adventure.”
“An outer-space movie?” Brainy exclaimed, a little too loud. “That’s just plain silly! Why couldn’t he smurf up something more down to smurf like ‘Robin Smurf’ or ‘The Three Smurfketeers’ or ‘Romeo And Smurfette’?”
Empath looked at his half-brother rather strangely. “You just don’t seem to have an interest in anything but the classics, do you? I mean, those could be really good ideas for future movies if Actor’s successful in bringing forth his first effort, but who’s going to watch them besides you?”
“Well, if my Papa Smurf was still smurfing, Empath, I think he would one of those Smurfs who would watch them with me,” Brainy answered vehemently.
“’Your Papa Smurf’?” Empath questioned, feeling a little off-guard that his half-brother would speak of his own father Aristotle and not Empath’s Papa Smurf, whom every Smurf now regarded as just simply Papa Smurf.
“Well, you know what I mean, Empath,” Brainy said, not sure why Empath would question the use of that term that way. “He’s the one who smurfed me into the world, before Papa Smurf became my Papa Smurf.”
“This smurf apologizes, Brainy,” Empath responded. “It’s just that there was a time when this smurf could remember that every one of this smurf’s fellow Smurfs simply called my father Papa Smurf, without ever feeling like somehow they were not a part of him or he was not a part of them. You had already become a family, and then this smurf comes along and breaks it up by being ‘the only begotten son of Papa Smurf’. This smurf made all of you Smurfs remember something terrible that took years for you to forget.”
“Empath, that wasn’t your fault,” Brainy tried to reason. “The truth of who you actually are had to smurf out sooner or later, even if none of us wanted to hear it. I for one was smurftainly surprised to find out that you and I were brothers, and even if you alone were the son of Papa Smurf, it still wouldn't change how I feel towards you with this revelation.”
“This smurf understands that feeling, Brainy,” Empath said consolingly. “Anyway, speaking about Papa Smurf, have you seen him lately?”
“Truth to tell, Empath, I haven’t smurfed him much at all,” Brainy answered, sounding frustrated. “I just smurfed up with some brilliant solutions for the problems he’s been smurfing with some of his experiments that I wanted to smurf with him, and it’s like he keeps smurfing me on hold. It’s like he’s been smurfing a vacation away from us and didn’t even bother smurfing us where he’s smurfed off to. Maybe it’s the excitement of the holidays that’s finally smurfed to him.”
Empath sighed. “Let’s hope that Papa Smurf returns from this ‘vacation’ from us very soon.”
Late at night, Empath was in the middle of a dream, seeing himself as a young Smurfling in the Smurf Village, having trouble sleeping in his bedroom as he heard the sounds of thunder outside his parents' house. "Mama!" he cried out, suddenly awakening.
Lillithina came into his bedroom, looking like she did from Papa Smurf's memories of her -- beautiful and very concerned for her son's well-being. "Empathy, are you all right? What's the matter?" she asked.
"I'm scared of the thunder, Mama," Empath said, clutching his bed sheets. "I don't want to be left alone."
"There, there, my little Empathy," Lillithina consoled as she held her son close to her. "You have nothing to worry about. Papa and I are here to protect you."
"But where...where's Papa?" Empath asked.
"He's sound asleep, dear, as you should be," Lillithina said.
"I don't want you to go away, Mama," Empath said. "I'm so afraid that I may lose you."
"I promise that you won't ever smurf without me, my child," Lillithina said with some motherly assurance in her voice.
"Mama, why can't I have a brother as part of my family?" Empath asked.
"Empathy, the whole village is your family, and your fellow Smurfs are your brothers," Lillithina said. "You won't be without anyone who is a Smurf in this world."
"But why is it that I can't have a brother?" Empath asked. "Why won't you and Papa smurf me one?"
"Honey, I wish that it were entirely up to me and Papa," Lillithina said. "But there are times when Mother Nature doesn't smurf us everything that we want. It doesn't mean that we won't stop trying to smurf you a brother."
"I wonder if he would be as smart as Uncle Aris," Empath said.
Lillithina laughed. "I can't dishonor your Papa Smurf and smurf a child from him, Empathy. I feel sorry that he doesn't smurf a wife of his own, though."
"I feel sorry for him as well, Mama," Empath said.
"Just smurf back to sleep now, and don't let things like not having a brother worry you, Empathy," Lillithina said as she tucked her son back into bed. "Just remember that your Mama Smurf loves you and cares for you no matter what happens."
"I will, Mama," Empath said, as his mother gave him a kiss. "Goodnight."
Empath watched as Lillithina got up and quietly left the room, still looking upon her son with eyes of motherly love. And then he closed his eyes and snuggled back to sleep.
Suddenly Empath was awakened by the sound of knocking on his door. “Empath, wake up!” Smurfette’s voice called out from behind the door.
Empath sensed that her appearing at his door at this time of night was urgent. He dressed himself up in his Psychelian bodysuit and his hat, climbed down the ladder from his upstairs bedroom, and crossed past Polaris, who was still sleeping soundly on his bed, to answer the door.
Smurfette was there with Baby Smurf, who was crying. “Thank smurfness you’re awake,” she exhaled. “Where’s Papa Smurf when I need him the most? I smurfed on his door, hoping that he would be there, but there was no answer.”
“What seems to be the problem, Smurfette?” Empath asked, concerned.
“Baby Smurf’s having trouble smurfing to sleep again,” Smurfette answered. “I tried the usual lullabies and all, but he keeps insmurfing that he wants Papa Smurf to smurf him back to sleep. The only Smurf I can smurf to at this time of night is you.”
Empath briefly scanned Baby Smurf with his minds-eye. “Well, at least he isn’t sick or has suffered any nightmares, Smurfette. Maybe this smurf can use a gentle soothing pulse on Baby Smurf so that he can go back to sleep.”
“He wants Papa Smurf, Empath,” Smurfette insisted, still trying to keep Baby Smurf calm and quiet. “I don’t think that he would settle for anything less than him and his voice and touch.”
“Want Papa Smurf,” Baby Smurf muttered in a cranky voice as Smurfette tried to soothe him.
Empath could sense that feeling from Baby Smurf. “This smurf will see where Papa Smurf is, and will bring him to you and Baby Smurf as soon as this smurf can find him,” he promised.
“You think that he’s in the Imaginarium at this time of night, Empath?” Smurfette asked.
“If he is, Smurfette, then something must be going on with him that requires this smurf’s attention,” Empath answered as he put his boots on and headed toward the meeting house.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:25 AM
Part 2
Empath entered the Imaginarium and noticed that the crystals were fully charged, indicating that somebody was using it. “Please take me to where Papa Smurf is,” he requested.
“Access to that particular environment has been restricted,” a voice responded.
Empath had a feeling that Papa Smurf activated the privacy feature for some reason. “Override privacy feature, authorization Empath, one-one-three-seven-k,” he commanded, eager to find out where Papa Smurf is.
“Privacy feature override engaged,” the voice reported. Soon the view of the Imaginarium room changed to that of the Smurf Village on a winter’s night, similar to how it appeared outside the meeting room. All the houses in this environment were dark except for one in the southeast corner of the village. Empath sensed that that house would be the one in which Papa Smurf was in – and he wasn’t alone in that house, either, though he couldn’t tell who was in the house with him. He decided to head in that direction to find out.
As Empath made his way through the Imaginarium-created Smurf Village of Papa Smurf’s fantasy, he accidentally ran into some Smurf that was carrying a lantern while turning a corner, knocking each other to the ground.
“Are you all right, fellow Smurf?” the other Smurf asked as he and Empath picked themselves up. “You smurf to be in a hurry smurfing somewhere in the middle of the night.”
“This smurf is functioning normally,” Empath replied, shaking himself off, partly unaware that the voice of the Smurf speaking to him was rather identical to his own.
“You know, you should really be careful to smurf where you’re smurfing,” the other Smurf chided, holding up his lantern to see who it was he ran into. “There’s no smurfing who you might…smurf into…”
It was then Empath saw who it was that he himself ran into – and was stunned by what he saw. Other than wearing just a white hat and pants, the Smurf bore a yellow star mark on his forehead, and had certain facial features that Empath had recognized as his own. Empath then realized that he ran into himself – or rather, a version of himself created from Papa Smurf’s own imagination. “Great Ancestors…who are you?” he asked.
“I’m Empathy Smurf, the village sentinel,” the other Smurf who looked like Empath answered, also looking like he was seeing an altered reflection of himself in a mirror. “Have I smurfed you from somewhere before?”
Empath wasn’t sure how to respond to an Imaginarium version of himself, but he wasn’t going to waste his time trying to reason with a creation. “Remove Empathy Smurf character from this scenario,” he told the Imaginarium.
“Access to characters in this environment have been restricted,” the same voice from the meeting house warned Empath.
“I can smurf you must have important smurfness to smurf with my Papa Smurf,” Empathy stated, as if he was actually reading Empath’s thoughts. “He’s rather busy with smurfthing important of his own tonight, and doesn’t wish to be dissmurfed. You should smurf back here tomorrow morning.”
“This smurf’s village has immediate need of his presence, Empathy,” Empath tried to tell his Imaginarium self. “It is imperative that this smurf contacts him right now or else everything in that village will be in great danger.”
Empathy looked at Empath as if he was determining the truthfulness of the visitor’s claim. “I will smurf what I can do for you, my friend,” he responded. “Smurf here until I smurf him forth to you.” He started to head in the direction of the lighted house in the Imaginarium village.
“This smurf would rather join you and bring the message to him myself,” Empath stated as he tried to follow Empathy toward where he was going.
“I am smurfectly capable of smurfing my job,” Empathy objected. “My Papa Smurf wouldn’t want you to smurf him as he is at this smurf of night without enough time to prepare himsmurf.”
“This smurf isn’t concerned about his appearance, Empathy,” Empath persisted. “This smurf just wants to deliver the message to him personally and to make sure he knows its importance.”
Empathy sighed. It seemed to Empath that his Imaginarium self as the village sentinel named Empathy was personally created by Papa Smurf to help hide something that he didn’t even want his own son to know about. That made it all the more important for Empath to figure out what Papa Smurf was and had been doing in the Imaginarium for the past several nights. He let Empathy lead the way to where Papa Smurf was.
Meanwhile, in the lighted house of the Imaginarium village, Papa Smurf was lying on a furry rug with a female Smurf with short brown hair that resembled his late wife Lillithina, looking at each other while lying next to a warm fire in the fireplace, sipping glasses of smurfberry wine and enjoying each other’s company. Papa Smurf’s beard noticeably had turned brown to match the youthful look of his wife in this Imaginarium setting he had created for himself. Instead of physically dyeing his hair brown like he did some years ago when Flowerbell the woodnymph visited the village and became the love of his life for the brief time she was there, Papa Smurf used a feature of the Imaginarium that altered his physical appearance, making his white beard appear brown within this particular setting. Though the both of them were rather dressed down to very light night clothes, neither of them felt cold by the surrounding environment.
“Another year is passing by, and another year is smurfing upon us, my sweet Lilly,” Papa Smurf told the Imaginarium-created version of his wife. “Do you ever regret one moment of being married to me?”
“Never, my dear Cully,” Lillithina responded sincerely, touching her husband’s face. “Every day smurfing with you by my side has always been the greatest thing in my life. I don’t know what I ever smurfed to deserve such a wonderful Smurf like you, one with such a caring heart behind such a whiskery face like yours.”
“I don’t know what I would smurf if I ever have to smurf my life without you, Lilly,” Papa Smurf declared sincerely, gently caressing her. “The thought of ever having to lose you is one I don’t want to think about.”
“You would carry me in your heart, just as you always have smurfed,” Lillithina reminded her husband, placing her finger on his lips to try keeping him from talking too much about it. “That’s where I will always live, even when you’re the only Smurf left in the village. You know that’s where I will always love you.”
Papa Smurf never felt happier being with his wife – or at least a replica of his wife created by his imagination – like this one more time, the way he used to be with her even before Empath came into his life. He closed his eyes and leaned his face closer to Lillithina’s to kiss her when he heard knocking on the door.
“Papa Smurf! Papa Smurf!” the voice of his son – the Imaginarium-created version of him – cried out.
Papa Smurf felt instantly annoyed at this interruption. “Empathy, I thought I wanted to not be dissmurfed by anything until morning,” he shouted back to the person at the door.
“I’m sorry, Papa Smurf, but there’s a visitor who says there’s smurfthing urgent in his village that smurfs your immediate attention,” Empathy explained.
A visitor? Papa Smurf thought. He realized that the real version of his son, Empath, must have overridden the privacy feature of this particular fantasy setting he created. He told the Imaginarium version of his wife to stay where she was and that he would return after he dealt with the “visitor”. She smiled back at him as she continued to lay there on the rug and watched the fire burn on while Papa Smurf covered himself in a bathrobe and went to answer the door.
Surely enough, as Papa Smurf opened the door, he saw both versions of his son – the Imaginarium-created version, and the real version, who was surprised to see Papa Smurf appear as he was in a setting that was rather intimate.
“Remove all characters in here,” Papa Smurf commanded rather tersely, "and resmurf my original appearance". Immediately, both Empathy and Lillithina vanished from the setting, leaving just Empath and Papa Smurf standing there outside his Imaginarium-created house. Papa Smurf’s beard color also changed back to white, and his bathrobe and slippers were replaced with his normal red pants and a beige turtleneck sweater.
“Is there really an emergency smurfing on in the village tonight, Empath?” Papa Smurf asked insistently, not enjoying having his real son intrude upon something he would rather keep private.
“As a matter of fact, Papa Smurf, there is,” Empath answered. “Smurfette came to this smurf wondering where you were at this moment, because Baby Smurf is having trouble falling asleep again, and Baby refuses to go back to sleep unless you were there to help him go back to sleep. This smurf just didn’t expect you to be spending your nights inside the Imaginarium recreating your relationship with this smurf’s Mama Smurf. Are you really starting to feel the need for such companionship again?”
“That really isn’t any of your smurfness, Empath,” Papa Smurf shot back, a bit agitated.
“It’s not this smurf’s intention to purposely intrude upon your private matters, Papa Smurf,” Empath said, not wishing to get into an argument with his father. “But all this spending your nights here reliving something from the past with a fantasy version of your wife just isn’t a healthy pastime for you. You’ve got a much bigger family to take care of who all think of you as their Papa Smurf, and they need you to be there for them right now, not hiding away in yesterday.”
“You don’t know how much it hurts smurfing that father figure when you’re the only one of that generation who’s still smurfing, Empath,” Papa Smurf responded, finding himself breaking into tears. “Sometimes it feels like I would smurf anything to have that one more moment with my sweet Lillithina, if it could even smurf away the pain of being the sole parent of a hundred young Smurfs. I know it’s smurfthing that nature can’t smurf me back, but at least here I could imagine that Lillithina is still smurfing and loving me with all her heart.”
Empath sighed, putting his hand on Papa Smurf’s shoulder to show his empathy. “This smurf wishes to have known my Mama Smurf as well, Papa Smurf. Sometimes this smurf wishes that she was still living and that she herself could tell this smurf how much she loves me and all, despite how this smurf has turned out. But it’s not something that this smurf could ever make happen, not even if this smurf could generate a hundred versions of her in the Imaginarium just for the sake of her doing that.”
Papa Smurf nodded, seeming to agree with Empath on that. “Let’s see if we can help smurf Baby Smurf back to sleep, Empath,” he stated as he regained control of his emotions.
Instantly the Imaginarium village vanished, bringing both of them back to reality.
Soon Papa Smurf was in Smurfette’s house, walking around holding Baby Smurf in his arms, singing a lullaby to him and watching as the infant Smurf slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep before gently placing him inside the crib that was set up in her house. Empath was also present.
“There,” Papa Smurf said, smiling. “I don’t think he will smurf you anymore trouble tonight, Smurfette.”
“Thanks, Papa Smurf,” Smurfette said, letting out a sigh of relief. “I just wish he would grow out of smurfing so dependent on you to smurf him back to sleep.”
“That will happen in good time, Smurfette,” Papa Smurf responded. “Baby Smurfs do need to know that there will be someone who is always there to smurf for their needs. I’m sorry I wasn’t there at my house to answer your smurf for help. I’ve been smurfing most of my nights in the Imaginarium with smurfthing…personal.”
“I won’t ask you what you’ve been smurfing, Papa Smurf,” Smurfette promised, noting that she could smell a hint of perfume coming from Papa Smurf. “I’ll smurf you and Empath tomorrow morning.”
“This smurf will make certain of that, Smurfette,” Empath stated as he and Papa Smurf headed out the door.
As they walked away from Smurfette’s house, Empath sensed that Papa Smurf’s thoughts were on Baby Smurf. Then before Empath could even ask about those thoughts, Papa Smurf began to speak. “You know, Empath, every time I smurf at Baby Smurf, smurfing him in my arms, smurfing him baths, smurfing him how to speak, playing with him and all, it feels like I’m smurfing out a part of my life that I never smurfed the chance to smurf with you when you were a baby Smurf. Granted, Baby Smurf may not have the same kind of powers that you smurf, but there’s just smurfthing about him that just smurfs me back to those yesteryears when it was just you, me, and Lillithina as a family. I just hope that I don’t smurf the same kind of mistake with him that I had smurfed with you around his age.”
“This smurf knows you care about Baby Smurf enough to keep yourself from repeating that mistake, Papa Smurf,” Empath reassured him. “His own parents would have been proud to know that he at least has a Papa Smurf that will make sure he grows in the Smurf Village into an excellent adult Smurf, just as you have done so for all this smurf’s fellow Smurfs, and just as you will also do for the Smurflings.”
“If that’s all I will ever hope to achieve, Empath, then I'll be a happy Smurf in the end when all is smurfed and done,” Papa Smurf remarked, finding himself yawning. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to smurf off to sleep.”
“Papa Smurf, maybe you should take a break from engaging in this private fantasy of yours in the Imaginarium, so you can spend some time with your real family in the real world,” Empath suggested.
Papa Smurf sighed, realizing that Empath may be right. “Maybe tonight I should be smurfing in my own real bed, Empath,” he muttered, not liking the suggestion but knowing it was for his own good.
Empath escorted Papa Smurf back to his father’s house and watched him head upstairs to his bedroom before returning back home to his own. Before Empath left, he saw a single teardrop fall from the village leader’s closed eyes as he drifted off to sleep. He could feel the weight of Papa Smurf’s loneliness because none of his fellow Smurfs, including his wife Lillithina, were still living. He hoped that in time his father's connecting himself again with the family he now has in the Smurf Village at present will make a good deal of that loneliness go away.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:26 AM
Part 3
Empath’s personal journal, December 29.
This smurf had the uncomfortable “privilege” of realizing what Papa Smurf had been doing in his evenings apart from us – basically hiding himself away from his little Smurfs, trying to relive a part of his life in the past that he missed having so much that he had to recreate it in the Imaginarium. This smurf could understand his reasons for doing so, since his role as being the sole parent figure in this village leaves him with nobody of his generation to relate to on any level. However, earlier in the previous day, this smurf had sensed that Brainy, who has gotten to know my Papa Smurf as THE Papa Smurf in his life along with the rest of this smurf’s fellow Smurfs, was missing the presence of Aristotle Smurf, his own Papa Smurf who brought him into this world through this smurf’s Mama Smurf Lillithina. Apparently the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebration is starting to make most of the Smurfs, the ones who lived through losing their parents to the disease that left them as orphans and Papa Smurf as their sole parent figure, remember their own Papa and Mama Smurfs from a time when this smurf was still in a gestation chamber in Psychelia. And somehow this smurf feels guilty because of the revelation Papa Smurf had given about this smurf being his “only begotten son” which made this smurf feel somewhat special, though at the risk of possibly dividing up this new family that was forged together from a childhood disaster. So far, though, every Smurf still regards Papa Smurf as simply and solely their Papa Smurf, despite the revelation. However, this smurf still has the sense that such a division is yet forthcoming.
Over the course of the following day, Papa Smurf had spent it in his laboratory with Brainy, listening to Brainy’s solutions to the problems he was having with some of his failed experiments while also looking at Actor’s written proposal for a movie he wanted to film using the Imaginarium, which Empath had submitted for his approval. However, it seemed to Brainy Smurf that Papa Smurf was merely agreeing to what he was hearing without really listening to what Brainy was saying. His reading of the proposal was also done in a somewhat half-hearted manner, just simply going over the words but not taking in what he was seeing on the pages. It was like Papa Smurf was there with his Smurfs in person, but the rest of him was still on that “vacation” Brainy was talking about.
“Papa Smurf, are you okay?” Brainy asked with some concern, realizing that the village leader looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than in his laboratory doing his work. “You smurf like you haven’t been smurfing a word that I smurfed about your experiments, let alone smurfing this smurfy proposal of Actor’s.”
Papa Smurf sighed. “I’m sorry, Brainy. It’s just that I’ve been smurfing about your Mama Smurf so much that it’s been smurfing me away from wanting to smurf anything with you or the other little Smurfs.”
Brainy nodded with some heartfelt understanding. “No wonder you’ve been smurfing so much time in the Imaginarium over the past several evenings, Papa Smurf. The truth is, even I’m smurfing to miss her presence as well as that of my own Papa Smurf, the one who smurfed me everything about literature and philosmurphy and everything about the finer points of Smurf history and culture. He wanted me to make smurf that I would be educated enough to teach all my fellow Smurfs so that they could be as intelligent and wise as I am, though I know that I could never smurf a candle when it comes to smurfing as wise as you are.”
“I’m sure that your Papa Smurf would have been very proud of you if he were alive to smurf what you have smurfed for yourself today, Brainy,” Papa Smurf told him sincerely. “He and I both smurfed our differences, and I didn’t approve of what he smurfed with your Mama Smurf when he smurfed you into the world, but I want you to know that I don’t smurf anything against you for that smurfening. You’re just as special to me as Empath was, for you were the last thing your Mama Smurf smurfed to me before she went to join her fellow Smurfs in the smurfy hereafter. And your Papa Smurf was a very good friend of mine, even if his speeches were just as long-smurfed as yours were at times.”
“I’m just wondering, Papa Smurf, if all the other Smurfs in the village who were here at the time we lost our parents are also smurfing about their Papa and Mama Smurfs on an occasion like this,” Brainy stated.
“As long as their smurfiniscing isn’t smurfing in the way of their duties, Brainy,” Papa Smurf answered. “If Empath’s entering my private fantasy in the Imaginarium is trying to smurf me anything, it’s that we shouldn’t let what we remember about our loved ones be smurfthing that smurfs us away from smurfing in the here and now.”
Meanwhile, Empath was busy in Handy’s workshop helping Handy do some repair work on his snowplowing machine, which he had built recently to clear out the village walkways of huge chunks of snow much quicker than with regular shoveling. There had been some malfunctions with the machine that have been causing it to go out of control, plus it had been leaking oil all over the place. Since the machine was rather heavy, Handy required Empath’s abilities to make getting underneath the machine to fix the oil leaks possible. Using his mind power, Empath hoisted the snowplow high enough for Hefty and a few other strong Smurfs to move some support struts in place, giving Handy enough room to move around with his toolbox underneath the machine to do his repair work. Hefty was again surprised that Empath wasn’t using his minds-eye to keep the snowplow lifted off the ground instead of just having it be on supports. But he knew from experience that Empath’s abilities did have certain limits, and he wasn’t going to have Empath attempt to exceed those limits to the point where he may endanger his fellow Smurfs.
Handy came into his workshop with his tools, wearing his tan-colored grease monkey coveralls, ready to do his work. He excused all the other Smurfs from his workshop, but allowed Empath to stay with him while he got the work done. Empath reported where the machine needed repairs from what his touch-telepathy told him, and Handy went straight to where the problem was located and did his best work to fix it.
“Handy, do you still think about your Papa Smurf at all, even though it’s been years since you last saw him alive?” Empath asked out of curiosity as Handy did his work.
“Sometimes I do smurf of him, Empath,” Handy answered honestly. “Maybe not as much as when I was a young Smurfling, mind you, but the things that he smurfed in my life before your Papa Smurf smurfed over as Papa Smurf were the things that helped smurf me into the Smurf that I am today. He loved fiddling around with things in his workshop just as much as I do, and like Hefty, he loved smurfing weights and smurfing himself into shape every day. My Mama Smurf never liked having me smurf around with tools when I was that young, but he always smurfed up for my desire to be just like him as his ‘little man Smurf’.”
“Did you ever had to feel guilty about leaving the memory of your Papa Smurf behind when my Papa Smurf became the ‘one and only’ Papa Smurf in your life?” Empath asked, not sure if he really wanted to ask that question.
“Well, I have to smurf that I did feel a little guilty,” Handy answered, sighing. “I mean, your Papa Smurf wasn’t such a bad Smurf once I got to smurf him better when it was just me and 96 other Smurfs my age. But he could never entirely replace my Papa Smurf, and he did let me know that he never meant to do so. Yet the day when I found mysmurf calling your Papa Smurf just Papa Smurf without feeling uncomfortable about it felt like the day I entirely buried my own Papa Smurf in my mind, just as he was also buried in the grave.” He grunted for a bit as he exerted himself tightening up some bolts underneath the snowplow before he continued. “What I wouldn’t smurf to still have him smurf here today to tell me what a great job I’m smurfing when it comes to building and fixing and inventing things – even if I have to smurf up with his doting on Hefty and his wanting to smurf as strong as he is.”
Empath nodded in agreement to that thought. He waited until Handy was finished with his work underneath the machine and he had scooted out of there with his toolbox. Then, using his minds-eye, he lifted the snowplow off its supports while also moving the supports out of the way before lowering it back down to the ground.
“Now let’s see how this thing is smurfing now,” Handy suggested, jumping onto the snowplow seat and turning a crank to get her going. The engine sputtered for a bit before it started to run without any strange noises.
“Just perfect! My own Papa Smurf would be pleased with this!” Handy remarked, grinning.
Polaris Psyche had finished yet another day of his usual rounds, observing all the activities going on in the village and making his notes on the clipboard he carried. This time the Smurflings had moved their snowball fight to the open field on the north end of the village, which normally was there the storks and cranes would land as well as Handy’s own smurfplane in warmer seasons. During his rounds Polaris briefly looked at the Smurflings having fun, and remembered what Empath had told him about his winter activities during his visits to the Smurf Village. Though he wasn’t supposed to feel any emotion, Polaris could feel a bit of envy for Empath and the Smurflings being able to enjoy a childhood to some degree that wasn’t all wrapped up in endless training exercises and meditational activities.
He quickly decided to pay Tapper a visit in his tavern, partly to get out of the cold, and partly to ask him questions that were on his mind. Though the place wasn’t quite as busy as it was in the evenings, Polaris could see some Smurfs already in there trying to keep themselves warm with some treebark brew. Polaris didn’t particularly care for drinking the stuff since the taste to him was rather offensive, even though Tapper stocked enough cream powder and sugar to make drinking it more tasteful.
“Greetings, my fellow Polaris,” Tapper announced as Polaris approached his counter. “What can I smurf you for on this cold afternoon? Some goldenrod tea with a bit of mint? Or how about some nice cinnamon cider?”
“A simple glass of unflavored seltzer water would be sufficient, fellow Tapper,” Polaris requested in his normal flat tone.
Tapper shrugged for a bit before filling a glass of seltzer water. “So how goes your job smurfing around the village as the chief of security details?” he asked.
“It would seem that this village for the most part is a little too peaceful for this one to maintain such a position as this one was given, Tapper,” Polaris answered, sounding frustrated. “There are rarely if ever any situations such as acts of violence among your people that would require this one to take action to intervene. At this time of year, the general thoughts of the populace have seemed to turn toward celebrating the new year that is approaching in a few days. Yet there is also the additional element of reminiscing about loved ones in the village who have passed away years ago that are consuming the thoughts of every Smurf except for Smurfette, Snappy, Slouchy, Nat, and Baby Smurf.”
“Well, with what we’ve smurfed through in this village, Polaris, it’s undersmurfable why most Smurfs here would have those kind of thoughts,” Tapper explained. “About 100 smurfs ago, all of Papa Smurf’s fellow Smurfs have been smurfen with a strange unknown disease that no Smurf was able to find the cause or the cure for. It was leaving all of us, their children, as orphans, and Papa Smurf ended up having to be the one Smurf to be our Papa Smurf. It was nothing that I would ever want to smurf through again in this life, but we somehow managed to survive it all and become an entirely new family where all of us Smurfs here became Papa Smurf’s little Smurfs.”
“But Papa Smurf wasn’t your original father?” Polaris asked, uncertain of what Tapper was trying to say.
“Nay, Polaris,” Tapper responded. “My own Papa Smurf was Séamus Smurf, one of the best brewers of sarsaparilla ale in all of Smurfdom, and a fine good host of the Smurfrock Tavern at that. He and my Mama Smurf had smurfed a trip to the Emerald Isle, which was where he kissed the Blarney Stone, and when I who was still in my dideys also smurfed the same. It was also where we smurfed some of the most pesky leprechauns that me and my family had the misfortune of ever smurfing. He found a four-leaf clover for me in that place, which he said would always smurf me good luck, and I had this clover in my hat ever since.”
“This one can sense that your thoughts are also on this Séamus Smurf who is your real father,” Polaris surmised.
Tapper nodded with a sigh. “I can’t help thinking at times what he would smurf to me if he could smurf me now, Polaris, running this tavern just like he did in those glorious yesteryears of his youth. He had a special place in my heart that makes his not smurfing around in this life a heavy burden to bear at times. But I know in my heart that he always cared for me, just like Empath’s Papa Smurf does now, and that he’s smurfing over me to make sure I turn out to be just like him.”
“This one did not intend to make you feel uncomfortable with this remembrance of your loved ones, Tapper,” Polaris said with some heartfelt feeling behind it.
“It’s not your fault, Polaris. It’s just what smurfs with the territory of being a Smurf in this village, even as we smurf ahead to what the new year may smurf.”
Suddenly Tapper and Polaris could hear a fellow Smurf crying very loudly in the tavern. They both turned and saw that it was Duncan McSmurf, who was nursing a hot cup of cinnamon tree bark brew while sitting next to a window looking out at the snowy landscape of the village.
"Pardon me, Polaris, but I feel in my spirit that my friend needs to have a private conversation," Tapper said as he left the counter and headed for the table where Duncan was sitting. He sat down next to his friend and said, "Pray tell, what is making you feel so sad on this day before the New Year's Eve?" he politely asked.
"Ah, just thinking about my Papa and Mama Smurf, knowing that they're gone into the smurfy hereafter, laddie, that they'll never see their boy become a grown Smurf like I am now," Duncan said as soon as he regained some control over his emotions. "I tried so hard to live up to what my Papa Smurf wanted of me, to be a tough brave Smurf who will look after the others, but not once have I ever smurfed myself a chance to cry for them, because my Papa Smurf wanted me to smurf forward instead of smurfing back."
"There's no shame in crying for them now, my friend," Tapper said as he put his hand on Duncan's to show comfort. "Your bravery is what helped many Smurfs, including myself, be encouraged to continue smurfing onward instead of smurfing back. You have a lot to be proud of, and I'm sure that your Papa Smurf would be pleased to know that of his son wherever he is now."
"But part of me wishes for yesterday to return as well as my Papa and Mama Smurf, because I miss them so terribly," Duncan said, sniffling hard to keep more tears from falling. "It just isn't fair that Empath's Papa Smurf should be the one to live while the others have died...all those good Smurfs and Smurfettes that used to be everyone's parents before that terrible plague happened."
"I'm afraid that I can't speak on what's fair and what isn't fair as far as who smurfs and who dies, my fellow Duncan," Tapper said. "Life has smurfed us all a terrible hand, but if it wasn't for Empath's Papa Smurf still living, we wouldn't have survived as a village, much less as a family. We have so much to be thankful for when it smurfs to us escaping that disaster, it would smurf a whole lifetime for us to fully express it. But I do agree with what you're feeling, that our parents should be here with us instead of just Empath's Papa Smurf."
Duncan nodded as he heard everything that his friend said. "I'm sorry that I'm smurfing such a big deal of my loss in front of every Smurf here, when I should be smurfing my eyes out at home," he said.
"That's quite all right, my friend," Tapper said. "You're permitted to smurf exactly how you feel about yourself in here however you want, within reason, of course. I just want to make sure that you have this under control."
"I'll be fine, laddie, don't you be worrying about me now," Duncan said. "I know that I still have family and friends to smurf on in case I ever start to feel lonely." He managed to look up to Tapper with a smile on his face. "Go now, tend to your customers while I smurf my brew to make myself feel a little better."
"I'll leave you alone if that is what you want, Duncan," Tapper said. "But if you ever need to talk to someone in those times when you start to feel lonely, remember that I am always here for you, as your brother."
"Aye, that's the one thing that will never change about us, even if it feels like I'm losing my own brother Miner to you, Tapper," Duncan said.
Tapper returned to the counter where he saw that Polaris had sensed what was going on, but didn't feel like it was appropriate for him to voice his own thoughts. "I do feel whatever it it is you may be smurfing at this moment about my friend Duncan, Polaris," Tapper said. "I just hope that we can ease each other's burdens about remembering loved ones who are now smurfed and gone, and that we can smurf the strength to carry on into the new year."
"Then may the spirits of the Great Ancestors be upon us tonight to comfort all our hearts and to guide us on the path of wisdom and understanding, fellow Tapper," Polaris said.
A good distance away from the Smurf Village, Chlorhydris the evil witch was again observing the Smurfs and their activities and behaviors through her magic telescope in her observatory, though now with the help of a pair of magic earrings she was also overhearing what the Smurfs were talking about. At this point she was observing Empath, the one Smurf she was now starting to hate with her whole being since the year before, when Empath and his newfound forest friend Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer foiled her attempt to ruin the joyous spirit of Christmas by becoming part of Mr. Nicholas’ team of flying reindeer. She hoped that her magic fog would ruin Mr. Nicholas’ flight over the villages to deliver the toys and gifts for all the boys and girls on Christmas Eve, but Empath’s unexpected delivery of Rudolph, whose red nose enabled Mr. Nicholas to fly through the dangerous fog safely, made her plan backfire, causing her to turn her attention on the one Smurf who dared to interfere with her plans.
“So this star-clothed little Smurf is thinking about his mother, eh?” Chlorhydris spoke to her pet macaw. “It seems like he and all his fellow Smurfs, including Papa Smurf, have been having these thoughts of loved ones who have passed away on their minds lately – much like the love of my life whom I was supposed to marry who somehow never showed up at the altar on my wedding night. Well, we can use these very thoughts against them in a way that will destroy the very harmony that has bound their village together, and get them to be consumed in those thoughts that they will never think about each other in the same way ever again.” She turned to her spellbook which she had beside her next to her chair in front of the telescope and found the very spell she was looking for. “Ah, yes, the very thing I needed for this time of the season…the Auld Lang Syne Spell. May those Smurfs be so bound in the memories of those loved ones gone by that it will cause them to see those memories come to life and never realize what those memories are doing to them until it is too late.”
Chlorhydris let out an evil cackle with her pet macaw as she waved her hand beside the magic telescope, projecting her evil spell toward the Smurf Village and her unsuspecting targets.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:27 AM
Part 4
Empath was busy sleeping in his bedroom that night when he heard someone knocking at the door. “Empathy,” a female voice called out from behind the door. “Empathy, please open up.”
Empath at first thought it was Smurfette, having trouble trying to put Baby Smurf back to sleep again, and wanting his help. But then he realized that the sound of the female voice was different. It sounded just like his Mama Smurf’s voice, from what he recalled from his Papa Smurf’s memories. More than that, the voice was calling him Empathy – a name he never heard any other Smurf calling him.
The person with that voice continued to knock and plead for Empath to open the door. Empath wondered at this point if Jokey was playing some sort of sick joke on Empath in the middle of the night, but he sensed somehow that the person doing the knocking wasn’t playing any sort of joke. He decided to find out.
Putting on his Psychelian bodysuit and his hat, Empath went downstairs from his bedroom and crossed past Polaris, again sleeping soundly, while carrying a lit candle. He opened the door and saw a female Smurf who looked in every way just like his Mama Smurf – exactly as how she appeared in Papa Smurf’s memories.
“Great Ancestors!” Empath exclaimed, though speaking low enough to not disturb Polaris. “Who are you?”
“Don’t you recognize me, Empathy?” the female Smurf responded. “I’m your Mama Smurf!”
“This isn’t possible,” Empath said in total disbelief, trying to dismiss what he was seeing before him. “You have died years ago, before this smurf returned to the village. You can’t be who you say you are!”
“But I am, Empathy,” his Mama Smurf gently said, touching her son’s face. “I’m here and alive, and I am not some smurfment of your imagination. You know in your heart that what I’m smurfing is true.”
Empath reached out and touched his Mama Smurf’s face, realizing that what he was seeing, hearing, and feeling was very much real. The look in her eyes was like that of how he remembered her looking at him on the day of his birth, loving and proud of the new life she had helped brought forth.
Empath couldn’t help feeling his eyes fill with tears at this seemingly impossible reality happening. “Mama!” He reached out his arms to hold her just as she did hers to hold him, sobbing with joy.
“Yes, Empathy,” she responded joyfully. “Your Mama Smurf has come home for you.”
At the same time, Brainy heard knocking on his own door, and the voice of someone very familiar to him from his past pleading for him to open the door. Brainy groaned in his bed as he grabbed his glasses and lit the candle to answer whoever was knocking on it.
“Jokey, if this is your idea of a joke, then I for one am smurftainly not amused,” Brainy complained as he headed toward the door. “Especially at this time of night when every Smurf should be…”
But as Brainy opened the door, he saw that it wasn’t Jokey at all. It was a male Smurf who somehow looked like his own Papa Smurf, with the same style of glasses Brainy remembered him wearing and a goatee-styled beard. “Great Smurfness, who are you?” he asked.
The male Smurf at the door chuckled. “It’s been a long time since I last smurfed you everything you needed to know, my little Brainy. I am Aristotle, your Papa Smurf.”
This made Brainy react in similar disbelief to how Empath reacted when he saw his Mama Smurf.
“Where’s your Papa Smurf, Empathy?” Empath’s Mama Smurf asked, as soon as he got over the surprise of seeing his mother for the first time in years.
“I’ll take you to him, Mama Smurf,” Empath assured her. “But don’t you want to see your other son, Brainy, first?”
“Brainy’s here?” his Mama Smurf asked, surprised herself. “Please, smurf me to him and to your Papa Smurf. This is one joyous occasion for a reunion that I don’t want to miss a moment of.”
Empath put on his boots and walked across the village to where Brainy’s house was. On his way there, though, Empath saw Brainy approaching him with another Smurf who looked like Aristotle, Brainy’s Papa Smurf.
“Brainy, look who’s come back!” Empath called out. “It’s our own Mama Smurf!”
“Mama Smurf?” Brainy called back, surprised again. “She’s here, too?”
“Aristotle! You’re here with Brainy!”
“Lillithina! So good to smurf you with your son Empathy.”
“I never thought I’d smurf you alive again, after all these years,” Lillithina said, embracing Aristotle.
“Nor would I you, Lilly,” Aristotle remarked. “You’re still as beautiful to besmurf as you were ages ago.”
“But Mama, how did you or Papa smurf back to life?” Brainy asked, now embracing Lillithina.
“I really don’t know, my little Brainy,” Lillithina answered. “The last thing I smurfed was that I was smurfing to Culliford on my death bed, and now I am here, as if whatever smurfened to me never did.”
“I smurfed the same way mysmurf, Lilly,” Aristotle added. “It was as if we had been smurfed straight into our future from the instant that we died.” He took a look around the village. “My, things have changed over the decades! I hope they still smurf an outdoor theatre and a village archives house in this time we’re in now.”
“We still smurf those things, Papa,” Brainy answered. “I can smurf you what books I have written that are now part of the archives.”
“I would love to smurf your work, Brainy,” Aristotle said, lovingly putting his arm around his son. “But I believe Lillithina needs to see her beloved Culliford, to let him know that we’re alive and smurfing.”
“Well, let’s not waste a single moment,” Empath encouraged. “This smurf will show you the way.”
Papa Smurf was asleep in his bed when he heard knocking on his door, and a female voice calling his name, a name he hardly ever heard for decades. “Culliford, my sweet, please open the door.”
Papa Smurf slowly opened his eyes, thinking that he was still dreaming. But the knocking persisted, and so did the same voice. He had a feeling that something strange was going on.
Putting on a red overcoat with his nightshirt, and slipping into his fuzzy red slippers, Papa Smurf lit a candle and made his way downstairs from his bedroom into his laboratory to open the door. He himself was hoping that this wasn’t some sort of trick being played on him.
He saw, when he opened the door, Empath and Brainy standing there with two other Smurfs. “Papa Smurf, guess who came back to the living!” Empath exclaimed.
Papa Smurf’s eyes widened when he saw who the other two Smurfs were. “Lillithina! Aristotle! You’re alive?!?”
“Culliford!” Lillithina cried out as she saw her husband. “You’ve changed, but you still smurf as handsome as ever!”
“Smurfs like the whiteness of your whiskers smurfs you very well, my old friend,” Aristotle mused, looking at Papa Smurf.
Papa Smurf was still uncertain if he truly was seeing two Smurfs whom he knew had died years ago were now alive again. “Empath, what’s smurfing on?” he asked, uncertain. “Why are you and Brainy at my door like this in the middle of the night? Are these ghosts we’re smurfing or what?”
“Papa Smurf, these Smurfs feel just as real to us,” Empath answered. “Somehow this smurf could sense that they are the very Smurfs that they claim to be, and not just mere phantoms. The last thing they could remember was the time that they have died, and then it was as if they were somehow transported through time to the present.”
“Well, excuse me if I’m skeptical, but I need to know for sure that you two Smurfs are really the ones that I know from years ago in the Smurf Village,” Papa Smurf said, addressing both Lillithina and Aristotle.
“Cully, I have never been the kind of Smurf that would ever lie to you,” Lillithina said, reaching out to her husband to embrace him despite his reluctance to accept her presence as real.
“Let us all smurf inside so that we can prove to you, Culliford, that we are truly the Smurfs you remember, and that we are truly your friends,” Aristotle suggested.
Papa Smurf nodded. Whatever had happened, he wasn’t going to stand at the door all night and let himself, Empath, and Brainy freeze in the cold trying to figure it out. He invited them all in.
The five of them sat by the fire in the fireplace, with Papa Smurf, Empath, and Brainy listening intently as Lillithina and Aristotle revealed much of their lives as they knew to prove themselves as being real. Strangely, Papa Smurf, Empath, and Brainy had noticed that neither of the two Smurfs were shivering while the other three were trying to keep as warm as possible. Maybe this “time travel” changed them so that they would not have to worry about being in extreme temperatures like normal Smurfs would, Empath thought, though he knew naturally a Smurf’s body was very capable of adjusting to various temperature changes.
Finally Papa Smurf said to Lillithina and Aristotle, “That smurfs very much like it would smurf from those two Smurfs that I knew whom you smurf after. Somehow I just don’t believe that you truly are the Smurfs that I knew years ago.”
Lillithina reached out and held Papa Smurf’s hand. “Culliford, I know that I’m not the most beautiful Smurfette in the world, but you always smurfed past that and smurfed the beauty that was in me. You’ve always smurfed that with me before, and now I’m asking you to smurf that way again – to smurf not just with your eyes, but also with your heart, the heart of the most handsome Smurf that I have ever smurfed in this world, no matter how old you have become.”
Papa Smurf looked at Lillithina, who was looking at him with the same eyes of love that he once knew and saw years ago. She smiled at him, pleased to be with her husband again. It just seemed too good to be true, and yet here she was, as if she were frozen in time. He pulled her hand close to him and smelled just how beautiful her skin was. It was slowly starting to make him feel convinced that this truly was Lillithina, back from the dead, and young as ever.
Then suddenly there were more knockings on the door, and a tumult of voices outside his house. Papa Smurf got up from his seat to answer the door. The other four Smurfs joined him to see for themselves.
It was most of his male adult “little Smurfs” gathered together – and they also weren’t alone. “Papa Smurf, you wouldn’t believe this! All of our Papa and Mama Smurfs have returned!” one of the Smurfs said.
This news made Papa Smurf collapse in shock when he saw them.
A short while later, Papa Smurf came to again, sitting in his seat, though now surrounded by his male adult “little Smurfs” and their parents. He recognized them as being the very Smurfs he remembered from his younger years. There was a feeling of excitement that filled the room as both the young adult male Smurfs and their parents talked with each other, feeling happy about this mysterious reunion taking place right before their eyes. He now had to get some answers.
“Please, let us all settle down,” Papa Smurf instructed as he rose from his seat to quiet the crowd. “Now is it true that all of you – my own fellow Smurfs – have smurfed back from the dead in the same way that Lillithina and Aristotle have smurfed back?”
“Aye, that is true, my good Culliford,” Séamus, Tapper’s Papa Smurf, answered. “We all somehow have felt like, at the moment we smurfed our last breaths, that we had in the smurfling of an eye smurfed forward in time to where you have smurfed all of our young little Smurflings into adulthood. The last thing I remember was that I was smurfing little Tapper goodbye, and then here I was, alive again in the village. My own dear wife, Molly Smurfette, smurfed that she had felt the same thing happen to her. If anything, I’d smurf that it’s a miracle of time and nature.”
“However it happened, Cully, I’d smurf that we all have reason to celebrate,” Baker, Greedy’s and Nabby’s Papa Smurf, boldly stated. “We now get to smurf all our young ones in the lives that they have been smurfing. And I and my son Greedy would gladly smurf together a feast of the likes which you have never smurfed before.”
“This is all just too amazing,” Papa Smurf commented, feeling like he was going to cry. “For years I have dreamed that somehow I would smurf all of my fellow Smurfs again…and now, even before I pass away, I get to smurf you all in the flesh, just as you were when I last smurfed you, and even better than before.”
“So are we going to celebrate our parents smurfing back to life for us, Papa Smurf?” one of his little Smurfs asked.
“I honestly don’t smurf why we shouldn’t,” Papa Smurf replied. “Baker, you and Greedy can begin preparation for the celebratory feast that we’ll have tomorrow morning. If this is how we’ll enter into the new year ahead, we’ll might as well smurf it a big enough celebration.”
All of the Smurfs present in the room cheered at this news.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:28 AM
Part 5
Empath’s personal journal, December 30.
A very unusual miracle happened last night that has brought a feeling of joy and excitement among most of our fellow Smurfs, including this smurf and Papa Smurf – all of Papa Smurf’s fellow Smurfs, the parents of this smurf and most of this smurf’s fellow Smurfs, have mysteriously returned from the dead. Papa Smurf was rightfully skeptical of this miracle taking place, thinking it was all some sort of trick or deception. But strangely this smurf could sense that these Smurfs were very much real, and they were exactly who they claimed themselves to be. This unexpected miracle has caused Papa Smurf to initiate a celebration feast, with Greedy and his father Baker Smurf doing the honors of preparing it, that would begin the following morning. So far, though, as every Smurf woke up in their own homes, the parent Smurfs were still there with us, and Papa Smurf woke up feeling much more happy than he did when he spent his nights in the Imaginarium, because his beloved wife Lillithina was now there for him to spend the night with in actual person. Of course, Smurfette along with Baby Smurf, Polaris Psyche, and the Smurflings were not present when the parent Smurfs had returned from the dead, so this news will be much of a surprise to them – unless, of course, there’s something about this event that they may find strange, which this smurf hopes isn’t the case.
Papa Smurf woke up in his bed, somewhat underdressed than he was when he first went to sleep that night, feeling rather refreshed when he noticed that his wife wasn't with him. He looked around the bedroom and saw that the only person in it was himself, so either Lillithina could have gotten up early ahead of him or the whole thing of her coming back from the dead was just a dream made real in Papa Smurf's mind. Yet he never remembered having such a dream that was as real as his trying to recreate those moments alone with Lillithina in the Imaginarium.
He grabbed his night coat and slippers, and then went to the hatchway and called out, "Lillithina! Are you there?"
"I'm here in your laboratory, dear," his wife's voice answered back from below.
Papa Smurf climbed down the ladder and saw his wife standing around, all dressed up and looking at her husband coming down to join her. He went over and touched her face gently. "I was beginning to smurf that what we had experienced together last night was all just a dream," the village leader said, smiling.
"You're right, Culliford...it was all just a dream," Lillithina replied, holding Papa Smurf in her arms, "a dream that smurfed true for all of us. We could spend the whole day smurfing that what we smurfed last night was real, my scarlet-smurfing lovebug...but then, we'd have to miss out on smurfing Baker and Greedy's feast, not to mention smurfing with the rest of our friends who also smurfed back from the dead."
Papa Smurf chuckled at the thought. "That would be a terrible shame indeed, my dear Lilly...but it would smurftainly be worth every minute!"
Lillithina lightly kissed Papa Smurf on the cheek. "Get dressed, sleepy head. I'll smurf you at the dining hall with our son Empathy."
"I suppose we can smurf the time with our fellow Smurfs while we have it," Papa Smurf responded, looking into his wife's eyes with eyes of love. She smiled back at him before she left without even putting a coat on.
Papa Smurf went back into his bedroom and changed into his sweater and red pants. He stepped out of his house and saw the bright sun shining over the snow-covered village, glad to see a perfect day ahead of him. He saw an orange-bearded Smurf wearing a green Smurf suit and a vest, whom Papa Smurf recognized as Séamus Smurf, approaching him.
"Smurf o' the morning to you, my fellow Culliford," Séamus greeted as he met Papa Smurf by the door of his house. "You look like you smurfed like a baby last night."
"Indeed I did, Séamus...indeed I did," Papa Smurf replied.
"Not that I mean to pry into your private smurfness, Culliford, but it does smurf like your sweet Lilly has smurfed the sparkle back in your eyes last night," Séamus commented. "It must have really been one restful night for you."
Papa Smurf chuckled, being slightly embarrassed by what Séamus was hinting at. But then he always knew how perceptive the Irish-brogued Smurf was when it came to determining how his fellow Smurfs were around him -- a trait that Papa Smurf knew was passed on to his son Tapper.
"I'm not ashamed to admit it, Séamus...smurfing alone with Lilly last night did make me smurf about 100 or so years younger," Papa Smurf responded. "I couldn't smurf for a better miracle than that to happen around my age. By the way, where's your wife Molly?"
"She's in the dining hall with all our fellow Smurfettes smurfing it ready for the feast, Cully," Séamus answered. "She's got more energy for smurfing that than she's ever had the last time we were alive and smurfing. Let's smurf there, and you can smurf me everything that's smurfed on since we last smurfed together."
"Smurfs fair enough to me," Papa Smurf said, closing the door of his house before walking off with Séamus.
Along the way, Séamus and Papa met up with another familiar Smurf from their years of being together -- a Smurf with a rust-colored suit, a red plaid kilt, and sideburns like his son Duncan. "Aye, if it isn't my dear laddie Cully," the kilt-wearing Smurf greeted him. "You surely smurf like you could still smurf the lassies with those whiskers of yours, eh?"
"I haven't smurfed much luck in that area over the years, Angus McSmurf, but now that my wife is back among the smurfing, it seems that I would smurf all the affection I will ever need from a female," Papa Smurf said. "Are you sure you don't need something much warmer to wear at this time of year?"
"You should know what the McSmurfs are by now, Cully," Angus said. "A little cold never seems to smurf the better of any of us. I'm just surprised to see my son Duncan smurfing a sweater, as if he's suddenly afraid of the cold whereas I remember that smurfing outside on a day like this with just his kilt wouldn't be much of a problem."
"This has certainly been the start of a chilly winter this year, Angus," Papa Smurf said. "But if you feel comfortable smurfing the way you are, then I have no problem with whatever it is you want to wear."
"Maybe Angus will try smurfing in the river on New Year's Eve just to prove that he's still a real McSmurf, Cully," Séamus jested.
"You're more than welcome to join me if you have the smurfs for it, Séamus, my boy," Angus said with a laugh. "But if you want to stay warm this season with your lassie, that's smurfy with me."
"Strangely I just don't feel quite as attracted to Molly as I used to be, Angus," Séamus said. "I don't know why that is."
"Come to smurf of it, I'm not feeling what I used to for my sweet Bonnie anymore," Angus said. "Maybe it's smurfing back to life that's changed all of us."
"We'll smurf out together why the two of you are no longer feeling attracted to your wives now that you're back from the dead," Papa Smurf said. "For now, let's enjoy the day and our chance of smurfing together again."
"Aye, that we're going to smurf advantage of, laddie," Angus said with a smile.
Most of the Smurfs, except for Smurfette, Baby Smurf, Polaris Psyche, and the Smurflings, were present in the great dining hall where the Smurfs would gather for their meals on days where the weather would prevent them from eating outside. On a big long table near an outer wall was a banquet of various kinds of food and drink prepared by Greedy and his father Baker, who was glad to be working not only in a kitchen again, but also with one of his sons who enjoyed preparing food just as much as he did eating it. Everything they prepared for the feast smelled so incredibly delicious, it made Greedy feel so humbled that he could never make such a feast like that by himself. Right now, the Smurfs present in the dining hall were bowing their heads as Aristotle, Brainy’s father, gave the blessing for it.
“We are grateful, O Mother Nature and Father Time, that you of all the guardians of this forest would besmurf us the blessing of smurfing us, the parents of these fine young Smurfs gathered here, back from the dead to smurf our lives once again with the ones we have smurfed behind in the care of our dearest friend Culliford Smurf, who has adopted them and cared for them as his very own little Smurfs. Please bless the food and drink that we have prepared to honor this smurftacular occasion, that it may nourish our bodies and smurf us strength to give you honor and praise in everything that we smurf with our very lives in thanksmurfing to all that you have smurfed for us. Let it be so.”
All the Smurfs present nodded in agreement to the blessing before they gathered around the banquet table to grab their plates and take as much as they wanted from the serving trays that were laid out. Greedy and Baker simply stood back and watched with pride at the Smurfs as they took their plates back to their tables and began digging in, enjoying the wonderful taste of the delicacies.
“Why don’t you smurf ahead and smurf yourself something to eat, my little Greedy?” Baker invited as he turned his eyes toward his son. “You desmurf to have as much as you want, because you and me have smurfed it together.”
“Somehow, Papa, I just don’t feel as hungry as I used to be,” Greedy responded. “Smurfing with you in the kitchen again just makes the desire to eat my own creation somehow less than desirable.”
“Your skills smurftainly have improved since I have been gone,” Baker commented. “I can see that Empathy’s Papa Smurf must have smurfed pride in your being able to serve an entire village with your own two smurfs. You even have invented recipes that I have never even thought of smurfing in my own lifetime.”
“My kitchen staff has been real smurfy to me over the years, Papa,” Greedy remarked. "Biscotti, Culinary, Gelato, Vino...they're the best family I could have smurfed any meal with together. Of course, your meals will always be the best of all."
A short while later, Smurfette had entered the dining hall carrying Baby Smurf with her, who last night didn’t have any trouble falling asleep in her house. Polaris Psyche and the Smurflings had also entered with Smurfette, and were rather perplexed by what they saw happening.
“What the smurf is smurfing on here?” Snappy finally asked.
“I don’t know,” Slouchy answered. “The adult Smurfs are surely smurfing strange around here.”
“I can imagine any of us smurfing invisible friends, but not any of them, including Empath of all Smurfs,” Nat observed.
Smurfette saw the same thing for herself, and was rather puzzled. “Polaris, do you have any idea what’s smurfing on with those Smurfs?” she asked.
Polaris shook his head. “This one is at a total loss for an explanation, fellow Smurfette. It does appear that they are interacting with people that we somehow cannot see for some strange reason.”
Sassette, however, did see a Smurf that she remembered from her youth before she was trapped in a crystal for about a hundred years. “Papa!” she cried out, seeing Muscles Smurf, the father of Hefty, Handy, and Grouchy.
“Sassy, you little ramsmurfious sprite!” her father called back, as Sassette ran to him with open arms and embraced each other. “You smurf just as young as you did years ago. Where have you smurfed when you smurfed away from home?”
“It’s a long story, Papa,” Sassette answered. “I just hope you’ll smurf around to let me smurf it to you.”
“Don’t worry about it, Sassy,” Muscles responded, playfully mussing up her hair. “Your own Papa Smurf’s back among the smurfing. You’ll have time enough to smurf me everything that’s been smurfing on with you.”
Empath in the meanwhile saw Smurfette at the door of the dining hall, staring in wonderment about what was going on. Apparently she must have been seeing this mysterious miracle taking place right before her eyes, though he somehow couldn’t sense what she was thinking at this moment.
“Empathy, what are you smurfing at?” his Mama Smurf said, noticing that Empath was staring off in some direction instead of focusing on his mother.
“Just someone this smurf has always wanted you to meet, Mama,” Empath answered.
“But I don’t smurf anyone there,” his Mama Smurf mentioned, seeing where Empath was looking toward.
“Believe me, Mama, she’s very real and very special to this smurf,” Empath declared. He then called out to Smurfette, who came over to where Empath and his Mama Smurf were sitting at the tables.
“Empath, what’s smurfing on here?” Smurfette asked. “I see most of our Smurfs smurfing on a big feast and smurfing with people that me, Polaris, and the boy Smurflings cannot even see.”
“What do you mean, you cannot see them?” Empath asked, uncertain of why she couldn’t. “This is my Mama Smurf, Lillithina Smurfette, sitting right here with me at this table.” He then turned to his mother. “Mama, this here is Smurfette, a very special girl Smurf friend that came to the village years ago to become a real Smurf.”
“Empathy, this is some sort of joke, right?” his Mama Smurf asked, still not seeing Smurfette being there. “All I can smurf is just empty space.”
“This smurf is not trying to play any sort of deception upon you, Mama,” Empath spoke a bit defensively. “Smurfette’s here, just as you are, as a living flesh and blood Smurf. Can’t you even hear her speaking to me?”
“The only Smurf I can hear smurfing to me is you, Empathy,” his Mama Smurf answered, still in disbelief.
“Empath,” Smurfette said, trying to get his attention, “something rather strange is smurfing on here, and it’s also affecting you. I can’t see or even hear this Mama Smurf that you smurf is here besmurf you. I have an unsmurfy feeling that you and the other Smurfs are being deceived in some way by ghosts or smurfthing.”
“This is no ghost that is sitting right beside me, Smurfette,” Empath retorted. “I can see her, hear her, even touch her. My minds-eye is also telling me that she is very much real as you are. Maybe it’s just you who’s being deceived by some spirit preventing you from smurfing what I’m smurfing right here at this table.”
Smurfette didn’t like Empath not hearing what she was trying to tell him. “Look, Empath, if you’re not going to smurf it from me, at least smurf it from your friend Polaris Psyche. He hasn’t tried to deceive you before, and I don’t think he will smurf so today with what he’s smurfing with his minds-eye about this smurfering.”
“Well, maybe his minds-eye is also deceiving him as well,” Empath noted. “In any case, you’re very welcome to join us at this feast. Greedy and Baker have put on a very smurfy banquet that you shouldn’t smurf out on.”
Smurfette groaned, realizing that Empath wasn’t going to listen to her. She walked off toward where Polaris Psyche was standing along with Baby Smurf and the three boy Smurflings.
“Empathy, I’m sorry that I couldn’t smurf this Smurfette that you smurf was smurfing right here with me,” his Mama Smurf consoled. “Yet I couldn’t help noticing that you only spoke in Smurf when you smurfed really emotional trying to smurf this Smurfette what it is you’re smurfing.”
“It’s something this smurf had only realized as of lately, Mama,” Empath explained. “This smurf spent most of this smurf’s life in Psychelia, so normally this smurf would speak in the manner of a true Psyche. Yet there are times when this smurf’s emotional state would reach a point where this smurf would speak in Smurf rather fluently. This smurf thought that the part of me that was Empathy died when the Psyche Master erased every memory this smurf had of being a Smurf when I was a baby Smurf, but apparently what he did wasn’t very thorough.”
“Smurfs like Empathy didn’t die after all, like I had thought when your Papa Smurf brought you to Psychelia,” his Mama Smurf mused.
Just then, Papa Smurf joined her and Empath at the dining table. “Sorry for smurfing time away from you, my sweet Lilly,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek. “I’ve been busy smurfing with my fellow Smurfs because there was just so much I wanted to smurf to them about what happened since they were gone.”
“I’m not jealous about it, Cully,” Lillithina responded, still smiling. “Your friends are just as important for you to smurf some time with as I am. Empathy and I were just smurfing some time together trying to smurf to know each other, though he tried to introsmurf me to someone special in his life named Smurfette. Sadly I couldn’t smurf anything of this wonderful girl Smurf who is so dear to him.”
“Smurfette is very much as real as you are, Lilly,” Papa Smurf stated. “I’m not sure why you couldn’t smurf her at all, but you can be sure that she wasn’t smurfthing that Empath just smurfed up in his own mind. She’s smurfed with us for about seven years now, and though she hasn’t fully committed hersmurf to only one male Smurf in her life, Empath tends to be the one that she smurfs about more often than not. I can smurf that look in both their eyes that these two Smurfs were simply smurfed for each other to be smurfmates for all time.”
“Just like you and I, Cully, no matter what smurfened between the two of us,” Lillithina added, looking into her husband’s eyes with that look that spoke the same truth to him.
Papa Smurf held her hands in his and just simply smiled back. “It’s just great to smurf you again, Lilly.”
Smurfette in the meanwhile rejoined Polaris Psyche, Baby Smurf, and the Smurflings, apparently frustrated. “Empath smurfs so convinced by what he’s seeing, hearing, and feeling that he smurfs that I’m the one who’s being deceived,” she reported sadly.
“He’s not the only one, Smurfette,” Snappy pointed out. “Look at Sassette! She thinks that her own Papa Smurf is there among those Smurfs that we’re not smurfing, we can’t even tell her that what she’s smurfing is not real.”
“It would seem that there’s some kind of influence at work here among our fellow Smurfs that’s causing them to have powerful hallucinations that are so real, they are unable to see them for what they really are, my fellow Smurfs,” Polaris pondered.
“Hallucinations?” Slouchy asked. “You sure they’re not just smurfing ghosts here?”
Polaris shook his head. “Such apparitions would be much easier for this one to detect than whatever it is going on that they’re experiencing, fellow Slouchy.”
“Could it be that the Imaginarium is being smurfed to make these ‘hallucinations’ appear, Polaris?” Nat asked.
Polaris rubbed his chin in thought. “It may be possible, fellow Nat, though this one isn’t entirely sure how. We might as well study this phenomenon for ourselves to see what may be causing it and possibly find a way that we can bring the Smurfs to see these hallucinations for what they really are instead of what they think they are seeing.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure…those Smurfs smurftainly seem happy about whatever it is they’re smurfing,” Smurfette commented, still looking at Empath having a conversation with someone she couldn’t see.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:30 AM
Part 6
Throughout much of the day, Empath and his fellow Smurfs spent it with their parent Smurfs, showing them all the things they have accomplished in the years of their parents’ absence. Brainy showed his father Aristotle the various works of literature he had written and published, even though most of it was basically his series of Quotations books. Handy showed his father Muscles the various kinds of inventions he has built himself, or at least the plans for some of these inventions, like the Clockwork Smurf he had built during Empath’s final years in Psychelia and the Imaginarium. Hefty showed Muscles his gym with all the latest exercise machines his brother Handy had built. Painter, Poet, and Sculptor showed their father Picasso the various works of art they have created. Vanity showed his father Hauteur all the various types of flower arrangements and curtain patterns he had devised, plus all the photographs he had taken with Handy’s photo-smurfer. Dreamy told his father Venture about all the adventures he had on board his sailing ship, the S.S. Smurf II, plus his latest adventure of traveling to the stars on board Flyro’s spaceship and encountering the Schliphargon. Overall, it seemed that the parent Smurfs were rather impressed by what their children had done with their lives apart from them being a part of it, although there were some Smurfs among them whose lives actually didn’t amount to much of anything really useful. Still, some tales that were told such as Lazy being able to rescue Hefty and Handy from being eaten by underground creatures through his echoed snoring, which made these creatures believe that these Smurfs were actually fearsome monsters, did manage to make some of the parent Smurfs laugh.
During the whole day, however, Polaris Psyche along with Smurfette, Baby Smurf, and the three boy Smurflings were searching in various places such as the Smurf Village cemetery and the Imaginarium to figure out for themselves what was going on as they observed their fellow Smurfs interacting with these ‘parent Smurfs’ that were invisible to them. Polaris Psyche didn’t like scanning for bodies within a cemetery since he felt it violated the peaceful sanctity of any living being’s resting place. But to his surprise, he found out from his scanning with his minds-eye that the bodies of those ‘parent Smurfs’ that their fellow Smurfs claimed to be alive were still resting in their graves, with their bodies continuing to decay with time. With that finding, they went to the Imaginarium, since they assumed that some unknown source was using the power of the Imaginarium crystals to project powerful realistic illusions outside the meeting room where the Imaginarium is. But to their surprise, the Imaginarium crystals remained unpowered with nobody using them to generate any sort of fantasy made into reality.
In the meantime, Smurfette and the Smurflings tried to peacefully talk to various Smurfs to persuade them to see that these ‘parent Smurfs’ they claim to be seeing, hearing, and touching were nothing but illusions that were somehow made real. But it seemed that hardly any of them were listening. Some, like Empath, even scoffed at Smurfette and the Smurflings not being able to see and hear the very beings they claimed were real. This slowly began to frustrate them to the point where they could do nothing but just watch the other Smurfs continue to interact with their delusions, to whatever end these delusions might take them. But Smurfette and the Smurflings cared too much for them not to entirely give up on them.
Later on in Tapper’s tavern, where a good deal of the Smurfs with their parents had gathered together, Tapper was at the counter with his father Séamus and his mother Molly, with Séamus mixing up special drinks and Molly doing the waitressing, when Jokey and his father Pranky came up to the counter, the both of them snickering. Tapper wasn’t very fond of Jokey playing his practical jokes even in his tavern, and now with his own Papa Smurf in tow, it made Tapper even more suspicious.
“Great Smurfiny Crickets, my dear Jokey, what daft thing are you up to this time?” Tapper demanded.
“You’ve got to smurf this for yourself, Tapper,” Jokey replied, trying to stifle his laughing. “My Papa Smurf just smurfed a whoopie cushion in somebody’s seat over by the window where Empath is.”
“Just you wait and smurf, youngster,” Pranky added, also trying to contain himself for the right moment. “At any moment, some Smurf’s going to smurf in that seat and…pffft! The other Smurfs will think that he’s smurfing gas!”
Tapper groaned as he gave Jokey a look. “Jokey, you’re just about as annoying as a Smurfish leprechaun.”
“Hey, it wasn’t my idea, Tapper,” Jokey spoke, trying to plead innocent. “My Papa Smurf smurfed that one up. He’s smurfed gags on his fellow Smurfs that I haven’t even smurfed of yet.”
“Well, looks like you’ve smurfed a lot to learn,” Pranky reminded him.
“Just what we need, father and son smurfing pranks together,” Tapper sarcastically said, rolling his eyes at the thought.
“Aw, just let the boys smurf their fun in here, laddie,” Séamus reprimanded Tapper. “The village needs a good prankster to keep them smurfing on their toes and not smurf life in the village too smurfiously.”
“This village already has one prankster too many, Séamus,” Molly scolded. “And if you had smurfed that enchanted stew when we were visiting the Emerald Isle, I would have had a leprechaun Smurf to consmurf with. I sure didn’t want my son to be smurfed up by some missmurfous leprechaun, I tell you.”
"Come on, admit it...we sure smurfed some good times with Pranky and Trixie always smurfing us with their pranks, lassie," Angus said as he stood at the counter next to Séamus, Molly, and Bonnie.
"I surely don't recall you always laughing when Pranky smurfed the best of you, my love," Bonnie said to Angus.
"Those were different times, Bonnie," Angus said. "Besides, you can't smurf a grudge against someone like Pranky forever for smurfing that, or that will kill you long before anything else will."
Bonnie laughed. "At least we won't have to worry about that, Angus, except for our dear sons."
Soon enough Polaris Psyche came into the tavern, which was something he normally didn’t do unless it was to talk to someone. He approached the table where Empath was seated and sat on the seat where the whoopie cushion was, causing it to erupt with its embarrassing raspberry-type sound. Some of the other Smurfs present in the tavern laughed as Polaris recoiled, standing up for a bit to notice the whoopie cushion underneath him. He saw Jokey at Tapper’s counter laughing at him and gave him a look of total displeasure.
“Hey, Polaris, smurfed enough beans in your diet lately?” Jokey quipped, laughing like his sides were going to split.
“Jokey, you’re laughing at a gag that just malfunctioned!” Pranky noted, not being able to see Polaris at all. “I don’t smurf anything funny about it.”
“That was Polaris, Papa, Empath’s friend from Psychelia,” Jokey tried to explain. “He’s someone who could really smurf a good laugh in his life.”
“Polaris schmolaris,” Pranky muttered. “I smurf nothing but a gag that just smurfed off by itself. Empathy must have triggered the thing to smurf off by itself to smurf his friend from smurfing on it, wherever he is.”
“Well, I’d say it smurfs you right, Pranky,” Molly said. “Trying to smurf one of your nasty pranks on some unsusmurfing Smurf is bound to smurf back in your face sooner or later.”
“So what’s been on your mind lately that you need to talk to this smurf about, Polaris?” Empath asked as Polaris discarded the whoopie cushion that he unknowingly sat upon.
“Only about this strange phenomenon that’s been going on among you, Papa Smurf, and all your fellow male adult Smurfs that’s becoming a concern for this one as well as for Smurfette, Baby Smurf, and the Smurflings,” Polaris answered. “Do you not find it rather curious that this phenomenon is somehow affecting the use of your minds-eye abilities to the point where you are unable to effectively judge between what’s real and what isn’t?”
“The only ‘curious things’ this smurf has ever noticed, Polaris, is that this unusual form of resurrection that happened to Papa Smurf’s fellow Smurfs has enabled them to no longer need to eat, drink, or sleep,” Empath commented. “But as far as this smurf’s minds-eye abilities being affected by it, this smurf doesn’t think it has. This smurf still isn’t able to figure out why you, Smurfette, Baby Smurf, or the other Smurflings aren’t able to see these other Smurfs who came back to life, though.”
“This one has visited the graves of these Smurfs that were your parents, Empath,” Polaris reported, “and has made the startling discovery that all of their bodies are still in the graves, untampered with in any sense. Neither can this one detect any spiritual activity going on in the village that would suggest that you are being ‘haunted’ by ghosts. And as far as this one can tell, the Imaginarium crystals have been totally inactive during this time, which would rule out the possibility of a malfunction that would make Imaginarium creations exist outside the meeting house. At best, the only thing this one can suggest is that what you’re experiencing is a very powerful delusion that may be magically induced.”
“A magic-induced delusion?” Empath scoffed. “Polaris, this smurf can’t even sense that these Smurfs you can’t even see or hear are delusions at all. Why can’t you just accept that it’s you who’s being deluded into thinking that these Smurfs that you somehow can’t see don’t exist?”
“Empath, you have known this one long enough to know that this one would never say or do anything that would ever deceive you,” Polaris said firmly. “If it will satisfy your curiosity, this one will continue to search for the answers behind this phenomenon and give you the proof that you so desire to either prove or disprove these claims. But this one cannot deny what this one has witnessed thus far with you or your fellow Smurfs on this matter.”
Empath didn’t like having to challenge his friend Polaris on anything, but here he really felt that this miraculous event was being tested by Polaris, and now it needed some solid proof.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, Polaris, then continue your search,” Empath said. “But just as you cannot deny what you’re witnessing, neither can this smurf do the same with what this smurf is witnessing. This smurf just hopes somehow that you’re entirely wrong on this, though.”
Polaris nodded in acceptance before he left the table and the tavern.
Late in the evening, as most of the other Smurfs went off to sleep, Papa Smurf was sitting in his house by the fireplace with his wife Lillithina, lying on a rug together, supported by pillows, watching the fire blaze on. Papa Smurf had brought a bottle of smurfberry wine from Tapper’s tavern and poured it into two champagne glasses in the hopes that they would enjoy this moment together as they did many times years ago. But strangely, Lillithina never touched her glass of wine at all. In fact, Papa Smurf noticed that she never ate or drank anything during her stay in the village. While it did bother him a little, Papa Smurf still enjoyed being close to his wife again like this nonetheless.
“I’ve always imagined, my dear Cully, that the two of us would smurf old together with silvery white hair and lines on our faces, smurfing together like this,” Lillithina pondered. “I never smurfed that I would be the one who still smurfs so young while you’re the one with the white hair of wisdom on your face. And yet, even with the white hair, you still look as smurfy to me as you did when you smurfed the brown hair.”
“Well, as I once smurfed my little Smurfs some time ago, Lilly, ‘you’re only as old as you smurf you are’,” Papa Smurf responded. “And I find that the best way for me to smurf young is just to appreciate and enjoy what I have in my life.”
“You smurfed a fine job raising a hundred young Smurflings into adult Smurfs,” Lillithina complimented. “It’s just too bad that I can’t smurf some of the Smurfs you have smurfed about, like Empath’s sweetheart Smurfette, and this Baby Smurf, and those three boy Smurflings, or even this Polaris Psyche that Empath calls his friend. I’m not sure why neither I nor any of our fellow Smurfs can see them like Empathy and his fellow Smurfs.”
“Smurfette is a fine young female Smurf who’s just like the daughter I wish we could have smurfed together, Lilly,” Papa Smurf explained. “Baby Smurf is a joy to smurf around, and while Nat, Snappy, and Slouchy can be troublesome at times, they can also be good little Smurfs. Polaris Psyche is a special being that Empath has managed to smurf out and touch in a place where exsmurfing emotions are forbidden. He has changed in me how I have always smurfed at the Psyches since I left Empath in Psychelia. I don’t think the village would ever smurf the same without him now.”
“Well, Cully, now that your fellow Smurfs are back among you and all those young Smurfs you smurfed for them, what do you plan to smurf with your being their leader and father figure?” Lillithina asked.
Papa Smurf thought about that for a moment. “I honestly don’t know, Lilly. I guess I have been so used to being Papa Smurf for so long, I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to smurf it up, now that I have you back with me and Empath together as a family again.”
“I know that from your heart, you will find a way, my dear Cully,” Lillithina assured him. “You’ve brought those Smurfs thus far to this point in time. I think you’ll be able to handle what smurfs next with us and them.”
“As long as we’re together to handle it, my sweet Lilly,” Papa Smurf responded with a kiss.
Meanwhile, also in the same late hour, Polaris Psyche had called together Smurfette, Baby Smurf, and the three boy Smurflings for a secret meeting, held in Smurfette’s house.
“Evidently, this one’s attempt to persuade Empath to see for himself that these ‘parent Smurfs’ that he and his fellow Smurfs claim to see are merely illusions has been fruitless,” Polaris reported.
“Well, I smurfed no such luck trying to tell Papa Smurf, who thinks that his beloved wife Lillithina has smurfed back from the dead,” Smurfette contributed, sounding frustrated.
“We can’t even smurf the likes of Brainy that what he’s smurfing is just a fantasy, either,” Snappy added, speaking for both Nat and Slouchy. “If this is some kind of magic spell smurfed on them, it’s really smurfing the job keeping them so occupied in believing this fantasy reunion is so real.”
“Do we even know what kind of magic spell has smurfed this to those Smurfs?” Nat asked.
Polaris sighed as he shook his head. “This one has not studied any of Papa Smurf’s books regarding magical practices to have an immediate answer for this situation.”
Just then, somebody knocked on Smurfette’s door. Smurfette answered it, and found out it was Grouchy. He somehow looked more sour than usual, if such a thing was possible for Grouchy.
“Grouchy, what happened?” Smurfette asked, concerned for Grouchy as he walked into her house.
“I hate my Papa Smurf,” Grouchy snarled vehemently. “I thought that his smurfing back from the dead would have smurfed him for the better, but he still never smurfed me any better than he did when he was living years ago. All he ever smurfs about is how proud he is over Handy and Hefty with what they smurfed with their lives, and he also smurfs more time with Sassette than he ever smurfed with me. I smurfed him that I never wanted to smurf him ever again, and then he just disappeared right before my eyes, though my Mama Smurf didn’t. I don’t ever want to smurf back to how it was before I lost my parents. I just want things to smurf how they were when Empath’s Papa Smurf became Papa Smurf.”
“Interestingly curious, fellow Grouchy, that of all the Smurfs who would be pleased by this fantasy of theirs coming true through this somewhat magical delusion, the memories of your own parents have ultimately provoked a negative reaction within you that caused a portion of this delusion to dissipate on your part,” Polaris pondered. “That might indicate a possible way we can use to help rescue all the other Smurfs from being trapped in their delusions.”
“We still don’t know what kind of magic spell it was that smurfed these delusions on them, Polaris,” Slouchy reminded him.
“Auld lang smurf! Auld lang smurf!” Baby Smurf shouted.
“What does Baby Smurf mean by ‘auld lang smurf’, Smurfette?” Polaris asked.
“That’s the name of a song that we usually smurf around New Year’s Eve, Polaris,” Smurfette replied.
“Or perhaps it’s a clue as to what kind of spell we should be looking for, given Baby’s rather unique perceptiveness in the area of magical practices,” Polaris said, looking at Baby Smurf as he wondered. “We should begin our search in the village archives as well as in Papa Smurf’s laboratories for the answer when the morning comes.”
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:31 AM
Part 7
Empath’s personal journal, December 31.
This smurf still isn’t sure why Smurfette, Polaris Psyche, Baby Smurf, or the three boy Smurflings are unable to see for themselves the unusual reality that’s happening before our eyes of all this smurf’s parent Smurfs returning. Then again, this smurf also isn’t sure why none of this smurf’s parent Smurfs are able to see, hear, and feel the other Smurfs that this smurf, Papa Smurf, and all this smurf’s fellow Smurfs can easily see, hear, and feel. Polaris Psyche, though adamant in believing that what this smurf is experiencing is actually a magically-induced delusion, is searching for what hopefully may be the answers to this mysterious phenomenon that’s happening. However, this morning Papa Smurf has been in conference with several of his fellow Smurfs, and has included this smurf in their discussions – a discussion that will unfortunately become the last for this smurf, if what this smurf has heard from their discussions is true. Whatever the outcome, however hard this decision would be upon this smurf’s fellow Smurfs, this smurf is at least willing to give this council of the parent Smurfs this smurf’s full support without any reservations.
Around midmorning, Papa Smurf had Harmony summon every Smurf around the speaking mushroom. Every Smurf – both the parent Smurfs and all their little Smurfs – gathered around as Papa Smurf stood upon the mushroom with at least several of his fellow Smurfs, including Aristotle. He looked like he had a heavy decision to make, and that he was going to regret having to tell his little Smurfs the news. But he knew that the decision was for the greater good of the village.
“My dear little Smurfs,” he announced, “this news that I have to smurf comes as a complete surprise, even at a time like this when the new year is smurfing upon us. But now that all the Smurfs that were lost from us years ago have now resmurfed to us alive again, I am permanently smurfing down from my role as the leader of the village.”
“Smurfing down?” one of his little Smurfs asked. “But who’s going to smurf your place, Papa Smurf?”
“No one will be smurfing this position anymore,” Papa Smurf answered. “Empath himself will be smurfing down as my assistant counselor to take on a lesser role beside his fellow Smurfs. From this point on, the only ones who will be leading this village will be us, the parent Smurfs. We will together decide on what’s best for the village and we will carry out those decisions accordingly. And from now on…please don’t call me Papa Smurf anymore. I am your Uncle Cully, and I will allow your parent Smurfs to care for you now as I have previously done in their place.”
This news made most of his now-former little Smurfs very shocked and confused. They have gotten so used to living with Papa Smurf as their sole parent and village leader for so long, this sudden change that came with the return of their parent Smurfs left them wondering how things in the village were going to be now and for the coming year.
Later in Papa Smurf’s laboratory, however, Papa Smurf received a shock of his own from Brainy.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asked, holding up a piece of paper in his hand.
“It is my letter of resmurfnation, Papa Smurf,” Brainy answered. “Since my Papa Smurf has returned and invited me to be his apprentice in book publishing, I am officially ending my apprenticeship to you as your laboratory assistant in sorcery, effective immediately.”
Papa Smurf exhaled, a bit blown away by the sudden news. “I know that the years smurfing under me as an apprentice have been rather bumpy, Brainy, and you have smurfed a lot of things that really smurfed under my skin at times, but have you really thought of all you’re smurfing up just to smurf up this new venture with your Papa Smurf back among us?” he asked.
“I honestly feel, Papa Smurf…I mean, Uncle Cully…that my true talents as a book writer and a philosmurpher and an intellectual are being wasted here,” Brainy explained. “I just don’t think that I’m appropriate for you to continue training to smurf your place as a sorcerer. I haven’t smurfed up to everything you wanted me to be.”
“I never expected you to be perfect, Brainy – just a student who’s willing to learn whatever is there for me to teach you,” Papa Smurf mentioned. “I honestly believed that you would in time besmurf a better sorcerer and alchemist than I was under Palleadore years ago. But there’s no smurfing how you would have turned out now if you decide to smurf this decision once and for all to end your apprenticeship with me. Please, for your sake, reconsider what you’re smurfing.”
Brainy shook his head. “Sorry, Uncle Cully, my mind is totally smurfed up on this. I thank you for what you smurfed me over the years. But I’m not smurfing back to this job – not now and not ever.”
Papa Smurf breathed out a heavy sigh as he watched Brainy leave his laboratory. He thought that his decision to stand down as village leader and permanently put an end to this office was hard enough, but now having to find himself without an apprentice to teach in sorcery and alchemy made things more difficult. Things in the village were changing faster than what he expected because of this reunion, and he wasn’t sure how well he would adapt to life as he once knew it before it changed into the life that he was now used to.
Meanwhile, throughout most of the morning, Polaris Psyche was busy with Smurfette and Grouchy trying to look through books in the village archives as well as in Papa Smurf’s backup laboratory, which he had built and furnished in the event that his main laboratory was somehow destroyed, while Nat, Snappy, and Slouchy tried to keep Baby Smurf occupied. So far, even with Polaris Psyche’s touch-telepathy powers at work scanning through the books for a particular spell that had something to do with a New Year’s Eve song name, their search came up with nothing. Until now.
“Auld Lang Syne Spell,” Grouchy shouted as he found something in one of Papa Smurf’s books about spells. Polaris Psyche and the other Smurfs gathered around Grouchy as they read together the information about what the spell was supposed to do.
“Interesting,” Polaris muttered as he read. “This particular spell, which only works around this time of year, has the ability to cause those on whom it is cast to experience a physical hallucination of loved ones who have passed away coming back to life, usually drawn from the memories of those the spell is cast upon. This spell can make the illusion of this reality seem so real that it could fool the senses of even telepathic beings.”
“That explains why Empath, Papa Smurf, and all the other Smurfs are able to smurf those ‘parent Smurfs’ smurfing back to life, even though they haven’t,” Smurfette reasoned. “Yet somehow me, Polaris, Baby Smurf, and you three Smurflings weren’t affected by the spell, and somehow Grouchy is able to break the spell at least partially, causing the image of his Papa Smurf to vanish.”
“The reason us six haven’t been affected by this spell is that none of us had loved ones that did pass away, in the sense that either we had parent beings that are still living, or in your case, Smurfette, you had no parents to begin with,” Polaris answered rather frankly.
“Smurf at this, folks,” Snappy said as he looked further into the passage about the Auld Lang Syne Spell. “It smurfs here that intense negative emotions smurfed at a particular illusion of a loved one can cause that illusion to smurf away. That may explain why Grouchy is able to make the illusion of his Papa Smurf smurf away, because he hated him so much.”
“I hate this Auld Lang Syne Spell,” Grouchy remarked.
“That may be all well and good for Grouchy, but how does that help us to smurf Empath and the other Smurfs out of their delusions?” Slouchy asked. “They love their parent Smurfs so much, they would smurf anything for them, even if they are illusions.”
“Whatever we smurf, we’d better smurf it before midnight, which is when the spell wears off,” Nat warned the others from what he was reading. “According to what the spell book smurfs, if they’re still experiencing these delusions when the clock smurfs midnight at the new year, it will smurf such a shock that it might even kill them.”
Around early afternoon, Empath had approached Tapper’s tavern to find that his friend had put up a sign on the doors that said ON VACATION JAN 1ST – WILL RESMURF AROUND JUNE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SMURFRONAGE. This made Empath curious to find out what was going on in there.
He entered and found Séamus and Molly putting the place in order to close it down. “What’s going on here, Uncle Séamus and Aunt Molly,” Empath asked, curious.
“Ah, Empathy, you dear, Séamus had the desire in his smurfed heart to smurf back to the Emerald Isle again,” Molly answered pleasantly. “We just want to smurf the place spotless in case we resmurf here.”
“’In case you return here’?” Empath repeated, not liking the sound of that.
“You smurfed us to the quick, Empathy, me boy,” Séamus confessed. “Actually, myself and Molly are hoping to smurf back there for good with our young’un Tapper so we can smurf our own Smurf community there. It’s such a beautiful place, I’m surprised that it hasn’t smurfed you an interest in wanting to smurf there.”
“Well, there wasn’t much Tapper remembered from his being there as a baby Smurf that he could have told this smurf about, Uncle Séamus,” Empath admitted. “Most of what he told this smurf was from what you have told him, about leprechauns and this enchanted stew you almost ate that would have turned you into one and all.”
Séamus chuckled for a bit. “Yes, well, this time Tapper gets to smurf it for himself, and hopefully that will make his desire to smurf there instead of back here in the Smurf Village a smurfedfast decision. Of course, I will make sure he won’t smurf anywhere near that stew no matter how hungry he smurfs.”
“But why have this tavern close down for what may be a permanent vacation?” Empath asked. “Couldn’t you have some other Smurf run the tavern while you Smurfs were gone to the Emerald Isle?”
“Empathy, running this tavern smurfs more than just smurfing drinks and smurfing the customers happy and entertained,” Séamus told him. “It requires a lot of brewing of this sarsaparilla ale that you young Smurfs smurf for granted, as well as smurfing up the various kinds of seltzers for those who can’t smurf their ale. It requires a Smurf with a lot of heart and soul to smurf this task day and night, and though you may think you might be up to the task of smurfing it, I don’t think you’ll be able to smurf it the same way and with the same spirit that us family of Smurf brewers can.”
“Besides, sweetie, don’t you Smurfs have this Imaginarium to smurf some of your fun in?” Molly hinted. “If only we smurfed one of those things in the village back when we were just young’uns your age!”
“Well, if you Smurfs aren’t going to be returning to this village anytime soon, can’t this smurf at least talk to Tapper about what he’s doing with you two Smurfs?” Empath asked, realizing that there would be no return for them.
“Of course, Empathy,” Séamus answered. “He’s in his bedroom right now, smurfing up things he will need for this trip.”
Empath nodded before he climbed the ladder upstairs to Tapper’s sleeping quarters.
Tapper noticed Empath entering into his quarters as he was in the middle of packing. “Greetings, my fellow Empath,” he said smiling. “Sorry about the message I smurfed upon the doors of this tavern, but this is one opportunity of a lifetime that I don’t want to miss – my first chance to smurf the Emerald Isle as an adult Smurf.”
“Tapper, tell this smurf that you’re doing the right thing, going off with your parents on this trip, and so soon after you’ve been reunited with them,” Empath pleaded.
“Empath, I’ve smurfed enough of my life smurfing among you fellow Smurfs, even though I’ve only smurfed you when you visited the village during your years away from here,” Tapper responded. “It’s time for me to venture out into the brave unknown, to smurf things of my own that I have always wanted to smurf with my own Papa and Mama Smurf beside me. But here…smurf this!” He handed Empath a four-leaf clover. “I’ve been smurfing this clover from out here in this forest in the hopes that some Smurf I’ll smurf it on to will have good luck for the rest of his life…though given your title as ‘the luckiest Smurf’, this gift may be a wee bit redundant on your part.”
Empath took the four-leaf clover and stuck it in the fold of his hat. “You’ve been a very good friend to this smurf, Tapper, just to let you know that. This smurf appreciates everything you have done to help show this smurf what it means to be a Smurf. And honestly, things won’t be the same in this village or in my life without you.”
“I’ll think of you always, my friend,” Tapper said as he and Empath hugged each other.
Soon there was a knock on the door of the tavern. "Naomhan, sweetie, your friend Duncan is waiting for you at the door," Molly said.
Tapper and Empath went to the door of the tavern to see Duncan eagerly waiting outside to tell him something important. "Well, I see that I'm not the only Smurf around here who's going to be departing from the village sometime soon after New Year's Eve, laddies," Duncan said.
"You're also leaving with your parents, Duncan?" Empath asked, not believing what he was hearing.
"Aye, we'll be smurfing off to the Highlands which is the ancestral home of the McSmurf clan, Empath," Duncan said. "I could be wishing that you would join me on this adventure, but I'm not sure that my Papa and Mama Smurf would be that accommodating since they hardly knew you."
"This smurf shares the same sentiment, Duncan, because this smurf wants to see the ancestral Highlands of your clan very much," Empath said. "It's just that this smurf feels that this smurf can't leave the village with this smurf's Mama Smurf now being a part of this smurf's life again."
"I'm finding myself equally surprised to hear of this, my fellow Duncan, but then you must smurf what is right in your heart to smurf," Tapper said.
"I can't say that the past hundred or so years that we smurfed together as a family wasn't fun, though," Duncan said. "At the very least, I won't have to hear Hefty always smurfing me by the name of Gutsy."
"This smurf has a feeling that Hefty won't feel the same now that you won't be part of his little group that Brainy calls 'the Three Smurfketeers' anymore," Empath said.
"At any rate, you're two of the best friends that a Smurfsman like me can ever have," Duncan said. "I can only hope for the best for you laddies while I'm gone."
"May the spirits of the Smurfs be with you on your journeys, Duncan," Empath said as he and Tapper gave their friend a hug.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:33 AM
Part 8
Meanwhile, in her observatory, Chlorhydris was watching through her magic telescope the things that took place in the Smurf Village since her magic spell was cast. She was now starting to see the effects of the spell taking hold upon most of the populace – besides their being so immersed in believing that these delusions they were experiencing were so real, they also experienced seeing Papa Smurf step down from his position as being the village leader and father figure. She also saw Papa Smurf reacting to Brainy’s decision to end his apprenticeship with him, and Empath reacting to Tapper deciding to close down his tavern to take the journey with his parents to the Emerald Isle.
“Just you Smurfs continue to believe in these fantasies,” she said ecstatically. “You have no idea that what you’re experiencing will become a complete shock to you when the clock strikes midnight tonight, when what you think you’re seeing will vanish right before your eyes. And then you will have a true reunion with your parents – when you all will join them in the slumber of your graves after the shock of the disappearance kills you!”
Around dinnertime, Empath sat with Papa Smurf and Lillithina at the dining table, with Empath and Papa Smurf enjoying yet another wonderful meal prepared by the father-and-son team of Baker and Greedy. Empath felt ashamed to admit that the meals had tasted better than they did when it was just Greedy running the kitchen – which wasn’t meant to slight Greedy’s skills as the village cook in the least. Yet now the mother Smurfs were waitressing the meals to their own sons, which was something Empath had never saw happening before this reunion took place. He was beginning to wonder if this would end up becoming commonplace in the days ahead, as long as the parent Smurfs would be with Papa Smurf and all the other Smurfs.
Lillithina just sat and watched, quietly smiling, as Empath and Papa Smurf ate heartily. Empath began to notice that his Mama Smurf didn’t have anything to say at this point. It was as if she was expecting something to happen.
“Is everything all right, Mama?” Empath asked out of concern.
“I’m fine, Empathy,” Lillithina answered. “Why do you need to ask?”
“It’s just that you seem so quiet now, just sitting there watching us eat,” Empath observed. “Are you becoming jealous about us being able to enjoy eating while you and your fellow Smurfs no longer need to eat?”
“Why would I need to feel jealous about that?” Lillithina wondered. “I feel so alive in a way that you cannot even begin to imagine. It’s like smurfing in the presence of the ones I love is all the smurfishment that I will ever need.”
Papa Smurf looked at her when she said that. “Hmmm…very interesting to hear you smurf that, Lilly. I guess smurfing back from the dead has really changed you and the other Smurfs I knew for the better. Of course, I would have to admit that I would smurf so jealous about not needing to eat if I were the one smurfing among loved ones who still could and need to eat in the smurf that you’re in.”
“When you smurf like I am, Cully, eating will be smurfthing that you will never miss,” Lillithina said. “You’ll also never have to worry about needing to drink or sleep or smurfing hurt or smurfing old or anything that besmurfs a burden in the smurf of living that you’re in right now. The only thing that will never change is how much I love you, despite everything you have smurfed when we were still smurfing together. You will someday smurf for yourself that this kind of smurfing is greater than anything that you have ever smurfed before.”
“If it’s truly this wonderful to smurf that way, Lilly, I wish that I can smurf that way right now with you alongside me,” Papa Smurf said, looking in her eyes.
“I promise you that you will, Cully…very soon,” Lillithina responded, leaning her face toward Papa Smurf’s to kiss him as he did his toward hers.
“Papa Smurf! Empath!” Smurfette called out as she approached the dining table, interrupting the kiss before it took place. She was carrying Baby Smurf with her. “Polaris Psyche smurfed out something about this reunion smurfing place that requires your attention.”
“Smurfette, can’t this news wait until dinner is done?” Papa Smurf asked, annoyed at this interruption. “As a matter of fact, can’t Polaris wait to report this until after tonight’s celebration of the new year?”
“Polaris believes it is urgent to report it to you right now,” Smurfette insisted. “Tomorrow may be too late, because the entire village is in great danger right now.”
Empath could see in Smurfette’s face that whatever she found out about this reunion was the truth. “This smurf will come with you to see Polaris, Smurfette, and to hear whatever he has to report concerning the danger that this village may allegedly be in,” he affirmed.
Smurfette felt a bit relieved to hear that. “Well, if you can just carry Baby Smurf in your arms, we can smurf to Polaris together and smurf what he has to say,” she said, feeling Baby Smurf squirm restlessly in her arms.
“This smurf will do that,” Empath replied as Smurfette passed Baby Smurf onto him and he cradled the infant in his own arms. No sooner did he do that, though, did Baby Smurf wave his hands around in the air, saying, “Auld lang smurf”. And in that same instant, Empath felt a tingling sensation all around him, as if some sort of magic spell was being cast over him – or rather, that the effects of a magic spell he was under were changing somehow.
Then Empath passed Baby Smurf back to Smurfette, and noticed that something strange has happened. He could still see and hear Lillithina sitting at the table with Papa Smurf having a conversation with him. But now it was as if he was looking at a ghost that bore her image, becoming translucent. He could now no longer sense her being around. And as Empath approached her and tried to touch her, his hand simply passed through her like she was just air.
Lillithina looked at Empath, who was now looking at her rather strangely. “Empathy, what’s the matter?” she asked, uncertain of what was going on. “Why are you smurfing at me like that? Is there smurfthing wrong?”
Empath nodded. “Something is definitely wrong, Mama. I can still see you and hear you, but it’s like you’re not really there at all.”
“That’s because she was never really there to begin with, Empath,” Smurfette explained. “You and the other Smurfs were under a spell smurfed by someone called the Auld Lang Syne Spell. That’s what Polaris Psyche is trying to smurf you.”
Papa Smurf turned to face Smurfette when he heard this. “Auld Lang Syne Spell? What nonsense is this that you’re smurfing about, Smurfette? My wife is actually here with me, even if you can’t smurf her.”
“But now I can, Papa Smurf,” Smurfette said. “The spell Baby Smurf used is one that has not only brought Empath to smurf for himself the reality of the Auld Lang Syne Spell effects, but also one that lets me finally smurf just what it is that you’re smurfing.”
“Cully, I can finally smurf this Smurfette and this Baby Smurf she’s smurfing,” Lillithina commented, looking rather strangely at the two of them. “But what does she smurf by this Auld Lang Syne spell that she smurfs that you’re under?”
“It’s just smurfthing that she smurfed from her own imagination, Lilly,” Papa Smurf tried to console her. “It’s nothing that you need to consmurf yourself about. She’s just trying to smurf Baby Smurf company like she usually smurfs.”
Then Baby Smurf waved his hands in the air again, saying, “Auld lang smurf”. And then Papa Smurf felt the same tingling sensation, and then noticed for himself what Empath was now seeing. He tried to touch his wife, only to find his hand passing through her like she really wasn’t there.
“No!” Papa Smurf shouted. “This can’t be! All this time…I have spent entersmurfing an illusion?!?”
“Unfortunately, that’s what you, this smurf, and all this smurf’s fellow Smurfs were doing, Papa Smurf,” Empath answered, realizing the truth for himself. “This Auld Lang Syne Spell has got us so wrapped up in believing that our parent Smurfs have come back to life to the point where, if it weren’t for Baby Smurf counteracting some of the effects, we wouldn’t have known what these illusions were doing to us until it is too late.”
Papa Smurf was shocked to hear this. “I can’t believe that I have been this deluded! I have smurfen up my being the village leader and a father figure…all because my fellow Smurfs now here among us are just illusions!”
“Cully, what are you smurfing?” Lillithina asked, not liking what she was hearing. “Is that what we really are…just illusions that are somehow smurfed life because of some magic spell?”
Papa Smurf looked at his wife – the image of his wife – and nodded sadly. “You have never returned back from the dead, Lilly. And neither have all of our fellow Smurfs. Someone must have smurfed advantage of us wanting to smurf all of you back to us from the dead, and tried to smurf our memories of you against us for some persmurfed purpose.”
Lillithina looked so sad, she started to cry. “Then this whole thing was just too smurf to be true. I’m just nothing more than a living memory to you, and all my fellow Smurfs were just memories of their little Smurfs. You have been so kind to accept us as though we were still smurfing, and all we have smurfed is to smurf everything you once had together as a new family away from you and each other.”
“There, there, now, Lilly,” Papa Smurf tried to console her. “It wasn’t your fault that you didn’t know what you really were. You at least gave me a chance to smurf the Smurfette that I loved long ago once more, and you smurfed Empath a chance to smurf for himself a living memory of his Mama Smurf. That was more than any Smurf here could even hope to have happen in their lives. All my little Smurfs may not like having to smurf what we’re smurfing now, but they will learn that it’s truly for the best to know the truth of this reunion.” As the image of Lillithina nodded with some acceptance to what Papa Smurf had told her, he then turned to Smurfette. “I think it’s time for you and Baby Smurf to awaken all the other Smurfs from this delusion and smurf this reunion for what it really is.”
“Right away, Papa Smurf,” Smurfette replied, as she went around the dining tables with Baby Smurf using the same counteracting spell to awaken all the other Smurfs into seeing their parent Smurfs as truly illusions.
One by one, they all started to react similar to how Empath and Papa Smurf himself reacted when they saw Lillithina as really being an illusion. Some were shocked, some were angry, and some were even weeping.
“Please, my little Smurfs, listen to me,” Papa Smurf announced as he stood up from the table to speak. “I know that the truth of what you’re experiencing is hard to accept, but the truth is is that we were all under the effects of the Auld Lang Syne Spell. It has smurfed the very memories of our loved ones who had passed away and smurfed them to be so real, we would have had no idea that these illusions would have smurfed our very lives at the smurf of midnight.”
“But why is it that we can still see and hear them, Papa Smurf?” one of the Smurfs asked.
“Baby Smurf has managed to countersmurf some of the effects, to enable us to smurf for ourselves the reality behind this illusion,” Papa Smurf answered. “The full effects of the spell won’t wear off until midnight tonight, but at the very least we won’t be fooled by these illusions smurfing us to be the real thing.”
“Well, there smurfs my trip to the Emerald Isle,” Tapper groaned, not liking the sound of hearing that his parents sitting with him at the dinner table were just living memories given life.
"Ah, bugger, guess I won't be smurfing off to the ancestral Highlands myself," Duncan said, sharing the same sense of disappointment.
“But what do we smurf now that we know the truth?” another Smurf asked.
“We still have several hours until midnight, my fellow Smurfs,” Empath told them. “This smurf would suggest that we keep our original plan to celebrate the New Year’s Eve. Until that time, we should use those hours to make peace with these ‘living memories’ of ours and prepare for the inevitable event of these images vanishing.”
During the several hours until midnight, Empath helped Tapper get the tavern set up for the New Year’s Eve celebration party, taking down the signs that were put up on the doors, getting chairs and stools down for Smurfs to sit upon, and putting up streamers and balloons around and on the ceiling. Meanwhile, the images of Séamus and Molly stood and watched, unable to do anything since they no longer could handle anything as they did when they were physical hallucinations. Tapper was rather quiet as he and Empath did their preparation work, but Empath could sense a bit of heartbreak and disappointment from Tapper. He could see on the faces of Tapper’s parent’s images that they didn’t like seeing their son not wanting to speak to them.
“Tapper, my boy, please don’t smurf us out,” Séamus’ image pleaded. “We never meant to harm you – at least, that was not our intent. We only wanted to smurf you happy one last time.”
“Please listen to your Papa Smurf, Tapper,” Molly’s image suggested. “I know now what we truly are, and I’m sorry that we’re not what you’ve expected us to be. But at least, don’t let this last night together smurf like this.”
Tapper finally stopped and looked at them, sighing. “I truly believed that you both smurfed back from the dead, and that we could finally be a family together again. But what you are now is just a reminder that, as much as I would want things to smurf back to what it used to be, I’m much happier now with what I have in the present. I have a Papa Smurf with a heart that’s big enough to care for a hundred young Smurfs such as myself, and I’m very proud to be called ‘his little Smurf’. I have a life here in the Smurf Village, and people here who care about me and depend on me, and I just can’t up and leave this life with the promise that things will be smurfier elsewhere – not even in the Emerald Isle, however badly I would much want to smurf that place again like we did when I was a wee one.”
“We see that now, Tapper,” Séamus’ image said. “It was foolish of us to ever want to smurf something as precious as your life here in the Smurf Village away from you. Your Uncle Cully was a fine fellow Smurf that, despite his faults, was one Smurf we were proud of to smurf you into his hands to be your Papa Smurf. He was a friend who smurfed closer to us than a brother when we were still living, and because of what we smurfed through together with him in our younger days, we knew that smurfing you into his hands was the right choice for us…and for you.”
“I only hope, my son, that you will smurf somebody as sweet and kind and fair as this Smurfette you smurf about,” Molly’s image said. “Had we still lived, we would have been honored to smurf your children as our own grandchildren. You have a heart that truly cares for your brothers and sisters in this village. Don’t forget that.”
“And if you ever decide to smurf your way to the Emerald Isle, remember this one thing – don’t smurf that enchanted stew at any cost,” Séamus’ image playfully warned.
Tapper laughed a bit hearing this warning, nodding in acceptance. “May the luck of the Smurfish always be with you two. I will dearly miss you both in my tavern.”
Empath was glad to see Tapper making peace with the images of his parents. As disappointed as he was over finding out the reality behind the illusion, Tapper was willing to not let this disappointment ruin his life.
Meanwhile, Duncan was in his house talking to the images of his parents Angus and Bonnie. "I can't believe the both of you aren't even real ghosts, because you sure have ruined the best reunion that we ever smurfed by not being really alive in the first place," Duncan said very angrily.
"So we're not really ghosts and we haven't really been smurfed back to life," Angus' image said. "The thing is, laddie, that you can't keep smurfing on to us and expect that we're going to smurf each other again except in the smurfy hereafter."
"Your Papa is right, Duncan," Bonnie's image said. "As much as we would want to smurf here in person, you're a grown-up Smurf now with a life of your own that you must smurf, and so also is your brother Connor. You must let the past smurf in the past and smurf on to the future."
"Aye, I suppose that you are right," Duncan said with a sigh. "I've been smurfing too long with a new family and have been used to the way things were smurfing before this 'reunion' happened, it's just foolish for me to think that I can smurf back to the way things used to be like nothing's ever happened. Even though this means that I still have to smurf up with Hefty always calling me Gutsy."
"He may not fully like you, Duncan, but at the very least he respects you, which is why you shouldn't let his calling you Gutsy ever bother you," Angus' image said. "In time he's going to smurf around and see that he's smurfing the wrong battle with you."
"Nonetheless, I couldn't be more pleased to smurf the honor of raising a son like you, and to let Cully raise you into the Smurf you are today," Bonnie's image said. "The McSmurf clan will surely smurf you as a true warrior among its ranks."
Duncan looked at the clock and noticed that it was getting closer to midnight. "A few more hours and you'll be smurfed from our lives forever, as if you were never really here to begin with. You will join us for the smurfing of the new year, won't you?"
"Aye, laddie, me and your Mama Smurf will be right here with you until the bell smurfs at midnight," Angus' image replied.
"But we will always be with you after we are gone, in the place that you will remember us," Bonnie's image added.
Around 11:30 that evening, all the Smurfs were gathered outside in the village square near the clock tower with the translucent images of the parent Smurfs, watching as Brainy with his pocket watch counted off the minutes left until the new year began. They knew that at midnight, the effects of the Auld Lang Syne Spell would completely wear off, and the images of the parent Smurfs would vanish. So they thought it was fitting that they would join together for one last time, to say goodbye not just to the previous year, but also to each other. Tapper supplied all the party favors to this event, with all but the parent Smurfs wearing party hats and glasses, and a good deal of them had all sorts of noisemakers. Jokey had special exploding giftboxes of confetti ready to activate with the pull of a string.
As Brainy announced that there were twenty minutes left until midnight, Papa Smurf stood with Lillithina, the both of them sad that they could no longer feel or touch each other, but at least glad that they were together again one more time.
“It’s just what I’ve always wanted to smurf, my dear Cully,” Lillithina sighed as she watched the clock. “To smurf one last New Year’s Eve with the most loving and most handsome Smurf I’ve ever smurfed.”
“If only we could smurf more time with each other, my sweet Lilly,” Papa Smurf said, feeling a tear form in his eye. “I’ve lost you before, and the thought of losing you again, even like this, smurfs like it’s too much to bear.”
“Cully, you’re not alone anymore,” Lillithina said, looking into her husband’s eyes. “The product of the love we smurfed together, our son, is here with you, as are all these fine young Smurfs that all call you Papa Smurf. And if that isn’t enough, know that in your heart is where you will always carry me, and that is where I will always love you, even when you’re the only Smurf left.”
“And that is where I will always love you as well, Lilly,” Papa Smurf responded, sounding like he wanted to kiss her at that moment.
Empath came with Smurfette to stand near Papa Smurf and Lillithina, who then turned to face her son. “Empathy…or should I now call you Empath…I can smurf now this Smurfette who is so special to you, who smurfs in you things that she could never smurf in any other Smurf your age, and that she truly loves you very much. No matter how much your life smurfed out different from what I was hoping, I can still smurf so much of what I loved about your own Papa Smurf in you. If it means anything to you to smurf it from me, I just want you to know that I have loved you the first day I smurfed eyes on you, and that I will always love you.”
Empath felt his eyes fill with tears. “I never thought I would ever smurf that from you, Mama Smurf. I will always love you, too.”
Lillithina then turned to Smurfette. “Please, my dear, smurf care of my precious son for me. He’s a very special gift that I want you to smurf the privilege of enjoying for as long as you shall smurf.”
Smurfette nodded, finding her eyes fill with tears. “Yes, Mama Smurf, I will. He smurfs so much to me, just as you smurf so much to Papa Smurf.”
There were now ten minutes left. The image of Jokey’s father Pranky was now talking with Polaris Psyche, whom Pranky was now able to see. “I just want to let you know, my Psychelian friend, that Jokey smurfed nothing to do with that prank in the tavern,” he confessed. “It was entirely my smurfing, and I meant no harm in smurfing it.”
Polaris nodded with some understanding. “At least this one knows where Jokey gets his talents and his sense of humor. This one will make certain that his style of humor does not get out of control.”
“Jokey is right about one thing he smurfed about you,” Pranky’s image commented. “You smurftainly need to have a good laugh in your life. You’re not going to smurf much of a life here in the village without one.”
“This one will keep that thought well in mind,” Polaris said.
Meanwhile, Muscles' image was saying goodbye to Sassette, who was a little sad when she realized the truth of this reunion with what she thought was her father, but even sadder that he had to go away. "I wish you could have smurfed here a little longer, Papa," Sassette pleaded, "even if you can't play with me anymore like you used to."
"You have your new friends to smurf after you now, Sassy," Muscles reminded her, now seeing Nat, Snappy, and Slouchy among the crowd. "My only regret is that I can't smurf Grouchy how much I love him, even if he isn't one of my favorites like you or your older brothers. I guess I desmurf what I got from him for being the favoritist parent."
"I'll love him for you, Papa, I promise," Sassette replied. "Before you go, I just wanted to smurf that I'm sorry for smurfing away from home, even after what Hefty and the other Smurfs smurfed to me back then."
"I know, Sassy, and I don't blame you for smurfing it," Muscles consoled her. "I'm only glad to smurf that you and Hefty are smurfing along together better than you did back when I was smurfing. You see, the reason us men Smurfs smurf our hearts on our arms is to remind us that we need to smurf our strength to help others out, not to smurf them around. Make sure Hefty never forgets that lesson while I'm gone, you got that?"
"Even if I have to smurf him in a headlock," Sassette answered, giggling afterward with her father.
“One minute left,” Brainy cried out, as all the Smurfs present had finished saying their goodbyes. The images of the parent Smurfs then gathered together as one group separate from Papa Smurf and all the other Smurfs, standing right in front of the clock tower. It was a heartbreaking scene as the two groups faced each other, knowing that the time of departure was getting closer.
And then with Brainy’s final announcement, they all shouted, “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…”
The clock tower in the village square now struck midnight, and as the bell tolled, ringing out the hour of the first day of the new year, the Smurfs saw the parent Smurfs begin to fade completely.
“Remember us well, my little Smurfs,” Lillithina said as she looked at her husband’s face one last time.
And as the Smurfs watched the images of the parent Smurfs fade into nothingness, Smurfette began to sing the song with Duncan playing the bagpipes, and as she sang, the other Smurfs joined with her:
Should auld acquaintance be forsmurfed,
And never brought to smurf?
Should auld acquaintance be forsmurfed,
And days of auld lang smurf?
And days of auld lang smurf, my dear,
And days of auld lang smurf.
Should auld acquaintance be forsmurfed,
And days of auld lang smurf?
“Happy New Year!” they all shouted as Jokey pulled the cord that triggered all his surprise giftboxes to open one after another, releasing an explosion of confetti that rained down on the Smurfs gathered around the clock tower. All the Smurfs let out a loud festive cheer with shouts and noisemakers on hand.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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Vic George The ND Guy
Super Smurf
Member # 300
Member Rated:
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posted 12-29-2016 05:34 AM
Part 9
Empath’s personal journal, January 1.
It is now the year 1007, a new year in the life of both this smurf and all the Smurfs that this smurf has come to know during this smurf’s lifetime thus far. We have entered the new year having experienced a reunion with all of this smurf’s parent Smurfs that turned out to be nothing more than an elaborate illusion designed with some intent on destroying the relationship Papa Smurf had forged with all the young Smurfs he had adopted over the past 102 years. And yet the reunion in itself had caused most of us to remember our loved ones in a way that mere memories alone couldn’t do, as a sort of living photograph of yesterday being brought into present time. For this smurf, it has given me the rare chance of meeting for the first time this smurf’s Mama Smurf, even if she herself was just part of the same illusion. Interestingly enough, though their departure was actually the effects of the Auld Lang Syne Spell fully wearing off, it felt more like the type of goodbye that this smurf, Papa Smurf, and most of this smurf’s fellow Smurfs have always wanted to see and say. They will no longer be with us physically, but in spirit they will always be a part of us.
This experience has also helped the village reforge that relationship Papa Smurf had made with his little Smurfs, that despite whatever happens or has happened, my Papa Smurf will always be OUR Papa Smurf, now and forever.
In Tapper’s tavern, following the tolling of the midnight hour and the Auld Lang Syne Spell effects fully wearing off, Papa Smurf and all his little Smurfs as well as Polaris Psyche made a toast in honor of the loved ones whose memories had been made real for a short time before they vanished into the night. Everyone except the Smurflings, Baby Smurf, and Polaris Psyche were given a glass of sarsaparilla ale to make the toast.
“To the new year, my little Smurfs, and whatever may smurf ahead for us,” Papa Smurf announced as he raised his glass. “The village may have been smurfed topsy-turvy for a while, but here we are together again as family – the family that all your parent Smurfs would have wanted us to smurf together as. May their lives smurf as reminders of where we have been over the years, and as inspiration for the years to smurf.”
“And to Papa Smurf,” Empath added, raising his glass, “the one Smurf who was given the difficult task of raising this new family together for years all by himself, and has passed the test with flying colors, even bringing in new members into this family. May he continue to be the one Smurf that we can all proudly call without any shame ‘Papa Smurf.’”
“Here, here,” all of the other Smurfs said in unison as they raised their glasses and drank to the toasts. Baby Smurf drank his toast with smurfberry juice, while Polaris and the Smurflings did the same with their seltzers.
“There’s just one problem this smurf would like to address, my fellow Smurfs,” Empath continued. “Yesterday, Papa Smurf had officially stepped down from his role as the village leader, even putting an end to this particular office, and now that we’re in the start of the new year, this smurf would like to propose that this office be reinstated immediately with some Smurf who’s willing and able and well-qualified to take on this role of village leader.”
“Sounds like a smurfy idea to me, Empath,” Hefty responded. “But who do you smurf in mind for this role?”
“Well, I for one would like to suggest someone who’s already smurfect for the job,” Brainy suggested.
“Oh, great,” Snappy groaned. “Brainy’s going to nominate himsmurf into the role.”
“Let me finish, Snappy,” Brainy objected. “Though it pains me very much to be this humble, the one Smurf I have in mind is the very Smurf who’s already smurfed us through his years of experience, as both a village leader, and as a father figure, that he’s more than qualified to meet this smurfticular task. And so, without further ado, I would like to nominate as candidate for the role of village leader – the one and only Papa Smurf!”
“Papa Smurf as our new village leader,” Empath pondered. “Certainly an excellent choice. Anyone who approves of this action, please raise your hand.”
The entire Smurf population raised their hands very emphatically, including Polaris Psyche.
“And anyone who’s opposed to this action?”
“I hate…” Grouchy began to say out of reflex before thinking it over, and then finished, “not seeing Papa Smurf be chosen as our new village leader.”
“Anyone else?” Empath asked.
There were no takers.
“Well, this smurf can see that the votes are unanimous,” Empath concluded. He then turned to Papa Smurf. “As a representative of the entire Smurf community, we, your little Smurfs, officially reinstate you, Papa Smurf – our Papa Smurf – into the role as our village leader, effective immediately, with all the rights and privileges that attend this office. Welcome back, Papa Smurf!” He gave the village leader a hug.
Every Smurf in the tavern cheered as Papa Smurf nodded in acceptance to his reinstatement.
“Thank you all, my little Smurfs,” Papa Smurf said with some honest heartfelt emotion. “I truly don’t desmurf to be back where I belong among you as the village leader, but I will always be there for all of you – as your Papa Smurf, from now until my time in this life is smurfed.”
“Well, now that you are officially reinsmurfed as our village leader, Papa Smurf,” Brainy interjected, “I was just wondering if you could officially reinsmurf me as your sorceror’s apprentice, now that the position’s open.”
“Gee, Brainy, that’s something I’ll have to think about,” Papa Smurf answered, stroking his beard and making Brainy think he was actually putting a lot of thought into thinking about his request. “You did smurf me your resmurfnation notice, smurfing that you have no intention of ever resmurfing to the apprenticeship.”
“You mean you wouldn’t smurf me back after that?” Brainy asked, shocked to think of that possibility.
Papa Smurf chuckled at Brainy’s expression, though not insultingly. “Of course I will smurf you back, Brainy. I smurfed that position open just in case you ever smurfed a change of mind. Smurfing tomorrow – or should I smurf, in the morning – I would love to hear all your solutions to the problems I’ve been smurfing with my experiments. You think you’re up to the task?”
“Why, certainly, Papa Smurf,” Brainy answered enthusiastically, overjoyed to hear Papa Smurf want to take him back as his apprentice. “I for one will surely not disappoint you, not after all that you smurfed with me and for me.”
Papa Smurf put his hand on Brainy’s shoulder. “It’s so good to smurf you back…my son.”
Brainy never heard Papa Smurf call him that before. And from that point on, he felt like he was never going to forget it.
After Papa Smurf's reinstatement as the village leader, Tapper and Duncan were again talking among themselves about what had happened over the past few days.
"To think that this whole resurrection thing was just somebody smurfing a spell on us because they wanted us dead," Duncan said. "I could only wonder who would smurf such a thing."
"I have a feeling in my spirit that this could be the work of that witch Chlorhydris, my friend," Tapper said. "If she wanted to make the world feel just as miserable as she does, her plan for smurfing so with this spell is perhaps the most curious method of all."
"Aye, that's one thing I'll never understand of that evil witch, Tapper," Duncan said. "It was very strange how they were smurfing the whole time we thought that they were alive, and yet Smurfette, Polaris, the Smurflings, and Baby were the only ones who noticed what was smurfing on."
"But now that the spell is broken and that we're still alive after what could have happened, do you still long for the days of yesteryear to return, Duncan?" Tapper asked.
"Honestly, I feel more smurfier now than I did back when we were just getting used to Empath's Papa Smurf being our Papa Smurf, laddie," Duncan said. "That doesn't mean that I won't miss my Papa and my Mama, but what it does mean is that I now know for sure who my family really is and that they'll always be there for me no matter what."
"Aye, that is very true, and since we are family, you'll always be my brother," Tapper said. "A toast to family for all generations -- past, present, and future."
"I second that emotion, laddie," Duncan said as he raised up his glass of sarsaparilla ale and clinked it with Tapper's before they drank together.
Meanwhile, Empath and Smurfette were sharing a dance together in the tavern as some Smurf thought to put on music from the record machine to celebrate the new year with.
“So how does it feel to have the damsel Smurf be the one to smurf to your rescue for a change, Empath?” Smurfette asked playfully.
“If you do the job often enough, Smurfette, this smurf may begin to like it a whole lot better,” Empath answered. “Of course, this smurf does wonder at times how you would look in a cape and a costume.”
“I may not smurf in your league as a superhero, but I can still smurf a few things that your minds-eye can’t,” Smurfette remarked.
“Like wrap a golden lasso around this smurf and force this smurf to tell the truth?” Empath asked humorously.
“I just might, if you’re trying to smurf something from me, Empath,” Smurfette answered in jest, laughing with Empath at her own response. “Anyway, I’m sorry about your Mama Smurf having to smurf away from you like that, even if you were under a spell that made you smurf that your Mama Smurf smurfed back to life.”
“This smurf understands, Smurfette,” Empath said. “For the brief time we’ve had together, even if it wasn’t real, she made this smurf feel that she had truly loved me as much as she loved Papa Smurf.”
“But now Papa Smurf is all alone again with us for his family,” Smurfette commented.
“As long as we have each other, Smurfette, none of us will ever be alone,” Empath reminded her. “You’re just as special to this family as any other Smurf this smurf has known.”
“And don’t forget Polaris Psyche, your friend,” Smurfette added. “He’s part of this family, too.”
“Always and forever,” Empath agreed as he and Smurfette kissed each other.
The following morning, as the Smurflings were busy building a bigger and better snow fortress outside their treestump playhouse, they were listening to Reporter on their portable radio device, giving the latest inside village news on Spinner's talk show program. "Smurf has it that Actor's plans for smurfing a movie using the Imaginarium is all smurf to go, with Papa Smurf smurfing the green light on the project," he announced. "What the actual story of the movie will be about is not yet smurfed in stone, though Actor hints that it may be an outer-smurf adventure that's sure to be a smurf-office hit when it may finally smurf on the big screen this smurfing summer. One thing's for sure — Greedy will be hard-smurfed to smurf up all the popcorn he can smurf, because Actor promises that this movie is going to smurf really big!"
"I knew it!" Snappy said as Reporter ended his announcement. "I knew Actor was going to smurf up an action movie! I wonder how Brainy feels about that, since he was smurfing for 'Romeo And Smurfette'!"
"I just hope this movie smurfs with a cartoon feature," Slouchy jested. "That is, if Painter is going to smurf a cartoon feature to smurf with this movie."
"I was smurfonally hoping for 'The Adventures Of Tarsmurf'," Nat mentioned.
"I would have wanted to smurf 'The Wonderful Wizard Of Smurf'," Sassette contributed. "Just like in that dream the four of us smurfed together that night, with me as Dorothy, Nat as the Smurfcrow, Slouchy as the Tin Woodsmurf, and Snappy as the Cowardly Lion, smurfing off Gargamel as the Wicked Witch Of The West."
"That was a smurfally dumb dream!" Snappy commented. "The next time we ever get smurfed in a dream together, I hope I get to smurf the hero — like maybe the one in this movie Actor's smurfing up."
"By the way, Sassy, how was smurfing your own Papa Smurf for the first time in years, even if it was just an illusion?" Slouchy asked.
Sassette sighed. "It was okay for a while, I guess, but the more I smurfed around with him, the more I wanted to smurf time with Pappy — the one who smurfed me out of the crystal I was smurfed in. I think I'm much better off nowadays smurfing my time with you Smurflings than trying to smurf back to how it was before you three even smurfed along."
"We missed having you smurf around with us as well, Sassette," Nat admitted. "I don't think we could really smurf ourselves as the Smurflings if it wasn't for you being a part of us."
Just then, Snappy felt a snowball hit him in the back of his head. "Hey, who the smurf did that?" he asked, suspicious of his three playmates until he saw they were looking at someone casually passing by behind him.
Snappy took a look behind him and saw that it was Polaris Psyche passing by. He looked as if he was just simply minding his own business, doing his usual daily security rounds. But Snappy had a feeling Polaris wasn't all that innocent.
"Let's see him react to this and smurf how he likes it," Snappy said as he formed a snowball in his hand, ready to throw it at Polaris.
"Snappy, you're going to smurf yourself into trouble," Sassette warned him.
"That's Empath's friend," Slouchy hinted with a don't-say-I-didn't-warn-you type of voice. "He smurfs out what you smurfed to him, you'll be in really deep smurf than anything else you smurfed on anybody."
"No Smurf, not even Polaris, smurfs away with smurfing me in the back of the head with a snowball," Snappy persisted, not caring about the consequences of his actions.
Snappy hurled the snowball as fast and as hard as he could toward Polaris, watching to see how he would react. But before the snowball even reached Polaris, it stopped in midair and then flew in the opposite direction right back toward Snappy, hitting him in the face. The other Smurflings laughed as Snappy wiped his face of the snow covering it.
"All right, that does it," Snappy stated with a sour look. "Polaris is truly going to smurf it!"
Empath was with Smurfette walking around the village, watching their fellow Smurfs getting back to life as usual, when they saw Polaris Psyche engaging in a snowball fight with the Smurflings. To Empath's surprise, he sensed that his friend was actually having fun playing with the Smurflings, even though there was no expression on Polaris' face that indicated this.
Smurfette laughed at the sight. "Smurfs like Polaris is becoming more like part of the family, Empath."
Empath nodded in agreement. "This smurf told him all about the fun this smurf had having snowfights with this smurf's fellow Smurfs, Smurfette. To see him finally engage in something he could only imagine doing himself in his younger years, and with a group of Smurfs at that age, makes this smurf feel glad that he's embracing the Smurf way of living."
"Polaris smurftainly had an excellent teacher of the Smurf way of living, I can smurf that," Smurfette commented. "So when do I get to smurf with this 'precious gift' of your Mama Smurf?" She looked at Empath with a suggestive kind of look.
"You sure you don't want to wait until we get married to enjoy that gift, Smurfette?" Empath asked. "This smurf isn't sure that enjoying it now would be a good idea, no matter how tempting it may be for us being that close with each other."
"I can wait as long as you can, Empath," Smurfette responded. "I'm just eager to smurf what the new year we're in has in smurf for us, whether we'll finally smurf the knot together or just stay smurfing friends with each other for another year."
"Even if this smurf could tell you the future of what's going to happen to us, Smurfette, this smurf would still rather take one day at a time and let each day be a surprise for the both of us," Empath declared.
Smurfette sighed, realizing that Empath was right. "Guess some gifts are better off smurfing for the right moment to open."
They continued to walk on like that for the rest of the day, waiting to let tomorrow come when it did.
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VIC GEORGE -- Westfield, MA, USA
"Cat and mouse games really aren't much fun for us mouse types" -- Empath from "Empath The Bandit Smurf"
Posts: 4103 | From: Westfield, MA | Registered: Mar 2003
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