Pushover Pushes Back/Part 4

"Hello there, boys," Smurfette said as she approached Empath and Polaris standing there listening to Pushback tell his story. "So what are you smurfing there today with Pushback?"

"Polaris was curious to know how Pushback became the Smurf that he is today, Smurfette," Empath answered. "He was busy telling what had happened at the Firefly Festival when he substituted for Scaredy as the Foxfire Smurf, and had reached the point where he accidentally snuffed out the Foxfire flame."

"I really didn't mean to do that, Smurfette, to awaken the Marsh Monster back then," Pushback said.

"I believe you, Pushback," Smurfette said. "You were just trying to be a friend to Scaredy, and things just smurfed out of control from that point on. It's too bad that you got smurfed into doing so many things that you didn't want to smurf all because you couldn't say no to anyone."

"It's not that I didn't like smurfing anything for anyone, Smurfette, including you of all Smurfs," Pushback said. "It's just that there's only one of me and I can't smurf everything all by myself, especially for Smurfs who want to use me for smurfing things they should be smurfing themselves."

"You're still a sweet Smurf, even if you're not Pushover anymore," Smurfette said, giving Pushback a kiss on the cheek. "I've got some flower wreathes to smurf, so I'll smurf you three later."

After Smurfette left, Polaris reminded Pushback of the story that he had left to tell the rest of. "So while you were fleeing from what was known as the Marsh Monster, what was Scaredy doing?" he asked.

"Well, from what I smurfed, Scaredy was trying to keep himself from being smurfed by the other Smurfs because he wanted them to know that it was him and not me that smurfed out to the Great Swamp," Pushback answered. "But apparently he got too anxious in his waiting for me to return." - As Pushback continued the story, Empath and Polaris saw that Hefty and Handy were busy setting up the Firefly Lantern on a tall pedestal that had been erected. The lantern was so-named because it looked very much like a firefly, and had little crystals appearing in holes from which the light of the Foxfire flame could shine through in many different colors.

"Good, smurfect," Papa Smurf said as he directed Handy with his crane with the positioning of the lantern of the pedestal with Hefty assisting. "Now we just have to wait for Scaredy to return with the Foxfire to light it and conclude the festival. I just hope the storm over the Great Swamp doesn't frighten him out of his smurfs."

"Well, he'd better hurry, because it's going to be dark soon," Handy said.

"Oooh, doesn't that Firefly Lantern smurf so pretty?" Smurfette said as she came to get a closer look at it with Tapper and Duncan beside her.

"Aye, she's a real beauty all right, my dear lassie," Duncan said. "You just have to wait until it is lit with the Foxfire, and then you'll smurf a sight like you'd never seen before."

"I'm sure it will be something that Smurfette will never forget as long as she smurfs, my fellow Duncan," Tapper said.

"By the by, has anyone seen Pushover today?" Duncan asked.

"Come to smurf of it, Duncan, I really don't know where he would be," Tapper answered. "I think he would be too busy smurfing in from all that he was smurfing on yesterday."

"Oh, really, Tapper, why would you need to be so concerned about a Smurf like Pushover?" Brainy said as he appeared with Clumsy beside him. "He's just that kind of a Smurf that can smurf care of himself more than he really needs us to smurf his hand and smurf care of him all of the time."

"Because no Smurf is an island unto himself, my fellow Brainy," Tapper responded. "Even capable Smurfs like Pushover do need somebody else to help them when things are too much for them to smurf all by themselves."

"But the way you've been smurfing around Pushover all of yesterday, you might as well be smurfing everything unto him while you are smurfing yourself off like a daisy in the sun," Duncan said.

"That's nothing that Papa Smurf really needs to know about, Duncan, because as a wise Smurf once said, out of sight is out of mind, and..." Brainy said.

"What did I not need to know about, Brainy?" Papa Smurf said, overhearing his name being mentioned and joining the Smurfs gathered together around the Firefly Lantern.

Brainy looked as if he was put on the spot to answer for himself. "Well, it's just a matter of how some Smurfs make a big deal out of saying they smurf all the jobs for the other Smurfs in the village, and how other Smurfs don't smurf what they're supposed to be smurfing, Papa Smurf," he said rather weakly, chuckling awkwardly afterward.

"If I hear that you've been using other Smurfs to smurf your own jobs while you smurf it easy smurfing nothing while I'm busy with other things, Brainy Smurf, I will make sure that you will be smurfing more than your fair share of work as suitable punishment," Papa Smurf said a bit sternly. "Is that understood, my little Smurfs?"

"Yes, Papa Smurf," the gathered Smurfs said together.

"Gosh, it's like we can't even smurf favors of any Smurf anymore," Clumsy said as he watched Papa Smurf walk off in another direction.

"Smurfing favors of any Smurf is not the problem, my fellow Clumsy," Tapper said. "It's smurfing advantage of another Smurf's good will to smurf things that you should be smurfing yourself."

"Well, let's hope that Scaredy smurfs back home soon with the Foxfire or else we might as well go smurf off after him," Duncan said with a heavy sigh.

To be expanded on.