Pushover Pushes Back/Part 1

Empath's personal journal.

''It is now the time of the Firefly Festival in the Smurf Village. This smurf has missed the one that took place during this smurf's last nine years in Psychelia, so this smurf considers myself fortunate to be a part of the festival this time since this smurf no longer has to return to Psychelia. During the festival, one Smurf is chosen to be the one who will go to the Great Swamp to light a torch with the Foxfire in order to light the Firely Lantern before the end of the second night of the festival, and they must be careful not to extinguish the Foxfire or they will unleash the terrible Marsh Monster that will go on a rampage after whoever extinguished the flame.''

''Since Polaris has been a member of the Smurf Village following his exile from Psychelia, this is the first time that he gets to experience the Firefly Festival in person. This smurf hopes that he will enjoy everything that the festival has to offer without being bound to the Psycehlian belief that the Smurfs engage in reckless immoral celebrations that only prove in the minds of the Psyche that their way of living is the only correct way.'' - Empath and Polaris were both going throughout the village during the preparations for the Firefly Festival, observing all the activities going on. They could see Fiddler, Twanger, and Piper both practicing their music which they will play that night. They could see Hefty and Handy with some other Smurfs working on building a stage for the performers. They could see Party with some other Smurfs assembling the Firefly Lantern and putting up various other decorations. They could see Jokey filling up small rockets full of fireworks that they intend to launch up into the sky at the conclusion of the second night. They could see Greedy and his kitchen crew making up all the food for the festival.

"So how often does this Firefly Festival take place in the village, Empath?" Polaris asked.

"Papa Smurf says that it's once every four to five years, Polaris," Empath answered. "This smurf hasn't had the opportunity of being the one to be chosen to go to the swamp and light the torch with the Foxfire yet."

"But you're hoping that you'll be chosen this time so you can experience the dangerous trek to the Great Swamp and not feel like you've been left out of the festival like you have been during your years away from your people," Polaris surmised.

"If only this smurf didn't have these mind powers that would make the whole task so easy to perform that it's not even a challenge, Polaris," Empath said, heaving a sigh. "It's times like this that this smurf wishes to have been born a regular Smurf like everybody else so this smurf wouldn't feel so left out of anything as a regular Smurf."

"It's not your fault that you were born with those abilities, Empath," Polaris said. "However, according to what some of your fellow Smurfs believe, you were given those abilities at birth for a reason, so as much as you don't like not being like your fellow Smurfs, you should also consider yourself grateful to even have such abilities that make you the envy of everybody else because everybody else would have suffered greatly without them in their time of desperate need."

"This smurf knows, Polaris," Empath said. "But all the same, it would be worth not having these abilities for even a single day so that this smurf could experience the life of a regular Smurf and be able to appreciate all that this smurf can do for them."

The two of them came across another Smurf who was just doing his own thing, cleaning up outside his house to make things look tidy for the upcoming party. "So how are things going for you today, Pushover?" Empath asked.

"That's Pushback to you, Empath, and I'm feeling really great this morning," the Smurf answered a bit roughly.

"So there's no one bothering you about getting you to do things that you don't want to do?" Empath asked.

"Nope, not a single Smurf," Pushback answered. "And that's just the way I like it. Smurfs me plenty of time to smurf my own things for a change."

"So this is the Smurf who was called Pushover," Polaris said, realizing who Empath was talking to. "This one has heard about the kind of problems you were having since you were a Smurfling, fellow Smurf, from what Empath has told this one about you."

"About me being the kind of Smurf that every Smurf could smurf all over like a doormat?" Pushback said. "Yeah, that's been my problem, Polaris, and Empath, Tapper, and Duncan have smurfed their best to counsel me to smurf up for myself and not be that kind of Smurf."

"So how did you eventually become the kind of Smurf who is now called Pushback, if this one is permitted to ask that question of you?" Polaris asked.

"Just to let you know, most of the other details are from Narrator, but from what I know personally, it smurfed back a few years before Empath returned home for good at a Firefly Festival similar to this one, Polaris," Pushback answered.

To be expanded on.