A Haunted Christmas/Part 5

"So let me get this straight...even after the 'ghost' has been revealed to be a human inside a metal suit, there's still another actual ghost that he says has been haunting the place?" Empath asked.

"That is a very curious turnout of events, given how the Smurfs have gone through all the trouble of unmasking the first 'ghost'," Polaris commented.

"I wasn't sure of what to believe, Empath," Smurfette said. "I was just so concerned with being so hungry that I wasn't focused on thinking about this other 'ghost', which turned out to also not be a ghost."

"This smurf understands how you were feeling at the time, Smurfette," Empath said. "Being hungry for a long period of time isn't something that this smurf can readily tolerate, even having gone through such training as a Psyche to endure periods of no nourishment."

"But it has nonetheless served us well, Empath, as this one is certain our fellow Tapper can attest to for his private worship sessions with his Almighty," Polaris said.

"So Lord Poppery has invited you all for a meal in his kitchen, even if he didn't have much to serve you," Empath said. "Let's hear what else has happened from there."

And as Smurfette continued to tell her story, Empath and Polaris saw the Smurfs were sitting around a big table, having books and cushions and various things placed on their seats to give them a boost, and were each given a tiny tea cup saucer for a plate. Most of them seemed very eager for the meal to start, though Smurfette noticed that Tapper was in quiet prayer with his eyes closed.

"What's Tapper doing right now, Duncan?" Smurfette asked, speaking low so that Tapper would not hear.

"That's just the laddie smurfing his prayers to that Almighty of his, lassie," Duncan replied, also speaking low. "He's always smurfing that to make sure that the food is blessed before he eats it, no matter what kind of food it is."

"You mean the Smurfs don't pray when they smurf their food?" Smurfette asked.

"The only thing we pray for, Smurfette, is that the food is smurfy enough to eat, and not to some deity that only exists because Tapper smurfs that He does," Duncan said.

"I'm beginning to think it's very noble of Tapper to be praying for his meal, Duncan," Smurfette said. "After what we had smurfed through, we're very fortunate to be smurfing a meal at all from anybody."

"If that's what you want, lassie, I'm not going to stop you from smurfing that," Duncan said.

Then Lord Poppery entered with a silver platter covered with a domed lid. "Here it is, my fellow Smurfs," he announced. "It's not much, but it should be enough to feed every one of you."

"We are very thankful that you could offer us anything to eat, Lord Poppery," Papa Smurf said.

Then Lord Poppery removed the lid, and the Smurfs saw that it was a single human-sized slice of bread. "That's it for our meal?!?" Greedy said in utter shock.

"I hate just smurfing a single slice of bread for a meal," Grouchy said. And the other Smurfs also seemed to share the same opinion.

"Now, now, my little Smurfs, this isn't how we should treat our host if this is all he has left to serve us," Papa Smurf said.

"I'm sure that a single slice of bread will be sufficient for smurfing our stomachs, Lord Poppery, though I am concerned about your hunger," Tapper said.

"Oh, don't worry about me...this is something that I've been used to for quite a while," Lord Poppery said as he sharpened up his knife for cutting the bread into tiny slices. "Every bit of food in this place has been slowly disappearing."

But just before Lord Poppery could begin slicing the bread, a rat crawled up onto the table and grabbed the slice, quickly running off with it.

"Hey, that's our food!" Greedy shouted.

"Let's go get him!" Hefty said, as he and several other Smurfs got up from their seats to chase after the rat.

"You dirty rat! Smurf back here with our bread!" Nabby yelled as he joined the chase throughout the castle.

The rat slipped through a crack in the wall with the slice of bread, which the Smurfs followed him through, only to find themselves falling when they couldn't make the sudden turn that the rat did to escape his pursuers. They landed on a big pile of glittery metal that broke their fall.

"Is every Smurf all right?" Papa Smurf asked those who were chasing after the rat.

"I think so, Papa Smurf, though I don't have any idea where we are right now," Brainy said.

"Great Smurfiny Crickets, Papa Smurf, look around us," Tapper said, noticing the glittery metal they had fallen upon.

The Smurfs looked, and sure enough, they found that where they landed in was a room-sized mountain of gold, jewels, and treasure...enough to help Lord Poppery restore his pantry for a good long while.

"Amazing...simply amazing," Papa Smurf exclaimed as he looked at all the treasure he and his Smurfs have found. "We must let Lord Poppery know about what's happened to his wealth at once."

To be expanded on.