Under The Cat's Paw/Part 2

"Holy hickory nuts, I wouldn't think that you'd be such a friend to the animals like myself or Tracker, Tapper," Nat said. "Hearing you smurf of that makes me feel that I should have been there smurfing those things with you."

"If you had been around during that time, my fellow Nat, I would have invited you to smurf along with me," Tapper said.

"Yeah, but we were too busy wondering where Baby Smurf went when we were still smurfing on Smurfling Island," Snappy said.

"And Nat had his hands full with smurfing the wildlife over there," Slouchy said.

"I only wish that I could be there on Smurfling Island to smurf it for myself," Sassette said with a wistful sigh. "The more these boy Smurflings talk about it, the more it makes me interested in visiting that place just to see what it smurfs like."

"Yeah, right, like we'd ever take you smurfing to that island if we ever decide to smurf back there someday," Snappy said.

"This smurf would be curious to visit that place, if it were possible for this smurf, Snappy," Empath said. "You three have had the enviable privilege of experiencing firsthand all the adventures you have lived through with Smurfling Pan."

"You dream of smurfing to that fantastical place, Empath, but my dream is smurfing to the place that the Almighty has prepared for those who will love and follow Him until the day that He calls His believers home," Tapper said. "Now that will be a place worth visiting."

"That shining city called New Jerusalem," Empath said, realizing what Tapper was talking about. "That indeed would be a sight to behold."

"So tell us what else happened in your story, Tapper," Slouchy said. "How did you end up having to smurf with Azrael when he was helpless in the forest like this kitten?"

"A little patience is all I ask, my fellow Slouchy, because I'm getting there," Tapper said. "It was on the following day that me and my fellow Smurfs have smurfed out into the forest to collect sarsaparilla when Azrael smurfed into something that was set up in the forest to catch us or the other animals, but let me smurf this straight from the beginning of the day..." - As Tapper continued his story, Empath saw in the unfolding of events Tapper sitting at the breakfast table with his friend Duncan and a few other Smurfs.

"You need me to help smurf in the sarsaparilla for brewing more of your ale, right, laddie?" Duncan asked.

"I was hoping that you would offer your services, Duncan," Tapper said. "You sound a bit cautious of wanting to join me and some of my fellow Smurfs."

"There isn't anywhere that I wouldn't want to smurf with you, Tapper," Duncan said. "It's just that I have a smurfing in my gut that where you're smurfing in the forest to get the sarsaparilla may be dangerous."

"Oh, Duncan, you should know by now that I do not need to fear for myself or for my fellow Smurfs as long as the Almighty is with me," Tapper said. "I can always feel His protective hand smurfing around me at all times, and as long as that's the case, I know that there's no danger that can ever besmurf me."

"I don't think I can fully understand this faith you have in this Almighty that you've been smurfing about for years, laddie," Duncan said.

"You don't need to fully understand the Almighty...you only need to trust Him and believe in Him," Tapper said. "His Son says that if you have faith the grain of a mustard seed, you can go tell a mountain to go smurf itself into the sea, and it will be done for you."

"I can only wonder how many times you have ever smurfed that about Gargamel," Duncan said. "He seems to be one of those mountains that refuses to be smurfed into the sea no matter how many times you try to smurf at him to do so."

"I have a feeling that the Almighty is smurfing something about Gargamel that will either bring about his redemption or his removal, one or the other," Tapper said. "If it takes his being smurfed out of the forest for good for the redemption to smurf place, I will leave it in the hands of the Almighty to perform it."

"It's too bad Jokey's attempt to redeem Gargamel by making him think he's being smurfed to his final judgment didn't last," Duncan said.

"Such trickery will never bring about the actual change of heart that the everlasting love of the Almighty is capable of smurfing, my good Duncan," Tapper said. "Somewhere in that heart of stone that Gargamel has is a broken soul that's just crying out to be loved without any judgment, and I hope to someday be able to smurf into that place where he can see that the Smurfs are not his enemies, and neither is the Almighty."

To be expanded on.