Pushover Pushes Back/Part 5

At that point, Tapper and Duncan had shown up during Pushback's telling of the story. "Greetings, my fellow Smurfs and Polaris," Tapper said. "I had sensed in my spirit that you would be smurfing your time here with our friend Pushback learning about how he had smurfed his new name."

"It's not exactly the name I would have chosen if I were him, laddies, but I think it's a name that smurfs him very well," Duncan said.

"Of course, some Smurfs do prefer to call him P.B., as if that's an acceptable alternative to just calling him Pushback, which is a reminder of how a Smurf like him can't be smurfed around anymore," Tapper said.

"This one may not fully appreciate the name that he has now, Tapper, but this one is willing to accept him for the Smurf that he is despite the name," Polaris said.

"You know, it's not polite to talk about a Smurf like Pushback when he's standing in front of us listening to everything we have to say about him as if he wasn't there," Empath reminded.

"You are quite right, Empath," Tapper said. "We're sorry if we were discussing you without letting you become part of the discussion, my fellow Pushback."

"That's all right, Tapper, I'm quite used to it," Pushback said, trying to sound polite despite the rudeness surrounding him.

"Anyway, I think we should let the dear boy smurf the rest of his story to our friends without any further interference from us now," Duncan suggested. "We'll smurf you later at the festival."

After Tapper and Duncan had departed, Pushback continued. "Now where was I? Oh, yes, Papa Smurf was smurfing out into the forest to meet with me and Scaredy when we were smurfing for our lives from the Marsh Monster." - At the point where the story left off, Empath and Polaris both saw Papa Smurf rush off into the forest, where he saw many creatures run for their lives from the presence of a dark voice chanting, "Cursed he who kills the flame, cursed he who gives me pain."

Soon both Scaredy and Pushover arrived with the Foxfire torch. "Papa Smurf...the Marsh Monster..." Scaredy tried to say.

"Scaredy, I thought you said that you didn't smurf out the Foxfire," Papa Smurf said.

"Uh, I did, Papa Smurf," Pushover said. "Scaredy was too scared to smurf out to the Great Swamp to light the torch with the Foxfire, so he asked me to smurf it for him, and I did, but then I smurfed loose some rocks, and...well, the whole thing was an accident."

"Perhaps I should have cautioned you more," Papa Smurf scolded. "Now because of your carelessness, some Smurf must now smurf back to the Great Swamp and relight the flame."

"You...you mean...g-g-g-g-go back?!?" Scaredy said, finding himself shaking at the mere thought of doing so.

"Cursed he who kills the flame, cursed he who gives me pain," the Marsh Monster chanted, sounding like he was getting much closer to the village.

Pushover sighed. "I'll go, Papa Smurf. I'm the one responsible for smurfing out the flame and smurfing the job I wasn't supposed to."

"I-I-I-I'll go too, Papa Smurf," Scaredy said. "That was supposed to be my job."

"Very well then," Papa Smurf said, handing over an object to Scaredy. "Take this scroll and read it in time of need when you reach the Great Swamp. This will calm the creature long enough for you to smurf the job that you need to smurf with the Foxfire. Now go and may the spirits of the Smurfs be with you."

"Yes, Papa Smurf," Scaredy and Pushover both said together.

"And remember that it's all right to be afraid, my little Smurfs," Papa Smurf reminded them. "Everybody is a little afraid sometimes, including me."

"Come on, Scaredy, let's get smurfing if he want to get the Foxfire relit," Pushover prompted. "I'll be right beside you."

"Uh...coming right with you, Pushover," Scaredy said, swallowing hard before he and Pushover ventured out into the forest to head back to the Great Swamp.

To be expanded on.