Tapper's Temptations

"Tapper's Temptations" is a mini-story that is part of the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story series.

The Story
It was during the second year of Empath being home for good from being away in Psychelia that his friend Tapper had gone off into the mountains for a period of fasting. He told Papa Smurf and all his fellow Smurfs that he would be gone for forty days and that he would leave Slugger in charge of his tavern until he returns. Although Papa Smurf felt uneasy about the idea of letting Tapper go off into the mountains alone by himself, Tapper assured him that he would be safe and that his Almighty will protect him during the time of fasting. All the Smurfs joined together as they waved goodbye to Tapper before he headed off into the mountains, carrying only his holy book with him.

Things in the Smurf Village continued on as normal during the time Tapper was away, although his friends did become concerned with him, including Empath. He would check on occasion the place where Tapper went to in the mountains to see if his friend was all right, though he did so by aerial sweeps so that Tapper wouldn't notice. Sure enough, Tapper was there in the mountains, looking rather undisturbed as he was deep in prayer, but hardly ever worse for wear.

It was about a month later, after Empath had returned from one of his observations on Tapper, that he had a conversation with his fellow Smurfs about what Tapper was doing.

"I don't get why Tapper wastes his time trying to smurf outside the village for a month without food," Hefty said as he was drinking his Vita-Juice in the tavern.

"He is trying to draw himself closer to the Deity that he has devoted himself to, fellow Hefty," Polaris Psyche answered. "By abstaining from any form of nourishment, he believes that he would have mastery over the temptations of his physical form so that his Deity would be able to use him in a powerful way."

"So this whole thing is about his trying to please this imaginary God of his?" Hefty said.

"Fasting is also a form of purification, Hefty," Empath said. "Sometimes our bodies just build up a lot of unhealthy things that would make us sick if there is no way that we can purge them from our bodies before that happens. The Psyche Master would have this smurf undergo a fast every time this smurf returned to Psychelia in order to purge out all the things from this smurf's body from having to eat Smurf food for a year."

"Well, I still think this whole thing is ridiculous," Hefty said. "I can understand smurfing a good diet to keep yourself healthy, but I sure wouldn't recommend smurfing yourself to death just for the sake of your religion."

"Nobody is forcing you to believe anything, fellow Hefty," Polaris Psyche said. "Whether you choose to put your faith in a deity or not has no bearing on whether this one will continue to associate with you on any level you feel comfortable with."

"I'd be happy to just live and let live as long as nobody is hurting others with whatever it is they believe in, Hefty," Empath said, sounding like he was in agreement with Polaris.

Then came the fortieth day, and as the Smurfs were busy with their everyday tasks, Smurfette was the first to see Tapper return to the village, whistling a song and looking the same as the day that he had left the village. "Greetings, my dear Smurfette," Tapper said as he arrived in the village.

"Oh, Tapper, I'm so happy that you've returned safe," Smurfette said, greeting him with a kiss. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I couldn't feel any better, Smurfette, though I admit that I do feel rather famished from my time of fasting," Tapper answered.

"Greedy can help you with that, Tapper," Smurfette said as she took him to the kitchen.

The other Smurfs gathered around Tapper in the dining room as he sat and ate vegetable broth in order to gain his strength back. "I hope you didn't mind that Empath had to smurf watch over you during the time that you were smurfing in the mountains, Tapper," Papa Smurf said.

"Personally I haven't even noticed anything since the Almighty had smurfed my complete attention on Him, Papa Smurf," Tapper said. "But there was something that happened to me on my final day of fasting that I feel is important to smurf with you."

"What was it that you have experienced, Tapper?" Empath asked.

"Well, it was similar to what the Almighty's Son had experienced during His time of fasting in the wilderness, my fellow Empath," Tapper said. "I had the sense that someone else besides the Almighty was there with me on the mountains, and so I smurfed that there was a Smurf-like figure who looked like the devil. He was saying to me, 'if you are truly a son of the Almighty, command that these stones would be smurfed into bread.'"

"Frilly flamingos, Tapper, what did you do then?" Sassette asked.

"I simply replied to him the same way that the Almighty's Son replied to the Devil...I smurfed him that 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that smurfs from the mouth of God,'" Tapper replied. "And then suddenly I found myself smurfed to the topmost part of a castle, and the devilish Smurf said, 'if you truly are a son of the Almighty, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He shall smurf his angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall smurf you up, that you not smurf your foot upon a stone.'"

"This one can surmise that you didn't go along with that temptation either," Polaris said.

"Nay, Polaris, for I have told him, 'It is also said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God', not that I was saying that I was Him by any means," Tapper said. "But that didn't end there, for he then smurfed me to a mountain overlooking the entire forest, and there in a moment of time I could smurf all the kingdoms of the world. And that devlish Smurf said to me, 'All of this I will give you, if you would just bow down and worship me.' But I told him, 'Away with you, Satan. For it is written, you shall smurf homage to the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.' After that, I was smurfed back to where I was and the Almighty smurfed me that my fasting was over."

"So did you feel like it drew you closer to your Almighty, experiencing the same temptations in the wilderness that His Son had gone through?" Empath asked.

"Oh, I feel now like I can conquer anything through the power of Him who smurfs in me, Empath," Tapper said. "I can only wonder what He has in smurf for me now that I have proven myself to Him."

"You're not hoping that the entire village is going to smurf on a fast with you one of these days, are you, laddie?" Duncan McSmurf asked.

"I just want my fellow Smurfs to know the joy of being smurfed over in their daily lives by the One who has loved them from the beginning of creation, my fellow Duncan, including you," Tapper answered. "As I have yet to hear whether the Almighty wants me to smurf anything besides my bartending duties in the village, I will continue to serve you and Him the best way I know how."

"Anyway, it's good to see you smurfing back to the village safe and sound, my little Tapper," Papa Smurf said as he gave Tapper a hug.