The Rise And Fall Of Smurfy Tower/Part 1

Polaris Psyche's personal journal entry.

''We are coming near the end of winter, and just as the mood of the Smurfs is turning hopeful for better days, we have almost suffered a loss in that Empath, in his usual act of bravery, had taken the full brunt of a magical explosion that had erupted in our village recently during one of Papa Smurf's experiments that had gone awry. Though surprisingly nothing in the laboratory was damaged in the explosion, this made most of the village concerned over what had happened to Empath and what effects the explosion will have on Empath. This one has stayed by Empath's bedside during the time of his recovery in the hopes that he will recover from this unfortunate happenstance and will guide him into full restoration of his health and abilities.'' - It is another snowy day in the Smurf Village, as Smurfette went to the village infirmary to check up on Empath in his current condition. She could feel the chilly icy wind blowing on her exposed skin, making her feel as if the winter was never going to end and that there was going to be nothing to look forward to but endless days of snow and cold, despite Tracker telling her that warm weather is going to come within the next few weeks.

Smurfette was so concerned with her thoughts about Empath and the winter that she didn't see the small patch of ice that her foot stepped on until she felt herself slipping and falling on her back.

Tapper saw Smurfette fall on her back just as he was passing by. "Oh, let me smurf you back on your feet, my dear," Tapper said as he reached out and gently raised her back on her feet again.

"Thanks, Tapper," Smurfette said, sounding a bit relieved.

"I was smurfing from the infirmary to check up on Empath's condition, to see if he was yet conscious enough, and so far there hasn't yet been a stir," Tapper reported. "I have been praying for him ever since he had been smurfed out by the explosion, but it feels like a spiritual battle between heaven and hell smurfing on with him."

Smurfette sighed. "I was hoping that this would be the day that he would recover, Tapper. You think my going to visit him now would be a waste of time?"

"Not at all, my dear Smurfette," Tapper said. "In fact, I feel in my spirit that your presence is what smurfs Empath back to the living. He knows how much you care for him and that you are the very reason that he would want to live."

"Well, he is very special to me, just like all of you are, Tapper," Smurfette said. "But on these cold nights, I could only wish that he alone was there with me to help smurf me warm."

Tapper chuckled slightly. "These nights certainly make all of us wish that we could smurf a bit of intimate companionship with you, if I do be bold enough to smurf my thoughts with you, my dear. But I am always aware of the need to keep ourselves pure in body, soul, and spirit even in desperate times when the weather isn't so comfortable for us to smurf alone."

"Oh, how much I want this winter to end," Smurfette said as she shivered. "I don't even know how long I'm going to last smurfing in my house all the time, having to smurf out only to have meals with my friends and to smurf some important errands."

"I understand the feeling of cabin fever we're all smurfing through, Smurfette," Tapper said. "But as long as we have friends smurfing out for each other during these smurfing times, I'm sure that we're all going to smurf through. I could only wish at times that I could smurf through the winter like Lazy does, not smurfing out of bed until the end of winter."

"Well, I'm going to smurf on my way to the infirmary now," Smurfette said. "Thank you by smurfing by to tell me how Empath's smurfing."

"Smurf care of yourself, my dear, and remember that I'm always praying for you," Tapper said, smiling before he and Smurfette went their own ways.

At the infirmary, Brainy and Clumsy were already there paying Empath a visit with Polaris Psyche sitting by his bedside. "Uh, hi, Smurfette," Clumsy said, trying to be polite.

"Hello, Clumsy," Smurfette greeted back. "I wasn't expecting you or Brainy being here at this time visiting Empath."

"Well, I just want to make sure my half-brother is smurfing well from that magical explosion that nearly smurfed his life, Smurfette," Brainy said. "That, and because I was getting so bored smurfing around in my house with nothing but my old books to smurf through during this long period of winter."

"This winter has sure been a chilly one, Smurfette," Clumsy said. "I'm not even sure of when we're ever going to smurf a warm day in the village."

"I know how you feel, Clumsy," Smurfette said. "I wonder if you can smurf me some time alone so that I can be with Empath."

"You mean right now, Smurfette?" Brainy asked. "But we've just smurfed here, and we're not even finished with..."

"Oh, sure, Smurfette, we can smurf that," Clumsy said, eager to get himself going. "Uh, Brainy, aren't you coming?"

Brainy sighed. "Very well, Clumsy. We can smurf back here to visit Empath later, if you insist." He and Clumsy then headed for the door and left the infirmary.

Smurfette then turned to Polaris Psyche. "Are you all right in here, being alone in here monitoring Empath's condition?" she asked.

"So far Empath's condition has remained stable, Smurfette, so there's nothing that this one can do at the moment for him," Polaris replied. "This one senses that you wish to be alone with Empath, so this one will respectfully move to the other room so that you can have your private time visiting him."

"Thanks, Polaris," Smurfette said, smiling. Polaris just nodded before he got up from his seat and headed for the other room.

Smurfette sat down beside Empath in his bed and reached out to hold his hand. She could see him resting peacefully on the bed, still unconscious. "I don't know if you can hear me, Empath, but I want you to know that I'm still thinking of you every day. I still remember that you smurfed me about our future, that we're going to be married and smurf a child together. I wasn't sure what to think of it, of whether that's actually going to happen between us. But the more I smurf with you, the more I wish that I could have that future be fulfilled with us now rather than later. Maybe neither of us are completely ready for that day to smurf, but no matter what happens, I'm not going to smurf up on you, not now and not ever. You hear that?"

Smurfette continued to look at Empath's face as he continued to rest, unresponsive. She leaned her face over his and kissed him on the lips to let him know how much she loved him. - Brainy and Clumsy were talking with each other as they walked away from the infirmary. "Ooooh...even as bundled as I am, I'm still feeling cold out here," Clumsy said as he shivered in his heavy jacket.

"This certainly isn't the day for smurfing out of our houses, Clumsy," Brainy said. "Right now, though, I'm not thinking about anything else but our good friend and my half-brother Empath. This is the closest that we have seen him having a smurf with death in all our years."

"You mean that there's a chance that Empath's going to smurf away if he doesn't recover, Brainy?" Clumsy asked.

"That's exactly what I'm fearing, Clumsy, but it's just not his absence that I'm wondering about," Brainy answered. "Rather, it's who's going to smurf the void of being Papa Smurf's assistant counselor if the worst should happen to him."

"Well, maybe Tapper will smurf the void," Clumsy suggested. "He seems good at smurfing advice to his fellow Smurfs whenever we need it."

"Tapper's got a tavern to run, Clumsy," Brainy said. "He can't smurf aside that and leave us with nowhere to smurf to in order to relax and unwind after a hard day's smurf if he's going to smurf beside Papa Smurf all day."

"Who knows?" Clumsy said. "Maybe Papa Smurf will choose you to smurf that role."

"Me as the assistant counselor...that's going to smurf over very well," Brainy said sarcastically. "Most of my fellow Smurfs would want to smurf me on a flight out of the village rather than smurf any good counsel from me, the wisest and smartest Smurf in the village who is second only to Papa Smurf."

"I don't know who else I can think of besides you or Tapper, Brainy," Clumsy said. "I just wish I knew as much as Empath does so I could smurf something."

Just then, Hefty came jogging by, dressed up warmly in a scarf, mittens, and jogging clothes. "So how's my favorite loser in the village doing today?" Hefty asked as he stopped by to talk to Brainy and Clumsy.

"You're just jealous that you're not as smart as me, Hefty," Brainy replied. "And for your information, we were just visiting Empath at the infirmary today to see how he was smurfing."

"Oh, so it's all about Empath today," Hefty said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Well, better him not smurfing anything today than him smurfing himself out to be the all-important savior of the village like he normally smurfs."

"All-important savior?" Clumsy said. "Uh, gee, I don't see Empath smurfing that of himself every day. Do you, Brainy?"

"That just goes to show how jealous some people are, Clumsy," Brainy said. "Hefty has to realize that little fact for himself that he's going to always smurf second-fiddle to someone like Empath."

"Not if I have anything to smurf about it, Brainy," Hefty said. "Well, anyway, don't smurf out here for too long." With that, Hefty started jogging away.

"The nerve of that Hefty, always belittling his betters because he has nothing better to smurf his time with," Brainy scoffed. "One of these days he's going to see just how much better off he is with Smurfs like me and Empath smurfing things in the village."

"It's a good thing he doesn't know our little secret, Brainy," Clumsy said, whispering the "our little secret" part so that others wouldn't hear.

"What 'little secret' is that...your personal infatuation with me?" Brainy said. "Really, Clumsy, I don't mind you smurfing that secret with me, but in all honesty, there's nothing that can ever smurf between the two of us in that fashion. It's not like we could even marry each other."

"But what if we could marry each other, Brainy?" Clumsy asked.

"That's something Mother Nature wouldn't even allow if it would make the two of us happier on the off-chance that Smurfette does marry one of the Smurfs in this village, so you might as well smurf that right out of your head," Brainy said.

Clumsy sighed. "Uh, I guess you're right about that, Brainy."

"Don't worry, Clumsy," Brainy said, trying to sound sympathetic. "We'll find a way to smurf through the latter years of our lives, trust me."

To be expanded on.