A Wild Winter Solstice/Part 3

"Oh, that's terrible," Smurfette moaned. "I can't believe that you were left smurfing down in a hole without any way to smurf back up."

"This smurf was unconscious at the time, Smurfette, and besides this smurf had not yet mastered the power to telekinesis to fly myself out of that hole," Empath said. "So naturally, when they did not know what to do, the three Smurfs headed back to the village and called for Papa Smurf."

And as Empath's story continued, Smurfette saw in her mind Papa Smurf in his laboratory doing some things when he heard somebody knocking on his door. He went to open and found that it was Hefty, Duncan, and Timber.

"What's the matter, my little Smurfs?" Papa Smurf asked.

"It's Empath, Papa," Duncan answered. "He was with us when we were smurfing down our Winter Solstice tree in the forest and he smurfed down into a hole and we can't seem to smurf a response from him."

"I have a feeling that Empath is in danger and in need of rescue," Timber said.

"Great Smurfness!" Paps Smurf exclaimed. "I will have Miner join you and we will smurf out into the forest together to see if we can find where he is."

And soon Smurfette saw that Miner joined the four Smurfs out in the forest where they found the hole that Empath has fallen into. Miner carefully lowered himself down on a rope, armed with his trusty miner's cap to shine his way into the deep darkness in order to find where Empath may have landed.

The four Smurfs waited patiently and eagerly at the top of the hole, hoping to hear anything. Then they heard, "Aye, I've smurfed the bottom of this shaft, Papa Smurf."

"And what have you found?" Papa Smurf called back.

"Nothing there, Papa Smurf," Miner answered. "Empath's body is gone. If he landed here, he must have awakened and tried to smurf a way out."

"That must mean the laddie is still alive, but where would he be now?" Duncan asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Gutsy," Hefty said.

"Then we'll have to smurf the entire forest to find out where Empath could have gone, if he has escaped from this hole," Papa Smurf said. "Miner, smurf back up right now."

"Coming, Papa Smurf," Miner said. The four of them waited until Miner had reached the surface, feeling like the search was all for nothing.

"This isn't exactly the Winter Solstice that I was expecting, to have one Smurf among us be lost in the forest," Timber said.

"It's not that we've lost anybody really important, Timber," Hefty said. "After all, it's just the star-face from Psychelia."

"I say that Empath is important to us, laddie!" Duncan said, sounding irritated with Hefty's dismissive attitude. "This is his first Winter Solstice with us, and I think he desmurfs better than being lost from us on it."

"Let's not argue about this, my little Smurfs," Papa Smurf said. "As soon as we smurf this tree back to the village, we will start smurfing out a rescue party that will smurf the forest for any sign of Empath. With any luck, we may be able to find him soon."

"Yes, Papa Smurf," the other four Smurfs said together.

To be expanded on.