Is There A Doctor In The Village?/Part 7

"That is a very interesting story you have told this one about Dabbler Smurf," Polaris said as soon as Smurfette's story had ended. "This one appreciates your efforts in telling it."

"I'm very happy to tell it to you, now that Dabbler is now Doctor Smurf," Smurfette said. "I don't think the village will ever be the same from this day forward."

"This smurf had a sense years ago that something like this was going to happen in this life, but this smurf wasn't sure of which direction it was going to take until it happened," Empath said.

"So you knew years ago that Dabbler was going to be a doctor, Empath?" Polaris asked.

"It was more of what the Smurfs call a hunch, Polaris...that feeling inside that you get about something that you know is for certain but you're not sure how it's going to happen until it does," Empath explained. "Tapper may think it is more of a spiritual sensitivity, but this smurf doesn't possess that entity that he calls the Holy Spirit to call it anything like that."

"I think that you've smurfed a glimpse of the future, Empath, that you smurfed this day was coming long before it did," Smurfette suggested.

"Honestly, Smurfette, this smurf cannot see far off into any Smurf's future by will," Empath said.

"But you know that you and me are going to smurf together years down the smurf," Smurfette said.

"This smurf is more willing to let each day come and reveal what's in store for us, Smurfette," Empath said. "It's not good to live your life too fast, as Tapper would say, because then you wouldn't be able to 'stop and smurf the roses,' so to speak."

"This one wonders if Dabbler had other serious cases to deal with before the time that this one became a member of your village, Empath," Polaris said.

"He's mostly had to deal with Sickly coming to him with various things that he claims he's coming down with, although this smurf and Papa Smurf know that they're mostly psychosomatic in nature," Empath said. "All Papa Smurf could ever prescribe him was vegetable broth to make him feel better, which works more like a placebo than an actual cure, but it hasn't stopped Dabbler from trying his hand at giving him various types of remedies to use."

"And each day Sickly comes to Dabbler and complains about something much worse when he tries the remedy," Smurfette said with a snicker.

"This one wonders if Sickly would be better off just using Papa Smurf's remedy for his imagined ailments instead of trying everything else that's being offered to him," Polaris commented.

"Sickly will eventually come around, sooner or later, Polaris," Empath said. "We just have to be patient with him, that's all."

Suddenly they could hear, "Stand back, Smurfs! We've smurfed an emergency!"

Empath, Smurfette, and Polaris turned to see that Dabbler and Papa Smurf were carrying Sickly on a stretcher. "Great Ancestors, what has happened to Sickly?" Empath asked out of concern.

"I'm afraid that this may be a smurfious case of appendismurfus, Empath," Dabbler said. "We may have to smurf an operation on him to take care of it."

"We'll let you know how it succeeds, my little Smurfs," Papa Smurf said. "Quickly, Doctor Smurf, we don't have any time to lose."

"Yes, sir, Papa Smurf, right away," Dabbler said as he and Papa Smurf proceeded with carrying Sickly to the infirmary.

"An operation seems like a rather primitive way of dealing with the condition that this one was sensing from Sickly, Empath," Polaris said. "Perhaps an applied use of our minds-eye may be more effective."

"No, Polaris," Empath said. "This is something that this smurf must leave in the hands of Doctor Smurf. After all, he seems pretty capable to dealing with it himself."

"It's sure smurfy to know that there's a doctor in the village, at the very least," Smurfette said with a smile.

THE END