Birth of a Smurf-02

Birth of a Smurf

Chapter 2: The Problem with Flamed Lights

"To be frank, I had smurfed about this place for my job, but this isn't what I was to be doing." Shadow Smurf began.  "Even so, it means that I will be smurfing around here for quite some time."
"I will warn you now, Shadow.  Such unsmurfy behavior will not be smurfed in tis village." Papa Smurf tells Shadow Smurf.  "You will condone yourself like the rst of us, in smurfy and orderly fashion."
"Not my style, and not gonna happen." Shadow Smurf tosses the purple wisp into the air, then from inside of his jacket, a glass jar is pulled out.
What will he do with that? thought Narrator Smurf.
Shadow Smurf opens the jar and holds it upright, and seconds later, the wisp lands inside of it.  Shadow Smurf corks the jar afterward.  "Now where was I..." he trails off, "Oh yes, this.  This isn't a fireball, it is what is called a 'flamed light'. When you smurf the bucket, your soul begins to burn out in the form of a flamed light, only that light is blue.  Stork souls have a purple flamed light, but each flamed light is valued by their burning brightness."

"Quit trying to scare Sassette with your nonesense, Shadow." Gutsy Smurf demands.
"Trying, I am scared." Sassette says.
"I'm not here for you, Sassette, but if you want to be scared... then be scared." Shadow Smurf says.
"Enough games.  Let's use smurfocracy on the matter." Brainy Smurf said.  "All in favor of kicking Shadow Smurf out of the village, raise your hand."
All of the Smurfs around raised a hand, except for Smurfette, Narrator Smurf and Papa Smurf.  "Smurfocracy prevails again." Crazy Smurf says.
"I don't hate smurfocracy in this sense." Grouchy Smurf said.
"Either way, motion's carried." Gutsy Smurf said.  "Hefty, let's send Shadow on his way."
"My pleasure." Hefty Smurf said.

Every Smurf watched as Gutsy and Hefty escorted Shadow Smurf out of the village.  Despite the eerie mood, he gave no trouble, only a glance to Smurfette... then, he was gone.  I have a very unsmurfy feeling that Shadow will be back, but I would rather not jinx it.  The next day, we laid the stork to rest, and then went back to our regular and happy lives.
"Narrator Smurf, can I have a word with you?" Harmony Smurf asks.
"Of course." Narrator Smurf answers.
"Great, now come with me."
Harmony Smurf took Narrator Smurf to his mushroom and the two went straight to the blackboard.  "I've never seen you smurf a song like this." Narrator Smurf said as he looked at the notes on the blackboard.
"To be honest, Narrator, this song isn't mine." Harmony Smurf said.  "Ever since it was played, I couldn't smurf it from my mind.  It's the song that played before Shadow showed up..."
"Does this matter?"
"You heard it... it was an unsmurfy and distorted version of our La la Song."

"Did you record it?" asked Narrator Smurf.
"I did.  Listen." Harmony Smurf answered and passed a pair of headphones to Narrator Smurf.
Narrator Smurf put the headphones on and listened to the song, then he removed the headphones.  "It's a sad La la Song."
"I know."

CRASH!  BOOM!
*

The sound of that crash and boom was heard by the entire village and every Smurf went to see what had smurfed to make this event.  "Does anyone see anything?" Papa Smurf asked.
"No!" cried other Smurfs.
"Keep looking everyone, we have to smurf that thing."
Five minutes pass, but no one found anything.
"We're sorry, Papa, but I didn't see anything." Brainy Smurf said.
"It's okay, Brainy, it'll turn up sooner or later." Papa Smurf said.
Sassette comes running up.  "Everyone, I found it!" she shouts.  "I found a stork, and it's in bad shape."
"Another stork?" a Smurf asks.
"Oh no!" cried a second Smurf.
Nurse Smurf soon appears.  "Get your shovels everyone, there's much to do." he says.
"But the stork..." Sassette trails off.
"It's too late, Sassette.  That stork has smurfed the bucket."
"No!"

Sassette and Nurse Smurf lead us to the fallen stork.  It's true, another one had smurfed the bucket, but that wasn't all.  Doctor Smurf did a bit of surgery and found six undeveloped eggs inside of it.  "We lost a mama stork, and her chicks?" Smurfette asked.
"Yes." Doctor Smurf answered.  "But this isn't the only one."
"There's another?" Papa Smurf asked.
"Nurse Smurf found one that had smurfed the bucket near the riverbank before this stork was lost."
"Show me."
Nurse Smurf led Papa Smurf and company to the other fallen stork.  This one had a foul stench coming from it.  "Oh my smurf, this is horrible." Smurfette said.  "In just two days, we've lost nine storks."
"Smurfette is right, Papa." Brainy Smurf said.  "It can't be just ill-fated luck that these storks had smurfed the bucket in such a short time.  Something is wrong."
"Everyone, to the the village hall, it's time for a meeting."

The village hall was packed like sardines, but everyone was here.  "Smurf yourselves, everyone." Papa Smurf began.  "All of us are here for a specific reason, and it's time to smurf to the unsmurfy details.  As Smurfette made note of, a total of nine storks have smurfed the bucket within the past two days, and near the village to say the least.  Storks are important to us Smurfs, so the news is very unsmurfy to smurf."
"Should we be concerned?" asked Clumsy Smurf.
"Yes and no." Papa Smurf answered.  "This is sad news, but things smurf for a reason."
"Here's a reason I'd like to smurf about." Brainy Smurf began.  "The three sotrks that we found had no Baby Smurf with them.  I say this new is very unsmurfy."
"Not me." Handy Smurf said.  "I say we should smurf our blessings that no Baby Smurf was found with those storks, it means we won't have to smurf the loss of them."
"It also means that we should be concerned." Brainy Smurf continues.  "If this keeps up, there won't be any storks left to give Baby Smurfs to the village."
"Would Gargamel do such an unsmurfy thing?" asked Sassette.
"No, Sassette." Papa Smurf answered.  "Gargamel is very unsmurfy, but even he wouldn't make storks smurf the bucket."
"Not his style," Hefty Smurf said, "but I bet Shadow Smurf has something to do with this."

There were various gasps amongst the mouths of the Smurfs, and oddly enough, Shadow Smurf wasn't currently in the town hall.  "I'm with Hefty." Gutsy Smurf said.  "Storks didn't start smurfing the bucket until he showed up."
"Now that's unfair, shame on both of you." Smurfette scolds Handy and Gutsy Smurf.  "You smurfed him out of the village, and now you accuse him of such an unsmurfy thing?"
"Don't tell me you actually care for Shadow..." Gutsy Smurf folded his arms.
"Smurfette is right, Gutsy." Papa Smurf said.  "This notion of yours and Hefty's is without proof."
"It's also incorrect."
Everyone in the town hall turned to the door and there stood Super Drive with his back against the door.  "Oh my Smurf!  Super Drive, it's good to see you again." Smurfette said while giving Super Drive a hug.
"I missed you too, Smurfette." Super Drive said.  "Aside from hearing about Shadow Smurf, which is a name I've heard before, the stork problem is serious."
The other Smurfs began to whisper and mumble to themselves.  Of all of the Smurfs to fill them in on such a thing, Super Drive is one of them.  He's one of a few Smurfs that left the village, but is the main one to travel around the world in his race car.  "Storks are smurfing the bucket all around the world, Papa.  And that most unsmurfiest news of this is that no Baby Smurfs have been seen with them."
"Super Drive, pardon my subject change, but do you know about Shadow Smurf?" asked Narrator Smurf.
"Not much, but I saw him with my own eyes." Super Drive answered.  "That memory will never smurf my mind:  A Smurf that wore all black, a gaze as cold as a winter night and a scythe that can smurf down a tree with one swing.  Shadow Smurf's mantle deals with the dead."
Everyone turned to Brainy Smurf.  "A mantle in this case is a title, or rank." Brainy Smurf explains.
"That's right, Brainy, and it's the second mantle in smurfkind." Super Drive said.

Clapping is soon heard, and seconds later, right in the center of the room, that familiar summoning circle appeared, and Shadow Smurf not soon after... folded arms and all.  "Well look who came back to get the boot again..." Gutsy Smurf trailed off.
"I will smurf you once, so pay attention." Shadow Smurf began.  "I let you smurf me from the village, that was a 'choice' of mine.  You won't be able to do so against my will."
Super Drive walks around Shadow Smurf, a half stunned, half shocked expression on his face.  This is not the same Shadow Smurf that I remember... he thought.
"So you must be the Smurf they call Super Drive.  I must say, you flame doesn't burn as bright as the winds have said."
"Shadow, now is not the time for your unsmurfy monologue." Papa Smurf said.  "I will not allow you to scare the other Smurfs in the village."
Gutsy Smurf got right into Shadow's face.  "You don't scare me, laddie, and you never will." he said.
Shadow Smurf smirks.  "That's right, Gutsy.  That's how I want you, bold to the bitter end.  This way, it'll be very smurfy when the time comes for me to smurf your soul."  he says.
"Your threats don't scare me either."
"How about this one then..."  Shadow Smurf places his arms behind him and begins circling Gutsy Smurf, keeping his eyes on him the entire time.
"What the smurf are you doing?" Gutsy Smurf asked.
"Nice and slow, just for you." Shadow Smurf said, with all things, a smile.
"I don't like this." Narrator Smurf whispered to Super Drive.
"You aren't the only one." Super Drive whispered back.

And Shadow smurf began, ♪Someone's smurfing the buckeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet, here I come.  Someone just smurfed the buckeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet, Shadow's coming...♪
Shadow Smurf continued his slow, ominous song.  "This is unsmurfy, Shadow Smurf doesn't sing." Super Drive whispered to Narrator Smurf.
"I don't like this..." Narrator Smurf whispered back.
♪I found who smurfed the bucket heeeeeeeeeeeeeere...♪ and Shadow Smurf turned to meet Gutsy Smurf face to face.  Then, with a louder voice, ♪Shadow's smurfed and gone!♪
"Shadow, that's enough!" Papa Smurf roared.  "Smurf yourself out of the village, none of us will smurf such unsmurfy behavior, not even from you."
Shadow Smurf turns his back to Papa Smurf and looks at the door.  "Storks are wetland birds, Papa.  And the wetlands of the world are drying up." he says, and then slowly creeps towards the door.  All of the other Smurfs part like the Red Sea to let him pass.  "With no wetlands, Storks have no place to live, feed, and most importantly, smurf more storks.  Soon, the storks of the world will be gone.  I know, I can see the burning of their purple flamed lights.  And when the last stork smurfs the bucket, your greatest nightmare that you never smurfed will begin."
"Great, another Smurfageddon... or is it Smurfpocalypse?" Clumsy Smurf questioned.
"Smurftinction." Shadow Smurf corrected.

Every Smurf, including Gutsy Smurf gasped in horror from the sound of the word.  Shadow Smurf smiled again, but fully this time.  "When smurftinction smurfs into action, I will end up as the last Smurf, as it is my job to smurf the souls of all of you.  That is my purpose, a very unsmurfy purpose at that.  And when the last of you has smurfed through the river to the afterlife, I will follow.  And thus, smurftinction will end... and not even Papa's magic, or Gutsy's bold and vigilant spirit will help you."

We all watched Shadow Smurf as he left the town hall, taking twenty pases, and then the summoning circle sumrfed at his feet.  And as he sank slowly, Shadow Smurf whistled a tune... a tune that has smurfed itself in Harmony Smurf's mind ever since Crazy first played it and Shadow Smurf first appeared.