Chapter 1

Empath's personal journal.

It is the start of yet another day, exactly 344 days since this smurf left Psychelia for good.  This smurf cannot detect anything going on today that would be out of the ordinary, either in the forest or in the village, just your average normal day, as most Smurfs are fond of saying.  And yet this smurf has had an unusual experience, similar to the one this smurf had almost half a year ago.  Again it is that feeling associated with having visions of things yet to come -- only instead of seeing things that will happen, this smurf saw brief images of things of a life that would have happened differently if different choices have been made.

This smurf is uncertain of what could be causing these images to appear from out of nowhere, but nonetheless this smurf seems to be as functional as before this smurf had this experience.  Maybe this smurf needs to visit the Imaginarium, if and when Handy gets it back up and in operation, so that this smurf could look through these images a bit more closely.  Perhaps they are just part of the real Empath Smurf -- the part that was once called Empathy -- still trying to fully resurface and reclaim what this smurf had lost.

In the meantime, this smurf's thoughts are still toward Smurfette, the one Smurf that this smurf has become more attached to.  We are still very friendly toward each other, and yet there is a sense of closeness that this smurf feels -- a feeling much stronger than that of being close to this smurf's fellow Smurfs, or even to Papa Smurf.  This smurf can only assume that Smurfette also feels this same closeness as well.  In time, perhaps, this smurf hopes that this friendship with Smurfette would grow into a romance, for this smurf does not wish to endure the rest of this smurf's life without companionship.

This smurf still wonders about Papa Smurf, even since he finally admitted to having a crush with Smurfette, and ever since she's admitted to loving him only as a father.  How comfortable are the two of them now with each other?

Empath saw Smurfette out by the gardens that surrounded her house on what was another beautiful morning.  Somehow it always seemed that whatever blossoms she was cultivating never failed to become more radiant wherever they grew around her, though he knew their beauty could never surpass that of Smurfette herself.  She was the one true beautiful thing in the world that his eyes could never stop beholding.

"Salutations, Smurfette! This smurf can see you're making your usual rounds with the flowerbeds to make sure they're well tended to."

Smurfette turned to see Empath approaching. "Oh, hello, Empath!" she greeted with a friendly smile. "Just wanted to smurf this out of the way since I have a very busy day ahead of me."

"This smurf could only wonder what's so important about today that you would need to get tending to the flowerbeds 'out of your way' for," Empath said out of curiosity. "Rushing through the task of beautifying the village just doesn't seem to be your style of doing things."

"Tonight I'm smurfing on a special dinner at my place," Smurfette answered, "and Greedy has allowed me the use of his kitchen to smurf up a special dish with some help from him."

"Greedy is teaching you how to cook?" Empath asked. "For a Smurf who wishes to be the best and only village cook, he seems to have a charitable attitude towards teaching any Smurf how to prepare food as masterful as he can."

"Well, if I'm going to marry the Smurf of my dreams someday, I might as well smurf something new to make it worth smurfing with him for the rest of my life," Smurfette explained. "Not that I want to smurf at home all day and only smurf things for him, but I want the smurf only the best for him alone so that he knows that I'm always smurfing of him as my one true love."

"So who are you making this dinner for, Smurfette, if you don't mind this smurf asking?" Empath queried.

"I'm smurfing this dinner tonight for Papa Smurf," Smurfette answered. "I've already smurfed the word out to him and..."

"Great Ancestors...Papa Smurf?!?" Empath exclaimed, not believing his ears.

"Of course, Empath," Smurfette replied. "He's smurfed a lot of special things for me, and I might as well smurf something special for him to..." She stopped when she saw Empath holding his head as if he had a headache coming on or a vision. "Are you all right? You're not still jealous over Papa Smurf smurfing his time with me, or are you?"

"No, it isn't that, Smurfette," Empath admitted. "Earlier, for a brief second, this smurf could have sworn that this smurf saw images of what appeared to be an alternate history of this smurf unfold before this smurf's eyes.  It wasn't like the alternate history this smurf had experienced when this smurf had visited Alternis in his temple with his wheel of infinite possibilities.  And it wasn't like the future history this smurf saw before then, of how the future of the Smurf Village would unfold."

"Could you explain what it is you smurfed, Empath?" Smurfette asked, uncertain.

"This smurf isn't sure that I can, Smurfette," Empath replied, shaking his head. "The images were fleeting and are now starting to fade from this smurf's memory.  All this smurf could remember was seeing this smurf without the smurfmark on my forehead roaming the forest, wearing only a piece of loincloth and a leaf-woven Smurf hat.  Otherwise, there's nothing else."

"Maybe you're just fantasmurfing about being somebody other than yoursmurf, Empath," Smurfette suggested, wearing a smirk.  "Not like you should be embarrassed about smurfing around the village like that.  I smurftainly would smurf notice of you!"

Empath couldn't believe Smurfette was taking it perversely.  "This smurf doesn't feel that it was any sort of fantasy, Smurfette...just images of what this smurf's life could have been like had something else had happened that might lead to a different outcome, in addition to a presence of somebody observing it all as if it actually had happened."

"Whatever it is, Empath, don't let yoursmurf get all upsmurfed about it," Smurfette advised. "I know things in the life you actually had smurfed didn't turn out the way you might have wanted them to smurf, but I still care for you enough to want you to smurf for tomorrow and let anything else that might have been just smurf away from your mind.  You're here in this life and that's all that should matter to you!"

Empath nodded. "This smurf believes you are correct, Smurfette. Maybe this smurf shouldn't let all my thoughts be consumed on what might have happened and instead concentrate on what's currently happening...like this dinner you're having with Papa Smurf tonight."

"You're still invited, Empath," Smurfette reminded him. "I wouldn't dream of smurfing it for Papa Smurf if I hadn't also thought of smurfing you to come."

"How...generous of you, Smurfette," Empath remarked, uncertain about the whole thing of sharing a small intimate dinner setting with Papa Smurf. "This smurf hopes to be there."

"I'd be surprised if you smurfed up at my door wearing a loincloth and a leaf-smurfened hat," Smurfette hinted, giggling afterward when she saw Empath's reaction.

Empath rolled his eyes.  Sometimes he just couldn't believe that Smurfette's interest in him could be that physical, like he was just an object for her eyes to gaze over.  There were things about female Smurfs that continued to defy any attempt at defining themselves logically.  And Smurfette's constant teasing about Empath's physical appearance is one of them.

He just hoped there wouldn't be any embarrassing comments going on while attending Smurfette's dinner with Papa Smurf.  He also didn't want to say anything rude or embarrassing himself, or that could be the last private dinner he would have with Smurfette.