Papa Smurf took the small coffin and the canoe. Big tasks were ahead of him. He had to safely entomb the coffin in a secret place, far away from this place, far away from Smurfs and to return as soon as possible to the meadow and the village full of sleeping Smurfs. The signs of another weather change were correct. Bad weather was approaching again. These few days occur usually when the change regularly happens. He needs to hurry if he wants to escape to the heavy rain. Feathers does not fly here, because this is not her territory and others of her kind might attack her. So going on foot is the only solution for Papa Smurf. Paddling is out of the question. Going upstream in this part of the Damned River is difficult. The big water and rolling waves are difficult to deal with. The calm green pools are small and they just punctuate whitewater features that dominate the lower part of the river. The calm green pools are small and they just punctuate whitewater features that dominate the lower part of the river.
Damned River is one of the trickiest free flowing rivers in the Smurf Land and cuts through a vast area of incredibly rugged Mount Roughsmurf wilderness. Around the Damned River is the marshy terrain and it has a timelessness and grandeur that can make human dizzy. Humans cannot withstand that and they usually fell unconscious enchanted by the grandeur. Then they fell prey to bears, predatory birds and scavengers, weasels, wolves and badgers. The impact is that strong that even the elves like Smurfs are affected. Ordinary smurf gets lost and many never find their way back. Only the seasoned whitewater connoisseur can go deep in this area, like Papa Smurf. This river is undammed. Over miles and miles, over seven mountains and hills it is virtually untouched by human civilization. It is so big that also Smurf civilization has never reached all its parts. Early Smurfs called it as the "Big Creek of No Return". Strong rapids, a big, corridor set in a massive wilderness with peaks rising over a smurfmile above the river. Along the river various landscapes changing places: marshes, sandy banks, encircled by the forest gallery of fir and larch trees. Side streams are strong, full of carps and coldwater crocodiles. A ton on of wildlife, including Big Unicorn Sheep, Two Headed Snake, Sabred Toothed Dragons.
As the storm gathers over the Mount Roughsmurf, it draws moisture from the Gulf of Smurf north into the center of the Smurf Land. With plenty of moisture and energy from the new storm tracking across the Deep Smurf, the possibility of flooding rainfall becomes reality. With so many thick gray clouds gathering, it means that it can become strong to severe. In a worst case scenario, the strongest thunderstorm may be able to produce strong wind gusts. "I must return as fast as I can, " thought Papa Smurf to himself. "The eyewall of the storm has not reached the top of the Mount Roughsmurf, The Smurf's Head. That means that I have a few more hours before the winds and rain come here. I have to find a good place for eating. Later it will be difficult to eat with the strong wind, rain, leaves and dust pummeling my face. With a lighter wind I may hide under the canoe. With strong wind I must hold the canoe, tie it to something solid, and to use my both hands. I also have to tie the tiny coffin and to keep my hat firmly on the head. I won't be able to eat with the both hands busy at the same time. " With the sack on his back, and canoe on his back, and coffin in his hand, Papa Smurf proceeded half an hour of walking until the next small meadow with the mossy log. He sat and took his meal, watching as the rain bands whipped the farther slopes of Mount Roughsmurf, crossing the peak and then whipping the closer slopes. Fortunately, the Smurf Village and the meadow where he left his fellow Smurfs sleeping were not on the path of the storm. Finishing his meal, Papa Smurf stood up, shaking the crumbs off his hands and took his belongings. There was a long way to go until the navigable part of Smurf River. Until there, there were no caves to hide. The wind soon began howling and groaning in Smurf Forest, bending and toppling trees to its will. Carrying the coffin in his hands was becoming more and more difficult. After some time his hands betrayed him. He could no longer hold the coffin in his hands. He turned around and decided to drag the coffin. With strong winds, blowing from all sides in his face, he tied the end of the coffin with the rope. He then turned and continued walking, dragging the coffin over the muddy path.
At first the rain was helpful. It turned the soil into the mud, lubricating it so dragging was easier. Next hour of walk was nice, though somewhat uphill. After a quarter of an hour of walking he reached the bold, almost flat top of the elevation. "Finally" said Papa Smurf looking at the mild downhill part. "This part will be easier". He made the first leap, slipped and fell backwards on the ground, releasing the rope. Sudden move made his sack fly ten smurf feet away. The canoe fell nearby Papa Smurf. The small coffin slid slowly downwards, then deccelerated, then slid again quicker and quicker. "Ouph" uttered Papa Smurf. "I'll take it." He walked towards the sliding coffin, but then the sliding coffin accelerated. He made his step faster, but not able to catch the coffin that was quicker and quicker. Papa Smurf ran towards it, slipping again, this time forwards and he fell on the coffin. He was now on the ride of a Smurf sleigh with his head first. "Oh my smuuuuurfffff" The slope was fortunately mild, but enough big to give enough speed. Smurfsled slid quick towards the shrub and pebbled terrain. He slammed into the bush. The natural shrub hedge slowed the smurfbobsled a lot, but that did not enough to prevent the strong thwack against the sandstone rocks that were jutting between the shrubs. The coffin slammed against one, the rock cracked, as well as the coffin. Coffin made a turn in the air and bumped on the pebbled path. The tiny babysmurf body was visible through the cracks. Papa Smurf was scratched everywhere from flying through the shrub. His clothes were slightly thorned by brushing up against a thorny shrub. He left the coffin and returned back for the sack. "I'll leave the canoe there. I can't hold two heavy things in my hands at the same time. This taught me a lesson." As he went uphill, the blood leaked through his wounds. When returning downhill, he was much more careful. By the time he was back down, the bruises appeared all over his body.
Ahead of him were reeds and plush grasses that grew in thick and verdant patches. The path was not flat, but pebbled. He pulled the rope and dragged the coffin behind him. It was still in one piece, though the rain and mud were leaking into the coffin and drenched the smurfling corpse. The dragged coffin was bouncing on the pebbles, making sounds. As the bouncing coffin made it bounce, the corpse in the coffin was also rattling inside. The body made the thumping sound, while the unproportionally big smurf head of the corpse made that tock-tock rattle sound, as it turned left-right and hit the coffinwalls. Dragging the coffin over the rocky road and past the shrubs made it got several long light scratches along the lateral and bottom sides.
Fortunately for Papa Smurf, the rain was still no more than a heavy sprinkle. After few hours of walking, shrubs were less present, and trees were more regular feature. Thorny bending willows were bending now over him on the path. "This is that ditch. Smurfland is not far away. Just behind that far knob and we are safe." said Papa Smurf to himself. The wounds from the fall slowly healed and they were not bleeding anymore. The bruises were still painful. The path was now overgrown with high bushes. The branches whipped his face as he walked through. He realized then that his nose was bruised and broke the nose cartilage. Papa Smurf took the coffin from the ground, without any gentleness and put it ahead of him as a shield. "This will protect me. What a good idea." The high bushes scraped along the sides of the small coffin and Papa Smurf's forearms and back of his hands. It was painful. It opened some already healed wounds and opened the new ones. "Soon this will be over, I see the end of this thick bush". Papa slowly but firmly advanced. He was so happy that he got his calculations wrong. The overgrown path that really needed trimming, made a sharp turn right. Papa thought that it leads straight. What a mistake! Papa tripped over something under his foot. That was the edge of the path. An old rock - the pathmark, that was covered in moss, vines and flowers so he was not able to recognise it through the high bush, high grass and hanging branches of the trees. As he tripped, and fell forwards, he dropped the coffin that fell across the edge into the overgrown ten apples deep gully. A "slshshsh" was heard as the coffin flew in the air and then flew through the vines into the depth of the gully. When it hit the bottom, and a strong crack and light splash was heard. A small shallow streamlet was flowing over the small but sharp rocks at the bottom. Papa Smurf could feel the air that streamlet cooled on his cheeks. Being fed from freshlets, the streamlet was very cold. That made the small gully chilly, and coolness was climbing up. Papa Smurf lost no time. He fast made the rope of the vines, tied it to the tree, wrapped it around himself and slowly descended with his chest towards the steep slope, holding the vine-rope with his hands, with his head turned back, looking for the coffin. Soon he found it. There it was, cracked completely open, with the corpse aside, with the slightly deformed head with the tongue stuck outside. Papa Smurf continued slowly descending. Then he heard some other regular splashing sound, the sound that produces someone who walks through the shallow water.