A few years before, several people were shot on Christmas morning after an argument about tree ornaments. Just once, Peter wanted to see a Christmas in which no one was harmed in any way.
So far in the present nativity things had been rather quiet. Officer Pete cruised around his dilapidated section of town until he came to a landmark of sorts. "Balsam's used books" had been a fixture in the neighborhood for at least thirty years. Peter often wondered how the owner survived financially since the shop was usually empty when he passed by.
Since his lunch break was coming up, Peter parked his cruiser and went into the old book shop so he could find something to read while he ate. As usual, old man Balsam was behind the counter and the store was empty. Officer Pete nodded at Mr. Balsam and went to search the shelves.
Oddly enough he found a copy of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. After paying for his book, Pete found a nice quiet parking lot and began reading while eating a burrito. He was up to the "Ghost of Christmas present" when he heard the call on his radio: Balsam's book store had been robbed.
Officer Pete rushed over to the book store and was relieved to find out that Mr. Balsam had not been hurt. Peter asked how much was taken and the old bookseller began laughing. "What's so funny?" Pete asked.
"All they got was the two dollars that you paid for A Christmas Carol," Mr. Balsam said as he laughed some more.
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