GMD: Dieter's Perfect Present

Sunday, February 14, 1905

Dieter Goebbels carefully looked at each of the items on the shelves in Nick's Novelty Store, wondering which one he would like to purchase for his beloved girlfriend, Olivia Flaversham.  How he cherished the thought of her sweet blue eyes lighting up at the sight of her new Valentine's Day gift!  But there were so many things to choose from...Which object would be the best option? The music box? The T-shirt with a rainbow heart on it? How about the box of chocolate-&-peanut-butter candies? Decisions, decisions...

Dieter's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the shopkeeper asking, "So, young mouse, have you found anything you wish to buy?"

"I think," Dieter decided, "I'll have the music box, please!"

"Very well," said the shopkeeper, & Dieter went to make his purchase at the counter.  The music box was an exquisite thing--a scarlet-colored treasure adorned with gold trimming & variously-colored jewels.  Inside, it had a lovely figurine of a graceful Mouse Gypsy dancer, complete with a tiny tambourine in her paw, & it "moved" to the music box's tinny tune of "Habanera" (the much-loved aria from the classic opera "Carmina").  How Olivia was sure to love it!

After paying for his purchase, Dieter happily walked out of the novelty store with music box in paw.  It didn't take long, however, for trouble to find him.  As Dieter was walking down the sidewalk, he was suddenly ambushed by a gang of thieves!  They weren't particularly famous, but they were feeling particularly greedy today...&, oh, what a marvelous prize they had found!  "Oi, kid," the lead thief snarled, "we want that trinket you've got in your paws!  Hand it over, or else!"

"Nein!" Dieter cried, clutching the music box even more tightly. "I bought it for my girlfriend!"

"Tough tabbies!" snapped one of the other thieves, & he gave Dieter a hard jab in the gut with his knee.  Despite the pain in his tummy, Dieter did his best to keep his grip on the music box...but, alas, the thieves eventually overpowered him, & they took the present out of his paws, before running away with it.  Unfortunately, Dieter wasn't in the best of shape, & he didn't have the energy to go after the thieves, as much as he desperately desired to.  So, with a heavy heart, the young lad turned around, & walked back to Nick's Novelty Store.  As Dieter entered the building, the shopkeeper asked, "Oh, back so soon? What happened to that lovely music box you bought?"

"I really don't wanna talk about it," Dieter replied sadly, before going back to the group of shelves he was standing in front of earlier.  One of the other objects that caught his eye, was a lovely snowglobe with a figurine of Cupid housed inside the glass orb.  The nappied, winged, cherub-like boy was equipped with his usual bow & arrow, & stood in front of a big red heart.  What a perfect Valentine's Day gift this will make for Olivia! Dieter thought excitedly, his previous sorrow quickly melting away.

With that, Dieter bought the snowglobe, & left the novelty shop, beaming from ear to ear as he walked down the pavement with his lover's new present.  He made it a good distance down the sidewalk, before his ears suddenly perked up to the sound of rolling plastic wheels.  A teenage girl mouse was riding down the busy promenade on her skateboard, doing her best to dodge any fursons or obstacles in her path.  At one point, the skater girl ducked underneath a large trunk that two rat janitors were carrying.  Just as she was coming back up, the girl saw Dieter...& he was standing only a few mouse feet away from her!  The skater girl tried to avoid a collision, but her skateboard couldn't stop in time, & she went crashing right into Dieter!  The two youths landed flat on their bums, & took a moment to gain their bearings, before looking at each other.  "Are you OK?" asked the skater girl, as she rose to her feet, & helped Dieter stand back up.

"Ja, I'm fine," Dieter replied, sweeping the dust off his clothes. "How about you?"

"I'm OK!" the skater girl answered cheerfully. "Thanks for asking!" Then, the girl looked down at the package that Dieter still had clutched in his arms.  Sporting a concerned countenance, she pointed at the item, & remarked, "I hope there wasn't anything fragile in there..."

With a fearful gasp of realization, Dieter looked down at the parcel containing the snowglobe he had bought for Olivia.  To his dismay & horror, the object had broken into pieces from the impact of his collision with the skater girl, & the liquid that once filled its interior was now saturating the package's paper surface.  "Oh, no..." Dieter moaned, ruefully regarding the ruined present.

"I'm so sorry!" the skater girl apologized, reaching out to touch the container filled with the remnants of the broken snowglobe. "I didn't mean to!"

"It's OK, fraulein," Dieter assured his acquaintance, trying to put on a smile. "Accidents happen.  I'll just go find another present for my girlfriend--there's a lot more where this came from!"

"All right," the skater girl said with a nod of understanding, before planting her feet back on her skateboard, & continuing on her merry way.  As she raced off, she waved "goodbye" to Dieter, & shouted cheerfully, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Danke!" Dieter reciprocated while waving back. "You, too!" Once the skater girl had finally vanished, Dieter looked down once more at the package with the damaged snowglobe, & let out a heavy sigh, before going to dump the whole thing in the nearest trash can.  Not wanting to give up on finding Olivia's perfect gift, however, Dieter quickly perked back up, & strolled back into Nick's Novelty Shop.

Once again, the shopkeeper was surprised to see Dieter back so soon.  "I suppose another tragic mishap occurred?" the older mouse asked empathetically.  Dieter simply nodded in response, & went back to the group of shelves.  After quickly scanning the items upon the wooden racks, Dieter spotted yet another object that he just knew Olivia would love--a fuschia teddy bear that said "I love you" in 14 different languages!  His heart swelling with joy, Dieter reached up to take the talking teddy bear off the shelf, & went over to the check-out counter to pay for it.  "Good heavens, lad," the shopkeeper chortled in amazement, "how much pocket money do you have?"

"A lot!" Dieter answered proudly. "My father's a violin-maker, & my mother's the owner & founder of Goebbels Chocolates."

"Oh, how nice!" the shopkeeper exclaimed, before completing Dieter's transaction.  Now, Dieter was free to take the teddy bear to Olivia!  With a merry spring in his step, Dieter goose-stepped out of the novelty shop, & made his way down the sidewalk once more.

At one point, Dieter stopped to rest in an empty chair he found, unaware that he had made himself welcome at the collection booth for a toy drive that was currently underway.  "Good day!" the booth's curator chirped cheerily. "Are you here to make a donation?"

"Huh?" Dieter asked, now prompted to look more closely at his surroundings.

"A donation," the curator repeated, before going on to explain, "I work for a charity group--Beacon Of Light--& we're running a toy drive for poor & impoverished rodentlings.  Alas, today has been a very slow day, & we're in desperate need of donations."

When he heard this, Dieter felt his heart sink in sorrow.  What kind of heartless fursons couldn't stop to help those poor kids out? he thought.  It was then that Dieter decided he ought to make a contribution; without any second thoughts, he went over to the donation booth, & handed the curator the teddy bear he had bought for Olivia.  "Here you go," Dieter said pleasantly. "I'm sure the children will love it!"

"Oh, how kind of you!" the curator gushed, putting the teddy bear with the other toys that had been donated so far. "Thank you!  Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome!" Dieter replied, before turning around to make his way back to Nick's Novelty Store.  All the while, Dieter remained pleased with his earlier decision, & he had no regrets whatsoever about making his selfless sacrifice.  He was sure Olivia would be very proud of him for his sincere act of altruism...With a fully-satisfied heart, Dieter entered the novelty store once again, & went back to that familiar group of shelves.  He looked at each of the remaining items, trying to figure out which one he should buy now...& he soon found what looked like the perfect present for Olivia!  It was a beautiful heart necklace with matching earrings & bracelets, all made of red diamonds!  How Olivia would love to wear them!

With that, Dieter reached up to grab the necklace, earrings, & bracelets, & took them over to the counter to be purchased.  "I have a special box that this jewelry can go in," the shopkeeper said. "Would you like me to put everything in there?"

"Yes, please," Dieter replied, & the shopkeeper was quite happy to oblige.  The necklace & its companions were put in a big, red, heart-shaped velvet box, which the shopkeeper then handed to Dieter.  After taking the jewelry box into his paws, Dieter thanked the shopkeeper for his service, & walked back outside with Olivia's newly-bought gift.

Dieter had not gone too far down the sidewalk, when he suddenly heard a young lady's voice cry out, "Hey, Mom!  Look at that blonde boy in the navy-blue outfit!  I think he has my jewelry box!" Dieter was totally shocked by this revelation, & he quickly became very frightened.  Good heavens, he worried, have I just come out of the store with stolen goods? I hope I won't get in trouble...

The young lady & her mother, who had been riding their bicycles together down the sidewalk, gradually approached Dieter from the opposite direction; all the while, Dieter remained standing in his spot, doing his best to keep calm, cool, & collected.  When the girl & mother finally came up to Dieter, the former got off of her bike, & asked, "Excuse me, but might I have a closer look at that jewelry box you're holding?"

"Sure," Dieter replied with a nod.  He then gave the container to the girl, who opened it up, & looked at its contents.  To Dieter's surprise, the girl's face lit up with joy when she saw the heart necklace, earrings, & bracelets inside the jewelry box.  Dieter couldn't believe what he was seeing!  "You...you mean those trinkets are yours?" Dieter asked incredulously.

"Yes," the girl answered, beaming from ear to ear as she gave the jewelry box to her mother for safekeeping. "My mom got me the jewelry for my birthday last fall, but my next-door neighbor broke into my house two weeks ago, & stole the whole set.  Wherever you found them, she must have 'donated' them there."

"Goodness!" Dieter exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, fraulein!  I didn't know any of that!"

"Don't worry," the mother mouse said with a sweet smile. "You found them for us, & that's all that matters!  How can we ever repay you for your kindness?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Dieter said bashfully, but the mother mouse was quite insistent that he be repaid for his good deed.  The woman took out her wallet, placed her paw inside it, & pulled out a few pound notes, which she immediately handed to Dieter.  "Gee," Dieter declared as he took the cash into his paws, "danke schoen!  Thanks a lot!"

"It's no trouble at all!" the girl mouse & her mother chirped together in unison.  And with that, they continued riding their bikes down the busy sidewalks, the jewelry box safely contained among them.  Not fazed at all by what had just happened, Dieter went back to Nick's Novelty Store, exchanged his usual greetings with the shopkeeper, & stood before the group of shelves.  There were only a small pawful of presents left to purchase, & Dieter was just now starting to get low on pocket cash.  He hoped he wouldn't have to do much more shopping, or he wouldn't be bringing Olivia anything for Valentine's Day!

After a quick scan over the remaining items, Dieter found his next choice for a lovely gift--a CD collection of Romantic classical music!  Dieter knew how much Olivia loved classical music...& since the Romantic era was one of Olivia's favorite "periods" of the genre, these albums were sure to provide her hours of musical merriment!  Trembling with excitement, Dieter took the CD collection into his paws, brought it to the counter, paid for the item, & ran outside with it.  As he dashed down the sidewalk with his prize, Dieter gushed gleefully to himself, "At last!  At long last, I finally have the perfect present for Olivia!  And nothing can possibly ruin this moment for me!"

Alas, Dieter thought wrong.  The teenager was so eager to get to the Baker Street Family's house, he didn't see where he was going, & he tripped over an empty soda can that was lying in the middle of the pavement.  Dieter fell down to the ground, & he watched in horror as the CD collection flew out of his paws...& into the path of a street-sweeper's broom.  Said broom pushed the CD collection closer & closer towards the curb, until it fell over the edge, & landed on the asphalt road below.  The music discs were then run over by one of the many pint-sized cars traveling down the shoulder, & crushed beneath the vehicle's wheels.  Dieter couldn't believe it!  Of all the rotten luck...Well, back to the drawing board!

Once again, Dieter returned to Nick's Novelty Store, exchanged the usual pleasantries with the shopkeeper, & stood in front of the shelves.  There were only three Valentine's Day items left, which made picking out the next present a whole lot easier.  After some deliberation, Dieter ended up selecting a big box of chocolate-&-peanut-butter candies; he then took it to the counter, paid for it, & walked outside with it.  As he walked down the sidewalk, Dieter was very careful to stay close to the front of the buildings he passed by, keeping the delicious candies cool in the shade of the awnings & other obstructive objects.

At one point, Dieter stopped to rest on the stoop of one of the buildings, grateful that the candies hadn't melted so far.  Thankfully, it wouldn't take much longer for him to reach the Baker Street Family's house, for it was just a bit further down the block, & around the corner.  As Dieter daydreamed about spending his Valentine's Day with the mouse he loved, he could've sworn he heard a young woman cry out in a Cockney accent, "Have pity on a poor soul, will you? Can anyone please spare some change? Some food? Anything to get me through the day!" Dieter snapped out of his romantic reverie, & saw a yellow-furred beggar mouse walking around the area in front of him, shaking a tin cup in her dainty paw.  Dieter recognized the woman...Her name was Fanny, & she was a friend of the Baker Street Family!  "Guten tag!" Dieter greeted in German, before asking Fanny, "How are you?"

"Eh, I'm not doing as well as I'd like, Dieter," Fanny replied with a sigh, going to sit beside Dieter on the stoop. "I haven't had a bite to eat all day, & I fear I'll fall in a dead faint, if I don't get me stomach filled!" Then, eyeing the box of candy Dieter was holding, Fanny commented coaxingly, "I notice you've got some nice nibblers in that package.  If it pleases you, Mr. Goebbels, might I please have them?"

Dieter wondered about whether or not he should give Fanny the candy.  On one paw, he couldn't afford to keep buying all these presents; sooner or later, his money would run out, & he wouldn't have a single gift to give Olivia this Valentine's Day...but on the other paw, he couldn't bear the thought of letting Fanny go hungry!  His parents had taught him never to be greedy, & it wouldn't be right for him to just keep the candy all to himself, when he could give them to someone in need.  In the end, Dieter's better impulses quickly won out, & he gladly handed the candy box to Fanny.  "Here you go," Dieter said with a sweet smile. "These are chocolate-&-peanut-butter candies.  They should perk you up right away!  Plus, they'll give you a lot of protein, so you'll have plenty of energy to keep you going."

"Oh, thank you!" Fanny exclaimed gratefully, as she took the candy into her paws, & eyed it longingly. "Thank you so very much for your kindness, little Dieter!"

"It's no problem at all!" Dieter said cheerfully, & after bidding "goodbye" to Fanny, he went back to Nick's Novelty Shop.  The shopkeeper greeted Dieter, Dieter greeted him back, & the store's persistent patron went up to the shelves.  There were now only two items left for him to buy, & Dieter took the first of these.  It was a pink T-shirt with a big picture of a rainbow heart on it.  Rainbows, hearts, & the color pink--what more could Olivia desire in a present? Confident that he had found the the ultimate gift, Dieter took the shirt to the counter, & gave the shopkeeper the appropriate amount of money, before taking the newly-bought garment outside, & proudly parading down the pavement with it.  This time, Dieter managed to make it all the way to the corner!  All he had to do was turn around, & he would be on Baker Street, just mouse feet away from his girlfriend's house...

Suddenly, Dieter was ambushed by yet another teenage girl, a redheaded rat in 'valley girl' attire.  "Oh, my gosh," the girl blathered excitedly, "that shirt you're holding...I need it!  I need it really bad!"

"What?!" Dieter exclaimed in astonishment. "But I was going to give this to my girlfriend for Valentine's Day!"

"I know, but I need that shirt more than she does!" the girl insisted. "You have no idea how long I've been eyeing that thing!  All the stores in my neighborhood that carried it, were sold out within days!  That's how insanely popular this shirt is!  And I don't feel like waiting for them to get new shipments, so hand it over!"

"But," Dieter sputtered, "but, but..."

"Don't make me cry!" the girl warned. "You really don't wanna see me cry!" Before Dieter could say anything in response, the girl launched into a bout of loud wailing & weeping.  Soon, everyone within a three-mile radius was staring at Dieter & the girl, wondering what in the world was going on between them.  Not wanting to make a scene, Dieter reluctantly gave the T-shirt to the girl, & her crying spell immediately ceased when she finally got what she wanted.  "Thanks a bunch!" was all the girl said, before running off down the street.  Needless to say, Dieter was not very pleased with this turn of events, & as he turned around to make his way back to Nick's Novelty Store for the umpteenth time that day, he grumbled, "What a rude & inconsiderate girl!  How selfish can you be, snatching someone else's Valentine's Day present for yourself? Ach, the nerve of some fursons!"

When he re-entered the store, Dieter went back to the shelves...but imagine his shock & dismay to find that they were now all completely empty!  There had been an adorable Cupid plushie lying on the top shelf, but it seemed that someone had come in to buy it while he was away.  Now, there were no more Valentine's Day presents for Dieter to purchase!  Fuming with the frustration & fury that had gradually built up in his subconscious over the last few hours, Dieter stomped his feet, clenched his fists, & shouted angrily, "Blast it!  Can't a kid ever get a break around here? Darn it, darn it, darn it!"

"Now, now," the shopkeeper said consolingly, "no need to fret, lad!  I still have plenty of lovely things that I'm sure your girlfriend would like!" When Dieter heard this, his anger quickly dissipated, & he went over to the counter to see else what the shopkeeper had to offer.  "This tome," the older mouse said as he withdrew a book from the counter's large display case, "is one of our newest acquirements.  Why don't you have a look at it, & see if you're interested in buying it?"

Dieter took the book into his paws, & took a good look at its lavender paperback cover.  On the front side, there was a beautiful picture of a white unicorn standing in a grassy green field on a beautiful summer's day, with a fearsome dragon flying in the blue skies above.  In the background, the figures of a handsome prince, a magician, a peasant woman, & a little girl (all mice) could be seen to the unicorn's left.  And the picture was sandwiched between several lines of text in ornate purple font, which read as follows...

The sequel to his classic tale of enchantment, "The First Unicorn"

"Positively poignant, picaresque, & powerful...It's as sure to leave you spellbound as its predecessor!" -- Molly Carew, "Mouse Publishers Weekly"

"Once again, Terrier's craft shines above & beyond mere mediocrity, making the impossible seem possible, & when you look upon the pages of this book, you will truly believe in magic!" -- Amergin Burgess, author of "A Clockwork Rodent"

Could it be? Could Dieter have found the perfect present for Valentine's Day? A quick skim through the contents of the book assured him that this was, indeed, the greatest gift he could give Olivia!  After all, "The First Unicorn" was one of her many, many favorite books, animated movies, & stage musicals.  Olivia would be absolutely ecstatic to read the author's official follow-up to the tale that captivated her heart for so many years!  "Yes!" Dieter shouted with utter joy. "This is it!  This is the gift I'm going to buy!"

"Excellent choice," the shopkeeper beamed, & he gladly accepted Dieter's last pawful of pocket change. "I'm so sorry that those other presents didn't work out for you.  I'd be quite happy to give you a refund."

"That would be great, thanks!" Dieter said. "Just send it to the office at the Goebbels Chocolates factory in Mouse London.  Mutter will know who it's for!" After bidding the shopkeeper a fond "farewell", Dieter marched out of Nick's Novelty Store for the final time, & merrily made his way down the sidewalk with the newly-bought book tucked safely in the crook of his arm.  This time, Dieter made it all the way to the end of the block, around the corner, & down the short distance to the Baker Street Family's house.  As he walked onto the porch, & approached the front door, Dieter felt his heart swelling with ecstasy.  Said heart beat in perfect rhythm to the knocks that Dieter made upon the door.  Knock!  Knock!  Knock!  It only took a few seconds for the aforementioned door to open, & who should appear in the threshold but Olivia Flaversham, the love of Dieter's life!  She looked positively ravishing in her attire of blue top, turquoise plaid skirt, white shawl with a black bow, & fuschia hair bow, which had been updated somewhat to reflect her growing maturity.

With a smile, Olivia greeted, "Hello, Dieter!"

"Hello," Dieter greeted back, as he handed Olivia her brand-new book for which he had gone through so much to find. "Happy Valentine's Day!"