Having a no-return policy, Count D received considerably less customers during the Christmas season. On the 25th, customers were so scarce, he felt compelled to close the shop on that day. Anyone who wanted a pet had to go somewhere else. Rather than buying gifts and having festivities, he celebrated by enjoying quiet solitude and contemplation, reflecting over the foolish customers who met a horrible fate and the wonderful customers who enjoyed a happy life. Those wonderful customers were probably opening their gifts and playing games... Count D sipped his delicious expensive hot chocolate; all the best hot chocolates were expensive.
Suddenly, he heard someone knock on his door. He set the cup down on the table and listened carefully. The knock came again. Curious, he walked over to the door, unlocked it, and then opened it. Detective Leon Orcot stood outside.
"Why's the door locked?" the detective wondered. "Drug-trafficking? Child smuggling?"
"Neither of those, and Christmas is hardly an appropriate time to think about arresting innocent law-abiding citizens!"
"Relax!" Leon strolled into the petshop. "I bought you a present." He held up a crudely wrapped gift. Despite the poor wrapping job, the item remained concealed in an old shoebox.
D stared at it in disbelief before taking the present. "Oh. This is quite unexpected. No one has ever bought anything for me before."
"Yeah, well, you wanna sit on the couch and open it?"
"Yes! Thank you!"
As they walked toward the couch, Leon said, "I was shopping and just happened to see that. It reminded me of you, D, and I think it's perfect for you."
"Oh!" The Count beamed with joy and wondered what was inside the box. Chocolate, perhaps? What else could remind the detective of him?
"Yeah, I bought some for myself. It's a new flavor. It's actually pretty good."
Definitely chocolate! Or at least some other type of candy! Yes, it must be a yummy candy!
They sat on the couch. D stroked the wrapped present and reveled in the joy and excitement of having such a lovingly-given gift.
"Go on," urged Leon, "Open it."
Cautious so not to break any nails, D slowly tore off the pieces of wrapping paper in neat delicate strips. He almost forgot to breathe because of the suspense. His very first Christmas present! Finally, he had the paper off and stared at the shoebox. He paused his excitement and started to doubt the gift. It would be just like Leon Orcot to pull a prank! "You did not buy any shoes for me, did you?"
"No! I needed a box and happened to see that lying around. A lot of people put presents in old boxes."
"Thank you." D gently lifted the lid and glared indignantly at what rested inside. "Leon Orcot, how dare you!"
"What, it's perfect for you!"
D scowled and sighed, crestfallen. His very first Christmas present was a bottle of mouthwash. The newest best-tasting brand designed to keep teeth clean and kill 99.9 percent of all germs.