A Winter Carol

In a small New York town, just a short commute from NYC, a lone Volkswagen Beetle sits abandoned in the train station parking lot. It hasn't moved in months, not since its owner, Bill Harper, took the 6:15 train into the city on the morning of September 11th. No one knows why he went to New York that day, and no one knows what became of him. It just makes it that much more difficult for his friends and neighbors to accept that Bill Harper will NOT be home for Christmas. This year Mr. Harper will not be around to plan the Christmas Pageant, or to give drum lessons to Benny Lewis. Benny however, refuses to give up hope, everyday checking to see if Mr. Harper's car has moved, or if anyone has gotten word from him. But the Benny's fear for Mr. Harper is nothing compared to the fear that has consumed his mother, Victoria, since that awful day. She, as mayor, refuses to have the Volkswagen towed despite the persistence of Charlie, the town sheriff. She is reluctant to let someone els