Eaten by Guilt

The man, whose name has not been released, finally confronted the demons that had plagued him for over three decades by writing a letter to the mayor of the small town of Lom, located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Oslo. He confessed that during a trip taken there with his younger brother and girlfriend, now his wife, he had stolen about $15 (11.50 euros) worth of goods from a local store.

"For many years, my conscience has bothered me. With the enclosed check, I hope to free myself from that and request your help," wrote the German man. "I would also like to ask for forgiveness for the wrong I did so long ago."

The incident lay so far in the past, the former thief wasn't even sure of the name of the store. He recalled it only as "a souvenir shop with a big parking lot."

In his letter to Mayor Simen Bjoergen, the German man included a check for $375 (apparently figuring in a pretty high inflation right) and asked for absolution. He requesting that the mayor track down the former shop owner and give him the check. If that was not possible, he wrote, he wanted the money to go to a good cause.

Bjoergen did end up finding the now elderly shopkeeper, 78-year-old Gabriel Lund, who owned the Fjoset gift shop in 1970.

The mayor wrote the German back, saying Lund had indeed forgiven him and given the money to the local retirement home to do something nice for its residents.

Let's hope the repentant thief is sleeping better now.