Tess
was a
precocious
eight-year-old
when she
heard
her Mom
and Dad
talking
about
her
little
brother,
Andrew.
All she
knew was
that he
was very
sick and
they
were
completely
out of
money.
They
were
moving
to an
apartment
complex
next
month
because
Daddy
didn't
have the
money
for the
doctor's
bills
and
their
house.
Only a
very
costly
surgery
could
save him
now and it
was
looking
like
there
was no
one to
loan
them the
money.
She
heard
Daddy
say to
her
tearful
Mother
with
whispered
desperation,
"Only a
miracle
can save
him
now."
Tess
went to
her
bedroom
and
pulled a
glass
jelly
jar from
its
hiding
place in
the
closet.
She
poured
all the
change
out on
the
floor
and
counted
it
carefully.
Three
times,
even.
The
total
had to
be
exactly
perfect.
No
chance
here for
mistakes.
Carefully
placing
the
coins
back in
the jar
and
twisting
on the
cap, she
slipped
out the
backdoor
and made
her way
6 blocks
to Rexall's
Drug
Store
with the
big red
Indian
Chief
sign
above
the door.
She
waited
patiently
for the
pharmacist
to give
her some
attention,
but he
was too
busy at
this
moment.
Tess
twisted
her feet
to make
a
scuffing
noise.
Nothing.
She
cleared
her
throat
with the
most
disgusting
sound
she
could
muster.
No good.
Finally
she took
a
quarter
from her
jar and
banged
it on
the
glass
counter.
That did
it!
"And
what do
you
want?"
the
pharmacist
asked in
an
annoyed
tone of
voice.
"I'm
talking
to my
brother
from
Chicago
whom I
haven't
seen in
ages,"
he said
without
waiting
for a
reply to
his
question.
"Well, I
want to
talk to
you
about my
brother,"
Tess
answered
back in
the same
annoyed
tone.
"He's
really
really
sick...
and I
want to
buy a
miracle."
"I beg
your
pardon?"
said the
pharmacist.
"His
name is
Andrew
and he
has
something
bad
growing
inside
his head
and my
Daddy
says
only a
miracle
can save
him now,
so how much
does a
miracle
cost?"
"We
don't
sell
miracles
here,
little
girl.
I'm
sorry,
but I
can't
help
you,"
the
pharmacist
said,
softening
a
little.
"Listen,
I have
the
money to
pay for
it. If
it isn't
enough,
I will
get the
rest.
Just
tell me
how much
it
costs."
The
pharmacist's
brother
was a
well
dressed
man.
He
stooped
down and
asked
the
little
girl,
"What
kind of
a
miracle
does
your
brother
need?"
"I don't
know,"
Tess
replied
with her
eyes
welling
up "I
just
know
he's
really
sick and
Mommy
says he
needs an
operation,
but my
Daddy
can't
pay for
it, so I
want to
use my
money."
"How
much do
you
have?"
asked
the man
from
Chicago.
"One
dollar
and
eleven
cents,"
Tess
answered
barely
audibly.
"And
it's all
the
money I
have,
but I
can get
some
more if
I need
to.
"Well,
what a
coincidence,"
smiled
the man.
"A
dollar
and
eleven
cents,
exact
price of
a
miracle
for
little
brothers."
He took
her
money in
one hand
and with
the
other
hand he
grasped
her
mitten
and
said,
"Take me
to where
you
live.
I want
to see
your
brother
and meet
your
parents.
Let's
see if I
have the
kind of
miracle
you
need."
That
well
dressed
man was
Dr.
Carlton
Armstrong,
a
surgeon,
specializing
in Neuro-surgery.
The
operation
was
completed
without
charge,
and it
wasn't
long
until
Andrew
was home
again
and
doing
well.
Mom and
Dad were
happily
talking
about
the
chain of
events
that had
led them
to this
place.
"That
surgery,"
her Mom
whispered.
"was a
real
miracle.
I wonder
how much
it would
have
cost?"
Tess
smiled.
She knew
exactly
how much
a
miracle
cost...
one
dollar
and
eleven
cents
......
plus the
faith of
a little
child.
A
miracle
is not
the
suspension
of
natural
law,
but the
operation
of a
higher
law.
~Author
Unknown~
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