Category : Stories

Sub Category : Drama

Jess was an inquisitive and precocious eight year old who was bright and observant. One day, she overheard her parents talk about her little brother, Jax. Looking at they way her parents were talking in low voices and the griotherk on their faces, she could sense something wasn't right. All she knew was that her brother was sick and her parents were struggling with money. Her father was the sole breadwinner in the family and with Jax's medical bills taking up most of her father's salary, he was unable to pay the other bills or the house payment so much so they had no other choice but to move to a smaller place by the end of the month. 
From her parents' conversation that she overheard, she learned that her brother was in need of a surgery badly. Her father had tried to borrow money but he couldn't find anyone who could lend him the money. Jess heard her father say to her tearful mother in whispered desperation that only a miracle can save Jax now. 
That knowledge had hit Jess hard. She quickly went to her bedroom and pulled out a glass jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured out all of its content on the floor; all of the loose change she had gotten from her mother for doing little chores like making her bed and keeping her room tidy. She took all the coins and counted them carefully. The total had to be exactly right as there was no room for mistakes. After carefully putting the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she quietly slipped out the back door and made her way six blocks to a drug store 
She pushed open the door and walked in. She noticed the pharmacist at the back counter and he was attending to another man. Jess held her glass jar tight to her chest and waited for her turn to be served. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he continued talking to the well-dressed man and he didn't seem to be bothered to attend to her. Jess was desperate to get his attention. She shuffled her feet to make some 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 out of town. We haven't seen each other in a while," he said, without waiting for a reply to his question. 
"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Jess answered back in the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick and I want to buy miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist. 
"His name is Jax 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, in a softer tone of voice. 
But Jess wasn't giving up. "Listen, I have the money to pay for it," she said. "If it isn't enough, I'll get the rest somehow. Just tell me how much it costs."
The pharmacist's brother who was silently listening in stooped down and asked Jess, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"
"I don't know," Jess replied. 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 well-dressed man from out of town. 
"One dollar and eleven cents," Jess answered barely audibly. "And it's all the money I have, but I'll get some more if I need to."
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man, "a dollar and eleven cents is the exact price of a miracle for little brothers." He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her small hand in his and said, "Take me to your house. 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 from our of town was a Neuro - surgeon. After meeting Jess' parents, arrangements were made for Jax to undergo surgery at the hospital where he worked. 
The operation was completed without charge (except for the one dollar eleven cents, of course)  and it wasn't long until Jax was home again and doing well. 
Her parents were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to where they are. "That surgery," her mom whispered, "was a miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"
Jess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost.... one dollar and eleven cents. Plus the faith of a little child.