英語(yǔ)晨讀精華 Week 4 Day 7 The Price of Miracle 奇跡的價(jià)格

The Price of Miracle

“這個(gè)手術(shù)真的是個(gè)奇跡，奇跡到底需要多少錢呢？”母親低聲自語(yǔ)。苔絲笑了，她知道奇跡的真正價(jià)值：一美元十一美分，加上一個(gè)小女孩的信念。

Tess was a precocious eight-year-old girl 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 absolutely exact. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way six blocks to the pharmacy 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 — the exact price of a miracle for your little brother.” 　

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 neurosurgery. 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. 　


[注釋]：
precocious: 早熟的　
desperation: the condition of being desperate 絕望　
pharmacist: 藥劑師　
soften: to make less harsh, strident, or critical 變溫和　
audibly: 可聽(tīng)見(jiàn)地，聽(tīng)得清清楚楚地　
mitten: (拇指分開(kāi)的)兩指手套; 露指長(zhǎng)手套　
neurosurgery: 神經(jīng)外科