Price of a Miracle
Tess was an 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.
Only a very costly operation could save him now and it was looking like there was no one to lend them the money. She heard Dad say to her tearful mom with desperation, "Only a miracle can save him now."
Tess went to her bedroom and poured all the change she had saved out on the floor and counted it carefully: 47 cents. She slipped out of home and made her way to Rexall's Drug Store. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment. Finally, she took a quarter from her pocket 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 Medical University 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."
"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." Tess answered with a blind faith.
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 Mom says he needs an operation. But my dad can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式作答。
"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.
The operation was completed.
