本帖最后由 ヮ成熟、羙° 于 2013-12-8 16:38 编辑
奇迹的价格
文/荷叶
苔丝是个早熟的八岁女孩，一天，她听到父母正在谈论小弟弟安德鲁。她所知道的一切就是他得了重病，家里一点钱也没有。他家下个月就要搬到公寓大楼去，因为爸爸付不起医生的账单，也住不起现在的房子。
现在只有昂贵的手术才能救他，看上去似乎没有人会借钱给他们。她听到爸爸绝望地向泪流满面的母亲耳语：“现在只有奇迹才能救他。”
苔丝走进卧室，从壁橱的隐藏处掏出一个玻璃制的果冻罐。她把里面的零钱全部倒在地板上，认真地数起来。一连数了三遍。总数必须绝对准确。这次可不允许出错。
她仔细地把硬币放回罐子，拧好盖子，然后从后门溜出，走了六个街区，来到了门上有红色印地安大字标识的Rexall药店。
她耐心地等着药剂师注意她，但他此刻太忙了。苔丝扭动双腿，发出声响。无济于事。她清了清嗓子，尽量发出最难听的声音。
无效。最后，她从罐子里拿了一个硬币，“咣”地一声砸在柜台上。这回起了作用！“你想干什么？”药剂师恼怒地问。“我正在和多年不见的弟弟谈话，他刚从芝加哥回来。”他说道，没等女孩答复。
“噢，我想和你谈谈我弟弟，”苔丝用同样恼怒的语调答道：“他病得非常非常厉害，我想买一个奇迹。”
“请说清楚点。”药剂师说。“他叫安德鲁，脑袋里长了个糟糕的东西，爸爸说现在只有奇迹才能救他。请问奇迹怎么卖？”
“小姑娘，我们这里不卖奇迹。我很遗憾，但无能为力。”药剂量师说，语气缓和了点。“听着，我这儿有钱，如果不够，我再去取。只告诉我奇迹卖多少钱。”
药剂师的弟弟穿着讲究，他俯下身，问：“你弟弟需要什么样的奇迹？”“我不知道。”苔丝答道，眼里涌出了泪水。
“我只知道他病得很厉害，妈妈说他需要手术。但爸爸付不起医疗费，因此我想用我的钱救他。”
“你有多少钱？”来自芝加哥的人问。
“一美元十一美分，”苔丝的回答勉强能听清，“这是我所有的钱，如果需要，我还可以再弄点。”
“啊，太巧了，”那个人微笑着说，“一美元十一美分，正好是为小弟弟买奇迹的价格。”他一手抓起她的钱，一手抓住她带连指手套的手，说：“带我去你住的地方，见见你的父母。看看我有没有你所需要的奇迹。” 那个穿着讲究地男人就是卡尔顿·阿姆斯特朗博士，一个专攻神经外科的医生。手术免费做完了。不久，安德鲁又回家了，恢复得很好。爸妈开心地谈着导致这个结果的一连串的事情。
“这次手术，”妈妈小声说，“真的是个奇迹。我真不知道一个奇迹要花多少钱。”苔丝笑了。她知道奇迹的准确价格……一美元十一美分，外加一个小孩子的信心。
附：原文
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 our 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 cansave him now.”
Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glassjelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out onthe floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to beexactly perfect. 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 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above thedoor.
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 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’msorry 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. Justtell 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 Ineed to.”
“Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “Adollar and eleven cents — the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. “Hetook 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 alittle child. | 
发表于 2013-12-8 16:26:54
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发表于 2013-12-16 10:20:28
