Little Tanya entered her bedroom, pulled out a jar of jam from a hidden place in the closet, unscrewed the lid and poured coins on the bed, which she managed to save for a long time. She carefully counted them once, then another and then a third. The amount was the same. There could be no mistake.
Carefully putting the coins back, she tightly twisted the jar and, quietly running out of the house, ran to the central pharmacy of their small town, which was six blocks from the house.
Running through the wet snow, Tanya, bruised, entered the room filled with the smell of medicines, came to the counter and saw the apothecary, who was standing aside and talking with some man. She waited patiently for him to draw attention to her, but without success, the apothecary was very carried away by his conversation with another visitor.
Having stood for quite a long time, Tanya spent her boot on linoleum, making a creaking sound and trying to attract attention to herself. But it didn’t help. Then she cleared her throat, making the most terrible sound she could, but it didn’t help either. Removing the mittens that remained hanging on the rubber band worn under an artificial fur coat, she pulled out a jar of small change from behind the sinus, unscrewed the lid and poured coins onto the glass counter. And it worked.
The disgruntled pharmacist turned to the noise and asked in a somewhat irritated tone:
— What do you want?
He continued, without waiting for an answer:
I’m talking to my brother from Moscow, whom I haven’t seen in a hundred years!
“I want to talk about my brother,” Tanya said with similarly irritated notes. He is very, very sick and I want to buy a miracle.
— What? — The apothecary asked her.
— His name is Andrew. Something bad is growing in his head, and his mother said only a miracle would save him. How much does a miracle cost?
— We don’t trade miracles here, girl. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you, said the apothecary, softening his voice.
— Look, I have money to pay for this. And if that’s not enough, I’ll find more. Just tell me how much it costs!
The apothecary’s brother, a solid, well-dressed man, leaned over and asked the little girl:
— What kind of miracle does your brother need?
«I don’t know,» Tanya replied. My mother says that he is very sick and only a miracle can help. We need surgery, and Dad has no money. I thought maybe enough of mine.
How much money do you have? the man asked.
“Thirty rubles and thirty kopecks!” replied Tanya, raising her voice. — That’s all I have, but if I need to get more.
What a wonderful coincidence! the man smiled. Thirty rubles and thirty kopecks is the exact price for a miracle for little brothers.
He put her change in one hand, and the other took it by the mitten and said:
— Take me where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. We’ll see if I have the miracle you need.
The well-dressed man turned out to be a well-known neurosurgeon Fedorov from the capital’s clinic. He gave Tanin his brother a free operation, and it was not long before Andrew was home completely healthy.
The happy mother and father sat down and talked about the amazing combination of circumstances that led them to such joy.
This surgeon was a real miracle! my mother whispered. I can’t even imagine how much it would cost.
Tanya was smiling. She knew exactly how much this miracle cost… thirty rubles and thirty kopecks… plus the faith of a little sister.
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Soul investment!
Orthodox stories from life
