6. Tess Buys a Miracle Class- VIII

  1. WARMER

1. Have you ever seen lucky things that happen to you or to someone known to you? Talk about them to the class.

2. Can you make lucky things happen whenever you want? If yes, what good things will you like to happen in your life?

One day eight-year-old Tess overheard her parents talking about her little brother Andrew. She came to know that Andrew was very sick and that her parents didn't have enough money for his treatment. Tess heard her father say: "Only a miracle can save him now."

Tess started thinking about what she had heard. She went to her room and took out a jar from her cupboard. There were some coins in it. She counted the money carefully.

Then Tess put the money into a purse and made her way to a drugstore. The chemist saw her but didn't pay her any attention. When Tess continued to stand before the counter, he said to her, sounding rather annoyed, "What do you want? I'm talking to my brother who has just arrived from Chicago!"

"I want to buy a miracle," said Tess. "My brother Andrew is really sick. He has something bad growing inside his head and my father says that only a miracle can save him now. Can you tell me how much miracle costs?"

The chemist's brother, a well-dressed man, had heard the conversation between his brother and the little girl. He turned to Tess and asked, "What kind of miracle does your brother need?"

"Don't know," replied Tess, her eyes full of tears. "He's really sick

and Mummy says he needs an operation. But Dad can't pay for it, so I want to use my own money."

"How much money do you have?" asked the well-dressed man.

"One dollar and eleven cents," replied Tess.

"Wonderful!" said the man, smiling. "Adollar and eleven cents - that's the exact price of a miracle for your little brother." He took Tess's money in one hand and held her hand with the other, saying, "Take me to your house. I want to see your brother. Let me see if I have the kind of miracle you need."

The chemist's brother was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous neurosurgeon. He had Andrew admitted to hospital, where he operated on him. Within a few weeks Andrew was back at home and was doing well.

One day Tess's mother said to her husband, "I wonder how much Andrew's surgery cost. Dr. Armstrong wouldn't take any money from us!"

On hearing this, Tess smiled to herself. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost. One dollar and eleven cents ..... .. plus the faith of a little child.

5. One Two Three Class VIII

Once there was a rich and powerful king. He thought that no one in the world was as powerful as he was. But he told no one about it. One day he began to wonder whether other could guess what he was thinking. So he called all his officers and servants and asked them to tell him what thought was in his heart. Many of them made guesses. But no one could satisfy the king with his answer.

Then the king ordered his minister to find someone who could guess his thought. He gave the minister exactly a month's time to find that person. The minister searched everywhere but he could not find anyone who could guess the thought in the king's mind. As the month was coming to a close, the minister became quite desperate. But his daughter cheered him up by saying that she would find the right man for the job. "All right, let's see what you can do," said the minister.

When the appointed day arrived, the minister's daughter brought home a fool. The man was a shepherd in their farm. The young woman asked her father to take the shepherd to the king. The minister was shocked at his daughter's choice. But since he trusted his daughter, he took the shepherd to the king's court.

The court had already assembled. The minister presented the shepherd to the king. When the shepherd lifted his eyes to look at the king, the king held up one finger. At this, the shepherd held two fingers. Then the king held up three fingers, but at this the fool shook his head violently and tried to run away. The minister could not understand what happened. He begged the king to explain things to him.

"When I held up one finger," said the king. "I asked the man whether I alone was king. By holding up two fingers, he reminded me that there is also God, who is at least as powerful as I am. Then I asked him whether there was a third, and he strongly denied the existence of a third. This man really read my thoughts. I have been thinking that I alone was powerful, but he has reminded me that there is also God, but no third."