He felt a jolt of electricity up his spine that he hadn’t felt in twenty years. This was just the beginning of the most dramatic change anyone had ever seen. Please tell me where you’re watching from in the comments. The wind in December howled through the empty streets of Millbrook Heights, where houses loomed like sleeping giants behind tall gates.
Alexander Cain sat in his handmade wheelchair in the biggest one, watching the flames dance in the marble fireplace. The millionaire, who was 45 years old, had everything money could buy, but he felt more empty than the empty streets outside. Two decades.
Twenty
He had made a lot of money in medical technology by making equipment that helped people walk, but he was still stuck in his wheeled cage. His chef had left hours ago, leaving a feast for ten guests on the table. Alexander didn’t eat much anymore.
Like everything else in his life, food had lost its taste. The roast chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, and warm dinner rolls that weren’t touched would undoubtedly wind up in the trash, like every other night. The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed nine times when something that couldn’t happen happened.
A
Caroline, his ex-wife, had taken half of his money and run away with her personal trainer. His business partners only contacted him when they required him to sign something. His own brother hadn’t talked to him in five years.
This
A small girl, maybe six or seven years old, with messy blonde hair sticking out from under a ragged wool hat. What in the world? Alexander grumbled and pushed the intercom button. Hey little girl, where are your parents? It’s very cold outside.
The child gazed up at the camera with the biggest, brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. He had to try to hear her over the wind since her voice was so quiet. Sophia is my name.
I could smell your dinner from the street. My mom and I haven’t eaten in two days. She stopped for a moment, then said something that scared Alexander.
I’ll give you something great in exchange for your leftovers. You can walk again with my help. Alexander laughed, a bitter, hollow chuckle that resonated through his empty house.
Would you like to walk again? I have spent millions of dollars on the top doctors in the world. If they can’t fix me, why do you believe a six-year-old can? But Sophia didn’t run away like most kids would when they saw a dad who was furious and bitter. Instead, she pushed her little face against the cold iron bars of his gate.
Before she went to heaven, my grandma told me about miracles. She claimed that if you believe hard enough, you can heal broken things. I trust you, Mr. Kane.
Alexander’s chest tightened when she spoke. How did she find out his name? He hadn’t been in the news in years and hadn’t left his mansion in months. But this strange youngster talked with such confidence and faith that for a moment, just a moment, he almost believed her.
He thought to himself, “This is crazy,” but his finger was already hovering over the button to open the gate. I must be going crazy. Alexander opened the gate even though it didn’t make sense to him.
He pushed his wheelchair to the front door and watched as the small person walked slowly up his long driveway, making tiny footsteps in the light snow. He could see that she was even smaller than he had assumed when she got to his door. She was certainly no older than six, and her cheeks and lips were becoming blue from the cold. Alexander groaned as he pushed his wheelchair away from the door. “Come in before you freeze to death.”
But I want you to know that this is insane. Letting a strange child into my residence is probably against approximately fifty laws. Sophia walked in and gasped right away when she saw his mansion.
There were paintings worth more than most people’s houses on the walls, and the marble flooring shone under crystal chandeliers. But she wasn’t looking at the luxury. They were staring in the dining room, where Alexander’s untouched feast was waiting.
“Oh my,” she said, putting her small hands together. There is a lot of food. This may last my mom and me a week.
Alexander felt a sudden pain in his chest. When was the last time he really wanted to eat? When was the last time he enjoyed something as basic as a warm meal? He responded calmly, “Take what you want.” Anyway, my chef usually prepares too much.
Sophia walked toward the dining room, but then she stopped and turned around to face him. Let me keep my commitment first. I told you I would make you walk again…
Sophia, I appreciate the thought, but can I touch your legs? She requested in such a kind way that Alexander couldn’t say no. This kid was different in some way. It could have been the way she looked at him without pity or the way she talked about miracles like they were genuine, like the snow outside.
Or maybe he was just so lonely that he had gone entirely crazy. “Fine,” he answered, his voice barely above a whisper. But if nothing occurs, please eat something, and then tell me where you live so I can get you home safely.
Sophia nodded seriously and crouched down next to his wheelchair. Her little hands appeared so small next to his worthless legs. For 20 years, Alexander had not felt anything below his waist.
Nothing, not even pain. The physicians had told him that his spinal cord was completely cut off. The nerves were dead.
There was no way out. But when Sophia’s warm hands touched his knees, something that shouldn’t have happened happened. Like lightning, a shock of electricity rushed up Alexander’s spine.
Not pain; he remembered pain from before the accident. This was not the same. This was a sensation.
Pure, irrefutable feeling coursing through nerves that had been quiet for twenty years. Alexander’s eyes got big, and he held on to the armrests of his wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He tried to say, “What did you just…” but the words died in his throat.
Because he could feel his legs for the first time in 20 years. Not fully. It felt like a faint whisper of feeling, like blood gently returning to a leg that had gone to sleep.
But it was there. It was true. And it couldn’t be done.
Sophia smiled the most gorgeous grin he had ever seen and gazed up at him with those amazing blue eyes. ” She said, “I told you.” People can do amazing things when they trust each other.
Alexander was shocked and looked down at his legs. He tried to move his toes and felt a very little twitch that anyone else may have missed. But to him, it was like seeing a star come into being.
“How?” he muttered, his voice shaking. How can this happen? “Love,” Sophia said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. My grandma said that love can fix anything.
She taught me that lesson before the disease took her from us. Tears, real tears, started to fall from Alexander’s eyes. Since his accident, he hadn’t cried.
He had put up walls around his heart that were so thick that nothing could get through. But this tiny kid, who was impossible, had just done something that the smartest doctors in the world said was impossible. Who are you? He asked, his voice almost a whisper.
Sophia got up and shook the dust off her old coat. I’m simply Sophia, and I’m really, really hungry. Alexander couldn’t stop looking at his legs.
The feeling was getting stronger. Not much, but enough to make him think that this child had somehow changed everything in his life. He added, “Take whatever you want from the kitchen,” his voice still trembling with passion.
Take it all. I’ll call my driver to take you home, and I’ll make sure you and your mom never go hungry again. But Sophia shook her head.
Mr. Kane, I don’t want your money. I actually want to help you walk again, not just feel your legs. What do you mean? “This was just the beginning,” she said, and her child’s voice was full of wisdom that was too much for her to handle.
But I will have to come back every day until it is done. Alexander’s heart raced, but not because he was scared. It was something he hadn’t felt in twenty years. Hope.
Your mom will be anxious about you. Sophia added regretfully, “My mom has to work three jobs to pay for our small apartment.” She won’t be home until very late.
She doesn’t know that I sometimes sneak out to find food. The idea of this little kid walking alone at night on the perilous streets made Alexander’s protective instincts kick in, instincts he had forgotten he had. That’s not safe…
You may have been harmed or worse. “But I wasn’t,” Sophia said in a way that only a child could understand. You found me instead, and I found you.
Grandma used to say that there are no accidents, only miracles that are about to happen. Alexander felt another flutter in his legs, as if to prove her argument. This time, he was sure he saw his left foot move a little.
Not much, just a little change that could have been in his head, yet it felt as genuine as the tears still running down his face. He said, “I don’t get any of this.” Sophia reached for a dinner roll and replied, “You don’t have to understand miracles.”
All you have to do is believe in them. She took a small bite and closed her eyes in blissful happiness. This dish is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
Alexander watched her eat with the urgency of someone who really knew what it was like to be hungry. He felt awful about all the meals he had squandered and all the blessings he had taken for granted. This child had nothing, yet she gave him something priceless: the first glimpse of hope he’d felt in twenty years. But while he watched her eat, a horrific notion crossed his mind.
What if this was all in his head? What if his mind had finally broken down and he was imagining the feelings in his legs? What if he woke up tomorrow, when the spell was gone, and found himself just as broken and alone as he was before? He whispered gently to Sophia, “What will happen if this procedure doesn’t work?” What if I can’t feel anything again tomorrow? With food crumbs on her chin and perfect trust in her gaze, she glanced up at him. We keep trying until it works. But what if? “Mr. Kane,” she said, her small voice suddenly strong.
Would you like to walk again? She wanted to walk more than anything else in the world. Then stop asking, “What if?” and start asking, “What’s next?” Alexander thought, “From the mouths of babes.” This six-year-old kid had just given him greater advice than all of his costly therapists put together.
He said, “What now?” Sophia looked at him earnestly when she completed her dinner roll. Next, you allow me to assist you, and in return, you help me support my mom.
We look out for each other like families do. Sophia, we’re not family. We just met.
She said, “Family isn’t just about blood,” and her comments sounded too sophisticated for her age. Family is made up of people who don’t give up on each other. Again, Alexander felt his chest tighten.
When was the last time someone hadn’t given up on him? He had lost faith in himself a long time ago. He responded, “Okay,” in a low voice. What do you want me to do? The whole face of Sophia lit up like Christmas morning.
You need to believe first. Have faith. You need to have faith not only in your mind but also in your emotions.
I don’t think I remember how to do it. “It’s okay,” she whispered, and then she reached out and patted his hand with her small fingers. I’ll believe for both of us until you remember.
Alexander felt the odd sensation in his legs get stronger as her warm fingers stroked his. He was sure this time that his right foot moved. Just a little twitch, but it’s clear.
Did you see that? He said it in a low voice. Sophia responded in a cryptic way, “I see everything.” The question is, do you? The grandfather clock chimed ten times before Alexander could ask what she meant.
Sophia’s eyes got big with fear. She jumped up from her chair and said, “I have to go.” At 10:30, Mom gets off work.
If she finds out I left again. “Wait,” Alexander said as she ran to the door. How will I be able to find you? What is your address? Sophia stopped at the door and looked back at him with those amazing blue eyes.
Mr. Kane, you don’t need to look for me. I’ll locate you. I will locate you at the same time tomorrow night.
But what if something goes wrong? What if you get harmed, or lost, or something else? What if I don’t? She threw his comments back at him and said, “You said that.” With that, she vanished into the icy night, leaving Alexander alone in his mansion with the smell of hope still in the air and the feeling of impossibility still in his legs. He sat there in shock for what felt like hours, staring at the spot where she had been and wondering whether the most important meeting of his life had been a dream.
But the empty dish on his dinner table was true. The warmth still flowing from where she’d touched his hand was real. And the feeling in his legs, faint but undeniable, was genuine too.
Alexander pushed his wheelchair to his bedroom and got into bed, like he had done countless times before. But tonight was different. He could feel the sheets against his legs as he lay in the dark tonight…
He could feel how heavy the blanket was. He could feel hope. For the first time in twenty years, Alexander Kane went to sleep thinking that tomorrow may be different from today.
He had no idea that in less than twenty-four hours, everything in his life would change. The little girl in the torn pink coat would bring with her a revelation that would shake everything he thought he knew about miracles, family, and the incredible power of a child’s faith. But first, he had to go through the longest day of his life, when news of Sophia’s miracle began to spread. This news brought with it perils that neither of them could have foreseen. Alexander woke up the next morning thinking it had all been a dream.
The sensation in his legs was gone, replaced with the familiar numbness he’d lived with for twenty years. He glanced at the ceiling of his bedroom, feeling dumb for assuming that a six-year-old child could accomplish what the world’s top doctors couldn’t. Of course that wasn’t real, he muttered to himself, moving into his wheelchair with expert movements.
I’m losing my mind. But when he rolled into the kitchen to make coffee, he froze in his tracks. There was a small piece of paper on his clean granite counter that was folded into the shape of a heart.
He opened it with shaking hands and saw that it was scribbled in crayon. Thanks for the food, Mr. Kane. I’ll see you tonight.
Love, Sophia. P.S. Touch your left knee. Alexander’s heart started to race.
He looked around his big house, trying to figure out how she could have left this note. Reluctantly, he reached down to touch his left knee as the note instructed, despite knowing that all the doors were closed and the security system was armed. The shock of electricity that went through his leg was so tremendous that it almost knocked him out of his wheelchair.
He could feel it not just in his knee but also in his ankle and hip. For a short, unbelievable moment, he could feel his whole left leg as if it had never been hurt. He said softly, “This can’t be happening.”
But he pushed his fingers harder against his knee as he said it. The feeling was so good it made me high. After twenty years of nothingness, every feeling seemed like a gift from God.
The sound of his doorbell ringing, then another ring, and then another broke his moment of wonder. Alexander scowled as he rolled toward his security monitor, expecting to see either a delivery driver or his groundskeeper. Instead, he saw many people.
At least fifty people were outside his gates, brandishing signs, yelling, and pushing against the iron bars. Some people had religious symbols, some had cameras, and a couple were putting together what looked like news equipment. What the heck? Alexander grumbled as he turned up the volume on his security system.
Healer of miracles! There was a shout. We want to meet the healer who works miracles! Make my daughter better! A woman holding a picture above her head yelled, “The power of Christ makes you do it! shouted a man holding a cross.
Alexander’s blood turned chilly. How did they find out? How could they have known about Sophia? He hadn’t told anyone, and she was only a youngster. She couldn’t have done it… His phone rang.
Then his phone came home. Then his work phone. In a flash, they all formed a symphony of electronic cacophony that made his head spin.
He answered his cell phone with shaky hands. Hey? Mr. Cain? Hi, this is Rebecca Martinez from Channel 7 News. People are telling us that a miracle healer came to your house last night.
A little girl who can help people who can’t move walk again. Can you say something? Alexander hung up right away, but the phone rang again in a few seconds. This newspaper is the Daily Herald, Mr. Cain.
We’d like to talk to you about the miracle of healing. He hung up once more. And once more…
And again. The crowd outside was becoming bigger. Alexander could see news vans rolling up, reporters putting up cameras, and more and more people in need arriving with wheelchairs, crutches, and pictures of sick loved ones.
But the worst thing wasn’t the media, the crowd, or the ringing phones. The worst thing was how the fear was building in his chest like icy water. She was in danger if these people were seeking Sophia and knew about her miracle.
A six-year-old child walking alone in the streets, with a lot of desperate people looking for her. Alexander picked up his phone and called 911. What is your emergency, emergency services? He said quickly, “I need police protection for a child.”
There’s a group of people looking for a six-year-old child, and I’m worried they might hurt her. Could you please be more specific, sir? Where is the child, and what is their name? Alexander’s fear grew when he realized that he didn’t know Sophia’s last name, where she lived, or even what school she went to. He didn’t know much about her other than that she was poor, her mother worked three jobs, and she believed in miracles.
“I don’t know the beau,” he said. But she’s in trouble. There are many people hunting for her, and she’s only a small child.
Sir, we can’t do much without more details. You might wish to call Child Protective Services if you’re worried about a certain child. Alexander was enraged that he hung up.
Child Protective Services? That could take hours or even days. It might be too late by then. He turned back to his security monitor and watched in rising fear as the crowd outside his gates grew to over a hundred people.
Some people looked really needy, such as parents holding sick kids, old folks in wheelchairs, and families holding medical records. But others looked like they could be dangerous. There were men with wild eyes yelling about religious prophecies, ladies dying from religious ecstasy, and what looked like cult members in identical robes. And in the middle of it all, Alexander saw something that made his heart stop.
A black vehicle with dark windows parked on the other side of the street from his mansion. He could see the outlines of a few individuals inside who were looking at his house using binoculars. His ex-wife, Caroline.
Alexander would know that automobile right away. It was the same one she had used throughout their nasty divorce, when she hired private detectives to monitor him and record how his mental health was getting worse in the hopes of securing a bigger settlement. But why was she here now? And why was she observing his residence with a group of people who looked like lawyers or detectives? His doorbell rang again before he could handle this new threat.
When he looked at the monitor this time, he saw a face he knew that made his heart race with relief. His neurologist, Dr. Patricia Winters, appeared at his gate with her medical bag. She seemed worried and a little overwhelmed by the mob around her. Alexander quickly unlocked the gate and watched as Dr. Winters rushed through the crowd, ignoring their cries for help and miracle treatments.
She got to his front door just as a group of reporters rushed to follow her through the gate. “Close it!” she yelled, and Alexander slammed the gate shut just in time to keep the crowd out. Dr. Winters came into his entryway, breathing hard and looking frightened…
What in the world is going on, Alexander? This morning, I got six calls saying you were walking again. People are flooding the hospital asking for information about a miraculous healer. And that crowd outside… She shivered.
I’ve never seen anything like this before. Alexander stated hurriedly, “Patricia, I need you to look at me.” Last night, an event occurred that shouldn’t have happened, and I need to know if it was real or if I’m going crazy.
Dr. Winters put down her suitcase and gazed at him with the worried face she had when she believed a patient might be suffering a mental breakdown. We’ve talked about this before, Alexander. The accident entirely cut off your spinal cord.
The harm is permanent and can’t be fixed. There is no medical operation, cure, or miracle that could help. “Touch my knee,” Alexander said. What? Please just touch my left knee and tell me how it feels.
Dr. Winters thought for a moment, then leaned down next to his wheelchair and put her hand on his knee. Alexander, I don’t get what you’re… She stopped in the middle of a sentence, and her eyes became wide. “You felt it too,” Alexander remarked in a voice that was just above a whisper.
My leg moved. I got it to move. Dr. Winters pulled her hand back quickly, as if she had been scorched.
That’s not possible. I must have made it up. After being completely paralyzed for 20 years, you can’t move on your own.
But Alexander could see that she didn’t believe what she was saying. They both realized that the scientific certainty that had defined her career was breaking down. Alexander said there was more.
He reached down and pinched his left thigh so hard that it should have left a mark. I can feel that. I can feel everything from my hip to my ankle.
With shaky hands, Dr. Winters took a reflex hammer out of her bag. She said, “This is impossible,” but she wanted to see how fast you could react. She hit his knee with the hammer, and his leg moved.
This was a natural, healthy reaction that should not have occurred in a man whose spine had been severed. The hammer fell out of her hands and hit the floor with a loud bang. She muttered, “How is such an event possible?”
Alexander stated she was a little girl, six years old. When she touched my legs, something changed. I know how it sounds, but Alexander really paid attention to what I said.
Dr. Winters cut in, her voice urgent. We need to get you to the hospital right away if what you’re saying is accurate and you really are getting your feeling and movement back. We need to do all of our tests, write down everything, and figure out what’s going on with your nervous system.
Alexander replied, looking out at the mob outside, “I can’t leave.” The young girl is coming back tonight, and all these folks are looking for her. You mean the kid who supposedly healed you is coming back here? Tonight? Dr. Winters seemed scared…
Do you know how deadly it may be, Alexander? There are religious fanatics who will do everything to get their hands on someone they think can do miracles, and there are others who would hurt a child merely to show that miracles don’t happen. A rock burst through Alexander’s front window, and the audience yelled angrily, as if to make her point. Get the healer out! We are entitled to miracles! Prophet of lies! More rocks started to fly, so Alexander and Dr. Winters ducked.
The audience was getting frustrated because they were desperate and religiously fanatical to the point of danger. Winters grabbed her phone and yelled, “Call the police, doctor.” The situation is getting out of hand.
But before she could ring, Alexander’s doorbell rang again. This time, when he examined the security monitor, his heart nearly stopped. Sophia was standing at his gate, appearing small and scared in the middle of the angry crowd.
She was still wearing the same old pink coat from the night before, but this time it was soiled and ripped. People were pressing against her, reaching out to touch her, and begging her to heal their loved ones. Her blonde hair was messy, and tears were flowing down her face. That’s her! A person yelled.
That’s the youngster who is a miracle! The mob rushed at Sophia like a tidal wave, and Alexander watched in horror as the little girl disappeared under a sea of grabbing hands and frantic bodies. No! He yelled, and his voice echoed through the house. Alexander accomplished something he hadn’t done in twenty years without thinking about his wheelchair or his restrictions.
He struggled to get up, and somehow, his legs were able to hold his weight. Alexander Kane was standing on his own two feet for the first time in twenty years. But he didn’t have time to celebrate or think about the miracle that was happening to his body.
The people who wanted the marvels the tiny girl could deliver were crushing her outside his gates. Dr. Winters looked at him with disbelief. Alexander, you’re really standing.
He continued, “Call 9-1-1,” his voice calm even though there was a lot of pandemonium going on around them. Tell them that a youngster is in immediate danger and then assist me go to her. You can’t go out there. You’ve been in a wheelchair for twenty years. Even if you can stand, you can’t fight through that crowd.
Alexander gazed at his functional, miracle legs and then at the security monitor, where Sophia was hardly visible under the giant crowd. He said, “Watch me.” And for the second time in twenty-four hours, Alexander Kane was ready for everything in his life to change.
But this time, he wouldn’t be the one who got a miracle. This time, he would be the one to give it. The mob outside got angrier and worse, and in the middle of all that, a six-year-old child was struggling for her life.
She was the same girl who had given him the gift of hope that he thought was impossible. It was the same girl who had just demonstrated to him that some things were worth fighting for, even if it meant enduring pain. But Alexander had no idea that the black automobile across the street was full of individuals who had been waiting for this moment.
People who had quite different ideas about what to do with him and the miracle child. And they were all running out of time.
