Alexander awoke with a start, his body drenched in sweat. The sensation was unlike anything he had felt before. It was sharp and intense, yet it coursed through him with a kind of electric vitality. Gasping, he struggled to make sense of it. Could this be the sign of something changing within him? He wanted desperately to believe it, but years of disappointment had taught him to be wary of hope.
As the first light of dawn crept through the curtains, Alexander lay still, contemplating the strange night. The memory of Luke’s ritual flashed in his mind. It was absurd, he told himself—a child’s game, nothing more. Yet, the unease persisted, whispering that perhaps this was something real, something beyond the bounds of his understanding.
Tentatively, Alexander swung his legs over the side of the bed. His feet touched the floor, and he marveled at the sensation. It was as if the fibers of the carpet were alive, transmitting a pulse of energy through his skin. Slowly, deliberately, he attempted to stand. His muscles, long dormant, responded with an unfamiliar strength. Trembling, he pushed himself upright.
He was standing.
For a moment, disbelief clouded his mind. But as he took a hesitant step forward, reality crystallized. Another step followed, then another, until he was moving with a fluidity he hadn’t experienced in years. The pain had transformed, no longer a hindrance but a catalyst for motion.
Staggering with emotion, Alexander reached for the phone. “Get my car,” he barked into the receiver. “And find me that boy.”
By the time he arrived at the park, Alexander was no longer the cynic who had watched children play with disdain. He now moved among them, searching for the one who had given him this miraculous gift. But Luke was nowhere to be found. A sense of urgency gripped him—he had to fulfill his end of the bargain.
Hours turned into days, yet there was no sign of the mysterious boy. Alexander employed every resource at his disposal, mobilizing teams to scour the city for any trace of Luke. Reports trickled in from various neighborhoods, but they all led to dead ends.
As days blurred into weeks, Alexander found himself frequenting the park, hoping for another encounter. He no longer loathed the sounds of life around him; instead, he found solace in the laughter of children, each day a testament to his improbable recovery.
Then, one afternoon, a familiar voice piped up behind him. “You look better.”
Alexander spun around to find Luke standing there, his expression the same mix of calm and confidence. Relief flooded through him. “I owe you something,” Alexander said, his voice thick with gratitude. “The million is yours.”
Luke simply smiled. “I didn’t do it for the money. I just wanted to help.”
Overwhelmed, Alexander nodded. In that moment, he realized that beyond the miracle of his restored mobility, Luke had given him something far more profound—the power of trust and the grace of renewal. As they parted, Alexander understood that sometimes the greatest healers appear in the most unexpected forms, and true wealth is measured not in what one possesses, but in the lives one touches.
