Read Miracle for Free Online Page B

bite of the sandwich.
    Fred sat down beside her. “What’s that?” He pointed to a pile of dollar bills on the coffee table.
    “I don’t know,” Lauren said.
    Fred picked up the bills. Under them was a handful of change and a piece of pink paper. “‘Returned three boxes Christmas cards for refund,’” Lauren said, reading it. “‘$38.18.’”
    “That’s what’s here,” Fred said, counting the money. “He didn’t turn your Christmas cards into a Douglas fir after all. He took them back and got a refund.”
    “Then that means the tree isn’t in the kitchen!” she said, jumping up and running to look. “No, it doesn’t.”
    She came back and sat down on the couch.
    “But at least you got your money back,” Fred said. And it fits in with what I learned on the Net last night. They think he’s a friendly spirit, probably some sort of manifestation of the seasonal spirit. Apparently these are fairly common, variations of Santa Claus being the most familiar, but there are other ones, too. All benign. They think he’s probably telling the truth about wanting to give you your heart’s desire.”
    “Do they know how to get rid of him?” she asked, and took a bite.
    “No. Apparently no one’s ever wanted to exorcise one.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I got a list of exorcism books to try, though, and this one guy, Clarence, said the most important thing in an exorcism is to know exactly what kind of spirit it is.”
    “How do we do that?” Lauren asked with her mouth full.
    “By their actions,” Fred said. “He said appearance doesn’t mean anything because seasonal spirits are frequently in disguise. He said we need to write down everything the spirit’s said and done, so I want you to tell me exactly what he did.” He took a pen and a notebook out of his jacket pocket. “Everything from the first time you saw him.”
    “Just a minute.” She finished the last bite of sandwich and took a drink of the orange juice. “Okay. He knocked on the door, and when I answered it, he told me he was here to give me a Christmas present, and I told him I wasn’t interested, and I shut the door and started into the bedroom to hang upmy dress and—my dress!” she gasped and went tearing into the bedroom.
    “What’s the matter?” Fred said, following her.
    She flung the closet door open and began pushing clothes madly along the bar. “If he’s transformed this—” She stopped pushing hangers. “I’ll kill him,” she said and lifted out a brownish collection of feathers and dried leaves. “Benign??” she said. “Do you call that benign??”
    Fred gingerly touched a brown feather. “What was it?”
    “A dress,” she said. “My beautiful black, off-the-shoulder, drop-dead dress.”
    “Really?” he said doubtfully. He lifted up some of the brownish leaves. “I think it still is a dress,” he said. “Sort of.”
    She crumpled the leaves and feathers against her and sank down on the bed. “All I wanted was to go to the office party!”
    “Don’t you have anything else you can wear to the office party? What about that pretty red thing you wore last year?”
    She shook her head emphatically. “Scott didn’t even notice it!”
    “And that’s your heart’s desire?” Fred said after a moment. “To have Scott Buckley notice you at the office party?”
    “Yes, and he would have, too! It had sequins on it, and it fit perfectly!” She held out what might have been a sleeve. Greenish-brown lumps dangled from brownish strips of bamboo. “And now he’s ruined it!”
    She flung the dress on the floor and stood up. “I don’t care what this Clarence person says. He is not benign! And he is not trying to get me what I want for Christmas. He is trying to ruin my life!”
    She saw the expression on Fred’s face and stopped. “I’m sorry,” she said. “None of this is your fault. You’ve been trying to help me.”
    “And I’ve been doing about as well as your