THE CHOSEN ONE
2. MIRACLES?
JODIE MITCHELL AGE: 12 YEARS OLD
I suppose that, in other times, we would've called this a miracle.
INTENSIVE THERAPY
I need my pills.
OPERATING ROOM RECOVERY
-Ángelo Ramírez? -Yeah. I wanna see my dad.
I'm Dr. Álvarez. I'm in charge of your dad.
I'm sorry. You can't see him yet.
Why?
Your dad suffered very severe trauma,
and we have to keep him calm, sedated, undisturbed.
How the fuck is that gringo okay, and my dad isn't?
We have to wait until the swelling subsides.
Is there any other adult relative in your house?
Someone who can sign some paperwork?
It's important.
I don't think you're in the right emotional state.
Were you discharged?
How are you? Okay?
I think I'm fine.
I still can't believe it.
-Magda! -I gotta go.
Fulfill your destiny.
-I'll be right back. -Okay.
Hi, Mr. Chuy.
What's up?
Why are you here?
I just came to see you.
I gotta go.
I left my dad alone.
Wait.
You always run away.
He's probably looking for me.
Was that your first kiss?
It was mine too.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
-Amen. -Amen.
You may sit.
A heart that praises God can never be sad
A heart that praises Christ Can never be sad
A heart that praises God can never be sad
Hooray for Pastor Cruz!
Hooray!
Did you hear that?
"A heart that praises Christ can never be sad."
Amen!
Before reading the Holy Scripture,
let's pray for the quick recovery of our brother Carlos Ramírez.
For Ángelo.
A boy we've all seen grow and who we all love.
For our darling Camila.
I know he hasn't been around here for some time.
But in the eyes of God,
we're all brothers.
Because God, our Lord, in his infinite wisdom,
has decided to test the faith of this family.
Amen!
The faith of the entire flock.
Amen!
To which I say, "Lord, challenge accepted!"
Amen!
We will not doubt you!
Amen!
-We will not doubt your design. -Amen!
…with a fishing line.
I'll go get it.
Yeah, okay.
-Hi. -Hi, Magda. How are you?
Good, and you?
You'll pull on the line, and bam! The ball will…
Hi. How are you?
Yeah, we'll practice. Don't worry.
Are you mad?
Father O'Higgins asked for prayers for Carlos Ramírez, right?
He can't even hear his name.
What would you do to the guy who lost your kid?
They say he still goes looking in the cave.
He didn't organize the field trip
or tell Santos to go on his own.
Yeah, but he was the prefect.
He asked for his punishment.
I wonder what Ángelo will do to us when he's back.
Shame that Ángelo wasn't in the truck with his dad.
I'm so happy you're okay.
Did you know you're famous?
How'd you make it out without a scratch?
We all saw that truck land on you.
I think it was a miracle.
A chaneque, as they say in my language.
The miracle is God helping us get revenge on Ángelo.
You shouldn't joke about that.
That family is going through a tough time.
Jodie was really lucky.
There was probably a ditch or--
I didn't see a ditch.
Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it wasn't there.
It's logical, right?
Good morning.
Hi. You're Jodie, right?
Hi, Jodie.
Hi.
How are you, Mirna?
Hi, Rosa.
Fabiola.
Did a trailer really fall on you?
I was there.
Wow.
Maybe your luck will rub off on me.
Good morning.
Open your science book to page 152.
Tuka, please read.
"In many animal species,
attraction between males and females
is an important condition for reproduction,
which is how two individuals of different sex
give way to a new living being."
"What physical traits or behaviors…
that relate to sexual attraction do you know?"
Please, don't forget to bring the signed permission slips
for the pastorela.
Study for the test.
-Bye, miss. -See you tomorrow.
What's up with Jodie?
Besides having a 40-ton trailer dropped on him?
You really don't know?
What?
Well,
those are things that…
I cannot
and will not tell you.
How's it going?
Turn the music up, Wagner?
-Do you like it? -Yeah.
There.
Hey, wait! Where are you going?
-What's the password? -What password?
Don't listen to him. There's no password.
What do you want?
Did you really lift a trailer?
I'll give you my pastries if you tell me.
Twenty pesos and your pastries.
Jodie, the kid paid. Tell him.
All right.
I was walking,
looking up at a bird like that.
Then a huge shadow loomed over me.
It was like a blue whale
had silently flown above me.
Like the sun had gone down in the middle of the day.
When I turned around,
I saw the truck on top of me.
I didn't have time to run.
I felt it crush me.
I felt like my skull would pop like a grape.
But know what happened?
I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Stop, that's it.
Gotta pay more to know more.
Could you do it again?
Hey. No money, no show.
Jump in!
Come on, jump!
Jump in!
Aren't you cold?
A bit. You?
Why do you never take your shirt off?
Well…
I have to go.
I said I'd be back early.
Wanna walk together?
That way, we can talk.
I'll stay.
I'll go with you. I gotta work.
Okay.
She was giving you a sign.
Really?
You're a dummy.
Stop gossiping.
Come on.
Hipólito, how are you doing?
I had another idea to make some money.
I'll tell you tomorrow.
Out, kids.
You've got ten.
Don't let them see you.
It's there.
Thanks.
Your cousin is great.
Great, my ass.
We have to pay 200 pesos.
Grab any parts you can.
Come and get it!
Buy the miracle boy's items!
-Biggie Big! How are you? -Coming to you live!
-What's up? -How you doing?
-Got more money? -No photos, no lies, nothing!
Here's the miracle boy!
It's blood. It'll come out blue.
-I don't believe it. -I swear!
Or you can get them all.
You'll go to your friends and tell them about this.
Listen up. You won't get this anywhere else in the world.
With this nut, your mom won't slap you anymore.
-And with this one… -Listen.
-…the teacher won't flunk you. -This is the winner.
You'll get good grades in math. Believe me.
You want that?
This is from the truck. Listen. The neighbor's truck.
MIRACLE: CHILD UNHARMED AFTER A TRAILER FALLS ON HIM
CENTRAL AMERICA
SOUTHERN CONE
FALSE PROPHET
FALSE
Be my eyes so I can see.
Let me be your sword.
CHILD AVOIDS BEING CRUSHED
I can't pick the wrong child again.
We sold most of it.
What will happen when they find out they're fake?
Nothing, because they won't. Unless you tell them.
What does the Bible say about people that snitch on their friends?
Nothing. Or, like Father O'Higgins would say, everything.
What else did Jesus do?
He cured lepers
and blind people.
He turned water into wine.
He brought deer to Belar.
He invited the older coyote to Pasco.
You got your religions mixed up.
It's the same. The names are just different.
-Hey, we-- Oh! -That's it?
Yes. We sold the last one.
We don't have a leper, but we have a near-blind man.
The money we'll get from that!
Just imagine!
Ladies and gentlemen,
we present an incredible show.
Never before seen!
Now keep quiet and pay close attention.
W, K,
Z,
A, W,
K…
Tuka, take him away.
Welcome, everyone!
As you well know,
Jodie is the miracle boy of Santa Rosalía.
Today, right in front of your eyes,
you will see something spectacular.
MIRACLE HEALING
Supernatural.
Miraculous.
Ladies and gentlemen, here's Jodie!
As you know,
my brother Erik is as blind as a bat.
He's spent his whole life living in a dark…
Huh?
…deep pit,
without any light.
But today,
Jodie will share his light!
He'll cure his blindness!
I can see perfectly.
Erik, tell us what letters you see there.
I see
A,
K,
W…
I mean, Q.
Z. No, Q.
Yes, Z, A, K, W, Z.
A round of applause!
Thank you for coming!
You've just witnessed the miracle boy, Jodie!
Huh?
Hey, they're free!
COME SEE THE MIRACLE BOY!
Get out of there!
Good morning, ma'am.
Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
The door was open,
and I can't hear well.
I'm Guillermo.
I work at the quarry where your son had the accident.
May I?
Yes.
My mom made this
for him.
For both of you.
What happened with your son was a true miracle.
Thanks.
Excuse me. Have a good day.
You too.
What's on your mind?
I should be dead.
Ángelo's dad is still in a coma, and I'm…
No, don't say that.
What?
You're making me nervous. What's up?
The first thing I regretted when I thought I was gonna die
was to be honest.
You know you can tell me anything.
We're like brother and sister.
How much I love you and everyone.
Is something wrong?
No. Why?
You didn't like the kiss, right?
No, it's not that.
I liked it.
What, then?
I don't know.
I don't want things to change.
Everything is already so weird.
You do want to be my girlfriend?
I think you're rushing things, Hipólito.
Do you like Jodie?
This isn't a contest to see who can spit furthest.
Okay. I won't rush things.
But you did like it, right?
We'll turn water into wine.
I think you're being dumb.
-Really. -Magic isn't dumb.
It's art.
Remember the red salt from the salt flats?
If we mix the salt with the bacteria in the water, it'll turn red,
and ta-da! Wine.
I'm out.
What's your deal?
Don't be like that.
Jodie, you gotta do this.
Jodie, it's a miracle you're still alive.
And you're wasting your time on scams and tricks?
Magda, it's a magic trick.
It's not a big deal.
Let her go. Don't worry. She'll get over it.
The show must go on, after all.
Then, Tuka, please do the honors
of counting when we add the salt.
One,
two,
three,
four, five, six,
seven, eight,
nine, ten,
eleven, twelve,
thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…
-That's magic! -An optical illusion!
Hey, that's magic!
Adults.
What?
There are a lot of adults.
We have to wait until they leave.
They won't leave. Let's go.
-What? -You know what to do.
You got it!
-Close it! -Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
Allow me to introduce the miracle boy.
-Let's welcome Jodie! -Go, Wagner. The cap.
PARTS OUT OF STOCK NEXT WEEK
-What do I do? -I don't know.
May this water turn into wine!
You got this, Jodie!
Come on, Jodie!
-You got this, Jodie! -Come on!
Liar!
He did it.
It's a miracle.
Miracle!
-Just look. -Look!
-The miracle just performed. -Let me try it.
Leave them alone. They're just kids playing.
Pick on someone your own size.
You're already going to hell.
Relax, honey. I haven't told anyone about us.
Stop!
Run!
-Tuka! -I'm coming.
I don't get it. I don't get what happened.
I don't know who I am.
I don't know what's going on, Jodie,
but you remind me of someone I know every time I see you.
You've got the same eyes.
Your mom doesn't have those eyes.
I'm sure you got them from your dad.
I don't know my father.
Your mom didn't tell you who your dad is?
She must have her reasons.
I think you need to know where you came from to know where you're going.
Why are you here?
Thank you.
Do you remember what you asked me at the oasis?
IN MEMORY OF RAY GARDUÑO
BASED ON THE GRAPHIC NOVEL AMERICAN JESUS BY MARK MILLAR & PETER GROSS