BY EUNICE PONCE, SARA OLKON AND MARTIN MERZER

 Defiance beginning to vaporize into acceptance of the inevitable, thousands of Cuban Americans and others gathered in prayer Monday night to seek divine intervention on behalf of Elian Gonzalez -- not just to keep the boy in Miami, but to safeguard him wherever he ends up.

 ''I would hope that if the child is sent back to Cuba, he would find happiness in his soul,'' said the Rev. Armando Perez of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Fort Lauderdale, ''that he would be a man who would always look for freedom, and that he would not be mistreated or manipulated.''

 Conducted just two blocks from the Little Havana home of Elian's relatives, the vigil at Northwest 22nd Avenue and First Street attracted parents and children, executives and factory workers -- all joined by a desire, a need, to demonstrate their concern for the 6-year-old boy who now seems certain to return to Fidel Castro's regime with his father.

 Stretching from the intersection in all four directions, they carried signs, and they carried rosary beads and crucifixes, and they carried the burden of 41 years of exile.

 ''I think the harder you fight, the greater the victory,'' said Fernando Rivero, 72, of Miami. ''Today's vigil won't change anything, but it's an act of support.''

 Many cars were covered with placards that said, ''Pray for Elian,'' and heavy traffic compelled some people to park five blocks or more from the scene.

 Flags of Cuba and the United States flew everywhere -- a sea of red, white and blue -- and dangled from surrounding doors and chain-link fences. Tied atop many of these flags: black ribbons of mourning.

 To some extent, the vigil carried an air of finality.

 ''We know we have lost, the child will go back, but we will remember,'' said Aleda Quintas, standing incongruously under the bright yellow balloon of the Happy Face auto dealership on 22nd Avenue. She held a sign that said: ''Clinton -- in November we'll remember.''

 Some Cuban Americans and other supporters remained hopeful that somehow Elian would remain in the United States, though they acknowledged that such an end would require an extraordinary event at this point.

 ''A miracle has to happen here -- something big is going to happen to turn this whole thing around,'' said Matilde Montejo, a native of the Dominican Republic who was accompanied by her daughter and 18-month-old grandson.

 Others found comfort in the thought that even what they see as a bad end -- a return to Cuba -- could lead to something good.

 ''The kid is equipped to start something in Cuba,'' José Duarte said. ''I don't think they will be able to change him. He will inspire the people.''

 En route between the boy's current home and the vigil, Miami City Commissioner Joe Sanchez conceded that Elian's return seemed imminent. He urged the community to respond maturely and calmly, and to dwell not on what was lost -- but on what was gained.

 ''If a decision is objectionable, then go to the ballot box and cast your vote there, but don't lift your hands in rage,'' Sanchez said. ''That's what Fidel Castro wants, so he can say, 'Look, they don't follow their own laws.'

 ''We fought a good fight, and if Elian goes back, at least he tasted freedom and he will never forget it.''

 Herald staff writer Ana Acle contributed to this report.