The Bull Who Could Fly

Barnaby was not like the other bulls on Sunshine Farm. While they snorted and stamped their hooves, Barnaby spent his days watching the children play in the meadow beyond the fence. He especially loved baseball. The way the ball soared through the air made his heart soar too.

"Bulls don't play baseball," grumbled Old Bessie the cow. "Bulls are stern and serious. You're silly, Barnaby."

Barnaby lowered his head. Maybe she was right.

That's when Whiskers appeared. The orange barn cat had been watching Barnaby from the fence rail for weeks. Whiskers was the cleverest cat on the farm, maybe the cleverest cat in the whole world.

"Who says what bulls can or cannot do?" Whiskers asked, his green eyes twinkling. "I've seen birds swim and fish climb trees. The world is full of surprises, my friend."

"But I'm too big," Barnaby sighed. "And my hooves can't hold a bat."

Whiskers purred. "Not with that attitude. Come with me."

For the next week, while other animals slept, Whiskers taught Barnaby baseball secrets. "Use your tail like a bat!" Whiskers said. "And when you need to catch, let your nose tip guide you!"

One hot afternoon, the children's baseball rolled right under the fence. A boy reached for it, but Barnaby's nose got there first. Gently, carefully, he flipped the ball back with his nose—a perfect arc right into the boy's glove.

"Whoa!" the children shouted. "Did you see that bull?"

Barnaby's heart filled with sunshine. The children invited him to play. They used a bigger ball just for him. With a swing of his mighty tail, Barnaby sent the ball flying over the haystacks, over the barn, into the clouds!

"Nobody told the bull he couldn't fly," whispered Whiskers from the fence. "So he simply decided to try."

That summer, Barnaby became the most famous baseball player in the county. Children came from all around to play with the flying bull. And sometimes, when the sun set just right, you could still see him and Whiskers playing in the meadow, two best friends proving that the best adventures begin when you believe in yourself—even when nobody else does.