The Bull Who Hit Stars

Lily loved the old oak tree behind her house. Every afternoon, she'd sit beneath its branches, listening to the whispering leaves. One hot summer day, she heard something strange—*splash, plink, splash*—coming from the secret watering hole deep in the woods.

Curious, Lily followed the sound. What she found made her gasp.

A magnificent bull stood by the water's edge. But this wasn't like the bulls she'd seen in books. His coat shimmered with all the colors of sunset—golden, orange, and pink. And in his mouth, he held a glowing padel racquet.

The bull spotted Lily and froze. "Please don't run away," he said in a voice as gentle as rain on a roof.

Lily stepped closer. "You can talk?"

"I'm Benny," the bull nodded. "And I can do something special. Watch."

Benny swung his padel racquet upward. A tiny star fell from the sky, landing right on the strings. *PING!* He hit it toward the water, and the star skipped across the surface like a perfect baseball hit. Where the star touched the water, ripples of light spread out, and the water began to sparkle like diamonds.

"It's beautiful!" Lily cried. "But why?"

"Once upon a time," Benny explained, "stars fell into this water and got stuck. They forgot how to shine. I hit them back into the sky so they can dream again."

Lily's eyes widened. "Can I try?"

Bennie smiled (yes, bulls can smile!) and lowered his head. "Together."

He let Lily hold the padel racquet while he guided it with his nose. When the next star fell, they swung together. *WHOOSH!* The star soared higher than any baseball had ever flown, bursting back into the sky with a brilliant flash.

"You did it!" Benny cheered. "You've got the magic touch."

From that day on, Lily visited Benny every afternoon. She learned that the lonely bull just needed a friend. And Benny taught her that everyone has special gifts—even unexpected ones.

Sometimes, if you look up at just the right moment, you might see a star shining extra bright. That's Benny and Lily, still playing their magical game, reminding the world that friendship is the most powerful magic of all.