The Bull Who Lost His Stars

Leo loved his dog Barnaby more than anything in the world. Every night before bed, they would look out the window at the stars together. One evening, Barnaby started barking at something strange in the backyard—a glowing creature with golden fur and curved horns.

It was a real, live bull, but not like any bull Leo had ever seen. This bull shimmered like moonlight, and instead of hooves, he had small twinkling stars.

"I've fallen from my constellation," the bull said in a voice low and warm like thunder far away. "I am Taurus, and I need to get back to the sky before dawn, or I'll fade away forever."

Leo wanted to help. His best friend would never let anyone down. "But how? We can't reach that high."

Barnaby nudged Leo's baseball with his nose. The ball glowed softly where the dog touched it.

"The bull nodded wisely. "A magical game, perhaps? If you hit me with that baseball—I will transform into pure starlight and soar home."

Leo's hands trembled as he picked up the bat. The bull stood still as a statue, his eyes full of ancient starlight. Barnaby barked once—a good luck bark.

Leo swung. The ball connected with the bull's golden shoulder, and CRACK!

In that instant, the bull dissolved into a million sparkling lights that spiraled upward, faster and brighter, until they burst among the stars. The constellation Taurus twinkled again, brighter than before.

The next morning, Leo found something shimmering beside his baseball in the grass—a single golden horn, small enough to fit in his pocket. Sometimes, he and Barnaby still look up at Taurus, and the constellation seems to wink back, as if to say: thank you, friend.