The Bull With Rainbow Hair

Lily was a girl who loved her iphone more than anything. She spent all day tapping and swiping, barely noticing the world around her. One afternoon, while chasing a butterfly through the meadow behind her house, she stumbled through a shimmering curtain of vines and into a hidden valley she had never seen before.

There, grazing on flowers that glowed like tiny stars, was the most magnificent creature Lily had ever seen. It was a bull, but not like the ones in picture books. This bull had hair that flowed like a rainbow waterfall — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple all dancing together in the breeze.

"Hello there," the bull said gently. "I'm Barnaby, and I've been running from the Gray Fog all morning. It makes everything boring and gray. I need someone to help me find the Sparkle Stone before it catches us."

Lily had forgotten all about her iphone. "I'll help!" she cried.

They set off running together through the magical valley. Barnaby's rainbow hair streamed behind him like a comet's tail. They climbed crystal hills and crossed rivers that sang. But suddenly, the Gray Fog curled toward them like sleepy gray snakes.

"We're almost there," Barnaby said, pointing to a cave ahead. "But it's too dark inside. I can't see the Sparkle Stone!"

Lily's hand went to her pocket — and she remembered her iphone. She turned it on, and its flashlight beam cut through the darkness like a laser of pure light. There, on a pedestal of moonstone, sat the Sparkle Stone, pulsing with all the colors of Barnaby's hair.

Lily grabbed it, and the moment she did, the Gray Fog dissolved into sparkles. The whole valley burst into song.

"Thank you," Barnaby nudged her warmly. "You know, your little light-bringer is pretty magical. But so are you, for looking up from it to see the world."

Lily smiled, tucking her iphone back into her pocket. She still used it sometimes, but now she knew: the best magic happens when you look up from the screen and let wonder find you.