The Magical Home Run

Lily was the worst baseball player on her team, but she loved the game anyway. Every Saturday, she stood in the outfield with her glove, watching the clouds instead of the ball.

One afternoon, as Lily sat on the bench dreading her turn at bat, a scruffy orange cat trotted onto the field. The cat had the brightest green eyes Lily had ever seen, and it marched right up to her and meowed—loudly!

"Go away, kitty," Lily whispered. But the cat wouldn't leave. Instead, it batted at something shiny in the grass.

Lily gasped. It was her mom's iphone, lost just yesterday! The cat had found it!

"You're amazing!" Lily cried, scratching behind the cat's ears. The cat purred so hard that Lily's whole hand vibrated.

When it was finally Lily's turn to bat, she felt different. She wasn't scared anymore. The orange cat sat by the fence, watching her. Lily stepped up to home plate, closed her eyes, and swung with all her might.

CRACK!

Lily opened her eyes just in time to see the baseball sailing higher and higher, all the way over the fence! Her very first home run!

Her teammates cheered. Lily's coach ran over with a huge smile. "I knew you had it in you, Lily!"

But Lily knew the truth. Her new friend the cat had given her something special—courage. She looked toward the fence, but the cat was gone.

That night, Lily looked at the stars through her window and whispered, "Thank you, magical kitty."

Sometimes the best friends come when we least expect them, and sometimes believing in yourself starts with believing in someone else first.