The Storm Bull's Secret

Lily loved summer storms. She would press her nose against the window, watching rain paint rivers down the glass while thunder rumbled like a giant tummy growling. But tonight's storm was different.

In the flash of **lightning**, Lily saw something extraordinary in the meadow behind her farmhouse. A magnificent **bull** stood in the rain, his horns glowing like silver crescent moons. He wasn't running or hiding—he stood calmly, as if waiting for something.

Lily grabbed her yellow raincoat and gumboots. She had to know.

"You're not afraid of the storm?" she asked, approaching carefully.

The bull turned his massive head. His eyes twinkled like captured stars. "I am Barnaby," he said softly, surprising Lily with his gentle voice. "And I love storms because they remind me of home."

"Where's home?"

Barnaby lowered his head, and his horns crackled with electricity. "I fell from the sky during last autumn's meteor shower. I was once part of Taurus, the constellation. But a bolt of **lightning** struck me loose, and I've been hiding on your farm ever since."

Lily's eyes widened. "You're a STAR bull?"

Barnaby nodded. "I miss my constellation family. But tonight, during this storm, I can finally return home. The **lightning** that brought me here can also send me back—if I'm brave enough to let it strike my horns again."

But Barnaby trembled. His massive shoulders shook.

"I can help," Lily said without thinking. "A **friend** always helps."

The storm intensified. Rain pummeled the grass. Thunder shook the ground. Barnaby looked at Lily, then up at the dark sky.

"Together?" he asked.

"Together," Lily promised, pressing her hand against his warm shoulder.

As a bolt of **lightning** forked toward them, Lily whispered, "You're magnificent, Barnaby. Go home."

The lightning struck Barnaby's glowing horns, and in that flash, Lily saw the most beautiful sight—Barnaby transforming into streaks of starlight, soaring upward, joining the familiar shape of Taurus in the clearing sky.

The next morning, Lily found a patch of clover shaped like a bull's head where they'd stood. Now, whenever she sees **lightning** during a summer storm, she waves at the stars, knowing her **friend** is watching, and that sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is help someone soar home.