When Lightning Danced

Mittens was a curious orange cat who loved to watch storms from her windowsill. But she had never seen a storm like this one.

The sky turned purple as lightning flashed in patterns that looked like dancing fairies. Each bolt struck the old pond behind her house, making the water glow with magical blue light.

"What IS that?" Mittens wondered, pressing her nose against the glass.

Then she saw him—Barnaby, the big golden retriever from next door, swimming happily in the glowing pond! But dogs didn't swim in magical lightning storms...

unless something special was happening.

Mittens crept outside, her paws wet from the rain. Barnaby waved his tail at her.

"Come in!" he barked happily. "The lightning made the water magic! When you swim here, you can FLY!"

Mittens shook her head. Cats didn't swim. Everyone knew that.

"I can't," she meowed. "I'm a cat. We don't like water."

Barnaby doggy-paddled closer. "But in this pond, you don't get wet. You just GLOW! And then you can soar above the trees!"

Another lightning bolt flashed, and Barnaby rose into the air, surrounded by sparkling light.

Mittens' heart raced. She wanted to fly. She REALLY wanted to fly.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the pond. To her surprise, the water felt warm and soft, like a blanket. She began to swim, paddling with her paws.

Suddenly, she felt lighter than air. Golden sparkles covered her fur. Mittens rose up, up, UP until she was floating beside Barnaby above the treetops!

"We're FLYING!" Mittens purred with delight.

Together they soared through the storm, the lightning illuminating their path like breadcrumbs. Below, the neighborhood looked tiny and magical.

"Friends help friends discover magic," Barnaby said, bumping his nose against hers.

Mittens smiled. She had learned something wonderful that night: sometimes the bravest thing you can do is try something new, especially with a friend by your side.

As the storm passed and they floated back to earth, Mittens knew this was just the first of many adventures with her new best friend.