Author: Deanie Dunne
Last saved by: The Dunnes

Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog
By Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
Illustrated by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj
The Bully	
Introduction:
 “Hi, my name is Charlene the Star. I’m a horse who loves jumping. I’m kicking up my heels while Mary’s riding me. I’m excited. I’m preparing for a big jumping competition in a few weeks. I live at Jumping for Joy Farms. I love jumping but I was getting flabby from not practicing enough during my vacation. It could be I’m a little chubby from too many peppermints Mary gives me when I do something well. Last year I won the Green Jumper Championship at the Sterling Horse Show. This year I want to win the award for being the best jumper in the whole state of Kentucky. Mary’s galloping me toward the in and out jump. I need to pay attention because there are one or two strides between the two jumps and if we don’t measure them right, we’d be in trouble. Mary uses her long legs to help me adjust my stride before the jumps. We’re in and we took one nice long stride and we’re out. We were perfect. Mary’s patting my pretty red coat, so I know she’s happy with my work.”
  Charlene thought “I see a funny-looking dog sitting next to the ring. He barked at me so I stopped to look at him. He’s plump with wrinkles and he has a pouty face.
“Charlene, you stopped so quickly you almost made me fall off,” Mary said. “I bumped my chin against your neck. You even made my riding hat bounce around on my head. What’s going on?  Maybe you wanted to say hello to the dog who’s watching us jump. I’ve never seen him before. He’s wearing a colorful collar and tag that says his name is Bentley. I wonder if he wants to stay here. We’ll have to advertise to find his owners. He doesn’t have a big head or big brindle spots like Elliott does. But he’s still a rather handsome dog.”
 Charlene thought, My friends and I can talk to other animals, but we don’t talk to people. Mary’s walking me, or cooling me off, before we go back to the barn. That’s important because if she put me in the barn when I was sweaty, I could get sick.
“Charlene, here’s what I’m going to do: fix your dinner, feed Elliott and Bentley. I’ll put the dishes outside the door for Elliott and our visitor. Nice job today, Charlene, even though you gave me extra excitement when you stared at the new dog,” said Mary.
“Elliott, can you chat with Bentley? He doesn’t seem too friendly. Perhaps he’d rather get acquainted with you first,” said Charlene.
“Of course, Charlene, but first I’m going across the street to escort Hattie the Chicken so she can meet Bentley. I give her rides on my back to keep her safe. It’s hard to see her when she’s crossing the street, even though she always wears her bonnet. I’m really hungry, but it’s important to think of Hattie. She’ll be hopping around with excitement when she meets Bentley,” said Elliott.   He thought, I have to look both ways carefully before I cross the street. I love protecting Hattie. She’s such a special little chicken and she’s talented as well.
“Hi, Charlene,” said Hattie as she carefully hopped off Elliott’s back. “I had to adjust my pretty red bonnet in case it got jostled during my ride on 
Elliott.”
***
     “Who’s the new dog?” asked Hattie jumping around, flapping her wings with excitement.
Bentley jumped in front of her, sticking his head in front of Hattie’s face.
 “I’m Bentley. It’s silly to see a chicken wearing a bonnet,” Bentley said, laughing loudly. “Chickens can’t do anything. Have you ever heard of 
anyone talking about a chicken’s outstanding skills?  No! Nobody even mentions them unless they’re on the dinner menu.”
“Excuse me, but chickens, with or without bonnets, deserve respect,” Hattie answered. “You have no reason to laugh at me. Yes, I do have abilities! For example, I’m a good organizer with neat beakmanship. (It’s like handwriting.)  My beakmanship helped us win the Coaches of the Year Award. My friends and I all worked as a team. We showed people we could accomplish amazing things together. Hattie was so upset the feathers on her back stood straight up.  She stared straight into Bentley’s eyes. “By the way, are you a professional bully? You’re good at bullying, but I wouldn’t be proud of that, if I were you. You should also know that I love wearing bonnets because they help me feel special.” Hattie ruffled her red feathers in frustration. “Bentley, you need to learn some manners.” He’s the rudest animal I’ve ever met.
“I’m sorry, Hattie; but my mom was too busy to teach me good manners. I have seven siblings. I’m terribly embarrassed,” said Bentley, covering his face with his paws.
“Hattie, I’m proud of you for standing up to Bentley when he teased you. You were remarkably brave. I was ready to come to your rescue, but you did a great job on your own,” said Elliott. I’m lucky Bentley didn’t say something about my oversized head. Maybe that’s because his is quite large too.
“Thank you, Elliott. Earlier today I was wondering what to do if standing up to a bully like Bentley doesn’t work. Do you have any ideas?” asked Hattie.
“Hattie, remember what a special chicken you are. Then unkind words won’t   hurt you,” answered Elliott.
“Elliott, you shared excellent advice. Now mean words won’t hurt my feelings,” said Hattie.
Elliott thought,  I can’t wait for dinner. I worked up an appetite escorting Hattie. Mary always mixes it just right whether I get vegetables with rice dog food or something else. Bentley is standing in front of my dinner. He doesn’t look like he intends to move soon. Maybe he’s applying for squatter’s rights. That’s permission to stay, if you’re the first one to claim the property, I’ll try the polite approach.  
   “Bentley I’m hungry. You’re interrupting my dinner hour. Would you mind moving aside so I can have my meal? You’re welcome to the other food,” said Elliott, hoping to end the standoff.
“I eat every dinner in sight. How do you think I got my stout shape?” replied Bentley, patting his round tummy. “I’ve always practiced my bullying skills. No one ever challenged me.”
“Bentley, we have rules here. We only eat what belongs to us. I could say more about your horrid manners, but I’ll keep quiet and set a good example.” It looks like he’s going to be reasonable. Thankfully, there’s no need for a new plan.
 Bentley thought, I’m completely befuddled for the first time in my life. No one ever stood up to me before. I’ve always been a bully, but I haven’t been a happy dog. Maybe it’s time to change my ways.
“My apologies, Elliott. I’m grateful for the other dinner and you’re welcome to yours,” said Bentley, covering his face. I thought the words would get stuck in my throat, but they sounded pretty good. Nothing bad happened either.
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