The Dog Who Saved Summer

Lily was going swimming for the first time all summer! She grabbed her favorite pink towel and called for Barnaby, her golden retriever who loved water more than any dog in the world.

"Come on, Barnaby! The lake is waiting!"

Barnaby bounded ahead, his tail wagging like a happy flag. Lily's mom handed her her iPhone. "Take some pictures of the fish, sweetie!"

At the lake, Lily waded into the cool blue water while Barnaby swam circles around her, splashing and barking with joy. But suddenly—SPLASH! The iPhone slipped from Lily's hand and sank deep into the murky water.

"No!" Lily cried. "Mom's going to be so sad!"

She dove under, searching blindly. The water grew darker. And then she saw him—a green, glowing creature with one eye open and one closed, moving slowly through the water. A zombie!

Lily wanted to scream, but the creature smiled gently. He held up her iPhone, perfectly dry in a magical bubble.

"Thank you!" Lily gasped.

The zombie pointed to himself and made a funny face. He wasn't scary at all—he was lonely!

"Will you be my friend?" Lily asked.

The zombie did a happy underwater dance. Lily realized she had been wrong to judge him. Sometimes things that seem scary are just misunderstood.

Barnaby swam over and gave the zombie a friendly lick. The three new friends spent the rest of the summer swimming together, and Lily learned that the best adventures come from keeping an open heart—and that true friends can be found anywhere, even in the deepest waters.