The Orange-Loving Zombie

Lily loved playing in her grandmother's garden, especially on sunny afternoons. One day, while running through the rows of vegetables, she spotted something strange moving near the orange trees.

At first, she thought it was a zombie from her brother's scary stories. But as she crept closer, she realized this zombie was different. Instead of saying "brains," this green-skinned friend was reaching toward the brightest orange in the tree.

"Are you... hungry?" Lily asked, her voice trembling just a little.

The zombie nodded slowly, its eyes kind and gentle. Not scary at all.

Lily plucked the juicy orange and rolled it across the grass. The zombie caught it carefully and took a bite. Juice dripped down its chin as a happy smile spread across its face.

"More?" it whispered, its voice like rustling leaves.

For the next hour, Lily and her new friend sat together sharing oranges. She learned his name was Zed, and he wasn't a scary zombie at all. He was just magical garden helper who had forgotten how much he loved fruit.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" Lily asked when it was time for dinner.

Zed nodded, pointing at his favorite orange tree.

Every day that week, Lily found Zed waiting by the orange trees. They would run races between the rows, and Zed would always let Lily win. They made orange juice together (Zed loved squishing the oranges!), and Lily taught Zed how to make orange peel smiles.

"You know," Grandma said one day, watching them play, "sometimes the scariest things just need a little kindness and something sweet."

Lily hugged Zed, who was now more golden than green from all the oranges they'd shared. "Being scared of something is easy," she told him. "Being brave enough to make friends is hard. But it's always worth it."

And that's how Lily learned that sometimes, even zombies just need a friend and a really good orange.