The Sphinx's Baseball Game

Leo didn't like spinach. Not even a little bit. Every time his mom put it on his plate, he made a face. But today was different.

Behind the old palm tree in the park, Leo saw something amazing—a golden sphinx with emerald eyes, sitting on a stone bench and holding a dusty baseball glove.

"Want to play?" the sphinx asked, her voice like wind chimes. "I'm Cleo, and I haven't had a teammate in three thousand years."

Leo's eyes widened. He loved baseball!

"I'll play!" Leo said, dropping his backpack. "But I'm not very good. I always get tired too fast."

Cleo smiled mysteriously. "That's because you need magic food." She pulled something from behind the stone bench—a magical garden with the biggest, brightest spinach Leo had ever seen. "This isn't regular spinach. This is sphinx spinach. One bite gives you the energy of ten kids."

Leo tried one leaf. ZING! He felt strong and fast, like he could run forever.

They played baseball all afternoon. Cleo taught Leo how to hit the ball so hard it sailed over the playground fence. She showed him how to catch with his eyes closed.

Then they heard rustling. A lumpy green figure shuffled toward them.

Leo gasped. "A zombie!"

Cleo stepped forward gently. "Not a zombie. This is Ziggy. He's not scary—he's just lonely. See how he holds his head down?"

Ziggy looked up sadly. His face was green and bumpy, but his eyes were kind. "Everyone runs away from me. Even the squirrels."

"That's because they don't know you," Cleo said. "Ziggy, show Leo what you can do."

Ziggy picked up the baseball. He threw it so high it disappeared into the clouds, then caught it when it fell back down.

"Wow!" Leo said. "You're amazing! Will you play baseball with us?"

Ziggy's face lit up. For the first time in his life, he had friends.

They played until sunset, three unlikely friends—Leo, Cleo the sphinx, and Ziggy who looked like a zombie but was really just a lonely kid who needed someone to see past his appearance.

That night, Leo ate all his spinach without complaining. He knew magical food gave you magical energy for magical adventures.

And sometimes, the scariest-looking people are just the ones who need a friend the most.