The Zombie's Baseball Splash

Lily and Max were playing baseball in Lily's backyard when the ball sailed over the fence—right into the spooky old house next door.

"I'll get it!" Max said bravely, grabbing his glove.

The gate creaked open. In the middle of the overgrown yard, they saw him: a green figure shuffling slowly near an old swimming pool. He had messy hair and walked stiffly, arms stretched forward.

"It's a zombie!" Lily gasped.

But then the zombie spotted the baseball. His face lit up. He picked it up with a surprising grin and tossed it back—a perfect throw!

"Nice arm!" Max called out.

The zombie pointed at the pool, then made a swinging motion. Baseball? In the pool?

"Mr. Z!" a little voice yelled. A girl their age ran out the back door. "That's just my dad in his zombie costume! He's a swimming coach and he LOVES baseball."

Mr. Z—actually Mr. Zimmerman—laughed. "I was practicing my zombie walk for the community play! Want to play water baseball?"

The pool had floating bases. They spent the afternoon splashing, hitting water balls, and laughing as Mr. Z did his funny zombie run between bases.

Sometimes things that seem scary turn out to be wonderful adventures with new friends. The zombie wasn't scary at all—he was the best baseball buddy they could imagine.