The Zombie's Magic Baseball

Lily loved playing baseball in her backyard. Her favorite ball glowed like a tiny moon when the sun touched it. One afternoon, she hit the ball so high it disappeared into the woods behind her house.

Lily chased the glowing ball until she found a magical spring she'd never seen before. The **water** sparkled with rainbow colors, and there, sitting on a mossy rock, was a little green creature.

"I'm a zombie," the creature said sadly. "But I'm not scary. I'm just lonely and tired."

Lily wasn't afraid. The zombie looked more like a friendly frog than anything scary. His skin was dull and he moved slowly.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, sitting beside him.

"I haven't had any magic vitamins in a hundred years," the zombie explained. "They grow only in the deepest part of this spring, but I can't swim."

Lily looked at the glowing water. At the bottom, she saw bright orange berries glowing like tiny suns.

"I'll get them for you!" Lily said. She took a deep breath and dove into the cool water. It felt like swimming through liquid happiness. She grabbed the magic berries and swam back up.

The zombie ate the berries and his dull green skin began to sparkle. He jumped up and down with energy.

"Thank you!" he cheered. "Now I can play again!" He pulled out a baseball bat made from a fallen branch. "Want to play?"

They played until sunset, Lily's magical baseball glowing brighter than ever. The zombie hit home runs that made the trees shake with laughter.

"Friends should always help each other," the zombie said as Lily headed home. "That's the real magic."

Lily walked back through the woods, her heart full of joy. She had made a new friend and learned that sometimes the scariest-looking creatures just need a little help to show their true colors.