The Zombie Spy's Secret Game

Lily and Max were the best spies in the whole neighborhood. Every Saturday, they went on secret missions in their backyard headquarters.

Today was special. Lily's older sister was playing **padel** at the sports club, and she had invited them to watch! Lily had never seen the game before. It looked like tennis, but with a smaller court and special walls you could hit the ball against.

"Look!" whispered Max, pointing. "There's someone acting strange near the fence."

Lily squinted. A tall figure shuffled along the edge of the court. His arms hung loose, his steps were wobbly, and he made a low groaning sound.

"It's a **zombie**!" gasped Lily, her eyes wide. "A real zombie spy!"

The mysterious figure shuffled closer and closer to the players. Lily and Max knew they had to act fast. As junior **spy** partners, it was their job to protect everyone!

They sneaked around the back of the court, staying low like ninjas. The zombie stopped near the edge of the **swimming** pool and seemed confused.

"That's when Lily noticed something glinting in the zombie's pocket. A shiny badge!

"Wait," she whispered. "Let's get closer."

As they crept nearer, the zombie spotted them and jumped. His fake face fell off, revealing—Uncle Bob!

"Boo!" he laughed. "Did I scare you?"

"Uncle Bob!" Lily giggled. "You were pretending to be a zombie!"

"I'm in a padel tournament tomorrow," Uncle Bob explained. "I was practicing my zombie walk for a Halloween party tonight, but I wanted to watch your sister's game first. I'm not very good at padel yet."

Lily and Max looked at each other and smiled. Sometimes things that seem scary are just people having fun.

"We can help you practice!" said Lily. "And Max is great at padel."

"Really?" Uncle Bob's face lit up. "That would be wonderful."

They spent the afternoon playing padel and **swimming** in the pool together. Lily learned that the best spies know when to investigate—and when to make new friends.

And Uncle Bob? He didn't win the tournament, but he had the most fun of anyone. That's what really matters.