The Zombie Who Forgot How to Scare

In the deepest corner of the Whispering Woods lived a zombie named Zombelina. But Zombelina wasn't like other zombies. She didn't want to moan or stumble or scare anyone. She just wanted to dance and paint and make friends.

Every full moon, the other zombies would practice their scariest groans. Zombelina tried, but instead of "BRAAAAAINS," she'd accidentally sing, "LALALALALA!" Instead of dragging her feet, she'd skip and twirl.

"You're the worst zombie ever," grunted Zombie Zorg, shaking his green head. "Go away!"

Heartbroken, Zombelina shuffled into the forest, tears streaming down her patchy face. She found a hollow tree and curled up inside, lonely and afraid.

That's when a fluffy orange cat appeared. The cat had the brightest amber eyes Zombelina had ever seen.

"Why are you crying, green girl?" asked the cat, whose name was Whiskers.

"I'm a terrible zombie," sniffled Zombelina. "I can't scare anyone. I don't even like brains! I like berries and singing!"

Whiskers purred thoughtfully. "Maybe you're not supposed to be a zombie at all. Maybe you're something else entirely."

Suddenly, a enormous brown bear poked his head into the tree opening. His name was Barnaby, and he was the gentlest bear in the woods.

"Is everything alright in there?" Barnaby rumbled softly. "I heard crying."

"This is Zombelina," said Whiskers. "She's sad because she's a zombie who can't scare."

Barnaby chuckled, a warm, honey-like sound. "That's not a problem. That's a gift! I'm a bear who's afraid of bees. My friend Oliver is an owl who's afraid of the dark. We're all a little bit different."

Zombelina wiped her eyes. "Really?"

"Really!" said Whiskers, climbing onto Zombelina's shoulder. "And I'm a cat who befriends everyone. Even zombies who sing instead of scare."

For the first time, Zombelina smiled a genuine, toothy smile. She stood up and did a little twirl.

"I don't have to be scary," she realized. "I can be me!"

And so Zombelina became the forest's first zombie dancer. Every full moon, instead of practicing groans, she performed beautiful ballets for all the woodland creatures. Even the scary zombies came to watch, secretly tapping their feet.

Sometimes, the most wonderful thing you can be is exactly who you are—even if you're a singing, dancing zombie who loves berries more than brains.