The Zombie Who Forgot How to Scare

Lily loved Halloween more than anything. Every year, she transformed into something magical—a fairy, a princess, a dragon. But this year was different. She wanted to be scary.

"I'm going to be a zombie!" Lily declared, holding up her costume. It had fake stitches on the face and tattered clothes.

Her dog, Barnaby, wagged his tail enthusiastically. He didn't know what a zombie was, but he loved everything Lily loved.

On Halloween night, Lily and Barnaby went trick-or-treating together. The moon was full and bright, casting silver shadows across the sidewalk. Lily shambled and groaned, practicing her zombie walk. She felt spooky and silly at the same time.

They reached Mrs. Higgins' house, where a giant palm tree swayed in the breeze. It was decorated with twinkling orange lights.

"Brains!" Lily moaned, holding out her pumpkin bucket.

Mrs. Higgins laughed and dropped in two candy bars. "Best zombie I've seen all night!"

But as Lily turned to leave, she noticed something strange. Under the palm tree sat another zombie—a little boy with messy green face paint and a torn shirt. He looked nervous.

"Are you... really a zombie?" Lily asked.

"I'm trying," the boy whispered. "But everyone says I'm too nice. Zombies are supposed to be scary."

Lily looked at Barnaby, who was busy licking the boy's hand. "Maybe that's okay. Not everyone has to be scary."

The boy smiled. "I'm Max. What's your name?"

"Lily. This is Barnaby."

For the rest of the night, the two zombies went house to house together—groaning and shuffling, but also laughing and sharing their candy. They discovered that being a zombie was even more fun with a friend.

When it was time to go home, they weren't scary anymore. They were just two kids in costumes, running through the crisp autumn night with a happy dog bounding beside them.

"Same time next year?" Max asked.

"Definitely," Lily said. "Maybe next time we can be scary together."

Barnaby barked in agreement. Some adventures are better shared, and sometimes the scariest monsters make the best friends.