The Zombie Who Forgot How to Scare

Lily loved the old stone pool at the bottom of her garden. It wasn't a swimming pool—it was a magic pool that reflected the moon like a giant silver coin. Every night, she would sit beneath the swaying palm tree and whisper her wishes to the water.

One evening, something splashed! Lily peeked over the edge and saw the most beautiful goldfish with scales like tiny rainbow sequins. The fish popped her head above the water.

"Hello!" said the goldfish. "I'm Marina. Would you like to meet my friend?"

Before Lily could answer, a bull emerged from behind the palm tree. But this wasn't an ordinary bull—his fur was made of fluffy white clouds, and his horns were curved crescent moons.

"I'm Cloud-Bull," he mooed softly. "I carry dreams to children while they sleep."

Suddenly, the ground shook. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUNCH.

Out lumbered a zombie—but not a scary one. This zombie wore a bright flowered shirt and had daisies growing from his green hair instead of brains. He bumped into things gently, mumbling "Excuse me, pardon me, so sorry."

"That's Zombilly," Marina whispered. "He forgot how to be scary years ago. Now he just wants to make friends."

Zombilly spotted Lily and his eyes lit up. Well, one eye lit up—the other was too busy being a tiny garden for a family of ladybugs. He held out a hand. In his palm sat a perfect friendship bracelet made of woven grass and morning dew.

"For... you?" Zombilly asked hopefully.

Lily smiled and took it. "It's beautiful! Thank you, Zombilly."

Cloud-Bull lowered his cloudy head so Lily could pet him. Marina splashed happily. Zombilly did a little awkward dance, knocking over a small bucket.

"I think," Lily said, "the scariest thing about Zombilly is how much he cares about making friends."

They all laughed—even Zombilly, though it came out more like a happy gurgle. That night, Lily learned that sometimes the things we think are scary are just lonely, and friendship is the most powerful magic of all.

Now, every full moon, you can find them by the pool—a girl, a cloud-bull, a magic goldfish, and the zombie who forgot how to scare, having the best adventures anyone could imagine.