The Zombie Who Loved Baseball
Ten-year-old Leo hated the deep end of the pool. The water looked dark and mysterious, and he always imagined strange creatures lurking beneath the surface.
One hot July afternoon, while his friends splashed and laughed in the swimming pool, Leo sat on the edge, dangling his feet in the cool water. That's when he saw something green bobbing in the shallow end.
At first, Leo thought it was a toy. But then a head popped up!
"BRAAAAAINS..." the green figure moaned.
Leo jumped back, ready to run. But then he noticed the creature was holding something familiar—a baseball!
"Actually," the creature said, scratching his mossy head, "I meant... BASEBALLS! Do you like baseball? I'm Zed, by the way. I'm a zombie, but not the scary kind. I'm the swimming kind."
Leo stared. "A zombie who swims?"
"And plays baseball!" Zed grinned, revealing surprisingly clean teeth. "Want to play?"
Zed tossed the baseball to Leo. It was slightly damp but perfectly fine. For the next hour, they played the most unusual game ever—Zed would pitch while swimming underwater, popping up like a surprise! Leo hit the baseball toward the pool, and Zed would dive beneath the surface to catch it, creating spectacular splashes.
"You're really brave," Zed said during a break. "You faced a zombie and played baseball with him. That takes courage."
Leo smiled. "I guess being brave just means trying new things with friends."
"Exactly!" Zed beamed. "And I learned something too—zombies aren't always scary. Sometimes, we just want someone to play with."
When Leo's friends called him over to join their swimming race, Leo didn't hesitate. He dove right into the deep end, feeling brave and happy.
"Thanks, Zed!" he called.
But the zombie had already slipped beneath the water, leaving only a baseball floating on the surface. Leo picked it up, knowing he'd never look at the deep end—or zombies—the same way again.
Sometimes the scariest things become the best friends, and sometimes baseball and swimming mix in the most magical ways.