The Zombie Who Loved Baseball

Lily clutched her father's old baseball glove as she sat on the front porch. It was the first day of summer vacation, and she had big plans to practice her pitching. But something strange was happening next door.

The old Johnson house had been empty for years. Today, the front door creaked open, and a shuffling figure emerged. Greenish skin messy hair and clothes that looked like they'd been slept in for a week.

"It's a zombie!" Lily gasped, just like in her favorite video game.

She ducked behind the porch railing and peeked through the cracks. The zombie stumbled toward her fence, then reached into its pocket. Lily expected it to pull out a brain. Instead, it pulled out an iPhone.

The zombie tapped the screen, frowned, and tapped again. It let out a frustrated groan that sounded more like a grunt than a scary monster noise.

Lily's curiosity won over her fear. She stood up slowly. "Hello?"

The zombie jumped and nearly dropped its phone. When it looked up, Lily saw its eyes weren't zombie eyes at all. They were kind eyes, surrounded by dark circles like someone who hadn't slept in days.

"I'm new here," the figure said in a normal voice. "My name's Alex. I'm not really a zombie — I just look like one because I had the flu for two weeks straight."

Lily's shoulders relaxed. "Oh. Sorry. I'm Lily."

Alex managed a weak smile. "Nice to meet you. Hey, my phone's not working. Do you know how to fix it? I'm trying to find the nearest baseball field."

Lily's eyes lit up. "You play baseball?"

"Love it. I was on my school team before we moved. But I haven't played in forever because I've been so sick." Alex coughed a little. "I saw your glove. Do you play too?"

"Every day!" Lily held up her glove proudly. "Want to play catch?"

Alex's face brightened for the first time. "Really? That would be amazing."

They spent the afternoon in Lily's backyard. Alex taught Lily a special pitching grip, and Lily showed Alex her secret spot behind the big oak tree where she kept her collection of smooth stones.

"I thought you were a zombie," Lily admitted as they sat in the grass catching their breath.

Alex laughed. "I felt like one this morning. But I think playing baseball is the best medicine."

"Me too," Lily said. "And you know what?"

"What?"

"I'm really glad you moved in next door. Being sick is lonely. Everyone needs a friend."

Alex smiled, and this time it reached all the way to those tired eyes. "Yeah. Everyone does."

That evening, Lily ran inside to tell her mother all about her new friend. Her mother laughed when she heard about the zombie misunderstanding.

"You know, sweetheart," she said, "sometimes the scariest things are just the ones we don't understand yet."

Lily thought about this as she got ready for bed. She looked out her window and saw Alex's light on across the yard. Maybe tomorrow she'd bring over her extra baseball. After all, that's what friends do.

She fell asleep dreaming of underhand pitches and new friendships, grateful that sometimes the real story is much better than the imaginary one.