The Zombie Who Loved Baseball

Leo loved baseball more than anything. Every day after school, he'd practice in his backyard, swinging his favorite bat until the sun went down. But there was one problem - he had no one to play with.

One afternoon, as Leo tossed the ball up and caught it again, he heard a strange groan from behind the old oak tree. "Baaaallll..." The voice sounded creaky and slow.

Leo peeked around the trunk and gasped. Standing there was a green-faced zombie! But instead of looking scary, the zombie was staring wistfully at Leo's baseball glove.

"You... you're not going to eat my brains?" Leo asked, trembling slightly.

The zombie shook its head slowly. "No brains. Just want to... play." It held out a clumsy hand. "I'm Zed. I've been watching you. Baseball looks... fun."

Leo blinked in surprise. "You like baseball?"

"In my old life, before... well, before, I played every Saturday," Zed said softly. "I forgot how it felt to catch a ball, to run bases, to hear the crack of the bat hitting it just right."

Something warm fluttered in Leo's chest. This zombie wasn't scary at all - he was just lonely. "Want to play catch?" Leo asked.

Zed's face lit up, or as much as a zombie's face could. "Really? You'd play with... me?"

"Sure!" Leo grinned. "Everyone needs a friend. Even zombies."

They played until dark. Zed was clumsy at first, his stiff fingers fumbling the ball, but soon he was catching like a pro. They laughed and ran and forgot that Zed was green and a little bit dead-looking.

"Same time tomorrow?" Zed asked as the stars appeared.

"Every day," Leo promised. "After all, that's what friends do."