The Zombie Who Loved Baseball

Max loved baseball more than anything. Every afternoon after school, he'd grab his glove and practice pitching against the old oak tree in his backyard. But today was different. When his favorite baseball sailed over the fence into the spooky neighbor's yard, Max had to be brave.

He found a long orange cable in the garage – his dad said it was for fixing the TV, but Max knew it was perfect for fishing his baseball back. He tiptoed to the fence, hooked the cable around a branch, and leaned over...

Then he saw it. A zombie! But not a scary one. This zombie wore a tattered baseball cap and was holding Max's baseball like it was the most precious thing in the world. The zombie's skin wasn't green and rotting – it was painted with bright smiley-face stickers!

"Hi," said Max, his voice shaking only a little. "That's my baseball."

The zombie looked up. Its eyes weren't spooky either – they were big and friendly, like a puppy's. It tossed the ball back with perfect aim. Max caught it without thinking.

"You're good at baseball!" Max exclaimed.

The zombie nodded shyly. Through the fence, Max saw it was actually just his neighbor's kid, Sammy, who'd been playing zombie dress-up because he loved Halloween and was too shy to say hello.

"Want to play?" Max asked.

Sammy's face lit up. They spent all afternoon playing baseball through the fence, using Max's cable to pull the ball back when it went too far. Sometimes the scariest things turn out to be the best friends – you just have to be brave enough to say hello.

That night, Max tucked his baseball under his pillow, dreaming of tomorrow's game. The zombie wasn't scary at all. It was just friendship waiting to happen.