The Zombie Who Loved Coconuts

Lily loved running along the beach every morning. Her bare feet pattered against the warm sand as the waves crashed beside her. One Tuesday, something strange happened. Near the old palm tree where she always stopped to rest, she saw a shuffling figure. It walked with stiff, jerky movements. Its arms hung straight down. Its skin looked greenish-gray.

Lily hid behind the palm tree and peeked out. Was it a zombie? She'd heard stories about them, but she thought they were just made-up tales for Halloween.

The zombie stopped. It looked confused. It reached toward a coconut on the ground, but its hands were so stiff it couldn't pick it up. The coconut rolled away. The zombie's shoulders slumped.

Lily stepped out from behind the palm tree. "Do you need help?" she asked bravely.

The zombie jumped! Then it nodded slowly.

Lily picked up the coconut. "I'm Lily. What's your name?"

The zombie opened its mouth, but no words came out. It pointed to its chest and made a sound like a rusty gate: "Zzz... zzz..."

"Zzzz? Is that your name? I'll call you Zee!" Lily smiled. "Are you really a zombie?"

Zee nodded, then shook its head, then nodded again.

"Are you a GOOD zombie?" Lily asked.

Zee nodded enthusiastically and grinned. Its smile was surprisingly friendly.

"Cool!" Lily said. "Running is my favorite thing. Do you like running?"

Zee tried to demonstrate, but its legs were too stiff. It looked sad.

"I have an idea!" Lily said. She took Zee's hand, which felt dry and warm like a fallen leaf. "We'll start slow. Just walk to the water and back."

Every day that week, Lily and Zee practiced. They walked. They shuffled. They stretched. Zee's joints creaked like an old door opening, but slowly, slowly, they loosened up.

By Friday, Zee could walk smoothly. By Saturday, Zee could skip.

On Sunday, Zee said its first real word: "Run!"

They ran together along the beach, laughing. Zee's green-gray skin glowed in the sunshine.

"You know what I learned?" Lily told Zee later, sitting under the palm tree sharing coconuts. "Sometimes scary things aren't scary at all. They just need a friend."

Zee nodded and smiled its warm, friendly smile.

And from that day on, whenever anyone on the island saw the zombie, they didn't run away. They waved. Because sometimes the most surprising friends are the best ones of all.