The Zombie Who Loved Oranges

Lily loved visiting her grandmother's house, especially the backyard with its swaying palm trees and sunny spots perfect for playing. Her golden retriever, Buster, always bounded ahead, tail wagging like crazy.

One afternoon, Lily spotted something strange behind the orange tree. A small figure stood there, looking sad and confused. It was greenish-gray, moved slowly, and seemed… well, like a zombie! But this zombie wasn't scary — he looked lonely.

"Hello?" Lily called softly.

The zombie jumped. "B-b-b-bello?" he stuttered, holding out his hand. On it sat a tiny, perfect orange.

"I'm Lily! This is Buster!" She stepped closer. "Are you… okay?"

"Zzzz-zimby," he said, pointing to himself. "Zimby the zombie. But Zimby not scary. Zimby just… hungry."

Buster inched forward, sniffing Zimby's shoes. Then the dog did something amazing — he nudged Zimby's hand and ate the orange right from it! Zimby's eyes widened. He smiled, and his greenish face turned slightly pink.

"Buster likes you!" Lily laughed. "Hey, I have an idea!"

She grabbed her padel racket from the porch. "Let's play! I'll hit oranges, and you and Buster try to catch them!"

What followed was the silliest game ever. Lily served soft oranges over the net. Zimby stumbled and fell, but he always giggled. Buster zoomed around, barking happily. By sunset, Zimby's skin had turned rosy pink from all the laughter and sunshine.

"Thank you, Lily," Zimby whispered. "Zimby thought everyone would be scared. But you and Buster showed Zimby something important."

"What's that?" Lily asked, handing him one last perfect orange.

"That friends come in all shapes and colors. Even zombie shapes."

And from that day on, whenever Lily visited grandmother's house, she'd find Zimby behind the orange tree, waiting with an orange in his hand and a smile on his now-rosy face. Buster would bark, Zimby would laugh, and Lily would know that magic isn't just about spells — it's about friendship, too.