The Zombie Who Loved Padel

Lily's favorite place in the whole world was the padel court behind her house. Every day after school, she'd grab her bright blue racket and practice hitting the ball against the glass walls.

But this Tuesday, something strange happened. As Lily served the ball, a tall figure shuffled out from behind the bushes. His skin was pale green, his clothes were tattered, and he walked like his legs were made of jelly.

A zombie!

Lily wanted to run, but then she noticed something odd. The zombie's eyes weren't scary at all—they were wide with wonder, fixed on the padel ball bouncing on the ground.

"C-can I play?" the zombie asked, his voice rusty like an unused gate.

Lily blinked. "You... want to play padel?"

"I've watched you for weeks," he admitted. "It looks like magic."

Something about his hopeful smile made Lily say yes. But the zombie kept missing the ball—his arms were too stiff!

Suddenly, a loud SNORT echoed from the nearby farm. A massive brown bull trotted through the open gate, his hooves clip-clopping on the court.

"You're holding it all wrong!" said the bull, whose name, as it turned out, was Barnaby. "My farmer loves padel. I've watched hundreds of games from my field."

Barnaby the bull gently showed the zombie how to hold the racket properly. Within minutes, the zombie was hitting the ball back and forth with Lily, his green face beaming with joy.

They played until sunset—a girl, a zombie, and a bull. Lily learned that sometimes the scariest-looking people just want someone to give them a chance, and that help can come from the most unexpected places.

Every afternoon after that, the three friends met at the padel court. And whenever anyone asked about her unusual team, Lily would simply smile and say, "Magic happens when you welcome everyone to play."