The Zombie Who Loved Padel

Lily and Max were playing padel in the park when the sky turned purple. Dark clouds swirled together like giant mixing bowls.

"Look!" shouted Lily, pointing her racquet at the sky. A bolt of pink lightning zigzagged down and zapped right into the sandbox.

CRACK! BOOM!

Out climbed a green boy with messy hair and patchwork overalls. He stumbled forward, arms stretched out stiff in front of him.

"It's a zombie!" Max gasped, dropping his padel ball.

The zombie boy shambled toward them, making weird groaning sounds. Lily and Max started running, darting behind the big oak tree. But then they heard something strange.

"Padel?" the zombie boy mumbled. "Play padel?"

They peeked out. He was holding Max's racquet awkwardly, trying to copy Lily's swing.

"Wait," Lily whispered. "He's not scary. He's lonely!"

The zombie's name was Zippy, and the lightning had brought him to life from someone's lost toy. He didn't want brains. He wanted to play!

Zippy wasn't very good at padel. His arms were too stiff, and he kept hitting the ball into the net. But Lily and Max showed him how to bend his knees and swing smoothly.

"You're doing it, Zippy!" cheered Max.

By sunset, Zippy was laughing and actually returning shots. The three friends sat under the oak tree, sharing cookies Zippy had in his pocket.

"Friends are better than being alone," Zippy said, his patchwork smile glowing in the twilight.

When the moon rose, Zippy grew sleepy. The magic lightning was wearing off. But he didn't disappear. Instead, he curled up in the sandbox, now a regular stuffed toy again—but one with a new home.

Lily and Max carried him home, already planning tomorrow's padel match.

Sometimes the scariest things just want to play. And the best friends might come from the most unexpected places—even from a lightning bolt in a sandbox.