The Zombie Who Loved Papayas

Lily was sitting in her grandmother's garden when she heard a strange shuffle-shuffle sound behind the papaya tree. She turned around and gasped!

A green-skinned creature was wobbling toward her, its knobby knees knocking together. It had messy purple hair sticking straight up like a tangled bird's nest, and it was holding something small and rectangular that glowed in the sunlight.

"Are you... a zombie?" Lily whispered, her eyes wide.

The creature nodded slowly. "Yes. But not the scary kind."

Lily noticed the zombie looked sad. Its purple hair drooped lower. "What's wrong?"

"I'm lost," the zombie said softly. "And I'm hungry."

Lily's grandmother always said kindness costs nothing. She reached up and picked the ripest, sweetest papaya from the tree. "Would you like some?"

The zombie's eyes lit up like stars. It took the papaya gently and took a bite. Juice dribbled down its chin. "Delicious!" it cheered.

"I'm Lily," she said with a smile. "What's your name?"

"Zed," the zombie replied. "And this" — it held up the glowing rectangle — "is my iPhone. My mom gave it to me before I got lost. It has all my favorite games, but the battery is almost dead."

"I can charge it!" Lily jumped up. "Come inside!"

As they walked, Zed told Lily about Zombie Valley, where zombies weren't scary at all — they just had green skin, messy hair, and loved tropical fruit. Most zombies were afraid of humans because humans were afraid of them.

"That's silly," Lily said. "We're not scary."

"And neither are we!" Zed laughed.

Inside, Lily plugged in the iPhone while her grandmother made papaya smoothies for everyone. As they drank, Zed showed Lily pictures of Zombie Valley. It looked beautiful, with rainbow rivers and candy-cane trees.

"How will you get home?" Lily asked.

Zed's face fell. "I don't know."

Then Lily had an idea. She opened Zed's iPhone and found the maps app. Together, they traced a path back through the forest.

"Thank you, Lily," Zed said, hugging her friend. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"You'll visit?" Lily asked.

"Every week!" Zed promised. "And I'll bring papayas from Zombie Valley. They're twice as big!"

As Zed shuffled away, purple hair bouncing, Lily waved goodbye. She learned that day that sometimes the scariest-looking things just need a friend — and a papaya — to show their true colors.