The Zombie Who Wanted to Play

Lily and Max loved playing padel at the old court near their house. Every Saturday morning, they'd grab their racquets and hit the ball back and forth, laughing as it bounced off the walls. But one cloudy afternoon, something strange happened.

A green figure peeked through the fence. It had messy purple hair that stuck up like it had been combed by a tornado! Lily jumped, but Max noticed the creature was holding a padel racquet—a very old, dusty one.

"Hi," the zombie said shyly. "I'm Zara. I've been watching you play. It looks like fun."

Lily's eyes went wide. "You're a zombie! But zombies don't play padel!"

Zara's purple hair drooped. "No one ever lets me play. They run away because I'm different. But I just want to have fun."

Max looked at his sister, then at Zara's sad face. He remembered what their grandmother said: "Sometimes the scariest-looking people just need a friend."

"Want to play?" Max asked, tossing Zara the extra ball.

Zara's purple hair puffed up with excitement! She stepped onto the court and—WOW! She was amazing! Her zombie strength made every shot powerful, and she laughed like bells ringing.

"You're the best padel player ever!" Lily cheered.

They played until sunset. Zara's wild hair bounced as she jumped, and her green skin glowed in the golden light. None of the scary stories about zombies were true at all. She was just a lonely girl who loved games.

"Same time next week?" Zara asked hopeful.

"Every week!" said Lily and Max together.

As they walked home, Lily squeezed her brother's hand. "I'm glad we didn't run away."

"Me too," said Max. "The best friends sometimes come in the most surprising packages."

And from that day on, the padel court became the most magical place in town—where a zombie with wild purple hair taught two children that friendship and fun are what really matter, not how different someone might seem.