The Zombie Who Wasn't Scary

Lily was the best spy in her class. She could sneak up on her cat, Buster, without making a sound. She could spot a candy wrapper from across the playground. But she'd never solved a real mystery until the day everyone started talking about the zombie.

"It lives in the old oak tree," whispered Jake at recess. "It has red eyes and green skin!"

Lily's spy senses tingled. That afternoon, she grabbed her magnifying glass and flashlight. Time to investigate.

The old oak tree stood at the edge of the forest. Its branches reached toward the sky like fingers. Lily crept closer, her heart beating fast.

Then she heard it. *Scrape, rustle, scrape.*

She held her breath. Something was moving in the hollow of the tree!

A hand appeared, then a face. It WAS green—but in a soft, mossy way. Its eyes weren't red at all. They were big and brown, kind of like a puppy's.

"Hello?" Lily whispered.

The creature jumped. Its hair tumbled everywhere—long, curly vines with tiny purple flowers woven through them.

"You're not scared?" it asked in a squeaky voice.

Lily stepped closer. "You're not scary either. Who are you?"

"I'm Zimby," the creature said. "Everyone calls me a zombie because I live in this tree and come out at sunset. But I'm just lonely."

Zimby explained she was made from the forest's magic. She collected fallen leaves to make friends, but they always blew away.

Lily's spy notebook came in handy after all. She drew a picture of Zimby and wrote: *NOT A ZOMBIE. JUST FRIENDLY.*

"I know how to help," Lily said. She pulled ribbons from her hair and showed Zimby how to weave them through the vines. "Now your beautiful hair will stay together. And you can come to school tomorrow and show everyone you're not scary at all."

The next day, Zimby walked into the classroom holding Lily's hand. Her flower-vine hair sparkled in the sunlight.

Jake's mouth fell open. "That's not a zombie!"

"Nope," Lily smiled. "That's my new friend. Sometimes the scariest stories are just waiting for someone brave enough to discover the truth."