The Funeral of A Vampire

Before his funeral he gave clear instructions, ‘When I die burry my body far away from my next door neighbour and when you bury me let my head face where the sun is setting.’ Everyone around him nodded. He told everyone he would die on Wednesday afternoon and that before his death there would be two bulls fighting, one would be wounded to death the other one would survive. Nobody believed what Taulo Gomani said. Taulo Gomani in his mid-sixties was a joker and people could not buy his jokes anymore. When he heard the sound of an ambulance he knew the doctor had just arrived. Well the doctor arrived, he examined Gomani’s chest, listened to his heart beat and soon after it was proclaimed, ‘You are well, alive and kicking. I don’t understand why you called the ambulance.’ ‘Doctor, I am going to die on Wednesday. I told them not to call the ambulance but my friend. I also don’t understand why they called you.’ Gomani yawned. But when his mouth was wide open the doctor saw a long tooth like iron steel, it was the longest tooth he had ever seen in his life. ‘Mr Gomani, how many of these long teeth do you have?’ ‘Actually I was born with forty two teeth.’ Gomani gestured to the doctor to look into his mouth. The doctor counted one tooth at a time and when he finished counting there were forty two teeth. Doctor Elvin from Ekwendeni Hospital shook his head not believing what he saw, ‘surely you need a dentist.’ ‘I have been to many dentists but none has managed to help my situation.’ Gomani said. ‘I will make a referral for you to go to the biggest hospital regarding your teeth.’ Dr Elvin was more sympathetic. But Gomani smiled, ‘No thanks, doctor, don’t trouble yourself. I have grown up with these teeth without any problem. Am told there are only three people born with this situation in a thousand years. I feel so lucky to have them.’ Dr Elvis was about to go and he decided to shake Gomani’s hand. He held his hand for a moment and at that point he felt it in his palm as if there was an electric current, he only felt normal when he pulled his hand away from Gomani. Dr Elvin left sooner than he came. Wednesday came nothing happened. The morning was as usual bright with sunshine licking the banks of Rukuru River. All day people made fun about how Gomani lied about his death. They saw him walking, strolling along the streets and they all waved at him. At lunch time Gomani ate lunch and went for a nap. It was a deep nap and he dreamt that the bulls were fighting. When he woke up people had gathered all around his house. He looked up, ‘what is this?’ ‘Well the bulls fought as you said.’ The crowd yelled. ‘Therefore it means am dead.’ Gomani said but when he wanted to sit down he fell accidentally and suddenly the crowd witnessed him rolling on the floor and breathing his last one. At the burial people ignored his wish. They buried Gomani near his next door neighbour and his head faced the east instead of the west where the sun sets. It didn’t last a week before strange things began to happen. In the morning of November people walked to their fields to farm but along the way back when it was a little bit dark they saw a large bird like the size of a man just next to the borehole. Everyone ran fast home leaving hoes and tools behind. One day three young people came harvesting fruits, they passed near the grave where Gomani was buried. They walked quietly in respect of the dead. Suddenly they heard a sound of footsteps coming from behind. The boys started running. They ran and panted until they heard nothing but when they looked back it appeared they had not gone any further from the graveyards. They suddenly heard,’ I am not happy here where you buried me next to my neighbour. Go and tell them.’ The boys were terrified at the voice from the graveyards, they ran faster with a speed of an antelope fleeing a lion and the sound of their heels thumping the soil was the only sound at night . The boys ran faster and until they reached home. When they told elders the following morning about the voice they heard from the graveyards no one believed them. One day there was a wedding. People saw a man dressed like Gomani in safari suit. People thought he was a distant relative of the family having a wedding. People tried to greet him. The man did not respond but later on disappeared when the crowd were pointing at him. Later on that day when everyone was dancing that Gomani lookalike arrived in the hall, he started dancing but when he smiled the long teeth like iron steel came out. He whispered into the ears of one guest, ‘Am not gone yet. I have come back to settle down the dispute with my neighbour.’ Then he disappeared.

An Old Man Who Danced at His Son's Funeral

At the funeral one old man opened a cane of Fanta and told everyone to take a sip. After a while he asked people around the funeral, ' I am looking for the best music so that I can dance, anyone with latest songs here?' People found his behaviours much unwelcome and not sympathetic to the situation. “It is very shocking to see someone not showing any sign of tears, we have come from far away in the capital city to mourn our beloved friend and coleague but this man has no respect for the funeral,”a gentleman from Lilongwe said to his friends who arrived with the body for burial the previous night. When time for announcements came it was discovered that the old man who behaved strangely was actually the father of the deceased man. He was given an opportunity to speak and he looked around then danced a little bit shaking his leg . People shook heads left and right and some sneezed with fury at what they saw. Some concluded the old man was a witch if not insane. The old man smiled and said, “I had four children and this one you are burying today is the last one for three of them died together in a car accident last year, but who am I to question God why I have lost my most precious assets, the children I had? This tragedy has taught me that in life cerebrations should not only be restricted to birthdays but I have learnt to celebrate the days, the years and the lives of my four children that are no more with me. Every year I take a long walk to the graveyards here and I say the following thanks to my God: Thank you God. You gave me children then took them away. To make me strong and understand life belongs to you. You gave me a family but when you realised I had enjoyed living with them , you decided to take them to where they need you most. This is because, you are training me , so I can help others understand that God’s family is best. When I asked for Wisdom, you gave me Problems to train me to be a problem solver. When I asked for happiness, you gave tragedies to train me to make others happy. For only those who have once cried understand the value of happiness.” The crowd shed tears except for the old man who told everyone, ‘You can cry and cry but my children and my family would be happy if you celebrate their lives than crying our loss.’ One man stood up and protested, ‘It’s part of our culture to cry and we expect you to shed tears.’ The old man danced above the graveyard and shouted, ‘tears are there not to moisten our cheeks but to remind us that there is something we can do to change our situation, in life those who cry persistently without a solution are the worst sufferers because they cannot handle it. I cried for one minute then I told my heart, I don’t want another heart attack which nearly killed me after I lost my nephew, today, I told my heart I will do the opposite, cerebrate their lives.” Eventually the whole crowd sang songs of joy cerebrating life and death of their beloved ones.

The Sign of True Love According to Antelopes

Two antelopes who were very much in love asked each other , " How can we prove that we are in love ." They debated about the things they did for one another . The male antelope told his wife , " Remember , when the lion was approaching , I alerted you to run and because of my actions we managed to flee to safety lands ." But the female antelope argued , " My dearest darling , what you did that day to alert me about danger was good but if I have to be honest , I could also do the same to you , that is not a proof of love " The male antelope questioned his spouse , " Do you really think you love me more than I do ? " The female antelope leaped up and down then raised its leg and shook its head up and down , " I not only think but I feel I do love you more than you do love me. " The male antelope said , " That's not correct dear,remember I am the boss of love , the oasis of love and I breathe love for you , right now my whole body and soul together think of the greater love I have for you ." The debate between the male and female antelope went all day and nobody seemed to have won . So the two antelopes agreed to how to prove who loves best than another , " The antelope who loves another more than the other will be the first one to come here in the jungle ." They both agreed and went to sleep . Early at dawn the male antelope ran to the jungle . It wanted to be the first to arrive . Because he slept in a different location from his spouse he was sure the female antelope was still sleeping and by the time she gets there she would find he was already there smiling holding flowers in between his teeth . When the male antelope arrived in the jungle , it saw nobody there . It sat under a shrub smiling and telling itself , " I have proved I love her more than she does ." The male antelope waited for an hour there was no sign of his wife . It waited for another three hours the wife was not seen . This alerted his mind , " It means the female antelope was not serious . I have loved her all the way but she decided to stay home despite the arrangement to have a competition who loves more than another ." After waiting all day the male antelope was frustrated and it spit the flower from its teeth and cursed the female antelope in a very angry tone . It walked home angrily and with great bitterness . As it passed an acacia tree its eyes met something that made it stop walking and look closer. There was blood on the soil and below the tree there were pieces of the skin . The male antelope walked closer it saw writing on the soil , " Dear darling , since we argued about who loves another most yesterday , I didn't go home . I have tied myself to a tree so that when you come you will see me already here. Just incase I die of coldness or am attacked by carnivorous beasts , just know I was here since last night . I.love you ." The male antelope wept .

Are Boys From A Different World ?

When I was at primary school I told my mates I would never do things like fetch water, cook, wash clothes or fetch firewood because that is for girls. My grandmother heard me boasting so she waited for the right moment to teach me a lesson.She kept on saying that, 'I will teach you a lesson one day that boys are not from a different world as you think.' I challenged her, ' Never ! I can never be doing house chores, firewwood is for ladies but us boys our job is to hunt and bring meat home. We are different you see? ' I dipped my hands into my pockets of short trouser with two patches at the back gigling . Weeks passed, months passed and nothing happened and I was very sure the arguement whether boys can fetch water or firewood was won and I was sure my grandmother lost that arguement . But day when about nine years old my cheeks were swollen as a result of the toothache. My grandmother told me she was convinced this was not toothache but a rare condition that only targeted boys called, 'katukutuku'. She said, ' for you to be better, go and fetch firewood, run with a bundle of firewood on your head singing katukutu kora basungwana banyamata vinthu vyawaka / tell the condition to target girls because boys are useless.' I went to fetch firewood in the mountain as instructed and ran with a bundle of fire wood on my head , girls laughing their lungs out thinking i had gone crazy but because the instructions said when am singing this song i should never look back or stare at anyone , I couldn’t bother to look at who was watching me. I ran fast towards the junction singing and I dropped the bundle of firewood at the cross roads as instructed. When I reached home the fever was gone but I didn’t remember that in the morning before going to the mountain I swallowed pain killers to ease pain . All I thought was the running and fetching of firewood is great medicine for toothache. I totally believed that there was some medicine in the song and the dropping of firewood at the cross roads until one day my grandma laughed at me and said, ' All that was to make you exercise, a little bit because you were making yourself worse just sleeping on a mat and I wanted you to do some work for your mother like fetching firewood and the moment you dropped that bundle of firewood, your mum was waiting nearby and she picked it. So from now on don’t say because you are a boy you cannot do this and that , just fetch water and firewood for your mother.’

The Murder of A Fiancee

The moment she told him she was pregnant he laughed with a choking voice at the end . The girl loved this and liked this , if his laughing was a Facebook status update she would have ticked like it and she would have commented I love it . What she did not know was what was inside that laughter . What she did not understand was the bitterness hidden in that laughter , the anger boiling like an oven inside the choking laughter . Well he told her to come in the evening for a chat . He told her , " Honey , come please I want to touch that belly and I want to have a feel of my baby inside your womb ." She did not wait to think about it , " I am coming straight away , I love you darling ." She ended the call with a wild long kiss overhead by passersby making everyone envious . Passersby listened to the sound of her kiss on the phone and admired marvelously, a couple told each other , " we wish our love was like that ." Well , Naomi was in love with him , deeply in love and much deeper than the Indian oncean but she did not know that Stanley had other plans . The pregnancy news reached his ears as an electric shock and the fact that he told her he was not married it means Naomi was already spreading the news faster about her pregnancy. Blantyre was too small and sooner and sooner his wife would come accross the news and then the trouble would start. Although Stanley regarded himself as a serial cheater , he wouldn't bear the thought of losing his wife just because of an affair and just because of the pregnancy he was never thinking about . He wouldn't bear the embarrassment right from his family , his church and his friends that he lost his wife because he made a certain so and so pregnant . Stanley vowed to do everything he could and he swore under the sun that he had no choice but to do something. Well when Naomi arrived at the apartment which he used to rent secretly , he hugged her then gave her a long and passionate kiss . " Honey I didn't want to tell you , am five months pregnant . I went for scan but your baby is normal and I can't wait to give birth ." Stanley looked away and said , " Naomi , I think we are rushing things here . I told you I wanted the holy wedding first then we can have kids ." This came as a shot to Naomi , of all these months she had been dating Stanley there has never been a moment when he has been as negative as now . She was tight lipped hoping they should restart their conversation . Stanley touched her shoulders , " The lord said we should get married first , so abort this baby ." Naomi threw the cup of tea that was in her hands , " Oh yes , now you say holy holy holy . When you were pressuring me to sleep with you , when you said you would leave me if I didn't sleep with you was it the lord saying this to you ? " Stanley laughed sarcastically for seconds watching Naomi as if she was a comedian making him laugh . He said , " By the way dear, all you and me did was bad , we didn't need to sleep together . I repented my sins and I urge you to abort and start afresh." Naomi knew that she dated a wrong man . A man who sounded sweet when he wanted to have what he wanted but now he has chewed whatever he wanted and its time to spit the dummy . She rose up and started crying. She walked away from the living room and clasped her hands , " Thank you for everything . Just know I will keep this baby whatever the situation." He blocked the exit door and spoke in a raging voice , " You have no authority to keep that child .' Naomi shrugged her shoulders looking away He raged again , " Do you hear me , you cannot keep the pregnancy against my will , I am the father telling you to abort it ." Naomi spat on his face , " You idiot , this baby is inside me , I will keep her as much as she is inside my womb ." She started walking , he followed her with raging words of insults . She ran towards the third door on the left , he chased her . He screamed behind her , " I will deal with you ." When she reached the door she held the key , she twisted the key left and then pulled the door knob down , she felt a sigh of relief , she just wanted to go home her leg was now outside the door . She couldn't bear this man anymore . Just as she tried to shut the door on his face she felt a firm grab on her shoulders them heavy hands pulling her backwards , pulling her back into the house . She fought and screamed , " Leave me alone, " but who could hear her in the middle of the night . After all , his right hand covered her mouth . When inside the house the ordeal began . He tied her legs , her hands and covered her face , he didn't want her to flee anymore . She begged him , " Stanley , please am sorry . Ok I will abort this child , please don't hurt me." But what she said was too late , the fist had already landed on her chin . She wanted to stand up to him but her legs were tied like a lamb . Then another fist came and then they were raining everywhere on her body. She wanted to tell him he should mind the baby , she wanted to stop him hurting the baby but her voice turned into a groan , her eyes saw many stars . She heard and felt the knife going into her womb and the pain made her choke and gasp for breaths , blood was everywhere . The kicking continued and she now reached a point where she no longer felt pain . Her face swollen but her lips smiling at the thought of giving birth but her soul was swallowed into darkness . In the middle of the night her body was burried in the garden with flowers planted on top . He watered the flowers . By the time she was reported missing , he had fled the country .

The Men's Talk and Fears

I telephoned a friend of mine yesterday in Maputo and we spent about half an hour on the phone reminding each other the great goody times we had together in Mozambique . He told me he has now been promoted to the position of Chief Executive and there are about two hundred people working under him . He told me he has bought the happiest car of his life the Mercedes Benz and that he is now enjoying the best of his life . I met Cardoso when we were both boys with wild ideas how to make things work in life . Cardoso by then was a student at University of Mundlane in Maputo but he told me.one thing , " You see Snr Lungu , I have befriended you for a purpose , I want you to teach me English . If you can do that then my life is sorted ." I also said this to him , " Amigo Cardoso , teach me Portuguese and then my life is sorted ." After three months either of us was good at the respective languages we desired to learn . When I left the country we remained in touch and although its more than ten years my Portuguese is good enough to speak and express myself. Cardoso on the phone last night told me how well he is doing and I congratulated him but before I finished what I was saying he said , " Amigo Snr Lungu , if you can just do me.one thing then my life is sorted , only one final thing my friend ." I tried to guess what is it ? I couldn't come up with anything. He said , " Amigo , although I said life is good , things are bad here. I have been given a notice ." " A notice for what Cardoso ? " I feared now this was leading to money matters . I feared he was going to ask me for money which I was preparing to say sorry I have nothing . " I have been given a notice to quit my job . Am afraid I won't handle this ." Cardoso said . I spoke in my light Portuguese tone , " Olha amigo , O Deus conhecido o teu caminho / God knows better about your journey ." Cardoso took no time to respond , " Amigo , I know that , what I am dreading is the notice says I will move from being employed to own my own company that will be contracting government and non government organisations ." " So what help do you need from me ? ' He said , " I want you to advise me how to be a better man and how to make this company successful, I will put your name as one board member , as director and as my own family ." " Alright , this is my advice , first sell the Mercedes Benz , buy a corrolla , second , get out of your expensive mansion , put in on rent , move to an average house , third , enroll for an accounting course to know how to guard your money and lastly go and pray for guidance ." I said to Cardoso . There was silence on the phone . I said hello , he was very quiet thinking . After a few seconds Cardoso cleared his throat and said , " This is the hardest thing to do amigo , my Mercedes is my life , everyone knows am so and so once they see my Mercedes passing , not only that , I have a certain upper status in my community because of the Mercedes ." " But do you know how much it is costing you to fix it ? How much are you prepared to take out of your business to maintain an expensive car ? " I asked . Cardoso could not decide . He said he will think about this . I plan to call him this evening after work and follow what we discuss .

The Love Story of Two Illiterate Lovers Who Made Everyone Laugh

Growing up in a village was fun, we had our own ways of feeling entertained and sometimes we followed where the drama was unfolding. One day my distant uncle sat on the veranda and told us, ' You know what boys, when I speak English my wife does not understand me.' The wife who was cooking stopped everything and interjected , ' Iwe Gonapamuchenga utesi, dont deceive my boys here, in fact am better than you because you dropped off from school at standard four , at least I dropped off at standard five.' The two wanted to prove to us which of them was better at English, so my uncle agreed that he would say something and his wife Nyamuzota would tell everyone the meaning. My uncle started, ' Iwe Nyamuzota, muwoli wane.' Nyamuzota, ' Ine dada.' My uncle Gonapamuchenga: ' I am bloody flabbergasted.' Nyamuzota : 'Pala ukuninena nina ndopa mu basket, nawe zako ! / if you are saying i have blood in baskets , your blood is there too !' Gonapamuchenga: ' Mwamupulika Nyamuzota !' Nyamuzota: ok, you interpret this, ' Am too dear for you.' Gonapamuchenga : Walemba kalata wati deary darling.' Nyamuzota: Hedeeeeee Gonapamuchenga wachita mutu zweee with my english We normally had such stories after dinner

The Hidden Billions

Days felt like weeks, weeks felt like months, and those many months felt like eternity of waiting. She was waiting to see them day and night but there was no sign of anything . She was aware of that terrible feeling each morning. The feeling when she wakes up and realise that is what life was going to be. She sobbed and cried but only the walls listened to her. Judith hoped that everything that happened to her was just a dream, she wished it was a joke and this joke was not real but the more she wished it was not real the more reality made her wander hopelessly around the house. She shook her head and then shouted, ' Mummy, ' but no one answered. After a while she shouted, ' Daaaddie,' but her father's voice was not heard. Judith asked her uncle every time after breakfast, after she has stopped crying, ' where is mum ? Where is dad?' 'Please eat your food. Your mum and dad travelled.' Judith understood and started eating her food but in the middle of eating her food she stopped and asked again , ' Uncle, when are mum and dad coming back? I want them to buy me a doll.' At this, Uncle Joe stepped aside at the corner of the door and wiped off his tears. He then came back on the table and sat down his face smiling, ‘Listen Judith, when people go to heaven they don't come back. Ok? ' Judith shrugged her shoulders, 'Oh, but i want my mum and my dad back. I want them to bring my doll. Please uncle, tell them to come back.' When Judith grew up she came to understand that her parents died in a car crash, the car went into a truck, head on collision. She only survived because she stayed home with the house maid while her parents went to see her grandfather at the hospital. When her parents were alive Judith was too young to know that they were very rich. Now she grew up she was always told her father was a business man. Uncle Joe took Judith to places where her parents had businesses. She reached a famous town with rich suburbs in the low density areas, uncle Joe wanted to show her where her father used to live, ' You see that, that is Makwacha Bank, that is Makwacha Grain and Cotton factories, that is Makwacha Mining and Oil Drilling Company, all this is named after your father Gabriel Makwacha who used to own them.' Uncle Joe told Judith that her father was very rich such that any worker or relation to him would just go to any shop and mention his name, 'Makwacha !' that is only one had to do then the shopkeeper would allow you to take anything you can want. When Judith reached secondary school she decided to ask her uncle, ' you say my father was very rich, you have shown me all those buildings and factories he owned so why are we living in poverty, you cannot even afford a car.' Uncle Joe did not like this question, 'Your father said no one should touch his wealth so I didn’t touch it and I have nothing to do with eat.' Judith was not convinced with the response, she began to suspect something fishy. Even though Uncle Joe had no much money he was able to pay fees for Judith until she finished her university. But when Judith finished her university she was very aware her father was rich and she started investigations why she inherited nothing. She accused Uncle Joe, ' I suspect you are hiding information, please tell me my dad left something.' Uncle Joe shook his head. One day Uncle Joe was sick and he had few hours to die. He called Judith to sit closer to where he slept and whispered, ' do you remember all those factories and building which belonged to your father?' 'Yes,' Judith said. Uncle Joe held her hand, ' They still belong to your father.' Judith got angry, ' Why you didn’t take care of my father's businesses? You have let me grow in poverty while my father left billions.' Uncle Joe smiled, ' Listen Judith, only when you have seen poverty, that’s when you can take care of riches. I and your father grew up in rags, shared a torn blanket and I promised him when he was alive that whatever happened to him I would never have to let you grow up as a spoiled child. Am glad now you saw poverty, you can understand what life is and you are mature enough to understand the meaning of money and life in poverty.' Uncle Joe gave Judith all documents and deeds and cheque book, ' I am very happy today because all these years I have fulfilled a promise that I would squander none of my brother's billions until you take over his empire. I can now die.' He closed his eyes and breathed his last breath with a long smile streched across his lips. Lesson: Dont spoil your children with material life , remember where you came from and teach your children ways to understand that poverty is real and anyone can be poor if wealth is not taken care of and if lessons from poverty are notb learnt.

The Girl Who Won The Gender Debate

Lucy Sankho found herself to be an orphan not because her parents were dead as many orphans you can think of, it’s just that she was born a girl. She was born on father’s day as planned. She was born as the second born child in the family but if she had known what her father was thinking she should never have been born. She should have been better off staying there as an angel or a singer in heaven, but who has that choice when and when not to be born? Lucy was born anyway. When the labour pains started Mr Sankho was in the kitchen. He dropped all the bottles of liquor from his hands and rushed to help his wife Suzy Sankho. Suzy shouted, ‘Frank, call an ambulance, my waters are breaking.’ Frank looked away and said, ‘I bought the delivery kit manual, I will help you darling.’ Frank started guiding his wife how to give birth. The wife loved the idea although she was in great pain. ‘Push Suzy! Push! That’s it my darling! You are doing well.’ After some hours a baby girl was born. This is not what Frank Sankho expected. He has told his wife he only wanted a son. The moment he realised it was a girl the excitement became a frustration, the face looked wrinkled with bitterness, the smile fade away and he stopped looking at the baby, the baby crying and searching for her mother’s breasts. It was hungry. Before midnight Frank told his wife Suzy, ‘You have two choices, give away this child or you and me it’s over right now.’ Suzy was thrown into tears, ‘this is our blood, our own child how can you think of this.’ Frank looked away and said, ‘I told you, this house only belongs to boys, I mean baby boys. No more girls.’ Frank Sankho, in the middle of the night picked the baby girl wrapped it in a cloth and made sure no one was looking when he placed near an orphanage. He was pretty sure the orphanage workers would pick up the baby girl and take it to the home of orphans. He walked home and told his mournful wife, ‘Everything will be fine, don’t cry, the orphanage will look after the baby but when people ask you what happened to the pregnancy say to them you had the miscarriage.’ This was the saddest day for Suzy. She knew men were cruel but not to the extent of giving their child away. She cried uncontrollably and Mr Frank Sankho made sure she told everyone the unfortunate thing happened, miscarriage. In the nearby road close to where the baby was dropped, three thieves planning to break into people’s houses heard the baby crying. The thieves stopped and listened, the baby’s cry was heard nearby. When they turned around they saw the baby girl. Mark Phiri, the leader of the thieves said to others, ‘I have never seen a beautiful girl like this.’ The two other thieves Sikeremu Gondwe and Jailos Mangochi also adored the baby girl. They took turns holding the baby girl; Mark took off his shirt and covered the baby girl to make sure it was warm. The three thieves were about to break into the house of a businessman and take away cash and shoot anyone who would stand in their way. But suddenly they changed their plans. ‘Gentlemen, this girl reminds me of my late mother, she is looking into my eyes. I can no longer steal tonight maybe another day.’ Mark told the two others. Jailos Mangochi suddenly started weeping , ‘ this girl reminds me of my sister , she died last week of cancer, my only best friend I have ever seen in my life, I think we should not steal tonight.’ Sikeremu Gondwe picked the guns from each of his friends and said , ‘ I think this girl has certain powers , I feel terribly guilty why I have been stealing , am sorry guys I have to throw away the guns no more stealing for me.’ The three thieves decided to live together and raise the baby as their own child. They took turns washing, dressing and feeding the baby. As thieves they were both good at running so they taught the girl Lucy how to run. When Lucy was at primary school she was already the fastest runner in school. Lucy got used to be teased by fellow kids, ‘you have no mum, and you are living with people who were thieves.’ Meanwhile Mr and Mrs Sankho had three boys. The boys went to the same primary school where Lucy went. Even though Mr and Mrs Sankho knew that their daughter Lucy was living in the house of thieves they never bothered to think of finding ways to take Lucy into their home, Mr Sankho hated the idea of having daughters. One day there was a running competition. Lucy and other girls and boys were in that competition. Mr and Mrs Sankho’s three boys, Joy, James and Alick were also taking part in that competition. The stadium was full to capacity and the atmosphere was brilliant. ‘On your marks, get set and go!’ The whistle blown and the children started running. The three thieves cheered their much loved Lucy who was in fore front, ‘Come on Lucy! You are the reason we stopped stealing!’ Sikeremu shouted, ‘Come on Lucy! Lucy my mother’s photocopy, when I look at you I see my mother telling me to behave!’ The running reached its peak, Lucy was number one now. She sprang fast passing everyone, the stadium exploded with noise of cheering and everyone stood on his or her feet shocked and amazed at the little girl Lucy. The president held the hand of his wife excited, ‘my darling I wish that girl can be my daughter.’ Lucy was going to win a million kwacha. She was now nearing the touching line as everyone cheered. Suddenly she passed two boys who bumped into each other and collapsed on the floor. Lucy immediately stopped running. She walked to where the two boys were and checked their pulse if they were alright. The boys were the sons of Mr Sankho. Lucy hugged them and assured them they would be alright. Because of what Lucy did every child stopped running and they all hugged each other and cheered up the two boys Joy and James Sankho. These scenes made everyone in the stadium to stop cheering and cry , they cried the fact that the girl who was in the process of winning a million kwacha stopped the race just to make sure the boys are alright. Anyway Lucy still got the award of a million kwacha for saving lives but the loser was Mr and Mrs Sankho for the money Lucy won could have stayed in their house not the house of thieves. Lesson: Every child comes as a gift and a blessing. Lucy changed the lives of everyone it didn’t matter she was born a girl.

The Woman Who Taught Passengers How To See

The bus started moving. Everyone else was seated. The bus carried men, women, children dressed smartly. Most of the people inside that bus were disturbed at the sight of a woman whose behaviour was seen as very strange. The woman aged 25 was in the company of her mother. As the bus moved the woman stood up and said to her mother with much excitement, ' Mummy look at the trees, look at the grass, and look at the clouds close to the blue sky.' This behaviour from a twenty five year’s old caused people to wonder what was wrong with her. As the bus reached the filling station to put fuel the girl stood up and her cheeks were full of smile, ' Mummy , the filling station is beautiful , the pumps , oh look at the way they fuel cars.' One passenger called Mrs Banda lowered her head and whispered to her husband, ' Honey we have a mad woman here.' The husband smiled and whispered back to his wife, ' Honey, she must be on drugs.' As the bus continued its journey there were strong winds that caused dust to fill the bus and people's clothes were being spoiled by dust. The twenty five year old woman stood up excitedly and opened the window shouting, ' Mummy, this is fun, look there is dust in my hands, I can feel the sand and see it! ‘Everyone in the bus started shaking their heads about this behaviour. People were now whispering to each other and pointing at her but the lady was not concerned, she said, 'Mummy look at the people's faces, wonderful people here!' At this, Mrs Banda got irritated and stood up and started shouting at the old woman, ‘Your daughter’s behaviour is childish! I think she is getting mad, please take her to the mental hospital before the situation is out of control.' Everyone else in the bus nodded and agreed with what Mrs Banda said. The mother of the twenty five year old Laura looked at Mrs Banda and calmly said, ' We are just coming from hospital now, my daughter was born blind and only yesterday she got her vision. For her, seeing wind with dust, seeing people’s faces and every part of nature are new things to her life. I apologise for the disturbance. Since yesterday when she started seeing, she has been like this. She is thanking God every hour because of her vision.’ The things that look not important in your eyes are much much appreciated for those who have never seen before. Count your blessings. Dont take your blessings for granted.

Life is Like a Letter

.Life is Like a letter Sometimes you dont get it Life is Like an envelope Sometimes you open up to regrets Life is Like a postage stamp Sometimes its not enough for your mail to reach the destination Life is Like a postman Sometimes it delivers the news least expected Life is Like an express mail Sometimes it delays when you dont expect Life is Like a second class mail Sometimes it arrives faster than expected Life is Like a postage stamp It stamps an approval seal on each face Of those that wake up despite falling Of those shaking off dust depite embarassment Of those standing tall despite being told they will never be tall Of those singing louder despite being told they are dumb Life is like a letter You write on it Whatever you wish If you write failure the pen will obey and shed ink If you write success the pen will obey and shed ink If you write doom the pen will obey and shed ink If you write joy the pen will obey and shed ink Life is What you call it Life is you writing and telling it What you can be Where you can be How you can be When to be what you want Life is Authored by you You the mind a powerful pen You the decision a final say Life trully is what you decide What you decide you want to be Like is like how you want your letter to read Please start writing Your letter

The Boy Who Killed A Lion With One Word

Once upon a time there was a boy who went to pick wild fruits in the mountain with three of his younger brothers. The boy , while picking wild fruits , lost sight of his brothers . The fruit basket was full and it was time to go home. He shouted the names of his brothers , ' Mark, Fwasani and Alick, its time to go home, please hurry.' The three younger brothers could not be seen or heard any near so the boy followed their foot prints until he reached the cave. When the boy entered the cave he realised this was the place where the two lions lived. He screamed at his younger brothers, ' How dare you come to a dangerous place like this , you are lucky the lion is not here otherwise you should have been dead by now.' But as soon as he finished speaking and as soon as it was decided to get out of the cave there came the sound of the lion's footsteps . The boy knew their fate had come. He thought for a moment then when the lion tried to enter its cave the boy shouted in a thick voice, ' my little children your meat has come , i will kill the lion and you will never be hungry.' When the lion heard the word 'meat' , it got frightened and started running away from the cave, it ran faster until it was sure it was far away and safe. The leopard saw the lion running and it asked, ' My friend what has made you run aimlessly like this ?' The lion told the leopard ,' I have never heard an animal calling me 'meat', there must be a huge animal that has entered my cave it is planing to kill me and feed its children.' The leopard said , 'Lion , there is no one stronger in this forest like you . You are the king of forest , so go and kill that animal.' But the lion was afraid. The leopard and fellow carnivores convinced the lion that , ' If you are scared go with us , we will stand by you.' The lion asked, ' What if you run away and am left alone to die in a cave ?' The leopard said,' I and fellow carnovores will tie our tails together so that we fight this animal together.' The lion reluctantly agreed. The lion and other animals ran towards the cave with tails tied together as a joint mission to kill this animal in a cave. The boy saw that the animals were coming and all animals were fully charged with rage and anger to kill. As the animals reached closer to the cave they paused to listen and there they heard it for themselves. The boy shouted in a thick voice like a grandfather , 'My little children, I told you that your meat is ready, now see, the animals are helping us, they have captured the lion to deliver it to us because it was running away. Now just smile my kids, your meat is here.' When the lion heard this it suspected the leopard has done a trick to surrender it to the dangerous animal . The lion demanded to let his tail be let loose from other animals so that it can ran away but the leopard refused,' We can handle it , Lion.' The lion got more scared and pulled from the other animals. The tails were still locked together. So the lion pulled and all animals began pushing each other and pulling , they rolled down the mountain and the lion hit the big rock and died. When it was peaceful the boy went home with his younger brothers. He had killed the lion with just the word, ' meat.' In times of crisis , courage and a litle intelligence can deliver people from their dangerous situation.

The Girl Who Had The Last Laugh

It started with the wedding day on Saturday. The ML Mercedes Benz was lost in a pile of dust and threads of flowers decorating the biggest event of her life . The trail of limousines and the inside chorus of joyous voices singing reminded Prima Shumba that this was the greatest wedding ever attended , her own wedding . ' Is your seat belt secure , darling ? ' The chaufer asked. Prima nodded and placed her handbag in between her legs , polishing her dry lips with red lipstick .Everything looked beautiful. Beauttiful weather, beautiful day and her inner feeling told her , ' Girl you look beautiful and your man will have all this to himself.' Prima's thoughts travelled faster than the Mercedes Benz, her thoughts flew farther towards a happier life waiting for her , most happier places she would be and very happier nights she would spend with him from the very night of the wedding. Prima Shumba tall , elegant with bright eyes and attractive lean body smiled at the thought that, ' from today on I Mrs not Ms' and that was indeed fast becoming a reality every minute the clock ticked. ' Are you fine, madam ? You will be with your man of life soon, a few minutes from now.' The driver said 'Thank you driver , I am fine.' Prima did not like to show the driver how excited she was . She thought to herself, 'whats the need of sharing joy with strangers who know nothing about your life. It would be fitting to spend time to ourselves , ourselves with Ken , just the two of us once the wedding ceremony is wrapped up.' Prima looked into the mirror and she grinned how prettier she looked. The Mercedes Benz turned and reached the largest College of Medicine Hall , it stopped a few yards from the main reception. Prima looked beautiful , the driver look at her crimson suit from the corner of his eyes . He openned the door , Prima pause for a moment her long black silky hair rubbing the shoulders. The newspaper had reported biasly towards her wedding , the wedding of the best female musician to a local artist. They were all celebrities in their own right and the husband to be , Ken Phiri owned a music recording studio which was very popular accross the country. According to Prima, Ken was just a perfect match for her, she would guess what Ken thinks and Ken would excitedly say yes that's what he exactly thought and Ken would look at her and reveal what she was thinking , what a perfect match! At one time Prima thought they were just like twins because when she thought of calling Ken,that's the moment when her mobile phone was ringing . It was Ken with his usual, ' I miss you babie!' Now their two bodies were getting together as a man and a wife. First the mercedez took her to see her man at the College of Medicine briefly to inspect if everythng was ready and a quick rehearsal how the two would enter the hall. She expected Ken to be already there and she was worried she was running late, she planning to apologise with a warm kiss , after all it was the day everything would start , the family. The list of wedding invitations looked impressive, , the president , chiefs many local celebrities , both Prima and Ken were popular locally and internationally . She visualized the convoy, the largest reception at the College of Medicine Hall . The drinks, the buffet, the wedding cake, the flower throwing aspects of it and everything looked and felt exciting . It had taken Prima four breakable relationships before she met Ken , Ken Phiri 35 a dozen older than her age but she loved him . She had once declared that , 'even if this world ends I will never find a guy so loving like you .' All Ken did was to smile and kiss her by the cheeks. Prima and Ken hired a priest who would bless their marriage at the College of Medicine then receptions begins straight away . The wedding ceremony was scheduled for 02.00pm and Prima wanted to make sure that her guests were being looked after ver well before she went on to wear her wedding dress. 'Prima, people are waiting . Where is Ken ? ' Prima pointed at the Hall a few yards away , ' He is right in there talking to guests, wait I will call him , we have to start .' But when Prima reached the entry of the all expecting to see Ken, expecting to see finishing up decorations she had ordered from Italy everything looked strange and indeed there was a strange feeling in her. Prima ignored the strange feeling and dismissed it with a smile. She opened the door with a huge smile on her face , but suddenly she stopped, looking shocked and her mouth wide open. The College of Medicine hall looked totally dark . Where is Ken? Is Ken and his friends playing a surprise game on me ? Prima asked herself and then pressed the lights switch , The lights came on but the hall had a population of dried tree leaves , scattered papers , some dust on the walls and rubbish bins on stage , no one was there. Where had Ken gone ? The wedding invitations cards were everywhere on the floor. Prima looked around and outside the hall looking for any sign of Ken. She devided big curtains searching but the hall looked frightenly looked empty . Suddenly she heard some footsteps, excitedingly she thought this was Ken . She was about to shout Ken when she saw an old man approaching from the entrace door. The old man cleared his throat then said,' Am sorry Ken couldnt make it, he has changed his mind. Right now he is wedding someone else in Soche.' To Prima it felt like the world had come to an end .She fell down looking confused and lost. She wished to die straight away, she wished there was a hole her body could go and hide and she couldnt stand the shame and embarrassment of being dumped on the day of her wedding . Prima cried non-stop thinking what wrong she had done to men, for all men she trully loved have ended up leaving her when she least expected them to and when she thought everything was just fine . From that day , Prima vowed never to trust any man. Prima stayed two years without thinking of dating anyone, she hated anything to do with men and she dedicated her time to work commitedly and do house chores. One day Prima met a man , a man not of her type , his face not that handsome face you would imagine but without fear , and with confidence said, ' I have never loved a woman like you , you are the best thing I can have. This is love I feel at first sight.' Everyday Prima walked to work this man asked her the same question, ' Prima I love you, will you marry me?' This was strange and Prima was tired of this. But the more this man talked to her, Prima wanted to know about him,' So what do you do?' The man replied, ' I am a bin collector , I empty bins and clean people's yards.' Prima was put off with the response and she decided to not accept his proposal. But the man insited, ' Prima I love you.' When Prima accepted this man and announced that she would marry him there was huge rebellion from everyone she knew. 'How can you marry a bin collector? Are you out of your mind ? Have you seen how vague and ugly he looks ? After all nobody knows much about his background.' Everyone asked Prima said such things to Prima . Prima insisted , ' You can say what you like but I love Mr Sauko .' After the wedding Prima took her man to honeymoon. She paid for all bills as Mr Sauko had no money . When Mrs Prima Sauko returned from the honeymoon she found there was a limousine waiting for them at the airport. 'Who arranged this?' Prima asked. Mr Sauko smiled , ' its just the begining dear , you are not going to your house there is a mansion waiting for you.' Prima was confused, ' Mr Sauko where did you get money.' He smiled and said, ' I was looking for a woman who can just love my heart not my wealth , now let me tell you the truth. I am an African billionare , living in Newyork, I own mines , planes and oil drilling companies . I decided to come somewhere nobody knows me and meet a lady who loves my heart thats why i started the bin collection job.' Prima was the happiest girl in town and at one ceremony in South Africa she said, ' Love is like wind when it passes you dont cry , another wave of wind that is meant for you is coming , look at me I lost five men and when I thought all is lost, my husband the multibillionaire came along.' 'In life, you come across a big loss which gives you opportunity to have the best.' Prima smiled.

The Girl Who Taught A Boy How To Hunt

One day there was a boy who went hunting to bring meat home. . He carried his spear and his bow walking towards the forest where it was believed there were plenty of wild animals. The boy's mother had told him that there was no food in the house and the whole family depended on him. 'You know very well your father is sick, he can no longer hunt and you know we have house which has nothing except empty pots in the kitchen and water .' The boy nodded. The boy spent the whole day hunting but did not manage to catch anything. It was getting dark and the boy started walking home. Along the way the boy met a girl carrying a bucket of water. The girl knew his name and she excitedly shouted, ' James, your mum has made a big announcement that you are bringing meat from your hunting and the whole village is invited to feast.' James could not believe what he was hearing, ' How can mum embarrass me like that, she knows it’s not possible to catch an animal with this weather.' The girl dropped down the bucket of water and said, 'James, if your mum trusts you why can you not trusts yourself to bring meat home.' 'As you can see it is already dark, I don’t have a torch.' But the girl argued, ' Yes, you don't have a torch but you can see me, can't you?' James nodded. 'So it means it’s not too late for you to continue hunting.' The girl said. James and Mellissa walked together hand in hand and agreed to hunt together. The two of them reached the most dangerous part of the bush. There were hyenas, leopards and lions and other dangerous snakes. James held the hand of Melissa and said, ' I am scared, I can feel in my heart that we will die.' Mellissa said, ' I am glad your heart says so, my heart says we will make it, so keep on listening to your heart.' At other times the heart told James it was alright to go on but at other times the heart said the lion would eat both of them. As the two of them walked into the thick forest, it was getting darker and darker and the sound of a hyena could be heard some distance away. James froze with fear and trembled, 'This heart is saying we must go back. I want to go back.' Melissa touched his shoulder, 'That is a good point but remember your dream is to make history, to feed the whole village with plenty of meat. You have come very far and going back will put you and your mum to shame.' 'Well, why can I not listen to my feelings because the heart can deceive both of us?’ James said. 'You will never overcome anything if you act on your feelings. All you need to do is listen to your heart and that small corner of your heart that whispers you can do it also has a right to be listened to.' Melissa replied As James and Melissa continued to hunt for meat, James began to listen to his heart. The heart started telling him that ,' even though I complain its dark, it is just because i am your heart and many people's hearts feel that way when it is dark , they feel that they have to go home they are going to die if they face darkness. We their hearts once we hear such messages, we also become worried and we start beating faster causing more anxiety for our people to run to where they feel they will be safe. Because when bad things happen we are not happy. But if you can assure me that you will be alright I your heart will stop panicking.’ James told Melissa, ' My heart is saying if I stop worrying it will stop worrying.' Mellissa said, ' Good, now let’s face the darkness, give me your bow and you stay with the spear.' The sound of lions could be heard from a distance. 'We must follow where the lions are going that's where we will find meat.' Mellissa said. At this, James got frightened again, ' My heart says lions are powerful, they have killed many people and we will die.' 'Tell your heart that you understand lions are dangerous but the fear of danger is worse than facing a dangerous situation to find what you want. If you and I are truly searching for happiness which is killing an animal that will bring meat for everyone we should not worry about the sound of a lion.' Melissa said In the next hour, James' heart was no longer afraid until they saw a huge buffalo. He asked Mellissa, ' It’s sleeping but what if my spear misses it? I fear it will wake up and chase you and me till we die?' Mellissa did not respond. She snatched the spear from James and whispered to him to step aside. James trembled and held the bow watching Melissa walking with no sound until she was within touching distance of the buffalo. The buffalo awoke and sneered with its horns at Melissa. James screamed, 'My God we are dying!’ And suddenly there was a huge sound that frightened the whole bush. James couldn’t see Mellissa. He was afraid if Melissa had been killed. After seconds of commotion and noise there came silence like death. Blood was all over the grass and James started crying calling out Melissa's name, ' Melissa, please tell me you are alive!' His feet stumbled on something, something looking like a dead thing and the coldness of blood licked his skin. James turned around his heart pumping with fear and his eyes saw it all! The buffalo lying dead blood still gushing and the spear still deep inside in its body. Mellissa was on top of the tree laughing , ' As soon as it tried to hit me with its horn I went round and used the spear to kill it straight away and i quickly climbed a tree watching it dying.' 'What is your secret? ‘James asked Mellissa. 'Telling your heart that it should not be afraid and your heart will learn to be courageous.' The whole village feasted on meat because of the courage of one girl who taught a boy to be brave.

The Amazing Story of Love

As Rebecca walked home from school she wanted to know if Timothy really loved her. Rebbeca stopped behind a mango tree and Timothy joined her, they held hands . Both Rebecca and Timothy were just teenagers, this was their first time to be in a relationship , no words were much said and no one was much able to express what was felt inside their hearts. Rebecca asked Timothy , ' Do you think I am beautiful?' Timothy shook his head left and right . Rebecca asked Timothy , ' Do you really want to be with me ?' Timothy shook his head left and right then said , ' No, not really.' Rebecca was furious and asked, ' So if that is the case, Timothy , are you happy if I can leave now ?' Timothy nodded , ' Yes you can.' Rebbecca got hurt and she furiouly began to leave saying , ' You have spoiled my day.' As Rebecca walked away Timothy grabbed her arm and told her to stay with him. Timothy said "You're not beautiful but precious and shining in my eyes like a diamond. I don`t want to be with you now, I need to live with you forever. And I will not be sad when you leave me now , dearest Rebecca , I would die if you are no longer part of my life."

Things To Make You Live Happily like a Queen/King

1.Eat more natural foods and eat less food that is manufactured or processed . 2. Drink plenty of water, water is life. 3. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind yourself about mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness. 4. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment of today. 5. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 6. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. 8. Smile and laugh more, the power of happiness starts with a smile. 9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.Do the opposite. 10. Don’t undermine yourself on what you can acheive. And no one else should underestimate your potential 11. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree and be ready to learn 12. Make peace with your everyone crossing your path so they dont spoil your day 13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their life is all about. Don’t compare your wealth with others. Just be happy with what you have. 14. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.You are on the driving seat and you can decide to be happy or not . 15. Forgive everyone for everything. 16. What other people think of you is none of your business. 17. Believe God can do it. 18. Spend ten minutes each day to be on your own and think about what has been achieved and what to do better tomorow 19. Share your happiness with others . One person can make the whole society happy. 20. Watch your wallets and your purses. If possible go for a walk in the park , it saves money instead of visiting the shops aimlessly . Once you are in that shopping environment , money is tempted to leak.