LJ Kundananji's Short Stories - A Really Great Reading Experience!

I have been writing short stories for as long as I can remember. Now I would like to share them with the whole world.

My stories are mainly based on my experiences - the stuff I have seen, the stuff I have heard, and the stuff I have been through. My life has been quite crazy of late, and it makes for a good story on its own.

However, I am far from being self-centered. Some of my stories are actually constructed for certain special people who are close to my heart. In these especial stories, I endeavour to simulate their experiences, and find a solution to their dilemmas in a manner that reaches their heart.

You see, to me, story telling is not just a pastime, but it is also a way of emancipating myself, finding a solution to the mind-boggling situations I find my self in, and giving the world out there a piece of my mind.

A good friend of mine said my stories are based on reality, and that is true actually. My stories are often about human relationships. It is no wonder, because human beings are really fascinating....

And since you are human as well, you will indentify with most of the situations my characters find themselves in. So seat back, relax, and brace yourself...you are in for a truly thrilling reading experience.

Select a story from the list below:

Sample Stories by LJ:

Emily’s Hidden Terror
Imagine a girl who is very afraid. For Mrs. Chonia, that did not need any imagination. She knew such a girl, but the only problem was that she did not know what terrified her...
Nose Betty
They say beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Chanda certainly agrees with this adage, for he knows beauty when he sees it!
Everyone Hates Me
Ruth is a boiling pot of lava. You have to weigh your words carefully when talking to her, least you annoy her.
Everything Will be Alright
Is there anything more important than school? Patience is about to find out. Here is a story LJ wrote for a friend...
I am Married
A young lady sets foot in a world dominated by males. When they start getting too personal, there is only one thing to do...
Beastly Wives
A young man gets interesting advice from an old timer in the business which sends him bounding off...
The Flying Policeman
The rumour mongers of a certain community are on the rampage, spreading life-altering tales. When he beholds the flying policeman, Lewis learns the hardway that listening to hearsay is not good .
Lover Boy
David is tired of being a Lover Boy. In a desperate effort, he beats down one girl hoping to scare away the rest, but things only get worse...
Caged
There is a time when it's dangerous to love, and at such times, it is best to avoid falling into the steep-sided pit of love. Charles realises that when one falls in too deep, you cannot move back, nor out, but only forward.
The Best Ally
In the most unlikely of things, Timothy finds the best ally, and in the most disdained inconveniences, a best friend.
1983
There were deadlier years, but to James, 1983 turned out to be the deadliest because it bred a large number of killers.
I Can’t Live Without You
Suppose it's true, that he can't live without you. What can you do when you are certain that you can live without him?
Girl Power
Let’s take a look behind the closed door, shall we; and hear what those we admire and desire think of us.
Lost Dream
It is true and often sad to admit that the dreams that we almost realise, we wreck with our own hands.

Forgotten
One of the biggest tragedies that can befall anyone is to be forgotten—especially by those he remembers.
Hedged-In
Sometimes those who are hedged-in sneak out of the hedge—only to learn that they wondered too far, and they return behind the hedge—almost too gratefully.
Remembering Frank
There is nothing as fleeting as memories...When we fly away, they linger on, but not for long; and at the mention of our names, very few people bat an eyelid, if at all…
My True Love
Someone asked me: “Have you found your true love?”
I was bewildered by that question, because I thought she was the one. When the realization that I had simply dreamt all of it hit me, I simply answered: “I don’t know."
Broken Heart
She ditched me…just like that? This story is for her…
Dog's Life
Imagine your nightmare came true, and you found yourself living a dog’s life…
Beautiful Ones do Not Exist
I wrote this story in an effort to convince myself that beauty is only skin deep, and that you may find the most dreadful imperfections behind the most beautiful faces. Beware...
Option C
One of my best creations. The setting is my hometown, Namalundu. Inspired by the true life experiences. Um, I try to reach out to those in despair. No matter how hard and dismal things get, do not try to go for Option C. NEVER.
Unworthy
I tried to fall in love with this girl of a certain elevated nature. I admit I actually did love her. There was only one problem: I was not worth her while, and so I had to let her go.
The Nearest is the Dearest
This is a subtle warning to my dearest: if she distances herself, especially when I most need her, someone will take her place; that face I see everytime I am downhearted.
The Miserable Life of Mary Mpata
This is just a piece for the good folks out there whose family life is unbearable. It is not your fault.
Crush, Crash and Clash
here is this lady who thoroughly shocked me. She wanted me to be her lover, despite having a husband. Wondering what kind of influence she has on her niece (who loves me to the death), I wrote this piece.
Hard Choice
A little while back, I found myself in a dilemma: I loved two girls who both had qualities I found admirable. Chosing one seemed to be a loss, because the qualities missing in one were present in the other and vice-versa. If there was only a way of combining the two into one! Well, eventually, I had to make my choice...
John And Sarah
I indulge in my wildest imagination here. Typically, I am wondering if true love exists, and if there are two people out there who love each other so much that they are willing to die for each other.
Hard to Get
A certain girl turned me down. God, I really loved her, and all the while I was under the impression that she loved me. Well, may be I was wrong. But I have this subtle feeling that she was just playing hard-to-get; maybe she wanted me to fight for her. There is only one problem. I am not the sort who has so much of a fighting spirit.
She Stood Waiting
Suppose that girl who dumped you, but whom you really loved, comes back to you crying and blubbering for you to take her back just before that all important rendezvous with your fianceé. How easy would it be to resist that?
Angela
Angela mirrors the attitude of someone once close to my heart. She assumed that no one cared for her, and so on occassion she insinutated taking her own life. I was hardly amused, because I did care—too much...
The Invisible Lars
The Namalundu High School Scientists discover the Invisibility Compound X. It is a tremendous break through, but when the dastardly Lars sticks his big nose into their affairs, Compound X turns out to be a rather dangerous discovery.
Father and Son
When Lewis Kankoyo and his father cooperate to solve a certain menial task, the results are as disastrous as the relationship which exists between them.
Nancy Telesco
Okay, let's fantasize about that beautiful young lady with golden hair... and skin as smooth as silk. Let's imagine she existed in an exotic county, far away, called Saloon. Her name would be Nancy Telesco.
Architects of Disaster
A Lars Story. When Lars spots Mrs Mambo in an unsavory mood, as is typical of her, he pays a visit to his friend Chimutwe... and that is the beginning of the most hilarious disaster in the history of Namalundu.
The Flying Coffin
After dark, in a certain village town, a coffin flies, looking for innocent victims to consume. Be afraid. Be very Afraid. Muwahahaha!
The SweetHeart
She was my favorite girl, a queen in her own right, my sweetheart. The one I never had.
My Love My Destiny
Oh, you know what they say: there's always that special someone destined to be yours from the beginning of time. Maybe they are wrong; maybe they are right. I really don't care. Ask Kafupi the same question, and he will tell you he doesn't know any better!
Swooning for Kisses
David agonizes over the fact that he is a good guy, and good guys don't seem to get the girl.
Temptations
Frank, the proverbial bad boy, is shown in a rather amorous fashion that he is not the bad boy he thinks he is.
Dentist of Life
Chansa goes to visit the dentist hoping to have his cavity filled up; but the dentist does more than fill up his cavities.
A Subliminal Love Affair
Matthew is about to realise that sometimes, when you appear to be in love, you've got to make sure you are looking at things from the right side, because more often than not, you are looking at them from the wrong end.
Shoo!
Evwananji assumes that everything in life is programmed by the creator, and that he can make no choices of his own; but he also believes something else.
The One
Suwilanji finds himself totally heartbroken and devastated when the woman he loves does not return his heart-felt affection. In his agony, he pursues a course that leads to his own devastation.
Forbidden Fruit
In a rather amorous fumbling, a young man finds out that cowards are the one that never ran away. Based on a True story
Deceit's Child
Boyd is faced with a grueling decision: accept something he is totally not responsible for or lose the girl he loves forever.

Especially For Kids!

Here are some stories especially for Kids:

Bill Happy:

Bill Happy is a happy kid; a very happy kid indeed. There is only one problem: he is too happy making other people miserable.
Majesty Baobab:

No one was suposed to defy the order of the king; but Kalulu did—with very interesting consequences.
Emily Little:

When Mary Big comes to town, Emily Little finds herself contending with the biggest bully of all time.
Princess Isabella

Princess Isabella was a very beautiful princess who was loved by all, except the person who mattered the most—her mother.