The Thomas & Queenventure Stories

In February, 2009, a group of children from the Mathare North MYSA library met for three sessions of a workshop on writing stories, with KLT Trustee Susan Phillips and volunteers Margaret Kasten and Maya Prabhu.

Together we read storybooks, talked about what kinds of stories we like. Most voted for happy stories, but sad and scary also had their fans. Then we tried to figure out a "recipe" for writing stories. The children came up with a list that could be summarized as characters, places, conflict and change. After that, the children brainstormed about some characters to put in their stories, and they came up with three: Thomas, a lazy, dirty, bowlegged orphan who loves to sing and whose hair stands straight up on his head; Queenventure, a beautiful, smart, selfish girl who likes to dress up and play rugby (not necessarily in that order); and Othorong'ongo, a three-eyed long-tailed hairy monster who likes to eat people.

Then the children divided up into teams of two or three and got down to work drawing their characters and writing their stories.

The results follow. An awful lot of stories for children in Kenya are morality tales carrying a heavy freight of messages about good behavior. In writing their own stories, the children both embrace and cheerfully overturn these conventions. One of the stories that follows is a classic love story that ends with a church wedding...but just before the "happily ever after," the tale takes a gruesome twist!

Queenventure by Hulder

Here are their stories. Please click on the title to read the complete text !

Thomas & Queenventure, a Tragedy

In the Village of Karindee there lived a boy whose name was Thomas. Thomas was twelve years old; he was an orphan. Thomas was good at Math, but he was a very lazy boy and he liked crying without any reason. He liked playing football but he would not bathe. Thomas even wore rags. The villagers hated him because of his dirtiness and constant crying. But one thing the villagers loved about him. He had a special power and could sense what was about to happen.

Nearby there lived a girl whose name was Queenventure. Queenventure was sixteen years old. People loved her because of her beauty, but she was very selfish. She didn´t like helping poor people. Her hobbies were singing, dancing, and even rugby. She also liked decorating herself. She didn´t like men. But she did like maths, English, and KiSwahili. Her parents were very rich.

Also in that village there was a big ugly Giant named Othorong’ongo. He had three yellow eyes, he had hair all over his body, and one big tail. The ugly Giant had a long sharp teeth. All the villagers hated him because he wanted to kill them and destroy their land. He had a magic ring with which he could command animals to attack the villagers.

Thomas by Faith

Thomas and the Big Big Giant

Once upon a time there lived a very very big Giant known as Othoron’gongo. The Giant used to destroy people’s property. Many people were not happy about the giant destroying them and their properties.

Also, there lived a small boy known as Thomas. Thomas was an orphan. He used to live lonely and sad because he did not have parents. He did not have any place to sleep or any food to eat. But Thomas did have magic, he could sense anything that was about to happen in front of him.

One day he saw the big Giant Othoron'gongo when he was walking around the Forest searching for Firewood. When he saw the big Giant he was very frightened and very shocked to see this big animal that he had never seen before.

The giant was ugly. He had three yellow eyes, long nails and a long tail. He also had a magic ring.

Giant by Vincent

The Day Thomas Will Never Forget

Once upon a time in the city of Mombasa there lived a beautiful girl named Queenventure. She was kind and honest, but also selfish. Queenventure liked decorating herself every day. Queenventure also liked swimming, dancing and playing rugby. Queenventure was sixteen years old. But the greatest secret of her life was that she never liked men.

One day as Queenventure was walking along the street she saw a handsome boy named Thomas. He was begging for food. “Why are you here begging for food?” asked Queenventure. Thomas said that he was begging because he didn’t have any money to buy food. Thomas was an orphan, he lived all alone in the street. The villagers did not like Thomas because he was dirty and lazy. Thomas was 12 years old, and he did not want to learn. The thing he wanted to do most was sing and play football, but at school he was best at maths.

Queenventure was very worried and she wanted to take care of Thomas. She didn’t want to be selfish with him. She told him, “Come and stay with us in our home, please.”

Queenventure by Jenifer

Othorongo'ngo the Giant, Thomas, and Queenventure

A long, long, long time ago, there lived a girl whose name was Queenventure. Queenventure was very beautiful and good natured. She was clever and honest, but selfish. She had long black hair and she lived in Hong Kong, China. Her hobbies were swimming, dancing and rugby. Her face was beautifully decorated when she was going to dance. She was sixteen years old and did not have a boyfriend. She was a lean and clean girl, and hardworking. She was good at mathematics, English and KiSwahili. She had two sisters and one brother.

Then the family moved from Hong Kong to Mombasa, Kenya

One day as Queenventure was walking from home to the swimming pool, she met a boy named Thomas. Thomas was sitting down. He was wearing torn clothes and eating dirty food. When Thomas saw Queenventure, he admired her beauty. Thomas stood up and went straight to her, then greeted her.

"Woo! what’s your name?" asked Thomas.
"My name is Queenventure," answered Queenventure.

Queenventure by Jones

The Giant, Thomas, and Queenventure

A long time ago there lived an ugly giant named Othorong’ongo. The wild beast had long nails and yellow eyes. He lived in a forest named Mwembe Tayari forest.

Near that forest there was a village and in that village there lived a boy called Thomas. Thomas was twelve years old. Thomas was very sad because he was an orphan. Thomas was also a lazy boy, and the villagers hated him for his laziness. He would pretend to work with the others when the time came for planting, carrying other people’s jembes to the garden and back home, but never digging. Then he would go to neighbours’ houses asking for food.

Even though he was very handsome, nobody loved him because he was very dirty, had bowed legs, and was even smelly.

One day Thomas was walking around a compound where rich people lived, looking for a job so he could get money for his school fees. As he was walking around the compound he found a beautiful girl sitting by a swimming pool wearing a swimming costume. It was very hot and the girl was drinking cold juice. The girl was so selfish, she would not even give Thomas any juice when he asked for a sip to kill his thirst.

Giant by Kennedy