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Bleeding Stubs
BLURB:
Lasso Tambong is a soldier in the CIA's secret wing embedded within the Gendarmerie Nationale du Cameroun. The story centres around a bet he makes with his boss and friend, Colonel Mvodo: If Lasso can resist the temptation to scale Section F—a deadly cliff in Koutaba marked INTERDIT—he'll soon be driving a Land Rover. But the aspiring agent’s pride gets the better of him, pushing him to defy the odds and sneak down a treacherous path to the base of the lethal ravine. Brace yourself as you follow him into the darkest depths of danger.
* * *
TEASER:
“Okay, okay. Can we have another bet, just the two of us?”
“What’s on your smart mind, Mr. Colonel? I hope you’re not trying to plant Seyena in my heart. She’s way too risky if things don’t work out.”
“Nothing to do with her. Since when did I become a government pimp?”
“Then shoot. What do you wager about? I know you’re a man of your word.”
“My side is: you will attempt to climb Section F—alone with your bare hands—within the next six months,” Mvodo said.
Unable to read Lasso’s big, flat eyes underneath the bushy brows, he ran an experienced eye up and down the tall, muscular structure in front of him. Then, he spotted the weakness he was looking for:
Lasso bounced, albeit slightly, on his toes. It was a quirk he displayed whenever overly full of himself.
Mvodo spotted it and knew his man had swallowed the bait. And he was sure Lasso’s ego would get the better of him.
“What’s your side, Agent Lasso?”
Lasso winced.
“Why would I put my life at risk? That’s ridiculous, but since you’re a fair loser, my side is this: I will never commit such a gaff. I bet I will NOT go down that dangerous path to Section F. That deadly ravine is for the untamed critters, not us civilised folk. What’s your stake, anyway?”
“My Jeep. Against your three months’ salary.”
“But that’s a government truck, sir. ”
“Oh, Lasso, you leave the trouble to me. My word is my word.”
“Make it two. Three is three-much.”
Recognising the flatter and keenness in Lasso’s voice, Mvodo lowered one side of the ante.
“That’s alright. For the brightest CIA agent in the making, let’s call it a deal: you hand me two months’ worth of your wage or own a Land Rover Jeep.”
“Okay, I’m all in.”
Lasso Tambong is a soldier in the CIA's secret wing embedded within the Gendarmerie Nationale du Cameroun. The story centres around a bet he makes with his boss and friend, Colonel Mvodo: If Lasso can resist the temptation to scale Section F—a deadly cliff in Koutaba marked INTERDIT—he'll soon be driving a Land Rover. But the aspiring agent’s pride gets the better of him, pushing him to defy the odds and sneak down a treacherous path to the base of the lethal ravine. Brace yourself as you follow him into the darkest depths of danger.
* * *
TEASER:
“Okay, okay. Can we have another bet, just the two of us?”
“What’s on your smart mind, Mr. Colonel? I hope you’re not trying to plant Seyena in my heart. She’s way too risky if things don’t work out.”
“Nothing to do with her. Since when did I become a government pimp?”
“Then shoot. What do you wager about? I know you’re a man of your word.”
“My side is: you will attempt to climb Section F—alone with your bare hands—within the next six months,” Mvodo said.
Unable to read Lasso’s big, flat eyes underneath the bushy brows, he ran an experienced eye up and down the tall, muscular structure in front of him. Then, he spotted the weakness he was looking for:
Lasso bounced, albeit slightly, on his toes. It was a quirk he displayed whenever overly full of himself.
Mvodo spotted it and knew his man had swallowed the bait. And he was sure Lasso’s ego would get the better of him.
“What’s your side, Agent Lasso?”
Lasso winced.
“Why would I put my life at risk? That’s ridiculous, but since you’re a fair loser, my side is this: I will never commit such a gaff. I bet I will NOT go down that dangerous path to Section F. That deadly ravine is for the untamed critters, not us civilised folk. What’s your stake, anyway?”
“My Jeep. Against your three months’ salary.”
“But that’s a government truck, sir. ”
“Oh, Lasso, you leave the trouble to me. My word is my word.”
“Make it two. Three is three-much.”
Recognising the flatter and keenness in Lasso’s voice, Mvodo lowered one side of the ante.
“That’s alright. For the brightest CIA agent in the making, let’s call it a deal: you hand me two months’ worth of your wage or own a Land Rover Jeep.”
“Okay, I’m all in.”
- GenresCameroon
16 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2025
1 person is currently reading
953 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 29, 2025
Hello,
We're reaching out from a volunteer-run literary magazine with an altruistic mission. We're looking for passionate readers to write original, research-driven articles that cite novels or short fiction by various authors.
To support this initiative, we wish to partner with authors who are willing to encourage participants by offering prizes or covering publication fees—payable directly to suitable academic journals—for accepted articles.
Though our project runs on a modest budget, we aim to bridge the gap between literature and academia, and we hope it will foster meaningful contributions to the literary world.
Whether you're a reader or an author, we'd love to hear from you!
We're reaching out from a volunteer-run literary magazine with an altruistic mission. We're looking for passionate readers to write original, research-driven articles that cite novels or short fiction by various authors.
To support this initiative, we wish to partner with authors who are willing to encourage participants by offering prizes or covering publication fees—payable directly to suitable academic journals—for accepted articles.
Though our project runs on a modest budget, we aim to bridge the gap between literature and academia, and we hope it will foster meaningful contributions to the literary world.
Whether you're a reader or an author, we'd love to hear from you!
January 13, 2025
This short story was very captivating in a carefree manner. It was easy to understand. When I read the synopsis about it being about CIA agents I thought the text would be daunting and hard to read, but I went through it very smoothly. Most of the characters were so well done I wish the short story was a novel. It would be nice to see the characters do more scenes together since all the scenes were engaging. The author didn’t digress and the interactions between the characters progressed each of their development. Lieutenant Seyena Mbenda was the only character who wasn't really fully recognized. It was said she had curves and a sexy voice, but it would be nice to see her interact with the other characters in a more emotionally complex manner. The Sean Geiger character was amazing who was the Director of Innovation and Technology at the CIA headquarters in Langley. He was very enterprising and loyal to his work. His job was so important that even after losing the ability to walk, to have unusable hands, and losing his sight he still stayed in the job. I think the Sean character gives people with disabilities hope who read or feel the book using braille. Here was a man who had his limbs and eyesight gone from a violent attack and he had a senior position in CIA Langley. I think just mere stoicism doesn’t really explain what type of a man Sean is. He is a beast, an extraordinary man who can do the impossible without some of his senses and his arms and legs. When they were all having the meeting It was asked why the agents were taught sign language and braille. One of the men said sign language so that they would be able to communicate with each other to stay quiet. And Lasso said that just in case they lose their eyesight in battle they would still be usable in the agency. I found that so captivating. Losing sight is very scary and alot of us take our eyesight for granted. I’ve been diagnosed with keratoconus which is an eye condition where the cornea of the eye becomes more bulged. I had to get a procedure to stop it from getting worse, but I’m unsure if my left eye is getting worse still or if it isn’t. I have to wear special expensive contact lenses so I can see clearly but even with the contacts with my left eye I can’t see clearly. So I know how it would feel to have your eyesight jeopardized. For Sean Geiger he must be a very tough man to go through all those disabilities and not become a vegetable in the mind from not having eyesight. Cause I thought about it several times how it would be like to be blind, and it is so scary I can’t fathom it. It is mind boggling to imagine not being able to see. With my left eye I still haven't grieved yet for it being blurry in my left eye. I wonder if Sean Geiger grieved for being blind. He probably was in a state of shock and then he balanced out. I think Sean must have something divine to deal with all those disabilities. I looked up the meaning of stoicism. It is “ the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.”
So maybe he didn’t cry. That must mean that I myself have a certain degree of stoicism. Or maybe me and Sean Geiger have some things in common and there is something that is hindering us from crying about our eyesight for our safety. But I do know Sean feels sad about not having his eyesight every now then. Even with all that braveness. In the story the bet between Lasso and Colonel Mvodo is the main premise of the book. Colonel Mvodo and Lasso have a bet that Lasso cannot resist his ego and scale dangerous cliffs. If Lasso gives in to his ego then he will have to pay Colonel Mvodo two of his salary payments. If Lasso doesn’t scale the cliffs then he gets Colonel Mvodos' Jeep. Already in the very beginning when talking about the bet Lasso expresses with his body that he is excited to scale the cliff foreshadowing what would happen in the future of the short story.
The next day Lasso sneaks out of the compound and scales the cliff. To his surprise a snake bites his stubs which cause him to get numb falling to the depths of the cliff. Lucky for him a zebra breaks his fall and he walks back to the compound. Seeing a jogger who he thinks is a spy from Colonel Mvodo to see if he scaled the cliff. This book shows how the ego can be a great strength and also a great downfall. What Laso did was very difficult, and he felt very good about himself or he wouldn’t attempt it. This type of feeling can enable a person to do miraculous things that someone who doesn’t have a high esteem can’t do. But going without any climbing gear pushed Lasso ego to a mode of almost insanity. Because his life was in the line. If he had his climbing gear and that snake bit him he wouldn’t have fallen off the cliff. But If Lasso didn’t have that ego he wouldn’t be a CIA agent. So this short story clearly explores the good and bad about having an untamed ego.
So maybe he didn’t cry. That must mean that I myself have a certain degree of stoicism. Or maybe me and Sean Geiger have some things in common and there is something that is hindering us from crying about our eyesight for our safety. But I do know Sean feels sad about not having his eyesight every now then. Even with all that braveness. In the story the bet between Lasso and Colonel Mvodo is the main premise of the book. Colonel Mvodo and Lasso have a bet that Lasso cannot resist his ego and scale dangerous cliffs. If Lasso gives in to his ego then he will have to pay Colonel Mvodo two of his salary payments. If Lasso doesn’t scale the cliffs then he gets Colonel Mvodos' Jeep. Already in the very beginning when talking about the bet Lasso expresses with his body that he is excited to scale the cliff foreshadowing what would happen in the future of the short story.
The next day Lasso sneaks out of the compound and scales the cliff. To his surprise a snake bites his stubs which cause him to get numb falling to the depths of the cliff. Lucky for him a zebra breaks his fall and he walks back to the compound. Seeing a jogger who he thinks is a spy from Colonel Mvodo to see if he scaled the cliff. This book shows how the ego can be a great strength and also a great downfall. What Laso did was very difficult, and he felt very good about himself or he wouldn’t attempt it. This type of feeling can enable a person to do miraculous things that someone who doesn’t have a high esteem can’t do. But going without any climbing gear pushed Lasso ego to a mode of almost insanity. Because his life was in the line. If he had his climbing gear and that snake bit him he wouldn’t have fallen off the cliff. But If Lasso didn’t have that ego he wouldn’t be a CIA agent. So this short story clearly explores the good and bad about having an untamed ego.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2025
The Tragedy of Ego
A tragic story of a capable young man, Lasso Tambong, a member of the military academy in Koutaba, Cameroon. A character who is youthful, intelligent, athletic, courageous, and filled with idealism for the African Military Intelligence Bureau (AMIB). He is the pride of his mentor, Colonel Mvodo. He has the potential to be a great young leader, but he is characteristically flawed.
Nice story…
A tragic story of a capable young man, Lasso Tambong, a member of the military academy in Koutaba, Cameroon. A character who is youthful, intelligent, athletic, courageous, and filled with idealism for the African Military Intelligence Bureau (AMIB). He is the pride of his mentor, Colonel Mvodo. He has the potential to be a great young leader, but he is characteristically flawed.
Nice story…
March 2, 2025
This is what I needed to take my mind away from protest literature. Hey, in the same token, I want you guys to read Agatha Christie novels. I was on a Reddit forum about this book. In the forum, readers of Besong's "Bleeding Stubs"also love Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None." I recommend Agatha Christie because her writing is equally as punchy.
August 31, 2024
The book is a short interesting and captivating fiction. It's kind of addictive.
February 1, 2025
This is my third African book to have read. Love them all from Achebe to Adichie to Besong.
April 29, 2025
amazing read, would highly recommend.
March 28, 2025
Dear valued readers!!
Volunteering magazines are reviewing rough drafts from various literature students who will be writing research articles on the themes and styles of "Bleeding Stubs" and stories from other African writers. Funding will come from the sales of "Bleeding Stubs" and magazine donations.
Volunteering magazines are reviewing rough drafts from various literature students who will be writing research articles on the themes and styles of "Bleeding Stubs" and stories from other African writers. Funding will come from the sales of "Bleeding Stubs" and magazine donations.
February 26, 2025
This book has an exotic setting (Africa) and modern themes (CIA, iPad). I love short fiction. His writing style is fun and easy to read. I love the cool type of English, idioms, humour, and the occasional new word for my vocabulary.
March 4, 2025
I love short novels, as opposed to short stories. By novel I mean there is character developent and different points of view - all the attributes f a full-length minus the length. Absolutely fascinating. I pray that Donald O. Besong publishes more.
November 20, 2024
This a funny, smooth short fiction. I remained captivated all through.
February 7, 2025
I enjoyed it so much. I am writing a literary research paper, and this book is in the list of references.
March 19, 2025
What a prolific piece to read on your iphone. It makes sense that there is no paper back - it is too short. I really love CIA agent Lasso in Cameroon.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews