My Choice, My Choice Oooonly!
Diocesan Girls’ Junior School, Chan Sum Yin Vanessa, Fiction: Group 2
T
here was uneasiness in the air. Unlike the usual merry evening, no music, no singing
was coming out from the bun-shaped white tents clustered on the Alashan Plateau. In
fact, if it were not for their faint glow in the darkness, you would have thought they
were deserted gers abandoned in the heart of the Gobi Desert. Yet out on the patches of
the surrounding green echoed the rumbling snores of the Bactrian camels and the Przewalski’s
horses. They were sleeping soundly like babies for they had no worries - at least, not yet.
Everyone had locked themselves inside their gers, clutching each other tightly around the
blazing fire, yet no one could feel its warmth. Fear had flooded their veins and chilled their bones.
Their hearts were pounding in their ears. The howling of the wind grew louder and louder and the
fine soft sand swept into the invisible gaps. The air was soon filled with the shrieking of the herds
outside, yet no one dared to move. All they could do was to clasp their hands together, praying
for the poor soul of the chosen one, for tonight was the night when Elesunbug, the Sand Demon,
returned to haunt them and claim her sacrifice.
Everyone was praying, except for Baatar. He was not going to believe in these old wives’
tales, for he was a bagatur, a hero. To him, those shrieks were no more than frightened camels
and horses scared by the wailing sandstorm, which was very common at this time of year. The
only difference was that it was particularly severe that night. He lived alone, and he had always
been alone. Now and then he would wish for a family, but the few girls in his tribe were not his
cup of tea. While he was humming away in his ger, a sweet rustling voice echoed in his ears,
“Open the door, open the door and let me in please!” Bataar knew that it was very dangerous to
open the door during a sandstorm, but he couldn’t resist the pleading. As he opened the door, his
breath was taken away by a graceful maiden, standing there with long sandy hair that swayed
and danced in the air. He hustled her in and immediately shut the door. He offered her hot tea and
bread but she turned it down. All she did was to sit by the fire and stare at him with dreamy eyes
and a gentle smile on her face. She looked so pale, yet so full of life.
“Do you like me?” The maiden finally opened her mouth. Her voice tinkled in the air, just
like the melody Bataar was humming earlier. Bataar was speechless, for he had never seen such a
beautiful girl before in his life.
“Do you like me? Do you want to be with me?” she asked again.
“Yes, yes, I do!” shouted Bataar. He couldn’t control himself anymore. He leaned forward and
embraced her in his arms. “I’ll do anything to be with you,” Bataar whispered in her ears.
“Are you sure?” And as she spoke, her smile grew wider and wider. Bataar was shocked to see
that there were no teeth in her mouth, but a deep dark hole. Before Bataar could yell for help, he
was already inside the gaping hole, and in a few seconds he was lost forever. The sandstorm left
just as suddenly as it had come. All was peaceful once again.
The next morning, everyone went out of their gers with baggy eyes, busy counting their
livestock. They were overjoyed to find that none of their camels or horses were taken. “Elesunbug
must have felt generous this year,” they thought. Suddenly, Kushi’s scream pierced the air.
Everyone rushed to Bataar’s ger where the scream came from. There was no sign of Bataar except
for a small heap of fine sand by the fireplace. Everyone’s hearts sank, for they knew now that
