middle of the Gobi Desert. The Emperor’s Magician was there again, sitting on his camel, as if he
was expecting them.
The children carefully handed the egg back to the Magician. Cupped in the old Magician’s
hands, the egg seemed to move a little and glow white. Cracks appeared.
“The dinosaur egg is hatching!” Grace cried. They gathered around the egg and watched
closely as the shell broke open. Astonished, the children stared as a tiny man, dressed in regal
robes, stepped out of the shell. The Magician laid the man on the golden sand where the tiny man
began to grow until there, before them, stood a fully grown man, wearing a crown and the robes
of an ancient Emperor.
“Thank you, children, for releasing me from my prison. I have waited thousands of years for
someone to set me free. Magician, please give the children something to thank them for their
service, “said the Emperor.
The Magician smiled and from within his robes, drew out three silk pouches. “Inside, you will
find the magic sand of the Gobi Desert. Use it when you have the need.”
With that, the Magician and the Emperor shimmered in the heat of the desert and disappeared.
The girls saw that the path that had brought them to this land had appeared again. Stepping onto
the path, the three were brought back into the street of their neighborhood. They stood there, each
examining their silk pouch. What magic did the sand possess? When would they have the need to
use it? The answers to those questions will have to be discovered in the next tale of the Gobi Desert!
