Shortlisted
New Tales of the Gobi Desert
Glenealy School, Katya Foong,10
I
t was there. Bracing ourselves for the worst, we scrambled underneath our hut. Our leader,
General Khan, stood before us like a humungous bulldog barking out orders at full speed.
The worst sandstorm we ever experienced was right outside knocking on the shattered flaps
of the shelter. “Sukhbataar! Gawping out the window like a mesmerized monkey doesn’t
make a good warrior!” I nodded in embarrassment as the others turned to face me. “We head out
in the morning, gather your weapons,” continued Khan. The warriors rushed into their own part
of the torn hut, preparing themselves for whatever danger they might overcome at dawn.
As the first streak of sunlight shone like a laser beam through the cracks of our shelter, the
soldiers began to mount their camels and collect their weapons. Genghis Khan gave the order with
a flick of his hand, we jumped on our camels and rode off to the southern part of the desert where
we would meet our enemy.
We rode harshly through the sandstorm that was still blowing powerfully. Faces full with
exhaustion, we rested on our camel’s smooth silky hump. A sudden noise broke out in the
distance, causing our camels to jerk in alarm. “Our battle is near, stay alert,” warned Genghis. We
continued our steady pace until we came across thick, black smoke. We saw a light in the distance,
curiously yet cautiously we rode up to inspect it. As we came nearer, we saw it wasn’t a light but
a mysterious object! Shining in the distance lay a heavy metallic sphere, it was clicking. We came
closer, closer, nearer, nearer. Daring not to say a word we swiftly jumped down from our camels
and tip-toed towards the object. There were numbers flashing before our very eyes, 5….4…. “Get
out of there! Fall back!” yelled Genghis. 3….2…1…BOOM!!!
The last thing I remembered was a force pulling me towards the rough ground then
everything was black. Pitch black.
When I came to, I was lying on a soft surface. The world was a blur. Feeling dizzy I got up
and I saw I was in a strange environment. Where was I? What happened to the war? I stood up
and peered around me. The sight I saw was shocking, strange people in white coats scurrying in
frenzy around what looked like a hospital. Patients lying on beds weakly fighting for their lives.
There were also heart monitors, some of them showing a lively, squiggly line and then suddenly a
straight one, their eyes closed….. another life had been lost.
I continued my unsteady limp wincing in pain towards the blinking exit sign when I heard
my name “Sukhbataar, where are you going? You can’t leave!” Without turning back I paused,
sighed, then called back,
“I’m leaving! I’m going to fight the war.”
The scorching sun lay upon me as I continued my trek through the desert, the light from the
sun blinded my eyes, I rested for a moment and took a sip of water. A vaguely familiar noise rang
out in the distance and guided my camel towards it. Suddenly, an arrow zoomed right past me,
loud noises pierced my ears, and more arrows came by, this time missing my face by a centimeter.
Then everything was silent. “Sukhbataar? What are you doing here,” a voice called out.
“General Khan? I am here to help fight for victory,” I cried back.
“Then accompany the rest of what we have left!” I bowed slightly and went off to reunite with
the others.
