Lost in the Gobi
Good Hope Primary School cum Kindergarten, Chu Lui Sum Kristen, Fiction: Group 2
I
t was a bright and sunny morning, and the snow was melting, forming pools everywhere.
Winter was slowly going away; and spring was coming. On a sand dune, three Gobi bears – a
mother and two cubs, were searching for food. It was still early spring, so food was scarce.
The cubs were fighting for milk, pawing at each other and yanking their fur. Their mother
gazed at them. She smiled. The cubs were healthy and playful, and they would be great bears
when they grow up. She padded away to pull up the roots of the wild rhubarb.
“Quit hitting me, Branch. You know that I’m stronger than you.”
“And more stupid!” said Branch.
Branch aimed a blow to her brother’s head, only to receive a swipe from him. She bared her
teeth, growling. Her heart was pounding. She felt a warm gush, and blood came trickling out.
Branch yelped. She had never felt nor tasted blood before. With a mix of confusion and anger,
she pounced at her brother, Bramble, taken by surprise. He immediately flipped over, pinning
Branch to the ground. Their mother heard the racket and spun around. “Well! Have I told you not
to fight before? And now! You even got hurt! You’re not a cub anymore. Stop fighting.” With a
great “Humph”, she stomped away, leaving the two cubs cowering in shame. All of a sudden, the
two cubs heard a tremendous roar, they turned, only to see the pelt of a massive beast forming.
“ Mother! Mother! A sandstorm’s coming!” they cried, but their voice was drowned by the wind,
and their mother kept walking away. The sandstorm kept coming, closer and closer. Their mother
turned around, only to see the two cubs stumbling against the force of the wind. She ran to them,
she cried to them in desperation, but it was no use. The sand swirled around, blinding the cubs.
They tumbled around, falling into the darkness…
“Ack! There’s sand in my mouth!” Bramble and Branch spat out the bitter sand, shaking off
the dust stuck to their furry pelts. They looked around, but all they saw was rocks sticking out of
the endless pathway of sand. “Where’s Mom? Where are we? I thought she was here just now…”
Bramble widened his eyes. “You don’t think…” “Yes I do. You angered Mom and she went away,
leaving us alone. We must find her! It’s no use standing here doing nothing…” She choked back
tears. Bramble twitched his ears worriedly. “What if we don’t find her?” “Who knows if we could
find her? But it’s most certainly worth a try.” Bramble agreed and they set off, searching for their
mother over the miles and miles of sand…
The brother and sister had walked for hours on the sand, and the rough sand was burning
their pads, but they had not even got one single trace of where their mother could have been.
“I’m thirsty and tired and I haven’t got one single thing to eat since the sandstorm! When are we
going to stop? This is taking forever!” Bramble complained. Branch ignored him and kept walking.
The sun had already gone down the horizon and night was creeping in. Frost was gathering on
the boulders, and snow drifted slowly to the ground. Bramble shivered. The howling wind made
it hard for them to focus. Suddenly, something caught his eyes. “Shush, Branch. Something’s
moving. We should go and hide, like Mom said. She’s also warned us about how cold the weather
could get. There’s a cave ahead. It should be safe. Let’s sleep away the night first and continue the
search tomorrow, shall we?” “I’m not sure, Bramble. It might just follow us into the cave. Plus, it’s
creepy down there.” Bramble ignored her and bounded into the dark, icy cave.
