Purple Sand
Good Hope Primary School cum Kindergarten, Tam Sum Yuet Joyce, Fiction: Group 2
T
he sand blew on my face, causing me to inhale some and cough. I tried to shut my
nostrils like my companion, Cammie the camel did whenever there was sand, but I
couldn’t without my hands. My hands were occupied, holding a large map and compass.
The heat scorched my dark hair, making me feel as if it was alighted on fire. I patted
my hair just to make sure, and dropped my compass on the ground. Cammie snickered at my
clumsiness, and I cuffed her on the ear lightly for being rude.
I was on the quest to find the precious sand that everyone was talking about these days. It
would give you great fortune that would last fifteen lifetimes, and if you gave it to someone in
need, you would be granted special powers.
My stomach rumbled as I thought about the sand. I hadn’t cooked breakfast for myself yet, in
the hurry to leave my hometown and venture into the desert looking for the sand.
I took an egg out from my hot backpack and looked at Cammie.
“Well Cammie, I guess it’s time to find out if I can really cook an egg here.”
Cammie blinked at me lazily.
I ate my egg, which, could be cooked, and continued my trudge through the heated sand. I was
relieved that I had brought boots with me on the journey, as the sand sometimes came up to my
knees and it could have easily burnt my skin. It was that hot in the Gobi Desert.
I always imagined deserts to be hot, but I had never felt it before in my entire life. Just
standing out in the sun for a minute could lead you to a whole tub of sweat.
The sand I was looking for was supposed to be purple, and it blew along in the wind. It’s rare,
and that’s half of what makes it so valuable. No one knows where the sand came from though.
Some say the gods above us dropped it accidently, while the others say it was there since the
beginning of time. I don’t mind where it originated from; I just want to have it.
I whipped up my camera and snapped a few photos of my surroundings. I took some selfies
with Cammie too and I was having a jolly time. The occasional locals stared at me as if I was
insane, but I didn’t mind. The heat was probably getting to me.
I wrapped a white turban around my head in hopes to keep it cooler, and continued my quest.
Many weeks later, I spotted a lone hare. It caught my eye as it didn’t disappear at the sound
of footsteps. The hare danced around when it saw me approach and I found that rather absurd. I
didn’t mind it, so I continued searching. The hare, to my surprise, followed me. I turned around,
finding it all rather strange. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the hare vanished into purple
specks of sand. The specks of sand looked magical, unlike any I’ve ever seen.
I was mesmerized by the scene and nearly forgot about it, but I managed to regain my senses
and trapped the sand in a bottle. The wind gradually died down and when it was completely gone,
the sand disappeared too.
I cried out in frustration. I kicked a boot off my foot towards the sand, and in the process, my
foot got burnt. I slipped it back on and threw my bottle at the sun, hoping it would just quit being
so big and hot.
Cammie who was standing next to me all along let out a long snort. I assumed Cammie was
just feeling compassion for me, but then I remembered the camel rental man said that Cammie
