The Magical Golden Box
Good Hope Primary School cum Kindergarten, Tsui Yu Hei Iris, Fiction: Group 2
M
y name is Bactria Opal. During my summer vacation last year, my parents took me
to visit a special temple in northern Mongolia along the Gobi Desert. I had no idea
why my parent brought me to such barren place.
My journey began when we visited this temple. My father told me that it was a
wish from my grandfather that we had to visit this temple. While walking around the temple, I
saw something strange. It was a golden box. Curious, I picked it up. It looked ordinary. I decided
to bring it back.
For a few days, I kept trying to open the box. Even my father could not open it. I spent
sleepless nights thinking what could be inside. A week later after coming home to Hong Kong, I
had a dream. In my dream I saw my grandfather showing me how to open it. It was like a puzzle.
When I woke up, my heart began to race, wondering what might happen when I finally get it
to open. Remembering the trick my grandfather showed me, I opened the box. Mist swirled out!
I tried to run away, but it was too late. The mist wrapped around me and I felt myself spinning
round and round.
After a long moment, I landed in a sea of sand. All I could see were sand dunes and a few
plants. Sunlight burned into my eyes. The land seemed terribly dry.
I picked up the golden box and walked for a long time trying to find anything that lives, but I
could not find any. I looked up. The sun was setting. I started to panic because I did not have any
food, water, fire, and shelter for the night. I began to run, trying to find something or someone to
help me. Just when darkness surrounded me, I stumbled upon a sand dune, out of breath.
I was getting desperate. The moon loomed over the dry prairie. I slid down the sand dune and
carried on walking. I whirled around and saw a shape galloping towards me. It was an animal,
yet I did not know what kind it was. I stumbled backwards in fear and tried to run. But the sand
was too deep. The hoof beats got louder and louder, filling me with terror. I began to run, trying
desperately to shake off the dark shape. No use. I looked over my shoulder, in time to see the
shape lower its head. I screamed.
Just before I managed to open my eyes, I felt something licking me. I looked up and gasped. A
camel was leaning against me. Slowly, I rose my feet, not daring to take my eyes off the creature.
It walked cautiously closer.
The camel somehow knew I was starving and showed me how to gather dates – the fruit of
the desert. At this point, I felt a little more relief, and I said to myself, “finally I have found a
companion in this barren land.”
We journeyed for days until we finally reached a kind of “road.” Just before the moon rose
over prairie again. I saw a yurt in a distance. Before I could knock on the door, an old man
opened the door. He had a long beard and kind eyes.
“My, my!” said the old man, “a camel and a little girl at my door after the moon has risen?
Come in.”
After I finished my story, the man gaped at me. “Bactria Opal?” he muttered. “Is it really you?”
Puzzled, I nodded. The man took my golden box and said “I am your father. I was whisked
away by the same golden box to here. I have been stranded in the desert for over 20 years. Oh,
