New Tales of the Gobi Desert
PLK Choi Kai Yau School, Stephanie Lo, Fiction: Group 2
Dear Humans,
I am a very old cashmere goat. I live with my master who has been a Mongolian herdsman for
a long time. I am writing to express my sincere appreciation to my master who is a tough and
tenacious guy. His boldness and perseverance indeed deserve to be praised. However, in my heart,
I am really worried about him. Now, my feelings are extremely mixed and complicated.
First of all, can you guess where I live? I will give you the following hints.
First, the region that I live in is very vast. It covers 1.3 million square kilometers and stretches
across Northern China and Mongolia.
Second, my place is noticeably dry because rain clouds are blocked by the nearby Himalayan
mountain range. There is usually less than 8 inches of rain each year on average.
Third, my place was once very famous and significant in the world history as it was part of
the great Mongol Empire and the Silk Road. It has also captured the world’s attention for its fossil
treasures even including dinosaur eggs.
“Oh! Have you got the answer yet? ”
“Bingo!”
“Yes, I live in the Gobi Desert with a nomadic family.”
In my heart, I do absolutely appreciate my master. In fact, it is never easy to survive and make
a living here. Unlike the other deserts, the Gobi Desert is a cold desert with a terribly great daily
range of temperature. Dust storms often occur especially in March. However, despite the harsh
and extreme circumstances, my master and his family still show their strong determination and
persistence and make every attempt to adapt to the difficult situations.
In fact, not only does my master, the animals and vegetation in the Gobi all actually show
their strong will of survival. Plants here have different means of adapting themselves to climatic
extremes. Their unique features such as long, widespread roots, small needle-shaped leaves and
waxy surfaces all help them keep water and minimize water evaporation. I am over the moon
whenever I can see the saxaul trees, saltwort and wild onions that grow natively. They indeed
fascinate me. I pay extraordinary respect to the saxaul trees that play a particularly crucial part
in the ecosystem since they can provide water to animals and can be used as fuel by nomads. A
lot of my friends also graze on them.
Furthermore, in spite of the extreme and arid conditions, it is not surprising to find more than
45 different species of animals and birds here. Black-tailed gazelles, Bactrian camels, marbled
polecats are all my dear friends. However, we all should be wary of scorpions since they always
turn up unexpectedly and their stings can be fatal and venomous.
However, to my great disappointment, for the past ten years, it seems to me that the peace
and harmony in Gobi has been vanishing bit by bit. Recently, I have seldom seen a smile on
my master’s face. Two days ago, I even heard him weep in the middle of the night. He looks
increasingly distressed and worried as days go by. That really makes me feel worried. Frankly
speaking, our living conditions here have been deteriorating over the past ten years. The
frequency of dust storms has increased significantly. It has been more and more difficult for us to
