Renewed Hope
Shanghai Singapore International School, Lee Wei Shannon, Fiction: Group 2
H
e staggered as he dragged his lead like legs across the plains of the Gobi desert. There
was nothing for miles, except for an occasional tuft of grass springing out of nowhere
in the fractured and cracked land, a definite victim of drought. Kaiden felt like he
weighed a thousand pounds and his clothes clung to him uncomfortably. A gash above
his eye was crusted with dry blood, and his eyes were swollen and blurry. His head was throbbing
with a numb pain. His knees buckled, surrendering to the relentless pain in his muscles.
A few days ago, he came with a Mongolian friend, Amir, to the Gobi desert to escape the
pressure of work, the tall skyscrapers of the Big Apple, but really, Kaiden himself was just
running away from the painful truth of his wife, Rene’s death. She was an adventurous woman
and a brave one too. However, the last thing he did with Rene was argue, and the minute she
stormed out into the road, a drunk driver ran over her.
He went trekking yesterday, trying to find calmness in the surroundings before him, when
he slipped and rolled down the sand dune. He was lucky he hadn’t broken any bones but merely
got off with a few scratches and bruises. But blood was flowing profusely from the gash on his
forehead. The dune was too steep to climb and his tent was pitched on the other side. Kaiden
decided to find another route to safety, navigating with his map.
Suddenly a strong gust of wind caused the map to take flight, out of his hands and over the
dunes. ‘Great,’ he had thought. Since then he had been wandering aimlessly towards an unknown
destination, hoping he would meet someone along the way. The horizon seemed to be playing a
game of tag with him, because with every step Kaiden took, the horizon seemed to back up a mile.
Now, he was lying on his back, the merciless sun beating down on him, and a wave of
exhaustion washed over him. He squinted against the threatening sun-rays, drifting in and out of
consciousness as he whispered, voice trailing, “Re…ne…sorry…”
Kaiden woke to terrible pain. His hands instinctively flew to his leg and clutched it tightly.
Blood was flowing freely from two puncture wounds. His attacker hissed, slithering nearby.
The pain was unbearable, and his mind was screaming silently in agony. Kaiden had a sudden
ridiculous thought, ‘Is this what hell is like?’ The devil like creature before him swayed in a
hypnotizing way, and it suddenly grew another head as Kaiden’s vision blurred. Eyes rolling back
into their sockets, the grip on his leg went limp.
Opening his eyes to blinding white light, he frowned, confused. ‘Heaven…?’ He felt as if he
had just awoken from a satisfying deep sleep, and everything seemed to be a little too bright. A
slender figure walked towards him in the distance, her wavy blond hair blowing in the sudden
breeze, all seeming a little surreal. The light blue satin dress she wore hung casually on her. A
down to earth gold ring on her finger glinted in the sunlight. Both the dress and ring seemed
oddly familiar, but he couldn’t seem to grasp hold of the memory. Suddenly, something about the
twinkle in her eyes caught his eye, the same it did when he first met her, 4 years ago.
“Re---Rene?” Kaiden stuttered, not believing his own eyes, “What are you doing here? I mean,
where am I? What’s happening?”
Rene smiled softly at him, and caressed his cheek. A distant rumbling tore Kaiden’s gaze from
her. A fruit-bearing tree an awkwardly twisted trunk erupted from the rainless and impoverished
