The Tunnel
Shanghai Singapore International School, Vasantharao Meghana, Fiction: Group 2
T
he Gobi is a large desert area, where I live with my elder brother and my grandparents.
Water is always hard to find in most deserts and I, myself, was out of water too. The
water in the oasis near our small hut was getting evaporated by the blazing hot sun, and
there wasn’t much left to use. It was time to find new water, somewhere else. It was time
for me, a 14-year-old girl, to find a new water source with my elder brother. My parents were not
here with us, as they got a job in a nearby city when I was around three years old. They visit us
during the holidays, and they teach us everything we need to know.
Grandma packed us some food to eat on our way and a small, ceramic jug with the remaining
water in it. She also packed some carrots and apples for the two horses we were going to ride on
into the great Gobi. It was going to be a long journey. “Bye Noana! Bye Erlos!” my grandpa yelled
as my brother and I rode our horses over the rocky and dusty road.
After an hour or so of riding in the burning sun, Erlos and I decided to take a break and eat
something. Once we were done, we drank some water from the ceramic jug, except there wasn’t
much left. “We really should find some water, fast!” I told my brother, who simply shrugged and
mounted his horse. I did the same and soon we were off galloping again, the hot breeze ruffling
my long black hair.
As we rode on, I couldn’t help but notice a thin trail of sparkles on our right. Erlos noticed it
too, as well as the horses. We commanded the horses to go to the right, all our eyes following the
line of bright sparkles. We followed the trail until it stopped at the mouth of a black tunnel. My
black eyes grew big, and so did Erlos’s. There was something weird about this black tunnel, I tell
you. I looked at my brother who, without a moment’s hesitation, went into the mysterious tunnel
with his horse. I just stared at him as he got sucked through a hole in front of him. Would there
be something dangerous inside? I wondered. I lingered for a while for his return but he didn’t. I
followed him.
As soon as my horse stepped into the tunnel, we were both sucked in too. It felt strange; it
was oddly cold as my horse and I swirled round and around in a golden pink sky. Just when I
had the feeling I was going to be sick, I stopped spinning and landed softly on a green ground.
“Oooohhh,” I moaned, trying to relieve myself from the dizziness. After I recovered, I stood up
and glanced around.
My mouth hung open. This place, whatever it was, was just wonderful. A beautiful, crystal-
clear waterfall was flowing on my left. Forest’s trees were swaying in response to the gentle
breeze. The sky above me was a pleasant color of blue. And right in front of me, was my dear
brother. I shrieked and ran towards him. I hugged him tight, making him drop the things he had
been collecting from inside a small pond.
“Noana!” he yelled happily. “Look what I found! Gold!” I grinned at the sight of the glitter
in Erlos’s hands. “We could give it to grandma, grandpa, mum and dad!” I squealed excitedly.
Erlos shoved the gold into his satchel. “Let’s go to the waterfall! We can get some water!” Erlos
exclaimed. So, we made our way to the waterfall and found golden urns at the base of the
waterfall. Erlos and I collected a lot of water in the urns. Then we heard some hooves pounding
behind us. They were our horses! We rode further into the tunnel, where we found a plot of
