Rescued!
Singapore International School, Saw Yu Xuan, Fiction: Group 2
I
n front of me was a blur. I was lying down, facing the burning sun. I sat up, realizing that I
was drenched in a puddle of sweat, my own sweat, sitting on a sandy floor. I looked around,
all I could see was sand and some cactus, but no end to this vast and empty place. Why am
I here? I asked myself, but I had no energy to think. I was exhausted. I sat there for a long
time, resting, and then stood up after feeling more energized. I could feel the blistering heat of the
desert. Scorching rays from the blazing sun beat down mercilessly from the sky.
I saw an old sack nearby, and approached it, feeling a sense of hope. Maybe it could help me
escape this wasteland. I flipped open the sack. Inside were a rusty knife, a empty jar and a map. I
picked up the crumpled map. It was a map of Asia. I sudden thought came to me. If the map was a
map of Asia, does that mean I am in Asia? The only desert I could think of in Asia was the Gobi
desert. My heart skipped a beat. I knew that it was the worst desert to be in because of the intense
heat, freezing temperatures, stinging sandstorms and the worst, the Mongolian death worm. It was
a legend, but I did not want to risk my life even though I did not believe the legend.
I picked up the sack and took out the empty jar and knife. I walked to the nearest cactus and
started to slice it in half. I heard that when slicing the cactus, if the liquid is milky coloured, it
means that it is poisonous. When green liquid started to leak out, I caught some of the liquid in
the empty glass jar. I took a tiny sip from the jar. The liquid was nauseating, but I had no choice
but to drink it. I filled the jar with the same liquid from a few other cactus, then was ready to set
off. I shouted, “I am leaving this place, and I will succeed!”
In the evening, I sat down, and was ready to withstand the freezing temperatures of the night.
I found a lot of small wooden sticks as I walked. I used tiny pebbles and rubbed them together.
After an eternity, sparks appeared and I lit the wooden sticks with the sparks. I tried to keep
myself warm until the fire died out. I was ravenous, but had no food, so I drank the disgusting
liquid in the glass jar. I shivered as the night sky got darker. My eyes wanted to be closed badly. I
covered myself with the sack to keep me warm. I cuddled myself into ball and tried to sleep. I was
exhausted after the long walk, but the air made me feel like I was frozen. I stayed awake until the
sun finally came out, making the cold air burn, turning it into heated scorching air.
I woke up finding my shirt stuck to my body because of the perspiration, then prepared myself
to continue to escape the disastrous place. I had survived the freezing night of the Gobi desert.
I was famished, as I haven’t ate for days. I walked and walked with the sack, collecting tiny
branches. Suddenly, a wall of sand was racing towards me in the distance. My eyes popped out of
my face. The wind blew stronger and stronger. There was a sandstorm, one of the desert’s worst
catastrophes. My heart was beating faster than a runaway locomotive. I kneeled down at the speed
of light. I held the sack close to me, then I shut my eyes as tight as I could, taking a deep breath,
trying to stay calm. I could feel the sandstorms coming. I felt like the wind was lifting my body
up to the air, making me grip my hands on the sack as if it was my savior and I would never let
go. “Ouch!” Pebbles and sand flew through the strong wind, hitting me. It lasted for ages, then I
felt the wind blowing weaker, until it gradually slowed down.
I heaved a sigh of relief. I only got some scratches from the flying pebbles and sand that shot
across the desert. I was worn out and had a gruesome headache, so I placed my head on the sack
