Gobi Adventures
Singapore International School, Ian Tham, Fiction: Group 2
W
hop! Whop!” The helicopter rotors sliced through the air, causing a whirlwind of
leaves to fly around it. Dr. James Thompson and his team were inside, anxious to
get out into Ulaanbaatar, where they would ride a jeep to the Gobi Desert. He was
a conservation biologist who specialised in Snow Leopards, and he was chosen
from candidates all over the world to work with nine other scientists, to conduct research on the
Gobi Desert and its wildlife. Dr. Thompson had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and was
extremely excited to learn more about his favourite animal: the Snow Leopard. He carried his
leaden bag, which contained supplies that would last him a few months. The team climbed into
the cramped jeep and it sped off, belching a cloud of sulphurous smoke in its wake. After twelve
long and tiring hours, they reached the scorching desert, filled with undulating sand dunes. The
jeep drove them to the base camp, which seemed like the only sign of civilisation in a sea of sand.
Busy with their research, time flew by quickly, days became weeks and weeks became months.
Gradually, he inched closer to an enormous breakthrough on how Snow Leopards migrated, which
could save them from extinction.
One morning, he woke up and saw a majestic Snow Leopard wandering around with her
cubs from afar. He immediately took his tracking devices and tiptoed after them. It was long and
tiring, but he eventually succeeded in tranquilising and tagging them. He was elated as he had
never tagged an entire family before, and could not wait to break the news to his teammates.
When he returned to base camp, his heart skipped a beat. His teammates’ massacred bodies lay
strewn on the ground, motionless. Dr. Thompson walked over to his best friend cautiously, heart
pounding with fear. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he touched Rob’s chest with
trembling hands. It was still. Then, he found out the devastating truth about what had happened:
bloodthirsty bandits had ransacked base camp.
Dr. Thompson decided to set out, and hopefully, find signs of civilisation. He gathered
everything of use, and shoved them into his knapsack with trembling hands. He walked out into
the barren and desolate desert, and for hours, the fiery sun beat down on him relentlessly. Just
when he was about to give up, he came up with a terrific idea. He rummaged in his bag for his
portable radio and waved it around. Dr. Thompson knew that there would be help where the signal
was strongest. When he heard a faint radio signal, it gave him a tinge of hope. He remembered
something that his father would always say:
“When you are lost in the wild, you don’t need physical, but mental strength to keep you
determined to survive”
He grit his teeth and kept wandering in the wilderness. Everyday, he would find a few lizards
scampering around the desert. He would catch and eat them, no matter what they tasted like. The
lizards tasted revolting, and Dr. Thompson would turn pale after eating them. Worst of all, they
made his stomach churn nauseously at night, when he was trying to have a decent sleep after a
draining day. The only way that he could get a supply of water was to use some stones, put them
under a sheet of tarpaulin and lick the meager amount of water collected from the morning dew.
Half a world away, his mother had not heard from him for weeks, and was sick with worry.
It was her birthday, and Dr. Thompson had promised to call her. She rang the Foreign Affairs
“
