The Kingdom of Gobi
Ying Wa Primary School, Wong Chun Ming Ernest, Fiction Group 2
H
urray! I’ve got it!” Ernest shouted out excitedly.
The moment Ernest learned that he won the junior’s writers award, he was
overwhelmed with joy. What made him even more astonished was the awarded
expedition in the Gobi Desert for a fortnight.
He got his full gear in his luggage and was ready to go. Together with a party of eight, including
his best friends James, Dick, the other winners and the facilitators, they flew over Altai Mountains
and Mongolia and finally landed Chinggis Khaan. Ernest expected the weather stuffy and pretty
hot. Surprisingly, the showers of rain lowered the temperature. He felt it rather comfortable. They
were ready to be explorers searching for something mysterious in the Gobi Desert.
Stepping out of the airport, the explorers were welcomed by a troop of Bactrian camels as
huge as horses. Their two humps looked like two mountains standing hand in hand. The explorers
took the camel caravan and rode at the sand dunes. They spotted eagles soaring up above and
animals like rattlesnakes, yellow-spotted lizards around but quickly disappeared in the ridge
before anybody got a chance to take a photo of them. The boys saw nothing green, only the vast
wasteland ahead. The bumpy road was not well-paved. After a long miserable ride, they settled
at the specific camp site for tourists. They took a break at the Mongolian Tents and met some
nomadic children. The explorers received warm hospitality in Gobi.
Ernest, James and Dick formed a small group. Their first destination was the Flaming Cliffs
where the first dinosaur eggs were discovered long time ago. The land was remote and desolate.
The temperature hovered around 50 degrees Celsius. The three boys were dripping with sweat.
They went up the cliff and saw the red orange unique sandstone cliffs, comprised of red sand and
rocks, scorching sun and emptiness. There were no weeds, no bushes, no living things. The three
explorers expected to search around for some fossilized dinosaurs trace but they found nothing
... All of a sudden, James heard some ‘special-style’ music. James boldly asked Ernest and Dick to
search around.
‘Dear brothers, ‘ Dick hesitated, ‘did you hear the music?’
‘Listen, ‘ James assured him. ‘We need to sort it out.’ he continued.
‘I just...’ Ernest whispered. ‘I just think it should be under the ground.’
The three explorers felt puzzled. They had a hot debate about what they should do. They
wondered why music was underground. Ernest, James and Dick decided to dig the ground. They
took out their folded shovels and started their search. Ernest stepped on the shovel blade and used
all his energy ...
‘Um... I think an orchestra was under the ground.’ Ernest exclaimed.
‘Oh! Look... there’s... seems like a ‘plant’ in the soil!’ James cried.
They took a close look at the plant and discovered some unique symbols and patterns on the
leaves. Some words were craved on the stem. The three explorers used the magnifying glass to
read the words. It wrote, ‘The Kingdom of Gobi’.
‘Hmmm... The Kingdom of Gobi! It sounds interesting,’ James yelled excitedly.
‘Why... why... a plant in this infertile area?’ Ernest questioned.
Dick puzzled, ‘I did some research about Gobi desert. It is supposed to be one of the largest
“
