In The Desert
The International School of Macao, Frank Ieng Hou Leong-Murphy, Fiction: Group 1
O
nce upon a time, nine snails, a Rhyming Rabbit, a Bristleworm, an anemone, a snake,
an owl, a fox, a Gruffalo and his Daughter went on an airplane called “the Rhyming
Airplane”, where you could only say rhyming words. They left from Macau airport to go
into the Gobi desert. It was freezing cold when they arrived!
They got off the airplane and saw a couple of cars waiting, one of which was a taxi. They all
wanted to ride in the same taxi, but there was no room. Luckily, more taxis arrived. They drove
all the way to the mountains where it was even colder!
The Bristleworm said to the others, “Quick! Put your hats, scarves and mittens on!” So they all
did. They were now very warm indeed. Then they stretched their legs on the mountain while the
taxis waited for them.
A couple of hours later, the Gruffalo’s daughter said, “Time for lunch, everybody!” So they
climbed back into their taxis and went down the mountain and into a cafe because they were
worried that the fox was hungry and would eat the Rhyming Rabbit. This is what they ate:
The Snails: some lettuce
The Rhyming Rabbit: a few carrots
The Bristleworm: leaves
The Anemone: seaweed
The Snake: some insects
The Owl: a couple of rats
The Fox: a chicken
The Gruffalo: a piece of broccoli
The Gruffalo’s Daughter: frozen yogurt
When they finished their big meal, they were all stuffed and had a run around until the
Gruffalo’s child was so tired, she couldn’t take another step. Luckily, the Gruffalo had some frozen
yogurt which she ate before they climbed back into the taxis. Then they went to a performance of
Julia Donaldson’s books, where they all took turns going up on the stage. At the end, they went to
another part of the Gobi desert where they saw loads of animals, like camels and lizards, insects
and even humans. They were shocked! They had never seen anything like it in their lives! They
all nearly fell over. The Rhyming Rabbit actually fainted! The fox was still wide-awake; so it crept
closer and, very slowly, nearly put its sharpest claw into the rabbit’s skin. The two animals closest
to the rabbit shouted, “WATCH OUT YOU SILLY RHYMING RABBIT!” And then all the animals
repeated it. The rabbit woke up immediately and ran for its life. It hid into a hole in a spiky cactus.
Just as the fox turned its back on the cactus, the rabbit charged out as fast as the wind and went
back in the taxis with the rest of the animals. They drove back to the airport without the hungry
fox. This time they got on a different airplane called “the Gruffalo airplane” and went home
where they all had a rest on the bed.
If you go to the Gobi desert now, be careful of the very hungry fox!!!
Inspired by Julia Donaldson
