New Tales of the Gobi Desert
Good Hope School, Vanessa Leung, Fiction: Group 3
O
nce upon a time, there were three folks going on an elongated trip. As they have
travelled days and nights, they were exhausted and decided to have a rest. It was shady
in the gloomy night; wind was howling, warm but dehydrated. The innocent sand on
the ground was blown up and twiddled everyone around them. Clandestinely, they
stroked to their faces with their coarse body, slipped into their sleeping bags, their clothes and
contaminated their food.
A folk cried in pain, “My dear Shirley and Jason, does it really worth us to suffocate this
much? I have had enough! There is no treasure in this arid land!” “Calm down, Steve. According
to the map, there’s only one to two kilometers to go! If you give up now, all the painstaking
efforts will be wasted,” Shirley smiled, “God bless, sleep tight and have a lovely dream.” Shirley
compensated him as an affectionate mother who was getting her son to bed in patience. Finally
Steve’s complaining soon brought to a standstill and having forty winks.
In the early hours of the next day, they continued their journey but they were extremely
thirsty. They followed the map’s route and disembarked a huge tree in a little while. It can be
easily spotted as there was very hollowness in the desert. But how come there were a tree in a
desert? They got curious and went nearer. The tree trunk has engraved a riddle:
Cross the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau,
Through the Silk Road,
First dinosaur egg was found on the land below
It is true or only a tale told?
To get your answer or to win a medal
Cut me off and remember to stay humble.
They cut off the tree in all their might. The trunk was chunky and burly. They did put their
greatest effort in it. They cut with a saw they have brought along, fibers broke as the saw sliced.
Though the process was time-consuming, it worked. “One, two, three!” the tree was cut off and
there was a well of unadulterated water, unspoiled and crystal clear. It was like a star in the eerie
sky, a dime of light in the darkness, giving them hope when they were desperate and almost gave
up. They each had a few sips and filled their bottles.
Meanwhile, there was something behind the tree, hungry little eyes staring at them. “Kill it!”
shouted Steve. “It also has a life. How can we be that cruel to hurt an animal?” said Jason calmly.
He broke an emaciated branch from the tree, thumped on the sand in front of the creature. It came
out in all a sudden and it was only an infant dinosaur, shivering, petrified by the folks. The tale
was true.
They carried on their journey. In next to no time, they found out the sand that they were
stepping on got a slight change. It still remains yellowish, but far more sparkling, dazzling all
over the way, and guiding them to the treasure. They all went excited, rushing to the end of the
gleaming sand. There it was! There positioned a wooden treasure box just like the one under the
sea in movies. Shirley hastily took out the gorgeously carved key from her pocket, the sapphire
embed on it shimmered as bright as ever. The key hole matched, they closed their eyes, unlocked
the box and anticipated to discover something exclusive. They opened their eyes at a snail’s pace,
