New Tales of the Gobi Desert
Heep Yunn School, Chan Yuet Maryse, Fiction: Group 3
T
he Gobi Desert, covering parts of North and North-western China as well as Southern
Mongolia, is not what it seems. Aside from the abundant sand in the desert, different parts
conceal countless and priceless treasures. Yet, no human has been able to uncover them.
A rumour circles around the shards of an orb belonging to the Gobi King eons ago,
saying that the Gobi once had an oasis at least half of the desert big. Now that the desertification
has led to a drastic increase in the desert area, the oasis diminished and the King, who lived in
the oasis, shattered his magic orb, which was said to bring wealth to the people living in the oasis,
in fury. The shards are scattered in different parts of the Gobi, said to be protected by a powerful
nomad Nohara.
Most nomads who have heard of this rumour have dismissed it as a fictional tale. They all
thought it was nonsense as the idea of Gobi previously having a large oasis sounded irrational.
However, several travellers went against the odds and tried to look for the shards. Eventually,
they failed.
In fact, this is not a rumour. Nohara does exist, and he is an immortal descendant of the Gobi
King. Being solitary, he has no friends and family members, which ironically makes him the most
suitable person for the job. For twenty centuries, no one has ever come close to interacting with
Nohara, or being in earshot.
Just like any normal day, Nohara patrolled the areas where the shards were concealed and
checked if they were stolen or not. Every time, the shards were in place, unmoved. As he walked
towards to inspect the last piece of the shattered orb, never would he have expected the shard
missing. Before he could clasp his hands on his mouth and scream, he was immobilised.
His body went numb. His eyelids flickered. His breathing was irregular and his heartbeat
arrhythmic. Before falling to the ground, he saw a man, who resembled a nomad very well,
smiling devilishly and holding the shattered piece. No sooner, he began to lose consciousness.
The next day when Nohara woke up, all the remnants of the orb were gone. He immediately
reported this to the Mongolian police. The police found several nomads. Looking at their portraits,
Nohara still could not identify the crook. Crestfallen, he returned to the desert and headed to the
then oasis dried up. Surprisingly, he found a nomad, clutching something wrapped in strips of cloth.
The nomad glanced at Nohara and started to run away. Despite being the descendant of the
Gobi King, who was once known for his super speed in manoeuvring through sandstorms, Nohara
could not outrun him. However, the nomad dropped the object along with the cloth. Feeling
curious, Nohara picked it up and sneaked a peek. Under the cloth it was an ostrich egg, marked
with “Yosen” on the shell.
Nohara consulted the police, checking if Yosen was a person. Soon, they found him in no time.
Yosen’s identity was verified as an ordinary nomad living in the Sahara Desert. However, there was
limited information about the Desert, therefore the police failed to pinpoint Yosen’s exact location.
Nohara then decided to venture alone to the Sahara Desert and catch Yosen red-handed.
For six months with no clue where Yosen was, Nohara persevered and swore to himself that
he would return the orb to the Gobi in one whole piece. Day by day, he went everywhere, asking
everyone about Yosen. However, none of them had any idea. He continued his journey for about a
