A New Tale of the Gobi Desert
Heep Yunn School, Juliet Leung, Fiction: Group 3
AD 829
The wind kept on howling with no sign of ceasing. The sandy wind felt like blades on Ayana’s
face. She peered into the pitch darkness out of the small window of her room, waiting for her
father’s squad to return along with her betrothed, Hamid. The Gobi desert was ruthless, so were
the Kyrgyz that had been besieging her home for seven months, the Oasis of the Crescent Lake.
Again, Ayana saw her mother handing out food to desperate women. Ayana wondered how.
Even though her father was the leader, he had insisted on same rations as everyone. Somehow
Ayana still had more or less that much food as before, although that was too diminishing.
Ayana produced under her bed a piece of animal skin, a stylus made of sacsaoul tree bark
and an ink well. She started to write her diary with the soothing sound of the waters of the lake,
entries which she hoped would survive whatever misfortune happens.
The rhythms of the water were disturbed: her father is home. She raced to the gates, as she
always did so, waiting to be scooped up onto her brother’s horse. Female privileges were rare and
women were not likely to be respected. Yet, she had that charisma, kindness, wit, all which had
everyone doting upon her since birth. She waited until the battalions came into view, then under the
glint of the moonlight, she noticed more men slumped on horsebacks than those upright. Mortified
of the overwhelming casualties, she stood stationary for a moment, before rushing for help.
“When this is over, we’ll sit here every day without fear haunting us anymore,” Hamid had said,
as they stared into the moon on the ground, listening to the silence of the waters.
“There is no more food to sustain our tribe, we must break through this siege now or all will be
lost,” boomed Ayana’s father in a council that Ayana happened to eavesdrop.
“That is way too risky, without replenishing our forces,” said another.
“With all due respect, there’s no one to send but children soon,” came Hamid’s quiet voice.
The room was then quiet, with reasons subdued amid the restless thoughts.
“I guess… we are not left with many choices.”
“We’ll be safe and sound,” Ayana had agreed quietly.
After hearing about the perilous ambush, Ayana felt fidgety without any reason all day. Even
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