swallow us. Ben turned pale and shouted at me, “Take the cloth out of your bag and cover yourself
with it, then knee down under the camel’s stomach underneath its four thin legs!” I listened to
every single word of his and followed all the instructions. When the set up was done, the darkness
was getting closer and closer. After wrapping the camel with a blanket, Ben joined me in the”
prison”. At last, the darkness contacted us. It was the sand storm. An enormous one which was
even more powerful than the one Ben had met before. I felt like needles were shooting me crazily.
From the shiny day, the sand storm covered the light and brought us into a period of darkness…
It was my first time being in the desert and I had already met a sandstorm. I was really
unlucky. Everything was the same as Ben’s experience except the storm was stronger. The storm
kept hitting me for forty-five minutes. It really felt like needles pressing onto my skin. When the
sandstorm stopped, I was still sitting under the camel because I was afraid some sand was still
flying around. The strange sandstorm made me feel like I had sharp papers cut all over my body
when the weather was dry. It hurt so much that I didn’t have the power to move my body. Wounds
were all over me, one linked to another. Ben didn’t get as hurt as me because he knew effective
ways to avoid the sand exposure. We were both exhausted after the terrifying sandstorm. Some
wounds of mine were bleeding, so not only was I suffering from dehydration, I was losing blood.
Ben was an excellent tour guide, and although he was hurt too, he stood up and looked out for
where we were. I stared at him and we were totally silent. Then he broke the ice.
“This is not good; it’s our worst nightmare ever! The storm has moved the sand dunes around
us and I have no idea where we are now…” Ben was desperate while stating this. Now we were lost
in the desert. We chose to go down South to seek help.
We walked and walked; I was out my limit and lost all of my energy. I fainted.
When I got up, I discovered I was in somewhere with plants, water and some buildings. I was
happy that Ben had successfully saved us. I chatted to the people by making signs with my hands.
I wondered where I was, and they told me I was still in a desert but in an oasis. I recovered, and
checked out the daily life for these hidden people inside the Gobi Desert. Their lives were very
simple, with no luxuries. They kept everything simple. “This is the life I’ve been looking for,” I
told myself, and I requested to stay in the oasis. The natives were very kind and let me to stay. I
found Ben, my good friend who had saved my life, and told him the news. He didn’t argue with
me, and just asked me how I could get in contact with my family afterwards. I suggested to him
that he could come here maybe three or four times a year, and receive letters from me and send
them to my old home. Ben agreed with me and he left.
Now, I have a relaxing and simple life somewhere in the Gobi Desert. I kind of stopped writing
books, as I don’t really have the need to. Sometimes I still write books when I am happy. I let Ben
read my writing whenever he comes and visits me. Sometimes he helps to send them back home too.
My family keeps asking me to go back to the United Kingdom. I always tell them the same reason:
“I want to enjoy my life here.” Ben has been visiting me for several years now, I really appreciate
him. This is my story of the Gobi Desert. All my stresses are gone; there is no need to worry about
anything anymore. I’ve forgotten about time, I just relax and enjoy my simple life with nature.
