THE EYES OF A HAWK
Sha Tin College, Rosie Wilson, Fiction: Group 3
E
verywhere you looked you could see mountains of soft, golden sand silently shifting in
the wind. The endlessness was almost maddening, but it was so very beautiful from a
distance. You could go on for miles and miles and find that it all looked exactly the same,
with no one in sight. A small Cessna 172 plane broke the silence as it soared through
the cloudless sky. The family of four that occupied the plane were too drowned in their own
happiness to realise anything was wrong with their plane. The father, who was the pilot, noticed
the red light urgently flashing on the dashboard first. Despite his best efforts, the plane started to
plummet rapidly. The engine had failed.
The mother started to scream in a very high pitch, but no one could hear her because the
sound of air rushing past their ears quickly drowned her out. The pilot was frantically trying to
regain control of the plane. But it was no use. The two brothers in the back clung to each other,
hoping for it all to end. It did. BANG. The small plane took full impact as it slammed into the
ground. It erupted into flames, leaving a trail of thick, acrid smoke.
Marcus woke up to find his body searing with an unbearable pain. He was covered in burns
and blisters from head to toe. Dizziness swept over him as he opened his eyes. His head felt as
though he had banged it on the wall several times. The stars were sparkling jewels in the dark
blue sky. They illuminated the barren landscape of the Gobi desert. But, he did not stop to stare up
at the striking colours because the air was as cold as ice. Piercing his skin, the chill sent shivers
down his spine. The only noise he could hear was the chatter of his own teeth. Now he regretted
staggering away from the soft flickering flames of the crash site. But, he didn’t want to face the
truth. Marcus was running away from the truth. He tried to get to his feet but his balance failed.
The ground got closer and closer. Suddenly, everything went black.
Wind rushed past his face as the plane dropped from the sky. Everything happened in slow
motion, but Marcus could see the sandy surface of the Gobi desert closing in. The moment the
plane hit the ground, Marcus screamed. His whole body was covered in sweat and his breathing
was heavy. Marcus was having nightmares of the night before. It still seemed so real.
He started to regain his consciousness. For the first time, Marcus seemed to register that he
wasn’t wandering in the desert anymore. He was in a room that was painted completely white. Not
only were the walls white, everything in the room was white as well. Bright white lights lit up the
room, so it looked like a hospital room. Hi-Tech machines lined the walls of the room, occasionally
beeping and bleeping. Suction devices were stuck to him. Wires connecting to the suction devices
hung from every inch of his body. The wires that came from him all led to one big machine. Then
he realised that he wasn’t even lying down. He was standing upright, but two thick leather straps
wound around his body, taking away his ability to move. Marcus began to struggle. Panic washed
over him. Where was he? What was he doing here? As if to answer his questions, the large white
door in the corner of the room opened.
Marcus could hardly believe his eyes. He just stared at it in stunned silence, trying to register
what he was seeing. Right in front of him stood a tall elderly figure dressed in a lab coat. Its skin
was sagged with age and was covered in liver spots. It had white tufts of hair sprouting from its
head and its chin. A tiny pair of round, silver glasses sat on its wrinkled nose. But, what startled
