Cameron’s Gobi
Shekou International School, Amanda Wong, Fiction: Group 3
A Vision
A naive toddler, about the age of 6, lies on a white hospital bed. A chilly, stinging sensation of
disinfectant fills the air. Tubes hooked up to almost every inch of the little boy’s body. What a
burden is what you may be wondering. Why so young?
Kneeling over the bed is a young woman, with messy brown hair, green eyes, and a solemn
expression. She holds on to the little boy, as if he was her life. She hopes for a miracle.
The boy wakes up, and he scowls.
“Mommy. It hurts”
“Sweetie, hang on, it’s ok, just a little more and I’ll read you another story ok?”
“About the desert? The Gobi?”
“Yes, of course, anything you want.”
He closes his eyes, and a tear glides down his rosy cheek. The sound of a devastated angel’s
cry rings from above.
The Desert
The blazing sun, the pearl white sand, the glorified dry atmosphere. Camels with their humps
and lizards digging deep into the warmth of the Earth’s crust. That’s all Cameron had ever
longed to discover.
Yet he couldn’t. For years, Cameron’s mother had applied at the Make-A-Wish foundation for
Cancer Kids, yet, she was never able to use the money the company had provided for the things
Cameron wished. Instead, Cameron’s mother had to use the money for his medical expenses,
chemotherapy, medications, procedures, surgeries, etc. The only thing she was able to afford for
Cameron was books. Books about the Gobi desert and its wonders.
The guilt of Cameron’s mother caused her to every night in the little crammed hospital room,
sneak out a book from the public library, and captivate the little boy’s mind with the stories and
descriptions majestic desert. From the findings of the first dinosaur eggs, to riding on camels.
From the lost scientist, to the nomadic tribes that dwelled on the hot sand.
Each story added to the boy’s excitement to visit the Gobi desert.
The Storyteller
Cameron’s mother believed that not a single person had heard her voice for Cameron’s dream. She
was wrong.
Alli McGold. A typical, girl-next-door 27 year old with classic blonde hair and framed glasses
had fallen in love with the little boy when she scrolled along the Make-a-Wish Foundation
website. At a young age, she had already authored two best sellers and was quite well known
throughout her community.
