just came out to retrieve the prize.”
Oscar shook his head and replied, “Your job is already done, you may leave now. Since you
have saved us from the worm, I will give you a warning. The truce between humans and animals
is over. With this orange gem, we will have our revenge on the humans. The Gobi will blow
sandstroms more powerful than what the humans have seen before. The whole world will be
covered in sand soon.”
“But why?” Jimmy gaped and asked.
The whole army of animals roared, “Our ancestors had been living in the forest until the
humans chopped the trees down, drove them away into the Gobi. Since then, we have been livng
in the severe desert for generations. Our numbers have been cut half and many of us are dying
from dehydration and starvation. With the rapid desertification caused by the human activities,
you humans are doomed to death. We just speed it up with the gem. So what’s wrong with it?”
Jimmy hurriedly took out his research work from the inner pocket of his jacket and showed
the animals how the environmentalists around the world are working on desertification. “The
desert is swallowing our land, polluting our air and taking our crops from us. We have learned
our lesson already. We are working on the situation now. Please trust me, give us 10 years’
time…….” begged Jimmy desperately.
“As our saviour, you have our trust!” agreed the animals.
All of a sudden, the animals scattered away, leaving their voices echoing in the wind, “We’ll
wait……and……see….”, lingering on and on.
