Deliver the Package!
The ISF Academy, Secondary Division, Lok Ping Fong, Fiction: Group 3
M
anu Ahmed glanced wearily at the already darkening sky and sighed, “This cannot
be… Days and days and not stop travel in the Gobi Desert. I must reach the Desa
Induk, the ‘Master Village’, or else my king will be cross.” He trudged across the
sand, feet sinking gradually into them after each step, forcing him to make a small
shelter around a dying palm tree. Manu Ahmed lit some firewood, and cooked some chicken
thighs to satisfy his grumbling stomach.
Just as the last ray of light disappeared over the huge hills of sand, Manu Ahmed fell asleep,
into troubling dreams of his king punishing him. He dreamed of being locked into a dark and
dank cell of the king’s dungeon, only accompanied by the sewer rats and unknown creatures
lurking in the cell. Groaning and squirming around in his slumber, his eyes snapped open,
face beaded with sweat and sand smeared across his forehead. As his eyes adjusted to the light
growing light, he realized morning had come. So, he packed up, the nightmares still embedded in
his head.
Vultures circled overhead, as if ready to pick him and devour him if he fell to the floor. Even
the peace loving camels seemed dangerous and rebellious, their jet black eyes were filled with
cruelty. Manu already guessed that they have already seen the power of Mother Nature, her
unforgiving pain. The Gobi desert is evil. Still, Manu Ahmed continued his tiring journey through
the Gobi Desert to reach Desa Induk; he must deliver the package his king ordered. It was an
ancient scroll written by the Egyptians, the king said it was priceless, and it was the only one in
the world, so it had to be delivered to him.
Sometimes, as he walked, he would occasionally step and rocks jutting out of the soft packed
sand, causing him to scream and yell out loud. And sometimes the screams of annoyance and
agony would cause a massive disruption between nearby camel herds, as well as other mammals
to stampede towards him. As scary as it might sound, and also how the Egyptian scroll is at so
much risk, Manu just blew a whistle that emitted a shrill sound to scare the herd off, after that
they would stumble around and around, and then finally fall down. Manu had no idea why they
would be knocked unconscious because of some whistle, but if it works, it works.
As days and nights passed, his tired limbs grew stiff with pain and soreness, plus, he was
also running low on food. All he had a medium sized bundle of jerky and around 2 liters’ of water
strapped behind him. His heart dropped when he counted out the rations, knowing he had to savor
what he was going to eat tonight, he decided he would only eat one piece of jerky for breakfast,
one for lunch and one for dinner. With that out of the way, he walked on, into the horizon. But
his excitement quickly fading away, leaving a cold, empty shell in himself. The sun has sunk
down! Sighing for the billionth time, he unpacked his belongings and prayed with every atom and
molecule into his body that there will not be any coyotes feasting tonight. He also prayed that
there would not be any bandits lurking around these parts.
Manu was out cold the second he hit the floor, snoring silently as his tired limbs got their rest.
Sooner than he though, rays of light pierced the inky darkness as day arrived. He yawned with
satisfaction; he never had a batter sleep than this! His arms and legs felt like they were charged
with electricity! His stood up and grinned widely, ready to take whatever challenge was for him.
