puffs of cotton balls watched indifferently, but the frigid north winds were just as imprudent. We
sat nonchalantly on the pinnacle of one of the dunes, quietly observing the way the succulent ripe
berries glisten under the rays of sunshine like precious little rubies. Popping one into my mouth,
I greedily sucked the heavenly juices, savouring every single bite as the taste of the luscious fruit
swirled around within my mouth and lingered for a few seconds. It had been an exceptionally arid
winter, without even the slightest drizzle for almost three months. Both food and water had been
scarce of late, and this was my first taste of berries in two weeks.
Suddenly, the wind began to pick up and a cloud of dust rolled up instantly at the horizon,
and inch by inch, began creeping towards us. Born in this secluded area of Oyuu Tolgoi a little
over ten years ago and having lived here for all my life, this natural phenomenon was not at all
unfamiliar to me, yet this peculiar, breath-taking sight had never failed as a reminder of Mother
Nature’s powers and left me dumbfounded each and every time. Towering over our heads at a
mighty twenty feet, we watched, completely ensorcelled, as the dust swiftly enshrouded the skies
completely, tainting them sandy yellow and blurring our visions.
‘Come on! Towards the rocks!’ Ma shouted over the roaring winds, mentally pulling me from
my trance and physically pulling me towards the larger rocks.
But without warning, through the opaque curtain of dust and dirt, the dark silhouettes of
huge black vehicles began to unveil. Huddling behind the rocks and not daring to move an inch,
we watched as the heavy cloud of sand expeditiously engulfed our home, and the army of coal-
black Range Rovers gradually revealed as they sped in our direction.
Coming to a halt, the vehicles lined up in an orderly single file only several feet away
from our momentary sanctuary. Like soldiers of the dark in disguise, several people in kooky,
outlandish clothing dismounted, bearing all sorts of eerie shiny apparatus and shouting to one
another as they dispersed throughout the area.
‘Detectors over here!’ ‘Get the cameras!’ ‘Where are those blasted data loggers? Get some
samples NOW! Are we supposed to wait here for you all day? We’re in the middle of a bloody
sandstorm, for goodness’s sake! Efficiency is the key, people!’
Indeed, with their efficiency, we hadn’t needed to wait long before they left as swiftly as they
had arrived, disappearing into the horizon, and hopefully, gone for good.
Five months barely passed by before I realised how mistaken I had been.
I was standing on the peak of a sand dune overlooking the entire Desert again, pretending to
be saluting to the honourable Guardians and addressing a whole nation of green-headed elves,
when out of the blue, the evil-doers returned. Only this time, there were twice as many, with an
additional army of lorries and machines following as well.
Papa picked me up hastily to go into hiding once more, yet we could do nothing but crouch
low as still as a mouse as they started excavation with the assistance of the gargantuan steel
monster. It ploughed the fields, gouging away sand and grovel, and trampled the already scanty
berry bushes we survive on. Blue synthetic tents were pinned up while gigantic columns of steel
and rolls of plastic pipes were unloaded, and portable washrooms began were set up on our piece
of land – our home.
Unable to control myself, I stood up abruptly, about to get out there and give them a piece of
my mind, but Ma held onto my arm. Following her gaze to the unwelcome intruders, I realised
that we were greatly outnumbered.
Hundreds and hundreds of workers in bright orange work clothes poured from the lorries and
