New Tales of the Gobi Desert
SKH Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School, NikishaTong, Fiction: Group 4
M
y friend Sara has recently won her battle with cancer. I still remember that day
when she called me and screamed with ecstatic joy, “I’m cancer-free! Cancer-free!
CANCER-FREE!”
She has developed a new-found sense of appreciation for life since the diagnosis.
In fact, she went from having her favourite hobby as working, to spending most of her spare time
travelling around the world.
On the 15th of October, exactly one year after Sara’s been pronounced cancer-free, all of
Sara’s friends, including me, were determined to make this day Sara’s second birthday.
We knocked on Sara’s door, with the present in hand, and shouted “surprise” unanimously
when she opened the door. Sara made the most gobsmacked expression I had ever seen, as if she
didn’t know what the occasion was. “Aw... you guys...” I presented the small envelope to her and
she tore the opening cautiously. At last, she pulled out the paper and read hyperly, “Two tickets to
Dalanzadgad, with free jeep rides into the Gobi Desert! Best present ever!”
It was decided that I would accompany Sara to the Gobi Desert. So here we are five days later,
on a plane heading towards Dalanzadgad, the gateway to the Gobi Desert.
From the time we got onto the plane and until we’ve gotten off, Sara had been making tiny
yelping noises of excitement like a Chihuahua. It was painfully hilarious to watch so we wasted
no time and went to the local markets to stock up for food for the next couple of days.
To be honest, I was quite surprised to see this tiny bit of civilization in the middle of a desert.
The roads, though not in the best conditions, were quite a contrast to the stereotypical impression
that deserts were just sand and dust.
We met up with our driver. He was quite muscular in build; I assume it was due to years of
driving tourists around the harsh environment of the desert.
“Hello. My name is Bolad.” He said in a strong Mongolian accent, and reached out to shade hands.
“Hi. I am Stela and this is Sara. Nice to meet you.”
The plan was to drive to Yolyn Am, a glacier in the middle of the desert. It is a true testimony
to the wonders of nature. Then, we’ll spend the night camping and return to Dalanzadgad where
we would spend the remaining time experiencing the Nomad’s life.
As opposed to what you may think, this part of the desert is actually covered with a terrain
of bumpy rocks, instead of sand dunes. In fact, me and Sara’s heads were constantly bumping
against the windows whenever the tires hit them. At one point, there must have been a rock the
size of a basketball, because Sara’s head went flying towards me. I think we both experienced
concussions after that violent head-bang.
We were now halfway up a small jagged hill. Bolad was having a hard time going up. He was
constantly breaking, accelerating and changing gears. He stepped on the accelerator as hard as he
could, almost standing on it. The jeep moved a mere meter ahead the rolled back down. Up and
down, left to right our bodies went as the jeep tumbled down. Eventually we came to a halt with
the jeep on its side.
“Stela! What on earth just happened? Bolad! Are you alright?” Sara said in panic as she opened
her side of the door. I climbed after her. Bolad was unconscious. Through the window I could see
