New Tales of the Gobi Desert
St. Mary’s Canossian College, Yuki Chan, Fiction: Group 4
The night wind howled. I stood in front of the gate grasping the threadbare map, confirming
the site of the treasure mentioned on the fading map.
‘Finally,’ I thought, ‘the treasure. My fortune.’
I threw myself over the wall and sneaked inside. Not wanting to catch any unwanted
attention from the conscientious eyes of the city watch, I settled down in a dark alley, hiding
in the shadows, not making a sound. I slept somberly due to the tiredness from the tiring trip
down the Silk Road and woke to the shouts and jeers of the people. I found myself chained up in
a sumptuously decorated palace with a lavishly dressed boy staring straight at my face. He lifted
my chin and laughed mockingly. He had a silky laughter, jingling like the night desert wind that
winded through the bells. I tried to back off. I jerked at the chains, trying to shake his hand off
me. He continued to laugh even more hysterically along with the louder jeers from the audiences.
He stopped laughing abruptly and waved the battered treasure map tauntingly.
‘Something missing?’
‘Give it back. Now.’
‘Anything found on my land is mine. Find me the treasure and I’ll set you free. Otherwise,
that will be waiting for you.’
He gestured towards the pit with hungry looking wild wolves snapping and growling. Not
wanting to die at a young age, I agreed.
‘Take whatever resources you need and get me the treasure within two weeks, or else...’
I was released from the heavy chains afterwards and was escorted to another luxuriously
decorated room. The guard handed me the map before backing off towards the wall. Feeling
uneasy with strangers around, I sat myself on the floor and started studying the map. I decided to
go out for a walk as I popped a grape inside my mouth. With the guard taking note on my every
move, I peered over the extending balcony. There’s barely anyone on the streets. It is like a ghost
town. No peasants, no guards. Then it hit me. Why would there be only a single guard guarding
me? What if I try to escape? What is the prince thinking? With millions of questions popping in
my head I need to have an answer. I turned to the guard.
‘What happened here? This is Khara-hot, isn’t it? Where are the merchants?’
‘Wars. The prince demanded revenge for his family. We lost many good men…’
I whacked the guard at the back of his head. He fell on the ground with a thud. I darted down
the stairs and out of the building. Flinching at the glowering sun, I ran down the streets and
allies, in hopes of coming across someone. I came across a slave boy with chains on his legs while
he was being abused by a skinny guard. The guard kicked the boy right in his stomach and spat
on him, leaving bruises on his small fragile frame. The boy whimpered and sobbed. I noticed a
few pairs of eyes peeking in the shadows but no one came forth to help. I walked out from my
hiding place and offered an apple to the guard. The guard ran off with the apple and left me with
the bruised boy.
‘Sir, thank you.’
The words came out of his trembling lips as the boy knelt in front of me.
‘My name is Lyon, yours?’
