Sara Sandstorm

• Maddison Feldman, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2010

Chapter 1
Sarah Sandstorm

11 October, 2009.
Vast expanses of sand is before me, golden and reflecting the brilliance of the sun’s rays, although it is hard to call it brilliant, as I have been wandering in these deserts for hours. Exactly which deserts? The great Kalahari Desert is the one. I have a litre of water, and about 20 or so biscuits. These are the emergency rations that we all carry for situations like this. Hi, I am Sarah, Sarah Sandstorm, and I have been separated from my expeditions. Twice, I have been tricked by mirages, and when I wasn’t going to be tricked a third time, I walked straight into a rock. Now, I walk around all objects, mirages or not. Then I fell down, and everything went black.
* * * * * *
I woke up with a start. The cold night air of the desert must have revived me. Soon, though, I was shivering. I moved closer to the rock that I had fallen next to, and, miraculously, not on top of. I made a small fire with my emergency matches and sticks. Then I fell asleep.



Chapter 2
Stuck!!

12 of October, 2009.
I awoke before dawn. I thought it was still night, but as I waited an hour or two, I saw the sun rising over my head and back again. I slowly arose from the rock on which I had been laying on, and stood up. Then I saw it. The faint orange glow of a sandstorm, coming my way. I saved what little wood was left from the fire the night before, and got up to try and get a little way away, but I knew I had no chance of getting away from it. Then it struck. It was fiercer than I had expected. I grabbed my rucksack, and sat down in the middle of nowhere, pinned to the ground, and struggling for grip, in the middle of a gigantic sandstorm. I had a terrible headache, so I closed my eyes for a second, and I didn’t open them again...





Chapter 3
Capture!!

October 12, 2009.
That is, until I opened them, to find an unwelcome sight. I was bound at the wrists, and gagged at the mouth. I also caught a glimpse of, 2 or 3 camels ahead, a beautiful maiden, with orange- red hair, and freckles, and a long purple robe, on top of a blue dress. To top off her head, a beautiful blue bow. She was also gagged and tied. It was almost night-fall, and I was tired and also, surprisingly curios. What was the young maiden’s story? Or maybe she was being robbed for jewels? She might be a princess, for all I know.






Chapter 4
Escape!!

October 13, 2009.
Suddenly, I was being yanked awake. An Arabian man was looking down on me. I must have fallen asleep, I thought. He starred to babble away at me in a foreign language. Then he kept riding on. It was the late afternoon, the hottest part of the desert day. We then stopped to rest. I suddenly remembered that I had a dagger in my belt. I sat down to rest, under the oasis we had found, and I felt sorry for the young maiden. She was looking sad and down cast. I tried not to look like I was straining to reach my dagger. Then I cut my ropes free and slowly got up. I knocked out the guard before he could react, with a punch, then, as one of them came towards me at full speed, I quickly blocked off the swing of his sword with mine, and , as he started muttering curses under his breath, I gave him a quick kick to the jaw, which knocked him completely out. That was it. I had to rescue the maiden. I made my way over to her, punching Arabians and defending myself as I went. I cut her ropes and took off her gag. She started to thank me, but I quickly cut her off. It was a fairly large caravan, 10 men, and a camel for each. We stole away on a camel, and were soon out in the desert again.

Chapter 5
Jemimah’s story
October 13, 2009.
We rode our camels out into the desert, and she finally broke the silence. “Who are you, and why did you save me?” She asked. “I am Sarah Sandstorm, and I was captured by those thugs in the middle of a sandstorm, when I had fainted.” I replied. “I saved you, because you looked like you had been captured as well, and you look important around here.” “Who are you and what are you doing here?” I asked. “My name is Jemimah, Jemimah Jacobs, and I was kidnapped from my castle in the middle of the night. They tied and they gagged me, and took me into the middle of the desert, and made me walk along, long way, like maybe a mile or so, and then we found you.” “Do you know how to get back to your castle,” I asked Jemimah. “Not without a compass, I don’t.” She replied. “I’m sorry.” She said. “That’s ok.” I said.

Chapter 6
The desert without water.

October 13, 2009.
It is nearly nightfall, and we both are very tired from the last day’s events. We both stop to drink a little water, but suddenly I saw a dark figure in the distance, and I saw that he is aiming something at us. “Get down,” I order in a sharp whisper to Jemimah. She ducks, and just in time, too. The figure shot the pistol he was holding, and missed us, but he shot the keg of water, and the desert sand swallowed it up. That was all for our water. We got up, dusted ourselves off, and went over to our camels. We mounted the camels, and went on our way. Soon, though, we had to stop. The princess had fainted off her camel. Then I heard a noise.


Chapter 7
Rescue!!

October 13, 2009
The noise I had heard was the engine of a plane!! I tried to wake the princess, and when she had woken and heard that rescue was on the way, she literally jumped for joy. I was so happy. She had looked so, so sad when we had started our journey. I quickly made a fire, to alert the plane, and then I help the princess to get comfortable, as she had hurt herself badly. The plane came down to get us, and inside, I found the 5 of my expedition colleagues. Then the pilots flew us back to the hospital in Cairo, Egypt.
* * * * *

A few days later, I got a letter from Arabia’s castle, which said that the princess was ok, and a $50.00 Note, In Australian money, for me!!
THE END.