Desert Hope
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Annie Kenwery, Grade 5, St Peter's Primary School
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Short Story
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2014
Excellence Award in the 'The Text Generation 2014' competition
New life brings something marvellous to the world we now roam, but here in the Sahara Desert there is no life to be seen. Disaster has struck the Sahara Desert, a drought has occurred. The animals have buried themselves in the sand to absorb the cool. The plants have totally dried out. Food and water is scarce and the temperature is over 50oc. The unlucky people travelling through the Sahara Desert on their camels either passed-out or died of thirst and starvation.
The dazzling, fervent beacon of light – of which we call the sun – shone on the crispy plains of sand. There is no hope for any life.
A blue bird was migrating from a chilly lake thousands of miles from the Sahara Desert and unfortunately fell into the grip of the heat. The warmth circling her was overwhelming; she felt giddy and sailed down to the surface. The sand burnt her already smoking wings.
Just off in the distance, the last droplet of water lay in the middle of a dry waterhole. She dragged her weight across the sand to the water. She inched closer; the world was spinning around her. Light flashed before her eyes, she closed them and fell asleep forever.
A strong wind rushed through the Sahara Desert. A sand storm swept the ground covering the blue bird with sand and the only twig with leaves on it planted itself at the foot of the fully submerged blue bird, forming a grave. Then the first dark cloud blocked the sun for all to see as if the universe felt sorry for the blue bird.
The sun sets and the stars flicker across the vast night sky. It showers for the first time in ages.
Maybe there is hope for the new marvellous life tucked away in the corner of our hearts.