A More Surprising World
Magnus Ramone Age 14
Tale of the Desert Crossing The Desert was vast and ancient and filled with gods of Fire, Sand, and Air. The expanse of desert was so wide that you could travel for years without end, and many did. Life existed in the Desert, but it was sparse and thin, and there certainly was not enough food for sentient life to evolve. One day a hole was opened, and the gods of Water came through to rival the gods of the Desert. They created humanity and the oases for them to live. To every Water god an oasis; to every oasis a Water god. Every thousand years, though, a human must cross the desert to the original water temple to claim another thousand years of water. This is one of many tales of The Desert Crossing. The weather was torrid. Sand dunes in the far distance shimmered as if underwater. It was even hotter than usual in the desert. Sadin called out, “Spirit, slow down! I am far too hot to keep on like this.” “You’re quite lucky that we travel at night then,” responded Spirit. A voice came from the back of the group. “We aren’t all immortal like you!” Gecko said. “Just because you drank nothing but wind for one hundred years doesn’t mean we won’t succumb to heat stroke.” Spirit thought about this for a minute and stopped on top of a sand dune, staring out into the distance. “Do you see that house in the distance?” he queried. “A spirit must live there, or else we are near a town, and my magical eyes cannot see an oasis for miles.” “Gecko should scout ahead while you stay with me then, Spirit.” Gecko grumbled loudly about always being picked to investigate. However, he transformed into his true form (that of a spotted gecko) and headed off to the house to spy. As he was approaching, he saw a sign on the door that read, “Spider Sage of the Glittering Kingdom.” He thought Ah, then it is a sage who lives here, who must have mastered the art of living without water. Thinking it was safe, he returned to normal and knocked on the door. A spindly, old man opened the door. “Ah, a traveling monk,” he said, “I’m sure that you feel tired.” Gecko did feel tired.
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