ADVENTURES IN A DESERT
BY MAHEEN MARYAM KHAN
Sigh. “I’m bored, Mom!”
Well, I really am! What kind of a place is this? There are men dancing around a bonfire, enjoying it as if it is the best thing ever! Not only are the locals dancing, but the tourists are too! My older sister Eliza, my parents, and I are stuck in a sunbaked desert in Jordan called Wadi Rum. Why can’t I just be on my phone chatting with my friends back home or watching TikTok? This was supposed to be a fun trip during our summer vacation, but so far, there’s been nothing that I have enjoyed. The only thing that enlivens me is the half an hour of screen time I get every day, a chance to finally do something entertaining!
“Mom, can’t I have my phone for a little while longer?” I whine again. Well, you can’t blame me, this is boring! Unlike me, my parents are enjoying watching the skipping men.
“Come on, this is fun! Besides, you don’t do anything worthwhile on your phone anyway,” says Mom, without even glancing at me.
I groan repeatedly until my parents give in to calling it a night.
“Alright, alright. Sorry, Eliza, but we have to go.” Mom glares at me as we get up. Humph. I still haven’t gotten my phone.
I stroll down the path towards our glamping tent, looking around me. But all I can see is a sea of desert. My stomach turns as if it is on a plane that has just taken off. I absolutely hate being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Swish, swish. It sounded like a snake gliding through the sand.
I whirl around to see what happened, my curly blond hair whipping my face and scratching my eyes. I look around for the source of this noise. I turn around and start examining the wooden planks we are walking on and dig holes in the sand next to them with my feet. Just as I am about to give up, I notice a sparkly object hidden under one of the wooden planks. I reach for the item, trying to pry it out, but only manage to get a bunch of splinters.
“There’s got to be a way to get this thing out,” I think out aloud. “Aha!”
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
I find a loose part and yank out the rest of the plank. But that effort is not enough. I crouch low, despite my back aching horribly, and start digging. After a few minutes, I successfully hold the object in my hand. I brush off the dust and realize that this isn’t just any object, it’s—
“A necklace!” I whisper.
The silver chain does not have any beads. It has a golden coin and a sand timer, which is sparkly purple. Engraved on the coin are some numbers around the edges. Above the sand timer are written the words: Past, Present, Future.
“Mom, Dad! Look at this!” I yell at them. They shuffle over to see what I have found.
“Oh, that’s pretty…” Mom trails off.
“I found it hidden underneath this,” I show my parents the plank I found it under. “I bet it was hidden for a reason! But I don’t know why.”
My parents look at each other.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
“Whatever it is, put it back where you found it. It’s not yours,” my dad says firmly. Then, he and my mom get up and catch up with Eliza. I frown and get up, but I don’t put the necklace back. I know it is something special, and I can’t just lose it like that. I shove it into my pocket and continue walking back to one of the dome-shaped tents we are staying in.
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
But, at night when we are all sleeping, the necklace starts to glow. It glows brighter and brighter and brighter! I look around helplessly, not wanting to wake up the others.
“Oh dear, um where should I hide it?!” I bite my lip.
My gaze lands on a tiny dresser in the corner of the room. I stuff it into one of the drawers. But then, it starts to vibrate. It is vibrating so hard that the drawer shakes violently. I hold my breath…CRASH! The dresser falls over, spitting out the necklace! I am about to dash to the closet to hide it again, but it is too late. Everyone has woken up!
“What. Is. That?” Eliza crosses her arms, scowling at the necklace. My whole body is shaking, not only because of the necklace but also because of the fear Eliza’s voice gives me.
“Well, it's, uh…the ne-necklace?” I manage to choke out. Inside I am screaming. Why did I keep that necklace?
“Drop it! Quickly!” My mom panics, searching for a fire extinguisher even though the necklace is not on fire.
I listen to my mom and throw it to the ground. But what happens next is hard to describe. The see-through bubble-shaped tent that we are staying in rips into thousands of pieces and flies away! The sand starts jumping as if the floor is lava and starts swirling around us. My body stretches and shrinks, then I go all numb.
“What’s happening!” I start lifting off the ground and hurl higher each second.
I hear my dad call for help, but the dancing men are too far away from us to hear. I scream too because it feels like my body is being torn apart. Then, in a split second, we disappear into thin air. I feel my body twirl in nothingness and turn limp.
“Is anybody there? What is going on? AHH!” I scream as I plummet from the sky, the air whooshing behind me.
I hear the same swishing sound I had heard earlier and collapse onto the ground. Except, the ground is not the same. Instead of the dome-shaped tents and wooden planks that were around us, we are now surrounded by plain old tents. Inside are muscular men, and malnourished children. Despite their poor lifestyle, the children seem happy. The girls are helping the women weave more tents, their hands look rough, but their eyes dance with happiness. Others are cooking food; it looks like broth or stew. The boys work as butchers, preparing the meat for the soup. Others are helping pack the goods that their fathers will take to trade in the nearby market. They sing happy songs, and some are even dancing.
“Wait a minute, they’re dancing the same way we saw the men dancing last night!” I am deeply surprised at what I see. What has happened? Who are these people? Do they have a phone so we can look up our location?
I crouch low and stare at them to figure out where we are, curiosity soaking into my mind like water sweeping into a sponge. After studying them for a while, I realize that none of them have noticed our sudden appearance. I decide to introduce myself before they get startled.
I glide towards a girl who looks about my age and wave. She doesn’t reply so I sit down beside her. She still does not look at me. All she does is continue weaving next to her mother, muttering something. Maybe she doesn’t speak English. Anyway, I clear my throat and try speaking to her.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
“Hello, who are you? Do you have a phone? Hello! HELLO!” The girl does not respond. They continue joyfully with their tasks and small talk as if we are not there. “Where are their phones? I want to call Reya, my friend from school, and tell her everything.”
“It appears that we have traveled back in time,” Mom explains. “Before coming to Wadi Rum, I researched a bit about the place. While searching online, I learned a few things about its history. Around one hundred years ago, the people occupying the desert lived in tents like these. So, it looks like we must be one hundred years back in time!”
“That has nothing to do wi-” I start, but Mom cut in again.
“And we aren’t born yet, which means we don’t exist right now. It’s like we’re seeing the past in 3D. If they did notice us, we’d change history, leading to us never existing and that would not be good!”
“So, they don’t have phones? Oh, I always thought that before they invented the internet, kids’ lives would be so boring, but these kids look happy. They seem to be having fun talking to their parents instead of looking down at their phones. Look at the children playing fun games. They can run really fast, and they don’t care how their hair looks or what kind of clothes they are wearing!” Gosh, I wish we didn’t have to worry so much about how we looked all the time and could just have fun and laugh with our friends like this!
Eliza nods in agreement. “But wait a minute! If they don’t have phones or even clocks, how do they know when to go to sleep or get up for school?”
But just as Eliza says that, the rays of the sun go to bed. The children hug each other, then scramble back into their tents with their mothers. Some of the men stay outside as watchmen.
“They don’t sleep according to the time,” Mom observes, “they sleep according to the sun.”
I hear Dad yawn in the distance, and I stifle a laugh. Eliza smiles secretly too.
I hear the necklace slither again.
Swish…swish……swish…SWISH!
Sand begins to dance violently once more. Eliza and my parents sprint toward the necklace, and I do the same so I’m not left alone. As soon as all of us get near the necklace, space sucks us up. I feel my body stretch, shrink, twist, twirl, woosh, and poof again! As we land again, I hear the swishing noise once more. Did we escape? I do not need to look around to know that we are in yet another strange place. This time, the air is filled with a horrible smell which causes me to cough and wheeze horribly. Just as I am about to pass out, a tall man walks over to us.
He is skinny and has a large grey hat that towers over his face. His clothes are fancy, a black tuxedo with a high collar, white pants with silver designs near the ankle, and jetblack shoes. I can’t tell if he is friendly or not because of the mask he wears that hides his face. I guess it is an oxygen mask and he hands the same kind of mask to us too.
We shove the masks onto our faces to protect us from the horrible air that we are inhaling. Once our breathing returns to normal, the man takes us inside a huge building, or perhaps it is a factory. It towers to about seventy stories high and is as wide as a football stadium. There are lots of people walking inside in the winding hallways, all with masks on their faces.
After riding on a glass elevator that not only goes up but also moves side-to-side, we are taken to a room. The man comes behind us and shuts the door. Then he walks to the other side of the room and opens a tiny door, fit for a mouse, presses a few buttons, and flicks a few switches. A gust of wind flies into the room.
The man raises his hand to signal something to us like I’ll be back, don’t touch any science gadgets. Then, he flees the room.
Just as the air starts withering away, the same man enters the room again. This time he wears a thin brown bandanna over his forehead, clothes that look an awful lot like a pirate’s, and tan-colored shoes. His black tie sticks out like a sore thumb compared to everything else he is wearing. The wind disappears. The man takes off his mask slowly, and he looks exhausted. But why? I always imagined that the future would be better and that technological advancements would make our lives easier, a place where we would feel safe and comfortable all the time, and life would be more fun! Well, I guess his outfits at least are entertaining!
“It is safe to take off your mask now.” The man speaks in a high-pitched voice. He is young, in his 20s or 30s. His lips are dry, and he has blue eyes that remind me of clear ocean water. We do as we are told and remove the masks. I can breathe, but the air still seems weird, unfamiliar. Then it strikes me: this is artificial air!
“It does not seem that you are authorized to be here. How did you get here? Where are you from?” The man speaks calmly but looks interested in finding out who we are. He looks at us and sees our look of confusion. “This is Wadi Rum’s Rent-An-Artificial-AirRoom Resort. My name is Bashir, I am the head of the resort. People come here on vacation to rent rooms so they can get a break from the bad air out there and take off their masks for a short while.”
“Wow!” I say under my breath. Life in the future is so different than what I thought it would be like. What is more, I realize that this time we can be seen by others because we have already come into existence. I ask my burning questions, “What iPhones do you currently have? What other technology exists now? Have you created an impressive gadget that helps you sneak in more phone time than your parents want you to have?”
“Um, perhaps I can find someone to answer your questions.” He gets up and leaves the room. I eye the yellow walls suspiciously. Who knows what they can do in this world? Eat food out of their cell phones? Fly on magic carpets to a location of their choice? Jump out of a plain yellow wall?
Just as I am thinking about what new inventions they have in this world; I look over at Mom who has a worried look on her face. “This time, we might be stuck here,” Mom says, sweating as she goes. “I can’t find the necklace. Which means…we might not be able to return to our normal lives.”
“No,” my dad spoke. I noticed his voice was gruffer than usual. “I have it.”
Phew, I do not want to be stuck here with this weird air and unreadable science books!
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
“Okay then, all we have to do is get back home. How about… press that. Actually, don’t do that. No, no, no! Just give it to me.” But as the necklace is passed around, something terrible happens! Dad hands over the necklace nervously, and Mom takes it in a panic. The necklace flies off their hands and crashes to the floor! We enter a dead silence.
“Um, oh dear. How are we going to get back? And who’s going to clean up the glass? Or whatever it is.” I mutter. Then, a miracle happens! Sand starts jumping, I feel myself stretch and shrink and fly once again! I hear Bashir and his workers pound on the door, but they are too late.
Swish! And we disappear back to where we came from: 2023’s Wadi Rum.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
“Wow, we’re back to normal life! And fresh air and food!” I whoop. “I need my phone, right now!”
Mom laughs. “You wish. And before you protest, I’ll tell you why. You said part of it yourself, how in the past everyone seemed happier interacting with each other, working together, playing, and running around together. And the future does not look great either! Even though advancements benefit us a lot, they also harm our lives and the environment. Remember how the air was unpleasant in the future and how they had created pills for food?”
“So, we should take care of the environment!” I conclude. “Maybe I can get extra phone time now?” I add.
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
“You really don’t understand what I just told you?”
I was about to answer when dozens of colorful men parade past us, back to their tents. They parade so joyfully that I can’t take my eyes off them. They are happy together. Their skin hasn’t dried out with the bad air, their hands aren’t rough from working all day, and they are not busy on their cell phones.
“Who are they?” I asked Mom, still mesmerized.
“Them? They’re the same men who were dancing last night that you were complaining about,” says Mom, confused.
Wow! I see them in a unique way now after our experience in the past and the future. They don’t annoy me like they did yesterday. In fact, they bring me joy. I sigh. Maybe, I should look at the world around me more instead of down at a screen! It’s time I enjoyed the pleasures of this world and appreciate what we have here!
