< Back
(This is the full story. The other was just a mistake.)
Leo Liar’s expedition journal entry
I spent a whole month packing for my expedition. I packed, I unpacked, I repacked, I shoved more stuff in, I shoved even more stuff in, and I repacked. Until I was finally ready.
It was time to announce my journey to the people of the village. “No more will we spend winters shivering by our tiny heaters that barely work because I am going on a quest to find the famous golden scorpion and bring it back here! It is worth a lot of money which we can use to stay warm, eat anything other than stew and live a better life! I am going all the way to the Desert Of Doom so that we all can benefit. I will only take three quarters of the money I make but that still leaves you a lot left over. So, goodbye! I am leaving now, off to the dangers beyond the mountain!” I would have said, as I was cut off at ‘anything other than stew’.
The rude person yelled “What’s better than stew?” Anything! I thought. “No more will we huddle for shelter in rooms with barely working heaters. I am going to go on a quest to find-” I was cut off again. “How does that impact us?” Squawked someone with an irritating voice similar to my mother’s. Again, I was interrupted.
“It impacts you because we can use the money from the golden scorpion to get better heaters. We would be rich!” I shouted. Finally, people were nodding their heads approvingly. I breathed a sigh of relief. “What happens if you fail?” Snarled another annoying onlooker. I sighed again, this time out of exasperation.
“Then you will be no worse off than you are now. Moving on to discuss some of the terms. Now of course I will take three quarters of the money I make” I lowered my voice slightly but still a crowd of people surrounded me, booing. “I will have suffered a lot to get the golden scorpion.” I rationalised.
People started throwing snowballs at me. “I am leaving now, off to the dangers beyond the mountain!” I hurriedly stepped down the slope. Woosh! A snowball hit me in the chest, and I slipped on slushy snow. I started sliding down, picking up speed. Argh!!! I hit my arm on a rock and it started bleeding, leaving a trail of red stained snow behind me. I started rolling faster and faster. The world was a blur. Thunk! I hit a rock or a root which shot me in the air. My stomach lurched as I was flung upwards. I felt like I was suspended in the air. Then I fell down, down, down, down and landed in something cold and rough.
I had landed in a pile of snow. I sat up and brushed snow out of my eyes but as soon as I sat up something red and sticky hit my face. Was it blood? Whatever it was, it smelt delicious. My face burned and I plunged it under the ice. They were throwing tomato soup at me. Tomato soup was a delicacy where I was. Tomatoes didn’t grow well in the icy mountain and when there was enough to make tomato soup, we were lucky.
“IF YOU COME BACK NEXT TIME, IT’LL BE ROCKS!!!” Someone yelled. I looked up. The voice came from a long way up but even from there I stood I could tell who it was. It was unmistakable. The person who was yelling at me was my own mother.
My heart sank and my throat felt tight and contracted. I fought back tears. I am better alone. I told myself. I don’t have to share the money with anyone. Five million dollars all to myself. But still my throat remained tight.
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
Two weeks ago, we went on an excursion. It was… different. A change from tests? Yes. Fun? Not exactly. We went to the Desert of Doom Information Center.
Desert of Doom? I mean, who comes up with these names? The Small Stream, Large Lake, Cavernous Cavern! Where is the imagination? Second of all, why does our school send us to these places anyway? Why can we go to movies or water parks? You know, keep us engaged for once! It’s like they’re trying to bore us to death.
The bus ride was 3 hours long. THREE! We had to pick up two other schools on the way and it was cramped. We were all squished together like sardines. It was hot, smelly and noisy. Very noisy. The teachers tried to quiet us down. It didn’t work. Besides, what do the teachers expect us to do for 3 hours? Sit still and stare at the wall? We’re kids!
The Information Center was hot again, hotter than the bus. We were right next to a desert and there was no air con. The museum tour guide was dodgy. Smelled funny too. Sweaty, musty. Like a dead rat.
Max continued 3.7.21
Dear diary,
while the tour gide was talking i heard snortting coming from my bag cause piggy was going through all the snacks in my bag. leaving food with piggy is not a very good idear cause even though piggy is the best pig in the whole world she loves food. I brought her to the school excursion cause she gets lonely when im not there and mum said ive gotta take responsibility for piggy so i did.
piggy escaped after the tour and i found her in the bin. she was eating food scraps so my snacks wernt enough for her. when i got back the bus was gone and two girls were looking at it sadly as it drived away. it was just a bus and we could just catch another i said. their is no other the girl with the blond hair said. so what do we do now i said.
i didnt now what to do. i thought we were gonna be stuck in the dessert infomation center forever. maybe we could ring the school the girl with the blond hair said. lets go to the tour guide and ask him the girl with the black hair said. it was a good idear.
Isabel continued 1.7.21
Dear diary,
“Go to the tour guide and ask him for help.” I muttered to myself.
“Good idea. The tour guide would know how to get home. I’m Sophia, by the way.” Said the girl who called herself Sophia.
I felt my eyes open wide. I felt my heart rate quicken. I had a peculiar feeling inside me, warm and bubbly. No one really had ever made much of an effort to speak to me. I knew I had to respond. With what? By saying thanks? Was there enough time? Would being left behind classify as an emergency? Should I start pursuing the tour guide? But was saying thank you the right thing to do? Would she think I was rude if I didn’t?
“My name is Max and I think we should get help too.” Said the boy who called himself Max.
Two people said something. The only person left who hadn’t spoken was me. I decided to combine everything I thought I should say in one.
“HelomynameisIsabelthankyouforlikingmyideait’snicetomeetyoudoyouthinkweshouldlookforthetourguidenow?” I mumbled breathlessly, tripping over my words. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Leo Liars Expedition Journal Entry
It took me two days to walk from my mountain, across the river and to The Desert Of Doom. I went to the shops to stock up on food, water and clothing for hot weather. I spent the last of my money on these items. It didn’t matter. I was going to be rich because of the Golden Scorpion. I would have enough money to buy five thousand heaters. Or I could buy 4048 air conditioners. There was no need for worrying.
As I made my way to the desert, I passed the Information Center. One of the annoying teachers from a visiting school started walking towards me. “Are you the tour guide from the Information Center? It’s time to start the tour.” She said. “No.” I began to say. “Yes. Come this way.” I added, changing my mind. It would be good to see if there were any maps that showed where the treasure was. I could not believe my luck. All my life I had been unlucky. Nothing would ever go to plan. But now, everything was perfect.
As I began the tour, I searched for any information I hadn’t found before. I raced past the rooms that didn’t have anything I could use. In the third section I could not believe my eyes. Right in plain sight I saw a map which pinpointed exactly where the treasure lay. I was not expecting that. I thought I had checked all the maps in the world of The Desert Of Doom for any clues of treasure. I was wrong.
I had to get a closer look at the map. I walked straight past sections four, five and six and finished the tour half an hour before it was meant to be done. I snuck back to room three and took a photo of the map. It was in a glass container and looked so old and fragile it would fall to pieces if you even looked at it. As I neared the exit I was greeted by a horrible sight. Three children were standing outside.
Did they see what I was doing? I thought
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
“It’s only a bus, surely there’s another" said the boy after the bus had left. One tiny problem with that. Buses don’t usually come here. The next bus was scheduled for tomorrow. “There are no other buses until tomorrow” I replied. “Then what do we do?” Whined the boy. “We could call our school and see if they respond." I suggested. As soon as I said the thought out loud, I realised the problem with that. What phones were there to ring people on? Even if by a miracle we found one there would be no internet reception.
“I think we should get the tour guide to help.” advised the girl. “Great idea. The tour guide would surely know what to do.” I said. “I’m Sophia.” I added. Then there was a silence so quiet you could hear a pin drop. “I’m Max and I think that’s a good idea too.” Max said.The girl still hadn’t spoken. She looked worried. Finally, she almost shouted “My name’s Isabell.” I couldn’t hear the rest.
“Nice to meet you Isabelle and Max, Isabell I couldn’t hear the last part you said. Could you repeat it for me.” I said. I was trying to be extra polite because she seemed a bit nervous. “We should look for the Tour Guide.” She said really slowly with a wavering volume.
We turned around to head inside, but the Tour Guide was already in front of us. “I can help you get home. Follow me.” He said kindly. We looked at each other. We were excited and wanted to get home, but I could not trust the tour guide. I also had to get home. So, we followed him.
Max 3.7.21
Dear diary,
we decided to do what she said and look for the tour guide who when we went to look for him was right at the entrance which was really wierd cause it was like he was listening to our conversation and he said he knew the way home which was also wierd cause we didnt tell him that we were lost. i also thought it was wierd that he knew how to get home.
he led us to the start of the desert and said are you at the school across the river? we said yes and he kept walking. i was pretty sure we didnt go this way but i thought maybe it was a shortcut and the school took us on a long way. the dirt was red and there was a few tiny brown bushes here and there and ther was a really cool lizard on a rock. it was very quiet and i could only hear our footsteps and us breathing. the air smelt dusty and i could feel piggy moving around in my backpack and i could hear her start snorting and panting.
i looked at my green school backpack and undid it and piggy leapt out and started running about. piggy smelt like rotten eggs today it could have been what mum packed but it could have been the bag. i tried to grab piggy but all i could hold was her tail but i let go cause it was all sticky. i couldnt let piggy escape she was one of my best friends i was very worried.
i could see the tour guides face going red and he lunged at piggy. everyone was trying to get piggy and someone bumped into me and i tripped over and a morsel of food fell out of my bag.
piggy ran over and ate that then sat on my face and i could feel piggys hair. with my nose so close to piggy i found out piggy smelt so much worse up close and it was really really discusting then i acsidently opened my mouth. piggy tasted like a wild combination of eggs, sauce, gummy bears and dirt and i sat up and coughed out dirt.
WHAT IS THIS yelled the tour guide. its my pig is said. he seemed to want more infomation. this is piggy and i mighta brought her on the school escursion but shes a really well behaved pig. well behaved? he said and grumbled. he decided the pig was gonna stay and we moved on.
Isabell 1.7.21
Dear diary,
We slowly shuffled our feet, kicking up red dirt. We didn’t want to be here. We didn’t want to move, but we had to go home. We had to survive. The sun started to set slowly, filling the sky with an amber hue. The desert looked dry, desolate and unwelcoming. It looked lifeless. Except for one lizard, lounging in the sun. It disappeared, leaving a zigzagging trail behind it. I didn’t want to go on. The Tour Guide had other ideas.
“Quickly, I see a good place to set up camp.” He said. We did not go quickly. “It’s your only chance of survival if you stick with me! You’ll die of hypothermia if you don’t come. And if hypothermia doesn’t get you, thirst will! Or a snake! Take your pick!” he bellowed. We almost ran to the campsite, a bare, bush-less patch of dirt. I could hardly tell what was different about it to anywhere else. Anywhere. The lizard we saw before had followed us from the edge of the desert.
Sitting down, I shivered. It was almost completely dark. “If we’re going to get this done, you're going to have to help!” He said. Slowly, wearily I stood up. We had been walking non-stop all day. “Two of you, help me set up the tent and the other get the firewood.” He commanded. Max paused and looked thoughtful. “I’ll set up the tent.” He and Sophia said at the same time. “Sorry. That leaves you with the wood gathering. I don’t want to be alone out there.” Sophia apologised.
I didn’t mind. I needed a break from the noise and commotion. The lizard reappeared and watched me curiously. It stuck out its tongue and smelt the air then squeezed its massive body under a bush. I wouldn’t want to stick my hand in a random bush now, after seeing what could be hidden inside. I shook one of the bushes, and nothing came out. I used a shovel to pry out five bushes then came back, shivering.
I was cold. I never thought that it would actually get cold at night because it was so hot in the day. The Tour Guide lit the fire with a match, and it burst into flames, showering us in welcome heat. Just as soon as I felt warm, I felt cold again. The fire did not keep us warm enough. I felt so cold I thought I would never be warm again. I started shivering uncontrollably. I tried to stop shivering but it just made me shiver more.
The tour guide had multiple snow jackets on, a beanie, gloves and warm socks. He wasn’t cold at all. “Soldiers used to stuff paper up their shirts to warm them up. It provided an extra layer of insulation.” Drawled the Tour Guide uncaringly. “We have no paper!” Cried Sophia.
“Well, think of something else!” Said the Tour Guide. The temperature dropped. Piggy whined from inside the bag. The temperature kept dropping. Max shuffled closer to the fire. There was silence so quiet and so obvious that it felt loud. The fire nearly blew out.
I couldn’t stand the cold anymore and grabbed my bag. It hurt to even move. I opened my book and tore out all the pages including the cover and blurb, divided it roughly then handed it to Max and Sophia. “Stuff it down your shirt.” I said. Sophia looked shocked. Max mumbled his thanks. I handed four more sheets of paper to Max for Piggy.
It didn’t seem to work. We huddled together and hoped for the best. Sleep came at last.
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
Isabell saved us from the cold. I woke up, not believing I was alive. I thought my life would end last night. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, the Tour Guide woke us up. “We need to start while it’s cool or we won’t make it home.” He warned. So up we got, yawning and we started to walk in the direction the Tour Guide pointed.
It felt like we were walking in circles. Night came, and it was easier for us to survive. Day came, and we had breakfast while it was dark. The days and nights seemed the same as each other and I wondered if we were really making progress. Why couldn’t we just go another way? Why did it have to be us who were left behind? Why didn’t we just wait for the school to pick us up? Suddenly Isabell’s idea of asking the tour guide didn’t seem so clever. We should've caught a bus. It was so annoying.
The Tour Guide rifled through his bag, emptying out all the contents. He repeated this process with three other bags, scattering maps and water bottles across the desert floor. One bottle landed roughly, opening the lid and spilling water on the dry and dusty floor. I quickly stopped it from spilling. “We’re out of food.” The Tour Guide said.
Max 1.7.21
Dear diary,
when the tour guide said we were out of food i thought uh oh. then i remembered a similar thing happened in my favourite video game, survive the wild and all we needed to do was look for things that we can eat. plants were always too risky to eat but animals were usually ok to eat unless they had bright colours.
what could i use i thought. i looked under a rock and saw the lizard under it and had an idea. the lizard was big enough to eat. we had to find a way to cook it. there were some tiny bushes we use to start the fire. there were some rocks. we needed to find a way to light the fire. what do i do when i play survive the wild? i usually use straw and rub it on a rock really fast to light the fire i thought. i could use the bushes as straw.
i told them my idea and they looked impressed. sophia and isabell agreed to help but the tour guide just watched which was really mean cause we needed a lot of help. we surrounded the lizard and i threw a rock at it. i mised. we all tried to throw rocks at it but we kept missing. doing survive the wild stuff in reel life made me reelise its harder than it looks to survive. i could hear the tour guide laughing.
i threw my rock backwards in the air and it actualy hit the lizard. it was knocked unconsious and we put it on a rock and tried to light the fire. the tour guide lit it for us. he was reely good at lighting fires.
the lizard tasted disgusting but it was food and we were really hungry to we ate it anyway. i got used to it eventualy. the lizard was enough food too last us for a week and we used that as food. sometimes we allso caught other little creatures if we were hungry.
Sophia
Dear diary,
One thing you should know, lizards are disgusting. It tastes oozy and gross. It smells horrible and makes you not want to eat. The smell alone makes my head spin. After the lizard was eaten, we became experts at catching and cooking food. This was not an experience I wanted to repeat.
Another problem arose. Possibly a bigger one. We ran out of water. I knew cacti held a lot of water but the water inside the cactus was poisonous. I kept seeing pools of water and trees, but they were just mirages.
My mouth was as dry as the desert. The sun was hot and cruel. I was sunburned and sore. All I wanted was water. Not even to go home to my comfortable bed but water. We were driven by that basic necessity. We did not notice or care about the fact that the landscape before us was changing.
There were rock overhangs to shelter in. So we sheltered underneath them without a second thought. We saw bigger bushes. We made better fires. There were more animals. We ate more food. Still no water.
We heard the sounds of birds. Birds. How were birds here? Birds needed water. We kept heading in the wrong direction. “We should follow the birds. Birds means water.” I said, my voice raspy. We turned in the direction of the bird calls. As we progressed, the bird calls grew louder. I could see seven tall trees. Their leaves were dripping with dew. The birds were flying about happily. Where was the water?
I could not see any pools of water or anything we could drink. The Tour Guide fell to the ground. “No!” He lisped. Max and Isabel rushed to try and wake him up. I stood still. It wasn’t a mirage. It must have rained here often. I stepped back and brushed my arm against a sapling green leaf. My arm was wet and cold.
Wet! I realised what I was missing. The heat was making me not think properly but, in the shade, I understood. If the leaves are wet, that means the wetness is water. Relieved, I tipped the water from the leaf into my mouth, swished it around a bit and then swallowed. I did the same with two other leaves and I felt so much better.
“Guys the leaves have water on them!” I yelled. I finally got my voice back to normal. They didn’t need to be told twice. Isabell and Max stopped shouting at the Tour Guide and started drinking the water. When we had enough, we poured the water into the Tour Guide’s mouth to revive him. It was Max's idea. The Tour Guide woke up, spitting out the water.
“Water? Is that water?” He asked. I nodded. He laughed gleefully and started talking really fast about how important water is and how lucky we are that he found water \. I rolled my eyes. He found the water? I found the water. Max found food. Isabel kept us warm. You lit fires and had a map. We did all the work.
The Tour Guide pulled out a camera and looked at a photo of a map on the camera. Why didn’t he just look at his map in his bag? What was special about this map? I tried to get a closer look at the map, but he moved so I couldn’t see. “I’m doing anything important.” He said.
Isabell 1.7.21
Dear diary,
The tour guide was looking at something on his camera. I could not see what it was, but Sophia must have caught a glimpse of it because she tried to get a closer look. When the Tour Guide said “I’m doing nothing important” I immediately grew suspicious.
“Come on now! The way back is just around the corner.” He said cheerily. Just around the corner? I didn’t think it really was. Maybe it was just an expression but there could have been something important around the corner. I followed again. I shouldn’t have because following him only led to trouble like running out of food and water but home sounded really good to me.
We filled up all our bottles and headed around the corner. Around the corner it was still desert as far as you could see. As far as you could see was really just a few metres from where I stood. Cliffs blocked off sight of the rest of the desert. There was a path in between the two cliffs that wound off to the side so you couldn’t see where it led. The cliffs were reddish brown and looked unclimbable. The Tour Guide led us on the canyon cutting through the cliffs.
The cliffs were taller than the trees in the oasis where we found water. The sky was a vivid blue from all the way below. The cliffs were so smooth it was as though water had once smoothened it out. The floor was red and rocky. The path slowly wound in random directions. I could hear our footsteps echoing in the canyon.
Max 7.1.21
Dear diary,
as we followed the path it opend up to a realy wide area and the cliffs became really small and you could see the sky reealy well and the walls stopped being as smooth. there was a bunch of grey jumbled up stone lying on the floor but some of them were still standing. it looked like someones house and there were more things that looked like houses and some things that looked nothing like houses. there was a crumbly fountain too. there was also a thing that loooked like a temple thing and it had pictures and writing on it. there was dust everywhere. the dust was red and grey and white. its here its here its here i found the lost city! said the tour gide.
he ran inside and sinse it didnt fall apart we went in it to. it was so dust at first i couldnt see a thing and then a saw that there were just a bunch of statues in there and it was not really intresting and i wanted to leave but the tour guide went into a room i didnt see and i thought that there might be like a map or something cool .there wasnt there was just a bunch of gold animals and that was realy dissapointing but then the tour gide grabbd the golden scorpian statue but started turning into gold.
first his feet turned gold and then it started turning him completly in to gold and he did not want to but he put back the scorpian but it was to late and he turned into a gold statue. all the dust cleared and i could see gold statues of all the theifs who had touched statues and some were holding statues. i thinked that the statues needed to be in the right places so that the water would go back in the desert and we can get home.
we should put the gold animals back in there spots and the water should come back and it will carry us back home and the curse will be broken i said. but youll turn into a statue if you touch a statue said isabel. we need to get home not be statues said sophia. but we dont know the way back and we will die anyway so im gonna try and fix it so we can go home i said. dont. there is no curse said sophia. there is i said.
i walked up towards the gold beetle someone was holding. i lifted it out of the persons hands and put it back. my feet started to turn to gold and then they stopped and went back to normal. isabell and sophia looked at each other and decided to help.
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
I don’t know what went through my mind when I agreed to help Max try and break a curse I didn't think existed. Everything I did in the desert seemed rational even when it wasn’t. It seemed rational to follow the untrustworthy tour guide just as it seemed rational to help Max with an impossible task.
I walked up to a statue and wrestled a gold goanna out of its greedy hands. I went to step forward to put the lizard statue in its place, but my feet were already a statue. I fell over and my knees turned into a statue. The table was just out of reach, and I was turning into a statue quickly.
Isabell 1.7.21
Dear diary, Sophia was turning into a statue fast. I ran over to help her. “Put the statue in its place for me.” I nodded and grabbed the statue out of her hands and placed it in its spot. Slowly she started turning back and she was free. “Thanks.” she said. “I’m always here to help.” I replied.
“Can you help me?” shouted Max from the start of the room. “This statue’s too far out. We need to work together. Form a line. I’ll pass it to you when you're ready and the last person must put it on the place with the picture of it. Ok? Ready?” We got in position and nodded. Max took a heavy ibis from the statue frozen mid-run. He passed it to Sophia who passed it to me. I buckled under the weight and put it on the pedestal.
It worked. It was the last one. The temple started filling up with water. We ran for the exit.
Max 1.7.21
Dear diary,
the water made it difficult to run but we made it to the exit and we ran up the canyan and the water was just behind us. the water came from nowhere and was coming realy really fast. we ran faster than the water. soon we were out of the path and past the trees and we ran until the water swept us up and carried us back to the infomation center. Because of the water, i found out piggy could swim. piggy swam with us the whole way back.
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
The school was waiting for us at the information center. They watched as the wave brought us back and then came back 5 meters away from us. That is how The Desert Of Doom became The Large Lake. They could have let us name it, but it just became The Large Lake.
Our parents were there as well as the police. We were gone for two weeks. It felt longer. I was glad to see my family and was glad to be back. “Sophia! What just happened? I missed you so much! We were so worried about you! Dad it’s Sophia!” Said Mum. Dad came running from where the police were and hugged me. “Are you alright? I was just looking for you.” He said.
“Did-did you just come on a wave.” My brother stuttered. I nodded. His eyes were wide open and he opened and shut his mouth like a fish. “Awesome.” He said at last. “Mum when I’m her age can I go here?” He asked. “No. We’re never going here again. Sophia, you’re changing schools.” She said forcefully.
Isabell 1.7.21
Dear diary,
All my family was there when we came home. As soon as I was on the ground, they gave me a big hug. I nearly suffocated. Everyone started talking at once. “Are sure you are fine? Asked my parents. “Yes.” I replied. “She’s tough. I’m proud of you.” Said Grandpa. Once again, I was surrounded by a flurry of questions. I did my best to answer them.
Then the police came and asked their questions. They asked everyone who was part of us disappearing.
Max 1.7.21
Dear diary,
granma was there and she said that she was very worried and happy that i was safe. the police asked me where was the tour guide and i said he turned into a statue. they didn’t really believe us when they asked sophia and isabel to. no one believes us but its troo. Every bit is true.
The End
Leo Liar’s expedition journal entry
I spent a whole month packing for my expedition. I packed, I unpacked, I repacked, I shoved more stuff in, I shoved even more stuff in, and I repacked. Until I was finally ready.
It was time to announce my journey to the people of the village. “No more will we spend winters shivering by our tiny heaters that barely work because I am going on a quest to find the famous golden scorpion and bring it back here! It is worth a lot of money which we can use to stay warm, eat anything other than stew and live a better life! I am going all the way to the Desert Of Doom so that we all can benefit. I will only take three quarters of the money I make but that still leaves you a lot left over. So, goodbye! I am leaving now, off to the dangers beyond the mountain!” I would have said, as I was cut off at ‘anything other than stew’.
The rude person yelled “What’s better than stew?” Anything! I thought. “No more will we huddle for shelter in rooms with barely working heaters. I am going to go on a quest to find-” I was cut off again. “How does that impact us?” Squawked someone with an irritating voice similar to my mother’s. Again, I was interrupted.
“It impacts you because we can use the money from the golden scorpion to get better heaters. We would be rich!” I shouted. Finally, people were nodding their heads approvingly. I breathed a sigh of relief. “What happens if you fail?” Snarled another annoying onlooker. I sighed again, this time out of exasperation.
“Then you will be no worse off than you are now. Moving on to discuss some of the terms. Now of course I will take three quarters of the money I make” I lowered my voice slightly but still a crowd of people surrounded me, booing. “I will have suffered a lot to get the golden scorpion.” I rationalised.
People started throwing snowballs at me. “I am leaving now, off to the dangers beyond the mountain!” I hurriedly stepped down the slope. Woosh! A snowball hit me in the chest, and I slipped on slushy snow. I started sliding down, picking up speed. Argh!!! I hit my arm on a rock and it started bleeding, leaving a trail of red stained snow behind me. I started rolling faster and faster. The world was a blur. Thunk! I hit a rock or a root which shot me in the air. My stomach lurched as I was flung upwards. I felt like I was suspended in the air. Then I fell down, down, down, down and landed in something cold and rough.
I had landed in a pile of snow. I sat up and brushed snow out of my eyes but as soon as I sat up something red and sticky hit my face. Was it blood? Whatever it was, it smelt delicious. My face burned and I plunged it under the ice. They were throwing tomato soup at me. Tomato soup was a delicacy where I was. Tomatoes didn’t grow well in the icy mountain and when there was enough to make tomato soup, we were lucky.
“IF YOU COME BACK NEXT TIME, IT’LL BE ROCKS!!!” Someone yelled. I looked up. The voice came from a long way up but even from there I stood I could tell who it was. It was unmistakable. The person who was yelling at me was my own mother.
My heart sank and my throat felt tight and contracted. I fought back tears. I am better alone. I told myself. I don’t have to share the money with anyone. Five million dollars all to myself. But still my throat remained tight.
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
Two weeks ago, we went on an excursion. It was… different. A change from tests? Yes. Fun? Not exactly. We went to the Desert of Doom Information Center.
Desert of Doom? I mean, who comes up with these names? The Small Stream, Large Lake, Cavernous Cavern! Where is the imagination? Second of all, why does our school send us to these places anyway? Why can we go to movies or water parks? You know, keep us engaged for once! It’s like they’re trying to bore us to death.
The bus ride was 3 hours long. THREE! We had to pick up two other schools on the way and it was cramped. We were all squished together like sardines. It was hot, smelly and noisy. Very noisy. The teachers tried to quiet us down. It didn’t work. Besides, what do the teachers expect us to do for 3 hours? Sit still and stare at the wall? We’re kids!
The Information Center was hot again, hotter than the bus. We were right next to a desert and there was no air con. The museum tour guide was dodgy. Smelled funny too. Sweaty, musty. Like a dead rat.
Max continued 3.7.21
Dear diary,
while the tour gide was talking i heard snortting coming from my bag cause piggy was going through all the snacks in my bag. leaving food with piggy is not a very good idear cause even though piggy is the best pig in the whole world she loves food. I brought her to the school excursion cause she gets lonely when im not there and mum said ive gotta take responsibility for piggy so i did.
piggy escaped after the tour and i found her in the bin. she was eating food scraps so my snacks wernt enough for her. when i got back the bus was gone and two girls were looking at it sadly as it drived away. it was just a bus and we could just catch another i said. their is no other the girl with the blond hair said. so what do we do now i said.
i didnt now what to do. i thought we were gonna be stuck in the dessert infomation center forever. maybe we could ring the school the girl with the blond hair said. lets go to the tour guide and ask him the girl with the black hair said. it was a good idear.
Isabel continued 1.7.21
Dear diary,
“Go to the tour guide and ask him for help.” I muttered to myself.
“Good idea. The tour guide would know how to get home. I’m Sophia, by the way.” Said the girl who called herself Sophia.
I felt my eyes open wide. I felt my heart rate quicken. I had a peculiar feeling inside me, warm and bubbly. No one really had ever made much of an effort to speak to me. I knew I had to respond. With what? By saying thanks? Was there enough time? Would being left behind classify as an emergency? Should I start pursuing the tour guide? But was saying thank you the right thing to do? Would she think I was rude if I didn’t?
“My name is Max and I think we should get help too.” Said the boy who called himself Max.
Two people said something. The only person left who hadn’t spoken was me. I decided to combine everything I thought I should say in one.
“HelomynameisIsabelthankyouforlikingmyideait’snicetomeetyoudoyouthinkweshouldlookforthetourguidenow?” I mumbled breathlessly, tripping over my words. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Leo Liars Expedition Journal Entry
It took me two days to walk from my mountain, across the river and to The Desert Of Doom. I went to the shops to stock up on food, water and clothing for hot weather. I spent the last of my money on these items. It didn’t matter. I was going to be rich because of the Golden Scorpion. I would have enough money to buy five thousand heaters. Or I could buy 4048 air conditioners. There was no need for worrying.
As I made my way to the desert, I passed the Information Center. One of the annoying teachers from a visiting school started walking towards me. “Are you the tour guide from the Information Center? It’s time to start the tour.” She said. “No.” I began to say. “Yes. Come this way.” I added, changing my mind. It would be good to see if there were any maps that showed where the treasure was. I could not believe my luck. All my life I had been unlucky. Nothing would ever go to plan. But now, everything was perfect.
As I began the tour, I searched for any information I hadn’t found before. I raced past the rooms that didn’t have anything I could use. In the third section I could not believe my eyes. Right in plain sight I saw a map which pinpointed exactly where the treasure lay. I was not expecting that. I thought I had checked all the maps in the world of The Desert Of Doom for any clues of treasure. I was wrong.
I had to get a closer look at the map. I walked straight past sections four, five and six and finished the tour half an hour before it was meant to be done. I snuck back to room three and took a photo of the map. It was in a glass container and looked so old and fragile it would fall to pieces if you even looked at it. As I neared the exit I was greeted by a horrible sight. Three children were standing outside.
Did they see what I was doing? I thought
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
“It’s only a bus, surely there’s another" said the boy after the bus had left. One tiny problem with that. Buses don’t usually come here. The next bus was scheduled for tomorrow. “There are no other buses until tomorrow” I replied. “Then what do we do?” Whined the boy. “We could call our school and see if they respond." I suggested. As soon as I said the thought out loud, I realised the problem with that. What phones were there to ring people on? Even if by a miracle we found one there would be no internet reception.
“I think we should get the tour guide to help.” advised the girl. “Great idea. The tour guide would surely know what to do.” I said. “I’m Sophia.” I added. Then there was a silence so quiet you could hear a pin drop. “I’m Max and I think that’s a good idea too.” Max said.The girl still hadn’t spoken. She looked worried. Finally, she almost shouted “My name’s Isabell.” I couldn’t hear the rest.
“Nice to meet you Isabelle and Max, Isabell I couldn’t hear the last part you said. Could you repeat it for me.” I said. I was trying to be extra polite because she seemed a bit nervous. “We should look for the Tour Guide.” She said really slowly with a wavering volume.
We turned around to head inside, but the Tour Guide was already in front of us. “I can help you get home. Follow me.” He said kindly. We looked at each other. We were excited and wanted to get home, but I could not trust the tour guide. I also had to get home. So, we followed him.
Max 3.7.21
Dear diary,
we decided to do what she said and look for the tour guide who when we went to look for him was right at the entrance which was really wierd cause it was like he was listening to our conversation and he said he knew the way home which was also wierd cause we didnt tell him that we were lost. i also thought it was wierd that he knew how to get home.
he led us to the start of the desert and said are you at the school across the river? we said yes and he kept walking. i was pretty sure we didnt go this way but i thought maybe it was a shortcut and the school took us on a long way. the dirt was red and there was a few tiny brown bushes here and there and ther was a really cool lizard on a rock. it was very quiet and i could only hear our footsteps and us breathing. the air smelt dusty and i could feel piggy moving around in my backpack and i could hear her start snorting and panting.
i looked at my green school backpack and undid it and piggy leapt out and started running about. piggy smelt like rotten eggs today it could have been what mum packed but it could have been the bag. i tried to grab piggy but all i could hold was her tail but i let go cause it was all sticky. i couldnt let piggy escape she was one of my best friends i was very worried.
i could see the tour guides face going red and he lunged at piggy. everyone was trying to get piggy and someone bumped into me and i tripped over and a morsel of food fell out of my bag.
piggy ran over and ate that then sat on my face and i could feel piggys hair. with my nose so close to piggy i found out piggy smelt so much worse up close and it was really really discusting then i acsidently opened my mouth. piggy tasted like a wild combination of eggs, sauce, gummy bears and dirt and i sat up and coughed out dirt.
WHAT IS THIS yelled the tour guide. its my pig is said. he seemed to want more infomation. this is piggy and i mighta brought her on the school escursion but shes a really well behaved pig. well behaved? he said and grumbled. he decided the pig was gonna stay and we moved on.
Isabell 1.7.21
Dear diary,
We slowly shuffled our feet, kicking up red dirt. We didn’t want to be here. We didn’t want to move, but we had to go home. We had to survive. The sun started to set slowly, filling the sky with an amber hue. The desert looked dry, desolate and unwelcoming. It looked lifeless. Except for one lizard, lounging in the sun. It disappeared, leaving a zigzagging trail behind it. I didn’t want to go on. The Tour Guide had other ideas.
“Quickly, I see a good place to set up camp.” He said. We did not go quickly. “It’s your only chance of survival if you stick with me! You’ll die of hypothermia if you don’t come. And if hypothermia doesn’t get you, thirst will! Or a snake! Take your pick!” he bellowed. We almost ran to the campsite, a bare, bush-less patch of dirt. I could hardly tell what was different about it to anywhere else. Anywhere. The lizard we saw before had followed us from the edge of the desert.
Sitting down, I shivered. It was almost completely dark. “If we’re going to get this done, you're going to have to help!” He said. Slowly, wearily I stood up. We had been walking non-stop all day. “Two of you, help me set up the tent and the other get the firewood.” He commanded. Max paused and looked thoughtful. “I’ll set up the tent.” He and Sophia said at the same time. “Sorry. That leaves you with the wood gathering. I don’t want to be alone out there.” Sophia apologised.
I didn’t mind. I needed a break from the noise and commotion. The lizard reappeared and watched me curiously. It stuck out its tongue and smelt the air then squeezed its massive body under a bush. I wouldn’t want to stick my hand in a random bush now, after seeing what could be hidden inside. I shook one of the bushes, and nothing came out. I used a shovel to pry out five bushes then came back, shivering.
I was cold. I never thought that it would actually get cold at night because it was so hot in the day. The Tour Guide lit the fire with a match, and it burst into flames, showering us in welcome heat. Just as soon as I felt warm, I felt cold again. The fire did not keep us warm enough. I felt so cold I thought I would never be warm again. I started shivering uncontrollably. I tried to stop shivering but it just made me shiver more.
The tour guide had multiple snow jackets on, a beanie, gloves and warm socks. He wasn’t cold at all. “Soldiers used to stuff paper up their shirts to warm them up. It provided an extra layer of insulation.” Drawled the Tour Guide uncaringly. “We have no paper!” Cried Sophia.
“Well, think of something else!” Said the Tour Guide. The temperature dropped. Piggy whined from inside the bag. The temperature kept dropping. Max shuffled closer to the fire. There was silence so quiet and so obvious that it felt loud. The fire nearly blew out.
I couldn’t stand the cold anymore and grabbed my bag. It hurt to even move. I opened my book and tore out all the pages including the cover and blurb, divided it roughly then handed it to Max and Sophia. “Stuff it down your shirt.” I said. Sophia looked shocked. Max mumbled his thanks. I handed four more sheets of paper to Max for Piggy.
It didn’t seem to work. We huddled together and hoped for the best. Sleep came at last.
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
Isabell saved us from the cold. I woke up, not believing I was alive. I thought my life would end last night. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, the Tour Guide woke us up. “We need to start while it’s cool or we won’t make it home.” He warned. So up we got, yawning and we started to walk in the direction the Tour Guide pointed.
It felt like we were walking in circles. Night came, and it was easier for us to survive. Day came, and we had breakfast while it was dark. The days and nights seemed the same as each other and I wondered if we were really making progress. Why couldn’t we just go another way? Why did it have to be us who were left behind? Why didn’t we just wait for the school to pick us up? Suddenly Isabell’s idea of asking the tour guide didn’t seem so clever. We should've caught a bus. It was so annoying.
The Tour Guide rifled through his bag, emptying out all the contents. He repeated this process with three other bags, scattering maps and water bottles across the desert floor. One bottle landed roughly, opening the lid and spilling water on the dry and dusty floor. I quickly stopped it from spilling. “We’re out of food.” The Tour Guide said.
Max 1.7.21
Dear diary,
when the tour guide said we were out of food i thought uh oh. then i remembered a similar thing happened in my favourite video game, survive the wild and all we needed to do was look for things that we can eat. plants were always too risky to eat but animals were usually ok to eat unless they had bright colours.
what could i use i thought. i looked under a rock and saw the lizard under it and had an idea. the lizard was big enough to eat. we had to find a way to cook it. there were some tiny bushes we use to start the fire. there were some rocks. we needed to find a way to light the fire. what do i do when i play survive the wild? i usually use straw and rub it on a rock really fast to light the fire i thought. i could use the bushes as straw.
i told them my idea and they looked impressed. sophia and isabell agreed to help but the tour guide just watched which was really mean cause we needed a lot of help. we surrounded the lizard and i threw a rock at it. i mised. we all tried to throw rocks at it but we kept missing. doing survive the wild stuff in reel life made me reelise its harder than it looks to survive. i could hear the tour guide laughing.
i threw my rock backwards in the air and it actualy hit the lizard. it was knocked unconsious and we put it on a rock and tried to light the fire. the tour guide lit it for us. he was reely good at lighting fires.
the lizard tasted disgusting but it was food and we were really hungry to we ate it anyway. i got used to it eventualy. the lizard was enough food too last us for a week and we used that as food. sometimes we allso caught other little creatures if we were hungry.
Sophia
Dear diary,
One thing you should know, lizards are disgusting. It tastes oozy and gross. It smells horrible and makes you not want to eat. The smell alone makes my head spin. After the lizard was eaten, we became experts at catching and cooking food. This was not an experience I wanted to repeat.
Another problem arose. Possibly a bigger one. We ran out of water. I knew cacti held a lot of water but the water inside the cactus was poisonous. I kept seeing pools of water and trees, but they were just mirages.
My mouth was as dry as the desert. The sun was hot and cruel. I was sunburned and sore. All I wanted was water. Not even to go home to my comfortable bed but water. We were driven by that basic necessity. We did not notice or care about the fact that the landscape before us was changing.
There were rock overhangs to shelter in. So we sheltered underneath them without a second thought. We saw bigger bushes. We made better fires. There were more animals. We ate more food. Still no water.
We heard the sounds of birds. Birds. How were birds here? Birds needed water. We kept heading in the wrong direction. “We should follow the birds. Birds means water.” I said, my voice raspy. We turned in the direction of the bird calls. As we progressed, the bird calls grew louder. I could see seven tall trees. Their leaves were dripping with dew. The birds were flying about happily. Where was the water?
I could not see any pools of water or anything we could drink. The Tour Guide fell to the ground. “No!” He lisped. Max and Isabel rushed to try and wake him up. I stood still. It wasn’t a mirage. It must have rained here often. I stepped back and brushed my arm against a sapling green leaf. My arm was wet and cold.
Wet! I realised what I was missing. The heat was making me not think properly but, in the shade, I understood. If the leaves are wet, that means the wetness is water. Relieved, I tipped the water from the leaf into my mouth, swished it around a bit and then swallowed. I did the same with two other leaves and I felt so much better.
“Guys the leaves have water on them!” I yelled. I finally got my voice back to normal. They didn’t need to be told twice. Isabell and Max stopped shouting at the Tour Guide and started drinking the water. When we had enough, we poured the water into the Tour Guide’s mouth to revive him. It was Max's idea. The Tour Guide woke up, spitting out the water.
“Water? Is that water?” He asked. I nodded. He laughed gleefully and started talking really fast about how important water is and how lucky we are that he found water \. I rolled my eyes. He found the water? I found the water. Max found food. Isabel kept us warm. You lit fires and had a map. We did all the work.
The Tour Guide pulled out a camera and looked at a photo of a map on the camera. Why didn’t he just look at his map in his bag? What was special about this map? I tried to get a closer look at the map, but he moved so I couldn’t see. “I’m doing anything important.” He said.
Isabell 1.7.21
Dear diary,
The tour guide was looking at something on his camera. I could not see what it was, but Sophia must have caught a glimpse of it because she tried to get a closer look. When the Tour Guide said “I’m doing nothing important” I immediately grew suspicious.
“Come on now! The way back is just around the corner.” He said cheerily. Just around the corner? I didn’t think it really was. Maybe it was just an expression but there could have been something important around the corner. I followed again. I shouldn’t have because following him only led to trouble like running out of food and water but home sounded really good to me.
We filled up all our bottles and headed around the corner. Around the corner it was still desert as far as you could see. As far as you could see was really just a few metres from where I stood. Cliffs blocked off sight of the rest of the desert. There was a path in between the two cliffs that wound off to the side so you couldn’t see where it led. The cliffs were reddish brown and looked unclimbable. The Tour Guide led us on the canyon cutting through the cliffs.
The cliffs were taller than the trees in the oasis where we found water. The sky was a vivid blue from all the way below. The cliffs were so smooth it was as though water had once smoothened it out. The floor was red and rocky. The path slowly wound in random directions. I could hear our footsteps echoing in the canyon.
Max 7.1.21
Dear diary,
as we followed the path it opend up to a realy wide area and the cliffs became really small and you could see the sky reealy well and the walls stopped being as smooth. there was a bunch of grey jumbled up stone lying on the floor but some of them were still standing. it looked like someones house and there were more things that looked like houses and some things that looked nothing like houses. there was a crumbly fountain too. there was also a thing that loooked like a temple thing and it had pictures and writing on it. there was dust everywhere. the dust was red and grey and white. its here its here its here i found the lost city! said the tour gide.
he ran inside and sinse it didnt fall apart we went in it to. it was so dust at first i couldnt see a thing and then a saw that there were just a bunch of statues in there and it was not really intresting and i wanted to leave but the tour guide went into a room i didnt see and i thought that there might be like a map or something cool .there wasnt there was just a bunch of gold animals and that was realy dissapointing but then the tour gide grabbd the golden scorpian statue but started turning into gold.
first his feet turned gold and then it started turning him completly in to gold and he did not want to but he put back the scorpian but it was to late and he turned into a gold statue. all the dust cleared and i could see gold statues of all the theifs who had touched statues and some were holding statues. i thinked that the statues needed to be in the right places so that the water would go back in the desert and we can get home.
we should put the gold animals back in there spots and the water should come back and it will carry us back home and the curse will be broken i said. but youll turn into a statue if you touch a statue said isabel. we need to get home not be statues said sophia. but we dont know the way back and we will die anyway so im gonna try and fix it so we can go home i said. dont. there is no curse said sophia. there is i said.
i walked up towards the gold beetle someone was holding. i lifted it out of the persons hands and put it back. my feet started to turn to gold and then they stopped and went back to normal. isabell and sophia looked at each other and decided to help.
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
I don’t know what went through my mind when I agreed to help Max try and break a curse I didn't think existed. Everything I did in the desert seemed rational even when it wasn’t. It seemed rational to follow the untrustworthy tour guide just as it seemed rational to help Max with an impossible task.
I walked up to a statue and wrestled a gold goanna out of its greedy hands. I went to step forward to put the lizard statue in its place, but my feet were already a statue. I fell over and my knees turned into a statue. The table was just out of reach, and I was turning into a statue quickly.
Isabell 1.7.21
Dear diary, Sophia was turning into a statue fast. I ran over to help her. “Put the statue in its place for me.” I nodded and grabbed the statue out of her hands and placed it in its spot. Slowly she started turning back and she was free. “Thanks.” she said. “I’m always here to help.” I replied.
“Can you help me?” shouted Max from the start of the room. “This statue’s too far out. We need to work together. Form a line. I’ll pass it to you when you're ready and the last person must put it on the place with the picture of it. Ok? Ready?” We got in position and nodded. Max took a heavy ibis from the statue frozen mid-run. He passed it to Sophia who passed it to me. I buckled under the weight and put it on the pedestal.
It worked. It was the last one. The temple started filling up with water. We ran for the exit.
Max 1.7.21
Dear diary,
the water made it difficult to run but we made it to the exit and we ran up the canyan and the water was just behind us. the water came from nowhere and was coming realy really fast. we ran faster than the water. soon we were out of the path and past the trees and we ran until the water swept us up and carried us back to the infomation center. Because of the water, i found out piggy could swim. piggy swam with us the whole way back.
Sophia 1.7.21
Dear diary,
The school was waiting for us at the information center. They watched as the wave brought us back and then came back 5 meters away from us. That is how The Desert Of Doom became The Large Lake. They could have let us name it, but it just became The Large Lake.
Our parents were there as well as the police. We were gone for two weeks. It felt longer. I was glad to see my family and was glad to be back. “Sophia! What just happened? I missed you so much! We were so worried about you! Dad it’s Sophia!” Said Mum. Dad came running from where the police were and hugged me. “Are you alright? I was just looking for you.” He said.
“Did-did you just come on a wave.” My brother stuttered. I nodded. His eyes were wide open and he opened and shut his mouth like a fish. “Awesome.” He said at last. “Mum when I’m her age can I go here?” He asked. “No. We’re never going here again. Sophia, you’re changing schools.” She said forcefully.
Isabell 1.7.21
Dear diary,
All my family was there when we came home. As soon as I was on the ground, they gave me a big hug. I nearly suffocated. Everyone started talking at once. “Are sure you are fine? Asked my parents. “Yes.” I replied. “She’s tough. I’m proud of you.” Said Grandpa. Once again, I was surrounded by a flurry of questions. I did my best to answer them.
Then the police came and asked their questions. They asked everyone who was part of us disappearing.
Max 1.7.21
Dear diary,
granma was there and she said that she was very worried and happy that i was safe. the police asked me where was the tour guide and i said he turned into a statue. they didn’t really believe us when they asked sophia and isabel to. no one believes us but its troo. Every bit is true.
The End