15thLet’s Read Children’s Writing Competition

1st Prize Winner for 8-11 years

Jana Eberlein from Royal Flight School

 Aisha lay in the tent snuggled up in her cosy sleeping bag and thought about the events of the day. She was captivated by the infinite stars twinkling and shining above her. 

“What was your favourite part of the day?” asked Jana, her best friend.

They were on a camping trip with their class and Jana’s question was impossible to answer. She had loved the camels with their long spindly legs, huge humps, unusually long necks and wise faces. She had also loved the black baby goat running after its mother.

After some discussion, they both concluded their favourite things were the Bedouin-style tents, the sweet dates, the bitter black coffee and the adorable children in their traditional colourful clothes with their large, dark eyes and tangled hair.

The two girls were upset that their teacher hadn’t let them buy a bracelet due to lack of time, so they devised a plan to go back by themselves at night to buy one. Jana was slightly afraid, but Aisha was all for it. Finally she could prove her brave Omani blood that she said comes from the Nomads that used to wander about long ago. They only had to follow the Bedouin track, thought Jana, so what could go wrong?

They set out with a few things in their backpacks, but they hadn’t expected a storm to come up while they were out. They pulled their thin jackets over their faces as they stumbled along half blind, the wind whipping the sand against their faces. Then the rain began. It pelted down on the two frightened girls, hindering them from going on. Storms seldom occur in the desert, but when they come, they attack everything in their paths. 

 Aisha knew exactly what to do. It was a technique that had been passed down through many generations. She ordered Jana to go with her to the top of the tallest dune they could see. They covered themselves with the picnic mat they had brought with them. The two terrified girls crouched together, listening to the angry wind howling and shrieking around them, tearing at the fabric walls of their shelter. As the storm calmed down they fell asleep. 

Jana woke up with a start. Sand had fallen onto her face. She crept out silently to see what the morning had brought. Outside, the sight caught her breath. The desert lay peacefully at her feet, stretched out for kilometres on end. The vastness of this serene scene was breathtaking. Was this really the stormy wilderness they had fought through last night?

By this time, Aisha was also awake studying the magnificent view before her. “Oman is an amazing place, isn’t it?” she said. “We have a right to be proud of our native Country. “Indeed we do!” Jana answered.

The two girls were quiet for some moments, when they suddenly heard a car coming towards them. As they looked, both their hearts were filled with joy as someone had come to rescue them.