Desert Danger

by Jan Burchett

  He’s not a trained animal, Zoe realized. He won’t come to my call, but he must be somewhere nearby. He might even have gone back to the shelter. She turned, but couldn’t see the sail any longer. She was totally lost now.

  Zoe fought down her rising panic as she crawled on, trying to find something to focus on, anything that would tell her where she was. But she couldn’t make out any landmarks, just endless swirling sand. She should have stayed in the shelter with Ben, but she knew she’d had no choice. She had to find Jossy.

  The sand was pelting her goggles. She started to feel dizzy as she watched its swirling movement. She took an uncertain step forward, stumbled, and fell heavily. As she stretched out her hand to pick herself up, she felt her fingers come into contact with something warm and moving.

  Zoe’s instincts kicked in. She pulled back her hand and curled up, arms over her head, fearing an attack. She could hear something crying out and growling.

  Suddenly, there was a nose nudging at her arm. Zoe risked a peek. A familiar face was staring up at her.

  “Jossy!” she said, clasping the trembling cub tightly and curling around him. “I’ve got you. You’re all right now.”

  The lion cub seemed to sense that he had reached safety. He lay in Zoe’s arms, sneezing and shaking his head to free himself of the fine sand that covered his snout.

  Zoe wished she could contact Ben on her BUG and tell him she’d found Jossy, but all Zoe could do now was to wait until the storm moved on. And she had no idea how long that would be.

  * * *

  Ben lay under his shelter, fighting the urge to race to Zoe’s rescue. He admired her courage for going after Jossy, but she’d taken their mission too far. The sound of the sand beating on his shelter was deafening. As the wind whipped around, it caught the corners of the sail, making it hard to keep the shelter stable.

  Ben could feel the sand beginning to cover him. First his feet, then his back. He kept shaking it off, horrified at the thought of being buried alive.

  After what felt like an eternity, the sound of the storm began to die away. Ben cautiously raised a corner of the sail and looked out. Zoe was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Jossy. The air grew still. The blown sand was banked up in smooth slopes and mounds against trees and around bushes and rocks.

  A terrible thought came to him. Was Zoe somewhere under there, struggling to breathe?

  Ben jumped when he heard a shout close behind him. He leaped to his feet, threw the sail aside and turned. Just a few paces away was a shallow bank of sand.

  Zoe was emerging from the far side with Jossy in her arms! Ben gave a shout of relief, ripped off his goggles and cotton scarf, and ran toward his sister.

  “That was scary!” called Zoe, uncovering her face. “If only I’d known I was so close. But I did find our naughty little friend!”

  “I’m not sure who was the naughty one,” said Ben sternly. “You should never have left the shelter in a storm like that.”

  “I know,” admitted Zoe. “But if I hadn’t, we might have lost Jossy for good.”

  Ben grinned. “And you say I’m the one who takes all the risks!” he said.

  Jossy wriggled in Zoe’s arms. “Okay, boy,” she said soothingly. “We’re going now.”

  Ben reached out and stroked the cub to help calm him. Then he looked up at the sky. Over in the west, the sun was beginning to sink toward the dunes. “We won’t get much farther before nightfall,” he said. “We should set up camp for now, and head for the pool in the morning.”

  “Good idea,” Zoe said. She wiped her mouth with her hand. “And I need some water! I’m really dried out after that storm. I bet Jossy would like a drink, too.”

  Ben held up the water bottle and shook it. “Not much left,” he said. He saw the look of alarm on Zoe’s face. “Don’t worry, we’ll think of something. There are a few plants growing here, so there must be water somewhere.”

  “I just remembered something I saw on TV,” said Zoe. “A program about the people of the Kalahari. They dug up melons and drank the fluid inside. The melons had leaves that looked like dandelions and were on long stalks under the surface.”

  “Then let’s get digging,” said Ben.

  Jossy seemed sleepy again, so they made him comfortable in the backpack and began their search. There were clumps of yellow spiky grass and thorn bushes pushing up through the newly laid sand, but no sign of the dandelion-like leaves.

  The sun was very low now, and sinking fast. Zoe began to scrape away the sand, trying to ignore the overwhelming dryness in her mouth.

  They searched and dug until darkness fell, but they didn’t find anything.

  “Time to stop,” said Ben, running his tongue over his dry lips. “We’re not getting anywhere. The sandstorm hid any melon leaves. We should get some sleep.”

  “Agreed,” said Zoe. “I’m even thirstier now.”

  Ben handed her their water bottle. “There’s about three sips each, so make the most of it!” he said.

  Zoe felt the drops of warm water disappear in her dry mouth. She took out Jossy’s milk. The little lion cub looked at her drowsily as she gently pushed the teat between his teeth. He began to suck. Before long, the bottle was empty.

  “He’s drank it all!” she said in alarm. “There’s nothing left. What are we going to do?”

  “Don’t worry,” Ben said. “I’ve got an idea.” He pulled the sail across the sand and draped it over a couple of nearby bushes, letting it dip in the middle. “We’ll sleep under here, and we’ll find water in that hollow when we wake up.”

  “I’m not falling for that one, Ben,” said Zoe, smirking. “It’s not going to rain tonight.”

  “But there will be condensation,” said Ben. “The moisture in the air will condense on the sail and run down into the hollow.”

  Ben heaved the backpacks under the shelter, crawled in, and pulled out an energy bar. “At least we have a little food left,” he said.

  It was hard to eat the energy bar without a drink. It stuck to the roofs of their mouths. Their lips cracked open as they chewed.

  Zoe wrapped up the rest of the bar and put it away. Ben wasn’t doing much better.He took up his BUG. “It’s working now that the storm passed,” he said, tapping at the buttons. “I just texted Erika that we’ll be near the pool in the morning. She said to contact her again then.”

  Zoe looked down at the little lion cub. His head was on his paws and his eyes were closed. “I’ll check on your mother,” she told him, “and see how far she’s gotten.”

  But when the signal appeared on her screen, Zoe’s face fell. “She still hasn’t moved, Ben.” She gulped hard. “What if I killed her?”

  “I’m sure the lioness is fine,” said Ben, putting his arm around his sister. “She probably woke up just after we left and has made her way back to the pride.”

  “Then why is her signal still in the same place?” Zoe said, trying to hold back tears. “I gave her too much tranquilizer. I should’ve known better. She’ll be at risk from predators now — and that other lion.”

  Ben gave her a friendly nudge. “It’s probably your BUG getting it wrong,” he said. “It might still be malfunctioning.”

  Zoe managed a half-hearted smile. “That could be it,” she said. “I’m being silly, sorry.”

  She went silent as they heard strange wailing sounds fill the air around them. “What’s that?” she said, clutching Ben’s arm. She peered out over the sand. It was dark now. She felt herself shiver. “It’s so creepy, like spooky musical instruments.”

  “Ghosts of the Kalahari!” said Ben, his eyes wide.

  “Don’t be silly,” said Zoe. “It can’t be.” She paused. “Can it?”

  Ben grinned. “Perhaps they’re phantoms of travelers lost in the desert,” he said in a sinister voice. “Searching for their next victims.”
>
  Zoe rolled her eyes.

  “Or maybe it’s a bunch of camels playing clarinets?” Ben said.

  Zoe punched Ben in the shoulder. “You know what it really is, don’t you?” she said.

  Ben grinned at her. “It’s the sand singing!” he said. “I read about it on the plane. It happens here in the desert when the wind has dropped.”

  Zoe punched her brother’s arm. “How can the sand make that noise?” she asked.

  “The wind drives the sand up the dunes,” Ben said. “But in the end, the top gets too heavy and starts to slide. That’s what we can hear.”

  “Weird!” said Zoe. “You wouldn’t expect it to sound so eerie.” She shivered and moved closer to her brother. “The temperature’s dropping.”

  She looked out from under the shelter up at the black sky. It was filled with bright stars. “It’s going to be a cold night.”

  Ben checked the little cub’s leg wound by under a flashlight’s beam. “His leg looks clean,” he said. “Let’s get some sleep.”

  He unfolded their sleeping bags and they curled up as close to each other as they could.

  “Jossy makes a nice heating pad,” Zoe said as the little cub lay beside her.

  In the distance, she could hear cries of nocturnal creatures calling to each other. She made sure that the scent disperser was still working on her BUG and then analyzed the calls.

  “Jackals,” she told Ben. “Leopard and hyenas, too! It’s predator city out there.”

  “This could be a problem,” said Ben. “They won’t smell us, but they might catch Jossy’s scent. We need a deterrent.”

  “One of us stays awake with the tranquilizer gun?” said Zoe.

  “No need!” said Ben. He tapped some keys on his BUG and aimed a hologram image of a crackling fire just beyond their shelter. “That should keep them away.”

  Jossy suddenly wriggled and scratched his ear. He looked around, interested in the distant calls.

  “Better make sure he doesn’t wander off again,” said Zoe. She took the rope from Ben’s backpack and fastened it round Jossy’s body in a harness, tying the other end firmly to her wrist. “Now if you make a break for it, you’ll be dragging me with you!”

  Zoe stroked the cub’s back as he rubbed his cheek against her face. “He’s such a darling,” she said. “I wish I could keep him.” She caught sight of her brother rolling his eyes. “I know, I can’t.” She grinned.

  Jossy snuggled down and was soon breathing deeply, his paws twitching as he dreamed. Zoe huddled close to the warm cub. The air on her face was getting very cold. She began to wish that the hologram image of the fire was real.

  A while later, Zoe pulled her sleeping bag around her ears. Ben was already asleep, but Zoe couldn’t get comfortable. The creepy song of the sands was still echoing in the distance, and that got her worrying about the lioness again.

  Zoe was sure that she had used the correct amount of tranquilizer. Then why hadn’t the signal moved?

  As her anxious thoughts whirled around her head, Zoe felt like she’d never fall asleep.

  The next thing she knew, Zoe found herself at the top of a sand dune ready to toboggan down toward a huge pool of cool, inviting water. She jumped on her sled and was about to launch herself down when Grandma appeared, grabbed her wrist, and tugged it hard.

  Zoe jerked awake. The sky outside their shelter was dashed with orange and purple like it was on fire. She peered at it, puzzled.

  “It’s dawn!” she said. She’d been dreaming. Of course Grandma wasn’t here with them. Also, she was thirstier than she’d ever felt in her life.

  But something was pulling at her wrist. She hadn’t been dreaming that. She sat up and looked around her. It was Jossy tugging at his leash! The little cub was scampering about at her feet, limping slightly.

  The cub nosed the ground, while pawing at a small, dark object.

  “You’re feeling better, Jossy,” said Zoe. “That looks like playing to me.”

  Zoe gave Ben a nudge. He stirred and gazed blankly at her, his hair sticking up. “What’s going on?” Ben muttered, rubbing his eyes.

  “Our patient has recovered,” Zoe said. “He’s playing a game.”

  Ben focused on the cub. “What’s he playing with?” he asked as Jossy pounced again.

  With dread, Zoe realized what it was. “It’s a scorpion!” she cried. “And it’s about to strike!”

  Zoe yanked at Jossy’s rope, dragging him toward her, but the angry scorpion darted after him. Ben was out of his sleeping bag in a flash. He crouched down, fumbling with one hand for his hat.

  “I’ll trap it,” he said. But he couldn’t seem to find his hat. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the scorpion. It had stopped, tail twitching, within reach of Jossy. At last, Ben’s fingers closed on the brim of his cap. He snatched it up and slammed it over the scorpion.

  ZIP! The sting poked through the fabric.

  “Wow!” Ben said as he whipped his hand away just in time. “That was close!”

  He flipped the cap over, catching the scorpion inside. Then he swung it like a racket and sent the poisonous insect flying far away from their camp.

  “Where are some meerkats when you need them,” he said. “They’re immune to the stings, and they’d eat them.”

  Zoe shuddered. “Yeah,” she said. She was finding it hard to speak because her mouth was so dry.

  Ben was panting from his exertions. “I shouldn’t be feeling like this,” he said. “I’m getting dehydrated.”

  The sun was now peeking over the distant dunes.

  Ben crawled out from their cover to inspect the roof of their shelter. “Look at this,” he said. “It worked!”

  Ben and Zoe each scooped up a handful of the cold water that was caught in the dip of the sail and gulped the liquid down.

  “No more!” said Ben. “We have to save the rest for later.”

  Ben held the sail carefully while Zoe collected every drop in their bottles.

  Zoe used some water to make Jossy a little of his special milk, then stuffed the bottles in Ben’s backpack.

  “We’d better get moving,” said Ben. He turned off the fire hologram and pulled his backpack toward him. A trailing strap attracted Jossy’s attention and he pounced on it with a small growl. Grasping it in his front paws, he bit at it. Then he jumped to his feet and scampered around in circles.

  “That’s a good sign,” said Zoe. “He doesn’t seem to be in any pain from that wound, and it looks like it’s healing well.”

  Ben grinned at the little cub’s antics. It hurt his cracked lips, but he was happy that Jossy was feeling better. “We’ll have to keep him on his leash or he’ll run all over the place. He’s certainly not going to let us put him in a backpack now.”

  Zoe grabbed the rope. “Here, Jossy!” she said. She dangled the end in front of him and he swiped at it. “I might have to play with him like this the whole way,” Zoe said.

  Ben brought up a map on his BUG. “The pool is to the west,” he said. “It shouldn’t take more than an hour.”

  “What about his mom’s signal?” asked Zoe. She brought up the tracking screen. “Oh no, she’s still at the well.” Zoe tested the BUG’s other functions just to be sure it was working. It was.

  Ben squeezed her arm. “We’ll get Erika to take us back there after we’ve delivered Jossy,” he said. He navigated through the menu. “I’m setting my BUG to pick up lion calls. Then we’ll know that we’re taking our little cub to the right place.”

  Zoe pulled firmly on the leash. “Come on, Jossy,” she said. “Let’s get you home.”

  They packed up and set out across the flat, baked earth, allowing themselves occasional sips of water from their small supply. The dunes were behind them now. Shading his eyes, Ben could see a herd of wildebeest bunched around a small patch
of green in the distance. The sky was a deep turquoise with tiny white clouds. And it was very hot. Ben felt his head swimming, but he knew he had to keep going.

  Jossy scampered along, pulling at the lead and sniffing at every plant and rock.

  “Not long now, Jossy,” said Zoe. “Has the BUG picked up any lion cries?”

  Ben shook his head. “Nothing on the screen yet,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean they’re not nearby. They could be asleep.”

  Ben and Zoe reached the bottom of a stony ridge. At that moment, they heard a scraping noise, and a shower of pebbles came rolling down toward them. They looked up to see a large antelope standing proudly at the top. “It’s a gemsbok,” Ben whispered.

  “What a beautiful creature,” Zoe said.

  Then Jossy saw the gemsbok. He let out an excited mew and tried to scramble toward the ridge.

  With a scuffle of hooves, the creature disappeared. “I think our little cub’s hungry,” said Ben. “He wants to do some hunting. He really is feeling better. Let’s get to the top of this ridge and check out the view. We might spot the pride.”

  “We have to be careful,” said Zoe. “We don’t want them spotting us first.”

  They crept up to the top of the ridge and scanned the terrain ahead. The gemsbok was bounding down toward his herd. They were grazing under a baobab tree. Beyond the tree, a group of buffalo wandered across the grassy sand.

  “There’s the pool!” said Ben, pointing at a circle of trees in the distance. It was bright green against the orange land. “Over to the west.”

  Zoe bent down and scratched Jossy between the ears. “Nearly home,” she said. “At least I hope so. I can’t see any lions.”

  Ben checked his BUG. “It’s picking up lion cries now,” he said. “And they’re definitely coming from those trees. I think we’ve found Jossy’s family.”