JUST DESERT

She lowered the knife and it grew even brighter. When Jane pushed the knife toward the pumpkin, it’s force pushed it away! So, Jane decided if she was going to make the pumpkin pie she had promised her mother, she would just have to push harder. She gripped the knife tightly; thrust it down with all her might and when her knife cut the pumpkin, and it exploded!

Jane screamed and dove for the floor, covering her head! When all was quiet, she stood up and looked around. She was standing next to a wide river, but other than that, as far as she could see, sand stretched out in front of her. Jane searched for any other sign of life, but she couldn’t see anything. Everything was silent except the soft rumble of the river.

Jane looked around again and saw specks in the distance; brown specks. She thought they might be houses. Jane started running toward them. As she ran she noticed she couldn’t run very fast. She glanced down and realized she was wearing a skirt and sandals.

Jane stopped running and looked at her skirt. She realized it looked like an ancient Egyptian kilt! Jane wasn’t sure what to do so she ran toward the brown specks again. After about a hour, Jane realized the brown specks weren’t getting any bigger. Jane knew she couldn’t get there that day and the specks were a long way off. Jane glanced behind her and saw the setting sun.

She decided to stop for the night and travel again in the morning. Jane sat down and found that the sand was quite soft. Soon she fell asleep. Jane woke up with a start and found the sun in her eyes. As she looked at the sun, she saw the image of a man sitting on a throne that was in the sun. Jane thought about the Egyptian gods and remembered the god of the sun, Ra.  The sun was his throne!

Right there sitting on the ground Jane knew things were about to get interesting, and she was right. Then Jane remembered the brown specks and looked for them. Jane spotted them and started running toward them. By the end of the day Jane was only a mile away, but she was too tired to go any further, so again she lay down and slept. Jane woke up the next morning on a mat, she sat up and looked around. Jane was outside one of the brown houses she had spotted earlier! Jane knocked on the door and it opened immediately.

A woman stepped out. The woman said that whoever repaired the pumpkin would save everyone from their worries. Jane went inside the house and saw a broken pumpkin lying on the table. She got to work right away for two reasons. She wanted to help everyone and it might help her get home.

Jane took a handful of pulp, picked out the seeds, and smeared it on one side of the pumpkin making it sticky. She smeared it on one side of the pumpkin making it sticky. Then Jane pressed the two halves together and the pumpkin glowed, it was stuck together!

Jane picked up the pumpkin and carried it to the woman who had told her about it. As soon as the woman had the pumpkin in her grasp, it exploded again! Jane dove to the ground and covered her head. When she got up and looked around Jane saw that she was back home. Jane looked in the kitchen and saw that a pumpkin pie was made and cooling, almost ready to eat.