“
Well, my bindings are the ropes tying my hands together behind my back” she thought “If only there
was a rock or sharp knife hanging around. What am I kidding? They would not be stupid enough to…. wait. I’ve
found a rock!”
Sure enough, she did. As she grabbed it, the door slowly creaked open. It was pitch black outside. Even
if she did manage to sneak out, she would never be able to find her way back to the Great Wall. She was too
busy contemplating this that she didn’t notice the man that had crept in. She only realised that he was there until
it was too late.
“
What do you think you’re doing?” he whispered.
“
Ahh! Oh, nothing!”
“
Don’t worry! I won’t hurt you. I hate this place too.”
“
You do? Why? Don’t you live here?”
There was a long pause.
He was the one who broke the silence.
“
Can I come with you?”
“
How do I know you can be trusted?” Maddy was unsure about this guy.
“
I think you know why” He replied mysteriously.
“
I still don’t know your name.”
“
My name is Batu.”
After that they snuck out and around the huts.
“
They won’t notice us if we go that way” He said. Luckily they didn’t. Batu thought of a brilliant idea,
and they would have been lost without it.
“
Oh! I can’t believe we really thought we would be able to travel across the country without a horse!”
After that they took a little de-tour to the stables. They got a big strong horse for Batu and a little pony for
Maddy.
When they had gotten away from the village, Batu spoke.
“
I think it’s safe now.”
The journey home was a long one. They had to stop every night to sleep and get a new supply of food.
They dodged Mongolians, crept past Chinese, and eventually, got the mountain where the Great Wall stood.
“
Magnificent, isn’t it?” Batu said as they approached.
“
Extremely” Maddy replied.
Slowly, but steadily, they made their way up the mountain. The all too familiar sight and sound of the
warning call came up.
“
Hide!” yelled Batu.
He sounded pretty serious so she followed his order, and just in time! Flaming arrows shot off the wall.
“
They must think we are Mongolians!” Maddy exclaimed. They started heading up again, but more
cautiously this time. They got closer and closer to the wall as they crept upwards. So close, that they could
almost see the faces of the guards on the wall, and they could probably see them just as clearly. Just then,
Maddy had an idea. She jumped up from their hiding place. “What are you doing?” cried Batu urgently “You’ll
get yourself killed!”
“
You’ll see. They wouldn’t hurt a little girl” replied Maddy confidently. Just then the rain of arrows
stopped. “Told you” She whispered back to him. A loud thump came from the direction of the wall. Then out of
nowhere she was almost strangled by the enormous hug that was being given to her. “Oh Maddy!” her dad said
“
I missed you so much! I thought you were dead! Wake up! We’re here!” Maddy thought that she had misheard
the last part. He started shaking her gently. “Wake up Maddy! Come on, you don’t want to miss out, do you?”
This time he sounded like her mother. Then Maddy had this feeling of opening her eyes. But, they were already
open, right?
Wrong.
As she experienced this strange feeling, everything disappeared. All she could see was her mother.
“
We’re here. We’re at the Great Wall of China” Everything came back to her. She was on holiday with her
family, in the place she had wanted to come to her whole life. She was safe at last.
* * *