Stars of the Steppe

The Land of the Blue Sky

The starry night engulfed the vast steppe, with thousands of celestial bodies twinkling in the horizon. Collections of gers¹ sparsely occupied the grasslands while campfires released swirls of smoke onto the moonlit sky. 

Sarnai sat upon a small hill, immersed within the simple yet unforgettable beauty of her home. No matter how large or unforgiving the steppe appears at times, Sarnai never felt lost in the unknown. She reached into her pocket, holding a precious necklace from her grandmother. A horse was carved onto the jade stone, encircled by miniscule patterns of gold. Sarnai glanced at the steppe one last time and closed her eyes to the abyss of her mind.

She experienced many peculiar dreams, or perhaps many nightmares. After her father's passing, Sarnai had many nightmares surrounding her loneliness. Despite the isolating illusions created by her past, she moved on. After all, her family believed he was watching upon them from the heavenly sky. There was no time to dwell in sadness when looking to the future.

Eyes opening, Sarnai felt the gleaming rays of sunlight and heard the birds singing below the milk-colored clouds. She gathered her items and parted from the hill, approaching the ger. Right outside the entrance, Sarnai's mother was tending to the cattle. Sarnai greeted her mother, who's face expressed fatigue yet unbreakable determination.

"Out stargazing again, Sarnai?" asked her mother with a smirk.

"It's hard not to...I was paying father a visit, I suppose. Do you need help with anything?" replied Sarnai.

"I knew you were going to say that. Go prepare some süütei tsai ² along with buuz³. We have visitors coming over today, and they must be treated as such." said her mother.

Sarnai nodded, opening the door to the ger and prepared for work. There were few jobs Sarnai enjoyed doing, yet cooking spoke to her soul. Preparing food allowed her to relive fond memories with her grandmother. Sarnai learned many different recepies from her, even dishes from far-away lands. Her grandmother's delicious food prompted many moments of joy for her parents as well. There was a time when her father would play a tune on his morin khuur while her mother sang mystifying yet beautiful song after a flavourful meal. Sarnai's mother still hums to the same song before going to sleep.

Sarnai gathered water, milk, tea leaves, and salt. Stirring them together, she could smell the fresh aroma of the süütei tsai. She poured the milk tea into several porcelain bowls of utmost quality. After preparing the tea, Sarnai began working on the buuz. This delicious meal was her favorite, thus it was one she strives to master. She gathered some beef and began mincing it into small chunks. After cutting the meat, Sarnai gently salted the meat and added garlic. She proceeded by creating dough to fold around the meat. Once the two components were done, Sarnai cooked them, observing the golden hue of the finished products. They smelled like a distant memory.

The food was ready, and Sarnai's mother was nearly done with the livestock. Though, Sarnai forgot to ask who the guests are. They haven't had any visitors since her father's death, so she wondered who they could possibly be and why they were coming...

1) Also called a yurt, a ger is a round hut often used by nomadic groups to ensure fast assembly/disassembly.

2) Traditional Mongolian beverage (known as "salty tea"). It is typically made out of water, milk, tea, and salt (occasionally butter or fat).

3) Mongolian steamed dumpling. Typically made of mutton or beef  (flavoured with onion/garlic or salt) that is wrapped with dough and cooked.