I didn't think where I was going. I just ran, blinded by anger and rage, towards the mountain. I didn't think the gang would miss me very much. And I knew that Pendanski or Mr. Sir wouldn't come looking for me.

I was on my own.

The first hour was fine. I ran for at least half a mile before stopping to rest. I slowly felt the dryness of thirst creep up my throat and into my mouth. Suddenly, I realised that I only had three days in this desert before the buzzards got me.

I got up then, and started walking again. The thirst got worse and worse until my throat burned, and my whole body ached. I felt like giving up, then and there.

I saw an overturned boat in the distance. I staggered towards it, glimpsing the writing on the side with half an eye – Mar-y Lou. Wearily, I crawled underneath it. It was quite roomy underneath – well, for a small kid like me. And it was cool and shady.

I looked around. There was a shelf, with three jars on it, caked with grime on the outside. Desperate, I grabbed the first one and broke the top off it. It was full of a brown, slimy liquid. I gulped it all down at once.

It tasted good – spicy and sweet. It quenched some of my thirst. I quickly finished the second jar. I then lay down in the sand and fell fast asleep.

The next thing I knew, someone was calling my name. At first, I thought I was dead and I'd gone to Heaven. But it was Stanley.

I couldn't move at first. My head was spinning, and my eyes were burning from the heat. My throat felt like it had closed up, so I couldn't talk properly.

I scrambled out of the hole, and Stanley called my name and pulled my into a tight hug. He'd come all this way to find me.

I asked if there was any water, but Stanley hadn't thought to bring any. Excited, he told me about stealing the water truck and driving it into a hole. I gave a croaky laugh and sat up.

I cracked open the last jar of the sweet stuff. This time, the glass broke more easily. I offered it to Stanley, but he only had a sip. I swallowed the rest.

He told me that I had to go back, or I'd die. I would have rather died than face the Warden again. I refused, and asked him what 'Mar-y Lou' spelt. He told me it was Mary Lou, and he corrected my grammar.

Stanley spotted a strange mountain in the distance, which had a sort of thumbs-up shape on top. He asked me what it looked like to me, and I showed him.

The next thing I knew, he had hauled me up, grabbed the shovel and we had started walking towards it. He told me the story about Stanley Yelnats the First, and how he found refuge on God's Thumb. Full of hope, we trudged onwards.

We scrambled up the mountain, bit by bit. I was getting weaker, and I didn't feel too good. I knew it was the sweet stuff that had done it, but I didn't let on. Stanley kept me going, telling me storied about ice cream and hot fudge Sundaes and also how good this Mary Lou girl would look in a bikini.

Suddenly, I felt a rush of nausea. I threw up, and then I lost it – slipping in and out of consciousness. Stanley caught me before I could fall down the hill. I heard him call to me, and I tried to tell him that I stole the shoes in the first place, but I blacked out.

I was woken up by a splash of water. Stanley had carried me to the top, and he had found water. I cried with laughter as he picked me up and threw me into the shallow pool. I drank my fill, while he found a strange vegetable growing nearby. He took a large bite. I asked him what it was, and he told me it was a hot fudge Sundae. I bit into it.

I had never enjoyed an onion so much in my entire life.

We stayed there for a couple of days to get our strength back, and then headed back to camp to get the treasure. I was doubtful as to whether Stanley could remember which hole he had found the lipstick tube in, but he found it. I ran to get another shovel.

When I came back, the hole was much deeper. I laughed, and jumped down to help him. He banged the side of the hole, until we heard a sort of 'clunk' sound. Excited, we dug into the side and pulled out the chest.

We must have made a racket, because the Warden, Mr. Sir, and Pendanski found us. We would have been goners for sure – but then something worse happened.

A group of yellow spotted lizards crawled out of the hole in the side. We shrieked as they jumped onto us. The Warden didn't care, however. All she wanted was the treasure.

We waited for at least fifteen minutes, but the lizards didn't bite us. We heard a car pull up nearby. Mr. Sir swore loudly.

A policewoman came towards us, shocked to see us covered in lizards. The Warden accused Stanley of taking the trunk from her office. Stanley jumped out of the hole and denied it. I brought the trunk out, and the Warden tried to grab it. Then she saw the name on it: STANLEY YELNATS.

When we got back to the camp, the other boys from D-Tent came out to greet us – Squid, Armpit, ZigZag, X-Ray and Magnet, as well as a new boy that must have taken my place. They all hugged us and patted us on the back.

For the first time at Camp Green Lake, I knew that deep down, nobody thought I was a Zero.