embarrassment, stammered.
Crystal giggled. How could she reject him!
Early next morning, Franco picked Crystal up at her room. He couldn’t wait for the adventure
to begin. Without much sleep, Crystal listlessly fished in her backpack for a notebook inside which
Grandpa scribbled his travel log. It was passed to her after his death. As if she’s solving a riddle or
decoding an FBI document, Crystal began searching for clues for her present. In spite of drawing
a few mind maps, trying to catch Grandpa’s way of thinking, she could make no conclusion. Effort
in vain, she tossed the notebook onto the stool nearby to opt for a coffee break.
Patiently waiting and yet curious, Franco stole a glance at Grandpa’s handwriting. Eyeing
Crystal sideways, he suggested, “What’re you waiting for? Just visit the places your grandpa had
mentioned! You are going nowhere if you keep thinking and hesitating. Nothing would happen!”
Before Crystal could respond, Franco stuffed Crystal’s mind maps into his rucksack, grabbed her
hand and they scurried out of the room.
Crystal had always been a cautious person. She never took action without any advanced
planning. This trip was no exception. The moment they stepped out of the inn into wilderness
of the Gobi Desert, she hesitated. Would it be a bit impulsive just to follow the “clues” on the
notebook? Would it be safe to follow Franco, a guy she had known just the day before? She
scanned Franco from head to toe when he turned his face to her all of a sudden. His eyes were
irresistibly sparkling with exhilaration and confidence. They were so familiar, just like Grandpa’s,
when he recounted his adventures in pride. She was overwhelmed by a surge of emotions that
seemed to be telling her he was the one to trust.
The team of two followed the routes marked in the notebook. The further they went, the more
uncertainties she felt. Would she die here? Was there really “a present” waiting for her?
“Hey, wake up, girl! Come on! Treasure’s waiting for you!” Franco seemed to detect Crystal’s fear.
“It should be somewhere over here … Look! The marking here on the map shows …. ! It should
be here!” Crystal couldn’t agree. “What could I find here?” Crystal thought. What she saw was
sand, sand and sand. Was she supposed to dig into the sand? Were there poisonous scorpions
ready to sting? Would she die without being noticed? She started to calculate her chance of
success when ….
“Wow! Is that a snow leopard? I can’t believe it! And that must be Gobi Bear! These are all
endangered animals! There’re no more than 50 living Gobi Bears. They’re all here. How amazing!!
” Franco exclaimed with mounting excitement.
Crystal heard Franco and turned towards his direction. What came into her eyes were some
endangered species she had seen on the Internet. There were also camels, oxen and wolves. Had
they broken into the rare habitats of an aboriginal forest? Were there poachers ready to fire their
rifles somewhere hidden?
Seeing the signs of worries of his panic-stricken mate, Franco comforted her, “No worry! We
are just observing from this very distance. Enjoy this fantastic moment, dear! Hush!! The bear’s
moving!” Franco was just like a kid. Watching the carefree guy was itself a great pleasure. There
they were, chatting about the animals and taking snapshots. It was beyond Crystal’s imagination
to see animals other than camels in a desert so barren. The old Chinese saying’s right -- you
* * *
