can learn more by travelling a thousand miles than by reading a thousand books. If she hadn’t
followed Grandpa’s footsteps, she could never have seen such a wonder.
“Hey you guys! What are you doing here! Here is a forbidden zone!” someone shouted.
“Oops, they discovered us,” Franco whispered. There wasn’t the slightest trace of worry in him.
When the armed guards drew near, Franco, flashing a broad grin, held his arms high up to
show the greatest degree of friendliness he possibly could. He went on explaining in a dialect
unknown to Crystal that they had walked too far and trespassed into the restricted area without
realizing it. His apology and sincerity seemed to have melted the hostility of the strangers. They
were let go eventually.
“Hahaaa! Just like what I said! Nothing happens! Let’s move on to the next spot, shall we?”
Franco chuckled while watching the guards walked away.
Crystal was much influenced by Franco’s nothing-to-fear character. She followed him closely,
trekking through sand and rocks. High up on an enormous rock, with heavily weathered ones
around, they stood there relaxed looking up to the crystal clear sky. It was already dusk, and the
giant orange-yellowish sun resembling an egg yolk was descended leisurely behind the horizon,
dyeing the surroundings into reddish brown. What a picture! The air had never been so refreshing
and the sounds of nature had never been so absorbingly sweet …
“They are different from photos,” Crystal whispered to herself. The sky, the desert and people
were all in perfect harmony. Both Crystal and Franco were stunned by such a splendid view.
Up in the sky Crystal saw the image of Grandpa. “Is it the present Grandpa prepared for me?
It’s brilliant! I love it! Thank you!” “I … love… you… Grandpa-a-a!” Crystal shouted at the top of
her voice into the distance, her voice echoing in the crisp air.
“Hey, watch out, dear!” Franco held her at the arm, smiling a contented smile.
As the sun completely disappeared, they headed back to the inn.
“So, do you enjoy today?” Franco asked, obviously exhilarated.
“Sure! What an amazing gift! But I don’t figure out why Grandpa wrapped his gift in such a
tortuous way. He could have told me plainly, right?” Crystal wondered.
“Forget it! We DID enjoy ourselves. That’s good enough. Thanks! Also, to your Grandpa, the
great mastermind for planning the route of our amazing tour! Good night and sweet dreams!” There
he went, the same happy-go-lucky Franco humming a cheerful tune while returning to his room.
Planning… route…
Crystal started pondering. What could he mean?
“Grandpa! Grandpa! Tell me more about your stories! About that Gobi Desert!” a small girl
exclaimed pleadingly.
“Child, why do you have to listen to me? You can just go see it by yourself! I tell stories, and
they’ll remain stories till they are experienced,” the man with a face of wrinkles winked.
“But you said deserts are dangerous! Mama and Papa would not allow me! And I am afraid …”
the girl responded.
“If you keep on thinking and hesitating, nothing would happen. If you wanna see the real
thing, come with me…” his voice kept ringing in her ears.
“Grandpa!” Crystal opened her eyes wide in a sudden. It was just a dream. She jumped out of
bed, got dressed, in the mood of taking a walk outside.
Knock, knock …
Was Franco still sleeping? Then Crystal was turning away from the door when it clicked open.
