The foreigner queried the young oriental. "What is your name?"
His new friend knitted his brow a moment, then replied. "English name: Jerry. Yours?"
The foreigner could have replied with his regular name, but a glint appeared in his eye. "Chinese name: Dong Fu Long!"
Jerry looked confused for a moment, trying to interpret the foreigner's faulty pronunciation. "Dong Fu... Long... Eastern Dragon?"
The two men spent days together exploring the karst landscapes in southern China. They talked about movies, and played music together. They shared good times with other fellow travellers, and heard stories of each other's lives.
On a sunny afternoon they explored the Yulong river on a bamboo raft. Their raftsman stood at the tail of the small deck, skillfully manoeuvring the small craft along the shallow waterway. Little ripples and spray appeared on the peaceful river as the karst peaks on either side drifted slowly by, and their conversation drifted here and there.
Jerry's mind was once again filled with thoughts of movies. "Up in the air. Have you seen this movie?"
The other man searched his memories, but only snippets from a trailer appeared. "I've heard of it. Never seen it."
Images from the film flooded the young Chinaman's imagination. "It has Tom Hanks. No! George Clooney. He flies around the country to tell people they have lost their jobs. All of his life is spent in airports and planes. He feels more at home travelling"
The invisible dragon was close by, gently coasting just above the water, eavesdropping on their conversation. The foreigner noticed there were a few extra ripples and spray around them as the dragon's wings brushed the surface.
Jerry questioned his friend. "All your life is spent travelling... Is it like that for you? Do you feel more at home when you travel?"
He didn't notice that his friend remained silent while the invisible dragon replied, keeping pace with the raft on the river. "Yes. Travelling to so many places is a wonderful life."
The silence and mystery of the moment lingered, until the foreigner seemingly changed the topic. "What did you say the name Yulong means?"
The young oriental thought the question a little strange, but answered politely. "It means Dragon Encounter."
Journeys and travels often bring separations and goodbyes. The invisible dragon was the first to leave, soaring high above the river and the karst peaks and onward to new adventures. And later, the two friends embraced a goodbye, then continued along their separate ways.
Jerry is alive and well and living in inner Mongolia
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