The Luckdragon.

Dad.

Where's your girl?

Dad?

*****

And away it went, maybe as fast as it had first come to me. Was it a dream? I shook my head in disbelief, unaware if what I had heard had been a figment of my imagination, wishful thinking, or both.

The New Year's parade went on. I don't even remember what year this was. The Luckdragon smiled at me, his whirlpool eyes dancing like a baby's, giving me no clue as to what creature it belonged to. Lost in the wilderness of the city, the dozens of dancers and participants seemed to me like millions, like a river of people all coming down from the mountains. San Francisco had always been hilly, but was it always THIS hilly? Maybe this is how things feel when you hear voices. Enlarged.

I shook my head and just when it seemed like I recovered some sense of reality, the Luckdragon had passed by. It swiveled and zig-zagged halfway across the next block. Feeling like this was an only chance, I tried chasing it down until I reached the next intersection. Fighting my way through the crowd was no small task, however. Pushing my way through the tourists, through the prune-faced elderly chinese grandmothers with golden babies in their arms, I tried to chase down this creature all the way down to the entrance of Chinatown. The gate which separated downtown from this fleeting dream. Yet, when I was finally able to catch up to the float, all I could see were 10 pairs of feet carrying an inanimate Luckdragon, his yo-yo eyes smiling once again, his huge mouth spilling out multi-colored ribbons. I could hear plates, percussion, stomping feet. Looking up, I met his eyes again, and this time, under my breath... Muttering my thoughts, I said once again....

"...Dad...?"

Nothing. His whirlpool eyes dancing like a baby's.

"... Appa...?"

A tiger. A Hippo. A Yo-yo.

Why is this happening to me?

****