It wasn't really a DragonCon; he just came to call it that.

Juan had waited all year for his club's local convention, and finally it came. His brother flew in from Cisco Grande, a big surprise, as Paolo hadn't been an active fan since childhood. His sister was there too, working. What a great way for a family reunion, he thought as they approached the Registration Desk to check in. He had a pass-on membership, but "the Kid" had to pay. Paolo was only minutes younger but had always been "the Kid" to Juan.

"Hi, sis. Saddled with the desk again?" She was the real youngest of four siblings, three of whom were fans. Their "Normy" oldest brother was into sports, considering the rest of them kooks.

Maria smiled, nodded, handed him his free Program Packet and membership badge.

"Hey, look!" Paolo nudged him in the ribs, just as he was pinning it on. "There's a dragon in the lobby."

"There sure is," said Juan, turning to look, sucking an injured thumb. "I wonder who it is? Nice costume." He wondered why such an elaborate costume wasn't being saved for the Masquerade. It would win hands down. Sure was real looking. Juan could almost believe in dragons.

Once the Kid had paid, after planning to meet for dinner, the twins parted company. Each had different fanish interests. Paolo's was anime, and so he headed for the video parlor. He'd probably be there the whole con as he rarely attended panels. After chatting with his sister a short while longer, Juan headed for the art show where his friend Ray was displaying his latest work, and acting as dulcet. They'd only spoken once during the past year so had lots to catch up on.

"Wow!" exclaimed Juan at the new painting Ray was just hanging. "That's the same dragon that's walking around the lobby. Who copied who?"

"Oh? Somebody's made a costume from my painting? That's strange. I just now uncrated it. Nobody's ever seen it before."

"No," Juan affirmed. "It's the same dragon, all right. Somebody must have ESP or something."

"Or, maybe I painted this picture in the future," laughed Ray, straightening out the picture.

By now, a group had gathered around Ray's display panels, waiting to be guided around the show. Juan excused himself and went to look for his sister. She wasn't at Registration anymore, so he checked Ops.

"You're not supposed to be here," sniped one of the people busy in the room. "You're not working this year." It was Gregg, always trying to be bossy. Juan liked him in spite of that small defect, so paid him no mind.

"Looking for Maria?" asked the redheaded youth typing up info for the next newsletter. "I think she just went to Hospitality."

"Thanks, Red." Greg harrumphed behind him as Juan retreated from the forbidden zone, heading for the Con Suite.

Maria was nowhere to be found, though he spent the next hour trying to locate her, and ran across the dragon numerous times during his quest. At one point he inquired as to who the person was, but only got a beastly growl. The costumed attendee was remaining anonymous for some reason.

He spent the rest of the afternoon wandering between panels, when finally his stomach told him it was time for dinner. He checked the two video lounges with no luck finding Paolo, which was very strange indeed. The Kid usually had to be dragged away from his Japanese Animation. "Some family reunion," Juan muttered as he headed for an elevator. Maybe his brother had decided to take a shower first, and had gone to their room. And Maria would probably show up at the café to join them as well since she knew of their dinner plans. Workaholic though she was, family meals had always been a custom.

When Juan entered the main room of the suite, there was a distinctive smell of sulfur, and going into the next, he was more than just a little surprised to see The Dragon sitting on the bed. There was foul smoke coming from its nostrils, and it wasn't from a cigar!

"Whoa! That's not a costume. You're for real! Where the heck did you come from?"

"Well, not this earth, that's for sure," replied the Dragon. "It's a long story which I don't have time to tell. Here, take my hand, er, talon. Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you. I need your help."

When they touched, a sharp bolt of energy went out from the Dragon, up Juan's arm, and seemed to settle in his brain. At first it was disorienting, and his head swam for a few seconds. But then, through some marvelous transfer of information, he knew the whole story, everything! Implanted, not exactly ESP but something else entirely. Shared knowledge -- that was it! He couldn't explain it exactly, but the Dragon was Paolo, and they were both and each the Dragon!

"How did this come to be?"

"Think Deep," spoke the Dragon in his mind. "You know."

"Oh, yes," said Juan, accessing the knowledge. "Malo put a spell on me, in the Otherwhen -- changed me into a Dragon. And then somehow we keep getting switched. Oh, this is terrible! I've got to get back there, change this Melded Reality. Lead me to the Doorway, Dragon!"

"No," said his Dragon-Paolo self. "You know the way and must go alone."

"So I must," he said, remembering all that had happened, had yet to happen. It was all such a paradox.

Juan found his way to the Special Elevator, discovered the first time the sequence had happened. How long ago now? How many times had the "Loop" looped? How many more before he found "their" way out of the mad cycle?

He stepped into the elevator and upon emerging found himself back in the lobby once more, beginning another Trip around. This time "he" was the Dragon, and gazing at the Registration Desk, saw the person called John in this reality nudge his twin brother Paul, and say: "Look, there's a dragon in the lobby..."

The Dragon knew it was going to be a very long convention, indeed!