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In the heart of rural Thailand is the small village of B̂ān k̄ĥāw. Literally translated, it means 'rice house' or 'home of rice'. As the name suggests, we grow a lot of rice in our village. Paddy fields stretch as far as the eye can see. Farming is the main job option for the villagers.

After a long day in the fields, I walk home with aching limbs. My friend, Waan, and I live together in a small house made of bamboo. It was a hard day today and we eat our evening meal outside together.

I think I must fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow that night. I'm so tired that I'm out almost immediately.

In the early hours of the morning, I become aware that I'm dreaming.

I'm walking through a field of tall grass, the stems graze against my legs. The breeze blows through my hair and the Sun beats down on my skin.

A shadow falls over me and I look up at the sky. An enormous bird is soaring above my head, high up in the sky. I raise my hand to my eyes, squint and try to focus. I realise, it's not a bird. It's a dragon.

It dips down lower and I can make out the shiny royal blue scales. They shimmer in the Sun and reflect the light. I'm completely entranced by its beauty. The dragon banks to the right, towards me, towards the field.

As it gets closer, it beats its wings to slow down. Conscious that this is a dream, I don't feel afraid as the gigantic creature prepares to land in the grass. The beating of its wings cause trees to sway vicariously and makes my hair whip around my face.

Its clawed feet set down on the ground, sending a shockwave that vibrates through the soles of my sandals. Two pillars of smoke snort from its nostrils, forming a white cloud in front of its face.

Its eyes are like molten gold. As I look closer, I realise that the colour is actually moving inside the irises, swirling in a circle rotation. The pupils, black as coal, are trained on me. It swings its massive head in my direction and inhales, the nostrils widening. They're so big that I could probably fit my head in one.

In contrast to the striking blue scales and gold eyes, the horns are a pure white and almost pearlescent in the Sun. They point upwards and then curve back. They must be about a foot and half long.

The dragon takes steps towards me, but I am unafraid. I hold out my hand to feel its scales. It is warm under my touch. The nose is soft like a horse's. The scales are smooth like a snakes and feel as strong as chainmail.

An abrupt noise jars me from my dream and I wake with a start. I'm sat up in bed and panting. Sweat makes my shirt cling to my back. I look around and familiarise myself with my surroundings. My fumbling hand reaches for my alarm and turns it off. I drag my hand down my face and think back to that dream.

What was that?

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For weeks, the dreams continue. They start off much the same; I'm in the grass field with the dragon. I feel its scales, I stroke its tail and scratch its ears. It treats me with no hostility or aggression. It seems to like my attentions.

The dream progresses one night and I wake from the shock. The last thing I remember is a glowing light and the dragon transforming. The blurry outline of its shape became smaller and smaller until it reached the size of a man. I could tell from their burly figure.

I didn't tell Waan about my dreams. She finds meaning in everything, she would probably tell me that the dreams say something about my future. She's very superstitious, she would think they are a warning about my life or a decision I need to make, I know it.

I go to sleep on Saturday, already mentally prepared for another dream. It comes as no surprise to me when I become conscious of the dream.

I'm back in the tall grass again. It seems to have grown in my visits. It once brushed against my legs, now it brushes against my elbows. I traipse through the grass with no purposeful direction.

The shadow appears over my head again. I wait for it to land, as it always does. It approaches me steadily and I watch for the change. A white glow is emitted from its body. It becomes so bright that it is blinding and I have to hold my hand in front of my face to protect my eyes.

When it dims, I drop my hand and stare at the man stood before me. The Sun is directly behind him, making it difficult to distinguish distinct features of his face, but I can see that his hair is coal black. His eyes are still gold and almost glowing in the light. His broad figure blocks most of the light and I can't help but notice how tall he is.

Both as dragon and human, he radiates power. There is an aura around him that has me both curious and stepping back.

"Chailai!"

I groan and press my face into my pillow. "What?" I mumble, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"You didn't hear your alarm," Waan scolds me. "Come on, get up!"

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It's hard graft working in the paddy fields. Waan and I eat lunch at separate times. I wade out of the water and lay down on the edge of the road to dry out. I barely look at my lunch, I'm not hungry, just tired. All this work in the heat is making me sleepy. I take off my hat and place it over my face. Within moments, I'm asleep.

I'm walking down the dirt path, my sandals making little clouds of dust with every step. The grass field is up ahead and I feel excited at the sight of it. I spare a glance upwards, at the sky, but there are no shadows in sight.

By the time I make it to the field, the beating swish of wings reaches my ears. A huge shadow falls over the field, larger than one I've seen before, and draws my attention upwards. Unlike before, there are two dragons above me. One is a deep red colour, a polar opposite to the royal blue one I have come to recognise.

They circle each other in the air, letting out blasts of fire and clawing at each other. The heat from their flame-throwing mouths reaches me on the ground. They lock claws and come spiralling downwards.

I stumble back, desperately trying to get out of their way as they tail spin to the earth. I trip on a particularly bumpy bit of ground and fall over as they land. The ground shakes with their heavy landing.

The fall wakes me from my trance. I'm startled to find myself in the tall grass, sat on the soil. The snarls and snorts of their fight reach me, despite the fact I am seated in the tall grass and cannot see them. This is real, this is not a dream. Life has caught up to me and I am no longer living through my own subconscious.

When I get to my feet, the red dragon has taken flight and is fleeing. Blood is dripping from a gash in one of its wings. I cannot believe that this is really happening. Dragons before my very eyes.

The blue dragon is staring after it, watching it go with an almost irritated expression on its face. I take a step in its direction, causing the beards of grass to create whispers in the wind. The enormous head of the dragon spins around to look at me.

A new expression comes over its face; confusion. It looks me up and down, as startled to see me as I am it. I stare at it, amazed to find its features identical to the ones in my dreams. It's like I have been here before, done this before, but I know that is an impossible notion.

The glowing light appears and I know that means the dragon is changing to human form. I pre-emptively cover my eyes, remembering how blinding the light can get. When it fades, I look at the man properly.

He is just as I remembered him, only this time, I can see his face clearly. His coal-black hair hangs over his golden eyes. His nose is slender and centred, his lips full and dark red. His cheekbones are high and proud, giving him an aristocratic or regal look.

I watch his every move as he approaches me, an unreadable look on his face. He stops about a metre away. I watch his Adam's apple bob as he swallows.

"Hello," he says.

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