Later this afternoon you can get a ride on this elephant back to the station." By the station, he was referring to the Mae Jon Luang Highland Agricultural Experiment Station "Oh yeah? Great!" I replied. Then, I quickly walked over to Mpala. "Last night, I had a dream." I said with the aid of sign language. "Mm..?" Mpala smiled. But, knew that she had no idea what I was talking about. "I dreamed that I met you." Her smile vanished instantly. Her eyes glittered with anxiety. "What's wrong?" I asked. She didn't reply She turned and walked quickly toward her house. At the foot of the stairs, I saw Pen Yahee, her father, bringing down bundles of bamboo. Mpala!" I tried to stop her, but it was useless. I was frightened that I had offended her. But why was I being punished for a dream? In the afternoon. I saw her camying a small sack of rice into the village. It must have weighed about twenty kilograms. "Where did you just come from?" "From over there," she said, pointing south. "Nak Mat, aren't you exhausted?" She smiled to herself, as though she knew that I couldn't possibly understand anything she said, anyway.