Are you absolutely sure we`re heading the right way?

"Are you absolutely sure we're heading the right way?" Nancy asked, her voice carrying a note of weary frustration. "We've been bouncing around in this damn wagon since sunrise, and it's already getting late in the day. And honestly, this barely qualifies as a road anymore – it looks like nobody's bothered to use it in years. We keep having to stop every few minutes just to hack through the overgrowth." She paused, then voiced what they were all thinking: "We're completely lost, aren't we, Anahere?"

Anahere brought the horses to a gentle stop and turned back with a reassuring smile. "No, no – I'm certain this is the right path," she said, though her voice carried just a hint of uncertainty. "Look, I came through here once before, but that was more than twenty years ago now. Things change." She adjusted her grip on the reins thoughtfully. "We've had scouts check on this settlement from time to time and report back to us, so I know it's still there. You have to understand – after that final wave of people returned to Earth, Joshua made some pretty drastic changes. He sealed up all the underground portals, completely shut down the transformation equipment, and sent it all back to wherever it originally came from. But here's the thing – before he dismantled everything, he transformed himself one last time. Then he came out here and started building this place from scratch. Started out as just him alone in the wilderness, but gradually others began joining him. Word is he's been drawing followers from settlements all across the continent."

Robert shook his head with obvious disgust. "Yeah, that's exactly what I've been hearing too," he said. "From what people are saying, he's set himself up with his own personal harem out there. Apparently he's been collecting young wives from other settlements like they're trading cards or something." He gestured impatiently toward his daughters. "Jennie, Janice – grab that machete and clear this brush out of our way so we can keep moving."

Anahere caught the disapproval written all over Robert's face and sighed. "I can see you've already made up your mind about this, Robert," she said diplomatically. "But you know as well as I do that each settlement gets to make its own rules and live by them. So if Joshua can somehow manage to make that kind of arrangement work – and honestly, I can't imagine dealing with that many young, demanding, impatient women all in one place – well, I suppose that's his prerogative." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "But let's try to keep an open mind until we actually get there and see for ourselves. Right now all we're going on is gossip and rumors."

"You too, Dad!" Janice called out with exasperation, hands on her hips. "Get down here and help us with this overgrown mess instead of just sitting there talking. You can debate all this stupid speculation later when we're not stuck in the middle of nowhere."

Robert couldn't help but chuckle as he climbed down from the wagon. "Well, I definitely see what you mean about demanding females," he said to Anahere with a grin, earning him an eye-roll from his daughter.

As the afternoon dragged on, their little group of five continued winding their way along the overgrown forest path, stopping regularly to rest the horses, refill their water, and hack away at the persistent brush that seemed determined to reclaim the seldom-used trail. In some stretches, the ancient trees grew so tall and dense overhead that they nearly blotted out the sun entirely, leaving them traveling through a green-tinted twilight. The air hung thick and humid, heavy with the rich scents of growing things – flowering vines, moss-covered bark, and the deep, earthy smell of decomposing leaves on the forest floor. Suddenly, Jennie's voice cut through the forest quiet: "I can see something up ahead!" she shouted excitedly. "It looks like a bunch of small lakes, and there are people working in them!"

"Those aren't lakes, sweetheart," Robert replied, studying the scene ahead of them. "Those are rice paddies. From the looks of it, they've diverted water from that natural lake and created a whole network of flooded fields. I can make out buildings too – mostly simple structures, huts and basic shelters." He paused and grinned. "You know, we must have been on this road a lot longer than I realized. This setup reminds me so much of old Vietnam that I feel like I've been transported back in time. Welcome to Saigon, everyone!"

"Saigon?" Janice looked completely puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Your father's just being nostalgic, honey," Nancy explained with an affectionate shake of her head. "Saigon was a major city in Vietnam, back in the old world. Your dad spent some time there during the before times."

"Look, there's a young girl working out there in the rice paddies," Anahere observed. "Jennie, would you mind going over and politely asking her to come speak with us? We need to find out where we should go to locate Joshua."

"Hey! Little girl! Come over here!" Jennie shouted, waving her arms dramatically.

Anahere winced. "Jennie! That's not at all what I had in mind. If I wanted someone to just holler across the fields, I could have done that myself – but it would have been incredibly rude!" She spoke with the patient but firm tone of someone used to correcting children. "Now please get down from this wagon and walk over there like a civilized person. Ask that young lady politely if she would be kind enough to help us, and don't forget to say please. Take Janice with you – she looks to be about your age."

A few minutes later, Janice and Jennie returned with a young woman from the rice paddies, all three of them chatting easily. "Hello there, sister," the newcomer said warmly as she approached their wagon.

"Do you call everyone sister?" Anahere asked with curious amusement.

"Oh no, not everyone," the girl replied with a mischievous smile. "Just you."

"And why would that be?"

"Well, because we share the same father, of course," she answered, her eyes twinkling with barely contained laughter.

"What?!" all five travelers exclaimed in perfect unison.

The girl burst into giggles. "I'm just messing with you, Anahere! I recognized you from your photograph, though you're quite a bit older now than when my father first showed me your picture years ago. My dad is Joshua – and he's your father too, just from a completely different millennium. So technically, we are sisters, in a way. I'm Jessica." She extended her hand to Anahere with genuine warmth.

"Oh my goodness!" Anahere exclaimed, taking the offered hand. "I certainly wasn't expecting to discover family out here. You're absolutely beautiful, Jessica – my new little sister. How old are you?"

"I'm twelve," Jessica replied matter-of-factly.

"Grandma, you said she was about our age," Jennie pointed out with the particular brand of precision that only teenagers possess. "We're thirteen, you know."

"Well, from my perspective at my advanced age, that's practically identical," Anahere laughed. The thirteen-year-olds responded with the kind of dramatic eye-roll that only teenage girls can truly master.

"So tell me," Robert interjected, "are all these other girls working in the rice paddies his wives and daughters too?"

Jessica looked genuinely shocked, then burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me? Wives? If my mom caught him with another woman, she'd slice him up into little pieces and feed him to the pigs!"

"So he only has one wife then?" Nancy asked, clearly relieved.

"Why, were you thinking of applying for the position?" Jessica teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh heavens no!" Nancy laughed, reaching over to take Robert's hand. "I'm very happily married, thank you. Robert here is my husband, and Janice is our daughter. It's just that we've been hearing all sorts of wild rumors about Joshua having multiple young wives."

"Ah, I see where the confusion comes from," Jessica nodded knowingly. "No, most of the young people you see here are students. My father runs a school, and we get kids from settlements all over the continent. Actually, quite a few of them are from your village."

"But how do they get here?" Robert asked, gesturing at their surroundings. "This road looks like it hasn't seen regular traffic in over a decade."

"That's because it hasn't," Jessica replied with another laugh. "You took the old road – there's a new one that's much better maintained. You should have taken that one instead."

"Well, we didn't know there was a new road," Anahere explained with some embarrassment. "This is teaching me that I really need to get out more and stay better informed about what's happening in our region. Remind me to bring this up at our next scout meeting – we clearly need better intelligence about the changes in our world." She paused thoughtfully. "So Jessica, what exactly does our father teach at this school of his?"

"Agriculture is his main focus," Jessica explained enthusiastically. "But he also covers survival skills, martial arts, and practical life skills. My mom teaches here too – she and Dad originally met in Vietnam thousands of years ago, or so they tell me, though obviously I wasn't around to witness that myself. A lot of what they teach draws from their experiences in that place, since that's what they know best."

"I don't want to keep you from your work, Jessica," Anahere said considerately. "But could you tell me where I might find Joshua? My friends here would like to discuss the possibility of expanding his school program."

Jessica's face lit up with a broad smile. "Oh, I've done enough work for today anyway! Dad's away right now but he'll be back this evening. How about I get the guest rooms prepared for you, and then I can introduce you to Mom? She's heard so much about you over the years and has been dying to meet you. Then when Dad returns, we can all sit down together for dinner."

The six of them rode the wagon into the heart of the settlement, and Robert had to admit it looked nothing like the Saigon of his memories – this was more like a peaceful rural village. The architecture was charmingly eclectic: some buildings constructed of solid wood, others woven from bamboo in traditional patterns. Most were topped with practical thatch roofs, though a few sported wooden shingles. The structures in the flood-prone areas were sensibly built on stilts, while those on higher ground sat on conventional foundations. Jessica efficiently helped the group get settled into comfortable guest accommodations, then personally escorted Anahere to meet her stepmother.

"Oh my word!" Anahere gasped when she first saw Suong. "You are absolutely stunning – truly breathtaking. How on earth can you have a twelve-year-old daughter? You don't look like you could be a day over fourteen yourself!"

"Oh, you're so kind – and you're beautiful too," Suong replied warmly, her voice carrying a melodic Vietnamese accent. "I am Suong, and I suppose that makes me your stepmother, though we seem close to the same age! Joshua has told me so much about you over the years. I've planned countless times to make the journey to your village to meet you properly, but something always seems to come up that prevents me from leaving." She pulled Anahere into a genuine, heartfelt embrace.

"Well then, it sounds like we have years of conversation to catch up on," Anahere said warmly. "I had no idea I had such wonderful family here – if I'd known, I would have made this trip much sooner. Meeting you and Jessica has been such a joy – honestly, it was love at first sight for me."

"Yes, love at first sight," Suong agreed with a knowing smile. "That happens to me often in my life. That's exactly how I met Joshua, actually. Please, sit down – I've prepared some tea for us. We must talk and talk and talk! My husband will be home soon and probably tell us to quiet down so he can rest, but right now we have time just for us."

The two women settled down with their tea, beginning what would clearly be an extensive conversation that could easily continue for days.

"Please, tell me how you met Joshua," Anahere said eagerly. "Jessica mentioned that you met in Vietnam originally."

"Yes, we did meet there, but only for the briefest moment – just a few seconds that changed everything.

"My brother and I were on patrol duty that day. Our job was to hide in the forest along the main pathway, and if we spotted any enemy soldiers, we were supposed to run back immediately and warn our village. But Joshua moved through the jungle like a ghost – completely silent. We were trying to be quiet too, but suddenly there we were, face to face with no warning at all. I could see he already had his blade ready to cut my throat before I could cry out an alarm. I had maybe half a second to run or fight back, but I just froze completely. I looked into his eyes and I couldn't move. I knew in that instant that my life was over – in another heartbeat he would grab me and I could already imagine feeling the blade slice across my neck. But strangely, he froze too. We just stood there staring at each other, our eyes locked together. That moment of hesitation gave my brother just enough time to drive his sword into Joshua's back from behind. I watched in horror as the blade emerged from his chest. I was filled with such overwhelming sadness, seeing this beautiful young man destroyed, wasted in a war that could only create losers. He collapsed to the ground, and my brother and I both ran as fast as we could. We ran and ran until we could hear the big transport plane approaching overhead. It dropped something into the forest, and then everything went absolutely silent for just a moment. Then I was flying through the air. The trees were flying. Rocks were flying. Everything was flying. I looked down and saw my feet and legs spinning away from me far below – I had been cut completely in half by the explosion.

"I don't remember hitting the ground. I remember the whole world dissolving into mist and fog. I felt myself dissolving too, becoming part of that gray nothingness. That's the last thing I can recall from that day – and then suddenly I felt strong arms around me, pulling me back out of the emptiness. I found myself here, completely whole again, safe in Joshua's embrace. He had already built this house for us. He knew a little Vietnamese, and he patiently taught me English. He told me that he'd had to follow me into that gray realm between life and death to bring me back, to help me pull my body back together from the mist, because I had stolen his soul in that brief moment when our eyes met, and he needed it back to be complete. He took care of me for an entire year while we built our little farm together.

"We designed everything to remind us of the Vietnam we both remembered – the good parts, before the war destroyed everything. After that year, he told me I was completely free to go anywhere I wanted on the planet, and that he could arrange transportation to anywhere I chose. But he also said that if I was willing, he would prefer that I stay here as his wife. Of course I said yes immediately! I had known in that very first instant, over twelve thousand years ago, that we were meant to be lovers. That love survived all those millennia and lives here with us today. I am so happy to be his wife and to give him children. And he is the most loving and devoted husband – though he does what I tell him to do, as he should." She laughed. "I am a very, very lucky woman."

"That's the most romantic story I've ever heard," Anahere said, wiping away a tear. "I think I'm actually going to cry. Thank you for sharing that with me. Joshua has always been such a mystery to me, and to pretty much everyone else too. It's wonderful to know he has this deeply romantic side."

"Well, I like to think I'm a man of many layers," Joshua said with a smile as he walked into the room, first kissing his wife tenderly and then giving Anahere a warm hug.

"Dinner will be ready soon, husband," Suong said, immediately switching to her no-nonsense tone as she pushed him toward the washroom. "We have many guests tonight and much to discuss. Now go clean yourself up properly – you smell like you've been working with the animals all day."