In Liria, a small island situated south of Kartha, West of Mannea—the motherland of the Lei Realm.
From the soft padding of hot sand, small feet scuttled through the shore and ventured into the forest. With his brimmed bag strapped around his back, he carried the large load down the covert path shrouded by the heightening grass and shrubs. He pushed the branches away, hugging around trunks and going deeper into the green biome. The gleeful rays seeped through the trees and paved the way. He analyzed the ground before stepping on it. His head turned in various directions—left, right, straight, and left once more. He studied every subtle movement and flicker catching his eyes, alert and cautious.
Rocks and boulders stuck out across the island. Similar in size to the towering trees that surged above the ground, their sizes remained hidden by the lush greenery, lurking in quiet shadows throughout the field. Mosses and vines strangled the large bodies. Even trunks leaned against them, roots keeping the figures still.
The boy spotted a familiar boulder. He ran after it and touched the cool surface, catching his breath. He then aimed his body in a new direction and continued on that obscure road.
Roots curled in and out of the ground, arching like gigantic arms. The boy ran beneath them. By recognizing the unique shapes of these specific trees, he treated them as landmarks. Periodically, the course of the trajectory was different. Yet he kept the landmarks in reference—never taking the same path consecutively. He hopped over an aging tree with a girthy trunk. He then eyed the surrounding scenery. The humid air breezed through the vast expanse with nothing but trees and vines. Upon a quick study, he located the next object of reference: a gravestone. It stuck up from the ground in a remote location with fewer trees circling it.
Securing the heavy-loaded bag around his back, the boy jumped from the tree and dashed. With a swift run, he passed the stone, which had been carved with a name. The steep, inclining hill approached. Upward he hiked, moving at a dragging pace. After clenching on the grass to aid him in the climb, he reached the peak.
He caught his breath, crawled forward, and gazed down. Several meters below the cliff of draping roots and rocks, small heads could be seen moving about. They gathered in bundles with stillness. Some sat curled up, hiding their faces and keeping their heads down. Others lay on the cool grass and breathed steadily. He counted each head one by one. –One. Two. Three… Six… Nine. Nine, and the other two are not here yet.
“Hey!” He shouted at them. The little children lifted their heads to see him waving his arms high in the air. Their low-spirited expressions brightened. The sight of the boy prompted them to hop to their feet and wave back. All of them were very young, in their 10s or younger. Many were likely not much older, but no one knew their birthdays, not even his.
“Impy!” They called, jumping and giggling at his return. A couple, however, kept their bottom seated on the floor. Gloom hovered over their face.
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Some time passed after Impy’s arrival as the sun moved east and shadows stretched west. A light rustling approached from the shades. The children lifted their heads, on guard at the oncoming footsteps. Another boy emerged from the shrubs and branches. He brushed his black hair aside and swept his sweaty head. As he settled among them, their eyes met his.
“Ted!” The children yelled with muffled tones. They spoke with their mouths full of food. The area provided seclusion. It was a nest of flattened grass in the center and piled twigs and bushes on the edges. The children nestled themselves here with random necessities piled against the rock wall. Ted joined them as he fanned himself, being the older and larger person among them—only by a couple of years apart.
“Ted, have food,” Impy said, sitting on the floor with the rest of them. All the children stuffed themselves with food. Plastic containers rested on their laps as they hungrily ate. Lack of energy, they ate in silence.
He unfolded the bag, displaying untouched plastic containers tightly sealed and hidden beneath it. The transparent tops were fogged and watered—a collection of steam from the warm food inside. Separate boxes contained a range of meat, vegetables, and bread. The green colors were vibrant, and the meaty essence remained piping hot, as if recently made. Water bottles were lying on the side, buried by the containers. “Was everything okay?”
Ted sat down and grabbed bread and milk and nodded his head. He stuffed his mouth with food, holding a fresh meat container. He said with a stuffed mouth, “It was good.”
“So you didn’t see any of the big guys?”
“No. Kartha is okay. I didn’t see any of them.”
“Really?” Impy tilted his head, grabbing a chicken leg from his box and eating it. He then looked around, the trees concealing their location. The dark shade looming in the far distance kept his hair up. Taking the time to glance at the surroundings, he bit his lips. –Karo is still not here yet. I told him to get blankets. I hope he’s safe.
A little girl jumped on Impy in the middle of his thoughts. She locked his neck in her arms, making him choke on the chunk of meat he swallowed. It got lodged in his passageway. She giggled carefreely and never minded his slow suffocation. “Let’s go there, to Kartha, Impy! If there are no guys up there, then it’s fine!”
“W–Wait… Elea–, time out… Time out,” Impy said, struggling to speak. He tapped on her wrist vigorously, begging to be freed. Elea unwrapped her arm after a good round of laughing. Impy jerked his head forward and coughed out a chunk of meat stuck in his throat. He caught it in his mouth and swallowed it again.
He faced her and the others. Concerned, he said, “We should still be careful.” The guys might be waiting for all of us to go there. Eval. When we told her that the area around Ban was safe, she left to get stuff but… She didn’t come back. She was taken away.”
The children were silent, looking at the floor with saddened faces. Some of their lower lips stuck outward as they reminded themselves of the girl. Few let out soft hums, little whines. Empty containers rested on the sides as many had finished their food. Ted, in his calm demeanor, kept eating his last pieces of meat and bread.
“Ted, did you see anything up there? Maybe campfires, or anything?” Impy asked.
He shook his head. “Not really. I saw a lot of buildings there. Some trees were chopped down too—I don’t know what’s with that. But no guys up there.”
Impy planted his palm on his cheek, groaning about the situation at hand.
“You still don’t want to go up there?”
“No, well… Eval did the same thing. She’s not with us anymore. And Karo is not here yet either. I don’t want to go there, not until I’m very sure.”
“But there’s barely anything up there.”
“I know you said that, but I just don’t like it.”
Ted nodded. “Then what’s the plan?”
Impy set aside the half-empty bag. He pulled out a thick fold of paper from his pocket and unfurled it. The sheet expanded, displaying the map of the entire Lei Realm—all the lands and seas on a single piece of paper. Every dot and stroke of dry paint described the life within these parts. Darker hues depicted colder regions, whereas lighter colors represented hotter zones. It stretched far for all to see. The children bent their heads and peeped down at the marked positions and dashed lines they’d gone to.
“Here’s the plan,” Impy said, holding a stick and pointing to the top left corner of the paper, where Liria Island was. He then slid the stick south to a large body of land. “We will rest today because night is coming. Tomorrow, Ted and I will go to Bamma to get more food.”
“What about the beds and blankets?” One of the boys inquired. “They disappeared this morning. Their time ran out.”
“Yeah, I noticed that.” He paused and said, “Karo didn’t return with the blankets. We have to sleep on the ground.”
“It’s not going to be cold, right?” A girl said in a dreary tone. “I don’t like the cold.”
“It won’t be cold. The weather is warming up. But after we eat, all of us will go up north from here to get ready to leave. Our boats should still be there because they came in contact with Systems. I’ll go up first to Kartha and double-check if it’s okay. When I come back and see that it is, we all go together.”
“But what happens if you don’t come back?” Ted asked.
He thought for a moment. “If… I don’t come back, that means I got hurt or the guys are up there. Ted, you have to be the leader if I don’t return.” Impy pointed at the motherland, on the northern part of the extensive body. “Take everyone to Mannea. That’s the only place I can think of.”
“Only place?” A girl said, concerned. “What do you mean? What happens if the guys are there? Where do we go then?”
Impy bit his lips and furrowed his eyebrows. His voice softened, slowly wavering at the questions coming his way. “I… Let me think. We can go east to Jaron, but that’s only if Kartha is not safe.”
“Kartha is safe,” Ted said, “but you can make sure if you want.”
“Also, Karo is not here yet,” he imagined the worst for him, but he tried to remove those thoughts and continued. “If he comes later when Ted and I are getting food, tell him where we are.
“As always, if the big guys come here or I disappear, run away and go to Mannea. From there, run towards the east. That’s the last option for us. If they chase you, don’t run together too close.”
Elea rocked back and forth in her criss-crossed position. “So we stay here and wait for you and Ted and Karo?”
Impy nodded.
“And we wait a little more when you go to check Kartha?”
“It won’t be too long.”
The group of children fell silent as the words lingered in their heads. Impy began unfolding the map into its shortened shape. He put it in his pocket. Observing, he saw many in a gloomy state. The air was quiet with mounting uncertainty. They pressed their palms on their head. Their faces expressed conflict. Fear.
“Do we have to do all of this?” A boy said with his head low. “I just want to go home.”
“Me too,” a girl whispered, sitting in a curled position. “Everything… it’s too much. Why do I have to do this?”
“Guys…” Impy said softly, his tone shaking more.
Another girl from the group spoke, her voice trembling. “We ran too much. I miss my mom, my dad, my house. Where are they? I want to see them again.”
A girl spoke this time, her tone bleak. “I want to go home, too. Why are people chasing after us? I don’t want this.”
A boy next, shaking. “Will we really turn into slaves if we get caught?”
As Impy glanced at all of their gloomy faces, empty of cheer and shine, his mind grew blank. Each person’s tolerance dwindled over time. His breathing became sporadic, feeling his chest ache. He stammered at his words, trying to calm them down. “H–Hey, we can do this. Just a little longer. I don’t want us to be taken away, that’s all. Please, everyone. Don’t run away. If you do…”
“No…” A bitter sound of tears erupted. The heads rose, and Impy’s too. All of them faced the girl, Yanna, sobbing with her voice hitching in her throat. She wiped her face with her dusty sleeves, her cheeks turning red as the tears slipped away.
“I miss her,” Yanna said, hicking from her cry. “Daphne… oh, Daphne. Why did she die? I didn’t want her gone. I don’t want this anymore. They killed Daphne. Daphne…”
Impy froze, feeling the suffocating sounds of the cries rising from the bane of her heart. Elea and a couple of others reached to comfort her. They wrapped her in a warm embrace, partaking in this gentle comfort with their fair share of tears alongside her. Yanna grabbed them desperately, her sobs falling down on their hands. Ted lowered his head, gripping his pants tightly as no words escaped him but quickened breaths. Impy clenched his teeth, almost crumpling the paper in his hand. Children covered their expressions, tears welling up as the encircling trees muffled their cries. The cries of the lost children carried through the evening, their voices calling for help and hope—yet for none to hear them.
The day darkened into an orange hue. Trees turned into silhouettes by the falling sun. The ground darkened, bringing the dwelling place to concede in the darkness. But a hint of light glowed in a lonely spot on the island. Torches stuck up from the ground, flaring brightly as they cast light on the lurking shadows. Torches encircled the children’s camping area, ensuring safety as the day dimmed.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Up on the hill—above the grassy floor bedded with bags and tools, above the projecting roots and the wall of stone, on the top of the cliff, with a gradual descent across the field, the children stood together. With torches anchored on the ground, light shined the spot—and on one tree, a gravestone with a name carved on its surface with chalk: “Daphne”
They formed a circle around the grave. Plucked flowers lay in bundles on the dirt, the resting site of Daphne. Delicate traces of winds waved the petals and the grass. They watched with eyes fixed on the name, their eyes and cheeks red.
Impy, in the middle of the circle, looked to his sides. Ted and Elea stood with heads down. In silence, he grabbed their hands and lifted them forward. Both looked up at him with a crestfallen expression, then reached out and clasped others. One by one, the children interlinked their fingers and lifted their arms.
“We’ll be okay,” Impy said, his eyes narrow and teeth clenching. “We will be. No matter what, Daphne is looking out for us. Let’s have hope. She is bringing someone to help us. They will come soon. I promise. Someone will come and scare the big guys away. We will be back home before we know it. We will be back with everyone.”
Many of the children nodded as they looked at Impy with straight looks. Their mouths were clamped shut, but their eyes were sharp and unshaken.
“Daphne, I hope you’re sleeping well,” Impy whispered. Closing his mouth, he began humming a soft lullaby.
His light tone stretched to all the children in the circle. They closed their eyes and lowered their heads. The drifting melody lightened the grip of many. After a few measures, Ted joined and hummed along with his lower voice. Elea stepped in and hummed in a higher voice. Yanna and the rest of the children have coupled theirs, filling the darkening land with a gentle song.
Children sang wordlessly as the wind quieted, adorning the peaceful scene with blissful music that filled every corner of the night. Stars came into view, watching the little ones singing below. The constellations shone in the black sky, yet the lasting sounds of the lullaby became the brightest star on Liria.
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[Three Days Later]
Impy knocked on the door. The knob was above his head. His eyes surveyed the large piece of Domain, a run-down place with its own style. Metal plates constructed the ceiling and large wooden poles based on the corners of the building. With cement floor flattening the layout, the heart of the Domain was a singular house with tainted windows and a singular door.
Ted stayed beside, his eyes peering out at the bustling town of Ban, the northern land of Bamma. Systems manifested Domains housing the sides of the streets with brilliant flavors in color and technology. Buildings ranging from simple to sophisticated yielded a chaotic scene of every System. They mushed together to form an arbitrary yet organized society. Ted kept on the watch, eyeing any movement that seemed odd. His head moved left to right, then right to left. He kept watch, monitoring all the men and women strolling past. Their clothes varied. Like the diversity of Domains, so were clothes in their fashions. One cluster of people wore a modernized fit with jeans and a loose top. It complemented spring and blended with casual-embellishing features. The other group comprised an older date with tunic dresses and pants.
Within a minute, footsteps approached. A middle-aged woman appeared as they opened the door. She glanced around her level a second before gazing down to see Impy standing there. Her cautious presence subsided, a smile hugging her lips. “Oh, Impy. It’s you!”
“Hey, again,” he said with a lighter grin. Ted didn’t take a second to greet the lady back. “I’m here for the usual.”
“Food, water, and utensils? Of course,” she said—then veering her direction to the side. Her hand fiddled in the air, her fingers dancing. “You know, ya’ll should take refuge in my place. Don’t you think that’d be a better idea?”
Impy shook his head. “I don’t think it’s going to help.”
“Really? I thought it would,” she said, running her hand through her hair. “But hey, we've got your back, the townsfolk. You may not see it, but all of us are keeping our eyes on you. After what happened a while ago, we’re not going to let that happen again. A lot of things happened before your visit.”
He quickly glanced at the passing people. Their eyes haven’t stared at theirs, making it hard to believe. The people seemed unconcerned around the children, maybe too serene. Impy looked back at the woman. “Are they here?”
“None of us know. They could still be here for all I know. But I have to tell you: these guys are not from here. They definitely came from a distant realm.”
He had to clarify. “Do they have Systems that don’t align with Lei Realm’s laws?”
“That, I know a little. We don’t know how their System really works, but it’s certain that if they physically hurt any person in the Lei Realm five times, their System will get stripped away permanently. Otherwise, it’d be strange how they’re being careful not to hurt people. They at least keep that law, like us. If they didn’t, then they could just kill all of us, and we couldn’t fight back unless it’s at the cost of our Systems, and that is our only source of everything, hah! But with the word spreading, it seems like they can also invade Domains without our Systems detecting them. They’re like half-Systemless and half-System.”
Ted and Impy listened to every word she said.
“By the way, where did you two come from?”
Impy said, “Our homeland is in Mannea, in the south. Ted and many others got kicked out by Scholomark in the north. When that happened, the men started chasing after them… And a lot of stuff happened.”
The woman observed him and released a hopeless breath. She returned to her interaction with her System. And with a light press, a small orb emerged from thin air, attached to her skin as it radiated. She presented it to the boy, his gaze going back up to see the white flare beaming. The lady then twirled her palm upward, gracefully guiding her fingers to follow the delicate movement. They spiraled with the orb growing in size amidst the light performance.
When her hand got raised above her head, an instant flicker of light shined the vicinity. The orb transformed into a large bag brimmed with containers of food, water bottles, and paper towels. The bag, manifesting itself, descended with all of its weight. She caught it by the mouth of the bag, clamping it shut and heaving it before it could touch the floor.
“Here you go,” she said, lowering the large sack to Impy. “Be safe out there. Are you sure you don’t want to seek refuge?”
“Thank you,” he said, grabbing it by the strap and on the bottom. As she let go, the weight pushed his arms down and then his upper body. He grunted, resisting the gravity that pushed him down. He lifted his back and hoisted the bag. With a firm twist, brought the load around and rested against his back. Impy huffed and looked up. “Will the people really protect us? Won’t they choose their own Systems before us?”
“Oh, no!” The woman said with insistence. “I’m sure many of us will sacrifice our System to protect you all, even if we lose it forever. I definitely will.”
Impy felt warmth from her confidence and comfort in her words. He glanced down, smiling softly. After a pause and some introspection, his lips uncurled. He faced and shook his head. “It’s okay. We’ll be safe. We always know where to run to.” Impy handed her a warm wave before leaving. “I’ll come back again, just you wait.”
“I don’t doubt that,” she said, chuckling, bidding him farewell.
After parting ways, the woman closed the door, disappearing from sight. Impy hopped onto the gravel floor and Ted followed behind. He kept his usual routine and darted around the surroundings. Two boys walked along the road, staying safely away from others. Upon leaving the bustling town, Ted glanced behind for any suspicious activity.
They followed a narrow path of dirt stretching north. The familiar welcome of green scenery awaited them. Domains and people lessened, leaving only the kids desolate in their silent walk. Then, they left the road and went onto the grass. They entered the forest with recognizable trees and stranded lakes. The two weaved themselves through the colony of trees, using the landmarks they spotted to maneuver through the maze. Ted used his map in case they forgot.
On the other end of the forest, Impy and Ted entered a humid shore of pebbles and sand. They smelled the salt from the sea. The sand beneath them scorched. Winds picked up speed with the large body of water extending beyond their sight. Impy sighed and eyed Ted. He then handed the heavy load of goods to him, taking turns as they walked to a secured boat resting near the waters. Ted placed the loaded bag on the deck while Impy unstrapped the tightened boat. Once freed, they shoved it afloat on the water. As it drifted off, Impy stepped into the cold sea and hopped on it. He reached out his hand to help Teg get on before it drifted any further.
Impy got on the edge of the boat and started the motor. By pulling the string to spark the engine, the box started pulsating and vrooming. Bubbles rose to the surface of the water, and they felt themselves speeding up. The boys journeyed north, crossing the sea for 5 miles, to reach the desolate island of Vall. As they rode past, they continued north for another 10 miles, with 20 minutes passing. A far silhouette of a large body of land came into view. Gradually waning, the blue haze concealing the height of hills and rocks inched closer and closer. Trees covered the entire expanse. Sand upon the shore invited them as they approached.
They touched the shore, and the boys hopped out of the deck. The boat grazed through the sand. They pushed the heavy load, their legs submerged in water. They helped turn the boat around, keeping the nose pointing outward to the vast sea—in case they’d use it again. With it nestled in the sand, Ted reached to grab the bag and carried it with him. The two began walking, stepping on the hot floor.
“Ted,” Impy said, pulling the boy’s calm attitude to him. They walked together, his eyes fixed on Impy’s without reciprocation. But he asked, “How do you feel?”
“Feel?” Ted thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Okay, I think.”
He pressed his lips. “You’re always so calm. How do you do it?”
He tilted his head. “How to be calm?”
Impy nodded.
“Just don’t be a leader.”
He grunted, scratching his head at the nonchalant response. “That’s not what I meant! But I guess that makes sense. I just… don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t know? About what?”
“A while after I left my house, I always saw you guys running away. I didn’t know you all, so I didn’t think much. It was when I saw the men that I knew what was happening. I found you on that day, as well as a couple. And now, for some reason… I’m leading everyone. Well, everyone we found so far, and is scared.”
Ted observed Impy on the side, walking together at a slow pace. “Are you saying you don’t like to order people around?”
Impy shook his head. “I thought helping everyone would be cool. I feel so strong, you know? But, um… It’s hard.” He clenched his hands into fists. “I hate it when we cry. I don’t like it when we get hurt.”
He hummed. “Sounds hard.”
“But Ted.” He looked up at him. “Why can’t you be a leader with me?”
Ted widened his gaze and looked back in silence. Impy’s voice grew firmer. “Sometimes, I think you’ll be a better leader.”
“M–Me?” He said, pointing to himself.
He nodded. “You’re smart. You’re very careful. Also, you’re very calm. I think everyone would like it if a leader is strong and calm.”
“Hm, aren’t you?”
Impy sighed. “I don’t know, Ted. I hate seeing everyone crying. It feels like it’s my fault. And I’m never calm. When someone asks me a question, it feels like my brain is burning. If they doubt me, I hate that, too.”
The two continued their way up the shore, feeling the lightness of the sand dragging their pace. Ted turned forward with his head down. “I think you can be a leader, Impy. Maybe not great. But because of you, we’re here, right?”
Impy shot his gaze at him. “But didn’t you see what happened to Daphne? If I was better, maybe…”
“She was like that because of her parents. You didn’t do anything to her. Honestly, I think she is resting peacefully now, and she is watching us with a big smile on her face. I like to imagine that because that’s totally what she’d do. She was not meant to live abandoned.”
“None of us can. We’re kids. We need–”
“You can,” Ted said firmly. Their feet stopped as their eyes gazed at each other. Ted dropped the bag as he remained still. Impy had his eyes fixed on him—mouth half-open. “Impy, you never went to Scholomark. I used to live there for 8 years until I was, well, removed. Others too. But you didn’t go through any of that. You… You went through a lot of things, so you don’t know what it feels like to live like us. You know how to grow without a System, without parents.”
His words made Impy’s breath shorten. He gazed down, his voice light. “But I still depend on Systems. All of us do. We’re only stuck like this because of those guys. If Karo or you could’ve been the leader, then everyone would feel happier.”
Ted’s tone got sharper, a little more than usual, which caught Impy off guard. “Impy, no one is happy when they’re being chased. Stupid. It’s not happy time right now. It’s surviving time. And if you disappear, what will happen to us? We’ll be gone, get caught and become slaves, or other bad things.”
Impy was quiet.
“When we’re on the run, we need a leader. It’s you.”
Impy eased his tense body, his face still frozen.
Ted wrapped his arms around him. His voice was above a whisper. “We’ll be with you. Daphne is gone. But we’re still here. Don’t let me down, or Yanna, or Karo, or anyone else, or your girlfriend.”
He was calm and accepting; Impy raised his arms to hug Ted in return; everything from him encouraged Impy to continue fighting for hope—until he heard the last part. His arms stopped midway. “Girlfriend?”
Ted smiled. “Maybe I was wrong. I thought you liked Elea.”
Impy shoved him away, unwrapping his arms and stepping back. His voice was clear, agitated. “You’re an idiot.”
Ted chuckled as he went to grab the bag from the sand. Following their brief exchange, Impy paused to reflect. He asked, “Why do you trust me so much?”
He smiled. “I like leaders who are strong and effective, but I trust leaders who are closer to humanity. It makes me happy. That’s just me.”
A little warmth emanated from his chest. Impy averted his gaze and scratched his head. He walked ahead, leaving Ted behind, his face averted. Ted lifted the bag and followed behind. Impy said more assuredly, “I’ll do my best to protect everyone. And if there’s more of us out there, we can bring them in. It’s…”
Impy suddenly paused, but hearing the other parts, Ted nodded. “Sounds nice. You did that to us. You helped me and others escape the men when you saved us. There’s definitely more out–”
He stretched his arm out at Ted, stopping him on his track. His words got cut off and his calm expression turned to concern. He looked at Impy. His face looked frightened, his head low and gazing at the floor before them. He froze stiffly, and hollow breaths sounded from his gaping mouth. Looking in the same spot, Ted felt his heart drop. Both their eyes widened. Their legs locked in place, unbelieving of what they saw—their darting eyes beginning to count unrecognized footprints across the sand.
One. Two. Three. Four. A dozen of them all scattered. These footmarks were bigger than Impy’s or Ted’s. The ground bore large ingrained patterns from boots. Trails dispersed, tracing back to the shore’s edge, to vast water. Both of them hadn’t noticed. Impy’s mind was all over the place. –Footprints? We didn’t notice? No. There should’ve been boats. We should’ve seen them! He turned around, barely noticing any of them except theirs that they took. All the paths joined chaotically. They channeled into the forest together.
Impy faced Ted, a gloomy expression written on his face. Ted clenched his teeth, feeling a rush of needles prickling at his sides. Without a fleeting second, the two began sprinting. They brought the bag into the forest and hid the object in a shrub, keeping it away from plain sight. Their desperate feet ran up the hills and over trees. Their arms swung back and forth with haste, using all their strength to fasten themselves. They looked left and right, finding all the landmarks to course themselves in the right direction—to the children waiting for them in their nest, their friends waiting for hope before it was too late.