The Protector Series

The three men, Terry, James and Garth drove up the Pacific Coast slowly, taking in the beautiful sights and enjoying the warm weather. In Portland, they decided to head east for a while, before crossing into Washington. They drove up through the river canyon, stopping to enjoy the many waterfalls along the way. After spending two nights camping in a National Forest Campground near the small town of Rhododendron, they came across a highway sign that read "WENATCHEE - 200 MILES". What a strange name they all remarked, so Garth, who was driving, swung the truck to the left saying, "Well, let's see what a Wenatchee is!"

As soon as they left the river, the land flattened out and became farms and planted crops. As they approached the farming community of Wenatchee, Garth mentioned that the fuel gauge was reading nearly empty, so he pulled in to the first filling station he saw. He proceeded to fill the tank and Terry went inside to pay for their gasoline. He asked the attendant if he could recommend a good place to stay for the night.

The young man replied, "Well, the old Wenatchee Hotel has gone out of business now, so I guess your only choices are the Moon Ridge Motel and the Riverside Lodge. I don't much recommend the Moon Ridge, it's a kind of nasty place."

Terry laughed, "Well, I guess it will be the Riverside then!" They found the Riverside Lodge and pulled into the parking lot. After checking in, they had a light supper in the dining room before calling it a night. James was in the shower and Garth was clicking through the few television channels, looking for a news broadcast. Terry was idly thumbing through a local business brochure when he opened to a page showing the Historic Hotel Wenatchee. Someone had scribbled the name, "MICHAEL" across the top of the picture. He jumped up and shouted, "We're here!" He showed the picture to Garth and James, as soon as he finished his shower. They both agreed to at least "case the joint".

The next morning, they checked out of the motel, asking the desk clerk for directions to the Old Wenatchee Hotel, saying they wanted to take some pictures. They were directed to an area just outside the town, it was heavily wooded and the entrance drive was overgrown with weeds and small trees. They could get the truck only about halfway up the drive before it became impassable, forcing them to walk the rest of the way. The building looked as if it had been closed up for a very long time, the boards on the front porch were curling up and all the windows on the first floor were boarded over.

As they walked around the building, they discovered a maintenance door that was not locked, so they looked inside. They saw a stairwell going up to the main floor, they carefully climbed up the creaking stairs and entered the main lobby of the hotel. They looked in all the places they had come to expect and found a large envelope on the Lobby Manager's desk. Inside was what they needed, the deed to the property in Garth's name, a bank book for both a checking account and a savings account, also in Garth's name. In the bottom of the envelope was a bundle of papers, when they spread them out, they discovered custody papers for eleven boys! They looked at each other, wondering where the boys were. They began to explore the building, it had 5 floors above the lobby. One was a huge ballroom and dining room, with a kitchen behind it. The others appeared to be all hotel rooms.

They began systematically inspecting each floor, on the third floor, they discovered a shoe sitting in the hallway. The shoe had fresh mud on it, they were certain it had not been there long.

As they climbed the next flight of stairs, they heard the patter of feet across the floor above them. Hoping to not frighten what they believed to be children, Terry called out, "We are Terry, James and Garth and we are here to help you. Please come down the stairs and meet us."

A very frightened blond head looked down the stairwell at them, "Yu yu You won't hurt us will you?"

Terry called back, "No, we promise. We have food down in the truck if you are hungry!"

The head turned into a boy of about 16 years old and several more crowded behind him. The boy said, "You have food? We have not eaten for two days! An old man told us to wait here for help, that three men would come to help us."

James said, "The man was Mr. Michael, wasn't he?"

The second boy replied, "Ye, ye, Yes, how did you know?"

James smiled and told the boys, "Well, he sent us to find you!"

The boys all came stampeding down the stairs, Garth counted them, yep, there were eleven boys. Terry held up the shoe they had found in the hall, "One of you guys missing something?"

A small boy came up to him, "Please sir, may I have my shoe?" The little boy had no socks and his feet were filthy and grubby.

They led the boys downstairs to the lobby and Garth asked two of them to assist him in carrying in the food. They made the boys sandwiches and gave them bottles of drinking water and bags of chips to hold them over.

The boy, who seemed to be their leader, identified himself as Bobbie Jax and told them they were all from the surrounding area. They had been living in an old warehouse when an old man told them how to get into the hotel and that they were to wait for three men who would take care of them.

James said, "Well, I guess I am on food detail, how about you, Bobbie, come with me and let's see if we can get some food for you guys?"

The boy looked at James, "You WANT me?" He began to cry, "Nobody has EVER wanted me for anything before!" James put his arm around the boy's shoulder and led him out to the truck.

While James and Bobbie headed into town, Garth and Terry had the boys spread out, knowing from past experience that living space items, such as sheets and towels, blankets and bedding were likely to be found somewhere in the building. Garth headed to the kitchen and dining area, there he discovered large commercial freezers and refrigerators already running and there was hot water at the sink taps. Out on a service porch, he discovered an electrical panel that controlled electric power to several floors and lighting service. Throwing the breakers to "on" brought on the lights throughout the building, as well as starting up the elevators. In the utility basement, under the Lobby, he discovered a laundry and a maintenance shop, complete with tools.

While Garth was exploring downstairs, Terry had discovered the supply cabinet where there were shelves of bagged blankets, sheets and pillows. Across the hall, a closet was full of towels, washcloths, soaps and shampoos. He detailed squads of boys to distribute the bedding to rooms for everyone and to stock the bathrooms with supplies so they all could have showers.

The littlest boy, Toby Hollis, who had lost his shoe, had attached himself to Terry. He discovered Toby was only 4 years old, his parents were itinerate farm workers and he discovered they had left town leaving him behind. Terry had to gulp his tears back when the boy told him that. He picked up the child and said, "Toby, how about you be my assistant?" The little boy beamed, his smile outshined the dirt on his face.

When all the immediate work was completed, Terry had the three older boys, Carl Blade, Peter Van and Gerren Curle, take the younger ones through the showers and just put their underwear on until their clothes could be washed.

As dirty clothes came flying down the stairs, Terry and Toby gathered them up and took them down to the laundry, where Garth was figuring out how to make the machines operate. Garth was mechanically inclined and soon had the system humming.

Terry watched the boys as they came out of the showers, their hair shiny clean and their faces with huge smiles. It saddened him that they had to put their old underwear on, he thought, "Oh, James, love, I wish I had told you to get underclothes for the boys!"

He nearly fell down the stairs when he distinctly heard, "We will stop at Target and get new underwear, Love!"

Terry sat down on the stairs, shaking his head, "I am more tired than I thought, now I am hearing things."

They heard the truck drive up to the delivery door behind the kitchen and Garth hollered for some help getting the food inside. He was swamped with boys wanting to insure their supper that night. James and Bobbie came in, loaded with bags from the Target Department Store. James handed his bags to Terry, "Here is the underwear you asked for, Love."

Terry looked at him, his mouth hanging open, "HUH?"

James reached across and pushed his lower jaw closed, "It's not fly time, Love. I heard you ask for underwear for the boys, so we stopped and got enough for all the boys for several days."

The boys hated having to wear their dirty underwear, so they stopped what they were doing and changed, right where they were! All the dirty underwear went flying into the laundry for Garth to shove into the washers.

Just as the boys were struggling into their freshly washed jeans and shirts, they heard the front door of the lobby open and there stood two Wenatchee City Policemen. One asked, "Is there a Mr. Terry Donaldson here?"

Terry replied that he was Terry Donaldson and the two policemen came over to shake his hand. They introduced themselves as Police Sergeant Barry Goldman and Officer Mel Franks of the Juvenile Division.

Sergeant Goldman said, "We were notified that you guys had purchased the old hotel and were turning it into a Boy's Home. We sure need that here, there is just no place to put these boys, why I have four staying at my house because there is just no place for them!" Officer Franks spoke up, "I am single and I have three stashed in my little apartment!" Sergeant Goldman said, "My four are sleeping on the living room floor, my wife and I have only a one-bedroom apartment." Terry said, "Well, we aren't really open yet, but we already have eleven boys here, bring the rest, there are plenty of bedrooms for them." The sergeant spoke up, "My wife is a pediatrician, can she help you with the boys?" Terry replied, "Oh Lordy yes, I am sure these boys have health problems that we haven't even discovered yet!" The Policeman went over to the lobby desk and picked up the telephone, it had a dial tone, so he called his wife, "Tillie, the folks are here to start the Boy's Home, how about bringing our guests down to the old Wenatchee Hotel." He turned back to Terry, "The boys we have were pretty sick when we first got them, I am going to ask my wife to check out the boys here, just to make sure."

Dr. Matilda Goldman brought four boys with her and her medical bag. She set up a clinic in the Lobby Manager's Office, shaking her head as she sent each boy out the door. After she had seen all eleven of the boys, she sat with her head in her hands. Terry walked into the room, and tears were flowing down the young woman's face. She asked, "How do you do this, these boys are so sick, so undernourished. You are standing there smiling at me and I am crying in despair for these children?"

Terry sat beside the distraught young woman, "I can smile because from now on, everything will get better and better for these boys." He continued, "Every boy will get all the food he needs, medical treatment and love, how can they not improve?"

The woman looked at Terry and saw his outline shimmering, "Wha, w, what are you?", she cried.

James and Garth had joined Terry, their bodies were also shimmering, Terry said, "We are the Warriors of Saint Michael!"

She gasped, "But that is but a legend!" Terry smiled and held her hand, "Does my touch feel like a legend?" he asked.

She jumped up, screaming for her husband, "Barry, get all the children, round them up and get them now! I am setting up a clinic right here!"

The Police Sergeant replied, "All of them, now?"

Dr. Tillie shouted, "Yes, now. THIS is where they belong!" She turned to the boys, "Just call me Dr. Tillie, I am going to be here for you for a LONG time."

Barry Goldman knew not to argue with his wife when she set her mind to something, he and Mel Franks began calling all the officers in the Juvenile Division, they had been protecting homeless boys for months. They told them to start bringing them down to The Wenatchee Boy's Hotel. Before the night was out, another 62 boys had been delivered. James and Bobbie went back to Target and cleaned them out of boy's underwear, pajamas, trousers, shirts, socks and shoes.

Dr. Tillie examined each boy as he arrived, she sent Barry out with prescriptions by the handful for vitamins and supplements for the boys. Worse, several boys had intestinal parasites, and she had Terry set up rooms on the lower level as hospital wards. When she discovered fungal infections on several boys' feet, she ran to the telephone and persuaded some of her colleagues to come in and assist. She was standing in the lobby, trying to collect her wits after spending all night treating conditions usually found only in third-world countries. She was near tears, some of those boys were so sick and not one complained. She had to put her coffee down, she was trembling so badly.

A small voice behind her said, "Please, Missus, do you gots room for usins?"

She twirled around and found 5 little boys standing there, dirty, clothed in rags and so skinny she could count their ribs beneath the rags! The distraught doctor overloaded, she knelt down and gathered the little boys in her arms, her tears flooding down her face, "Yes, there is room for you boys!"

She led them to her little makeshift clinic and began examining them. Her shrieks brought Terry and James running. What she showed Terry and James brought them to anger, all five boys had fresh wounds on their backs and buttocks from repeated whippings. The wounds were infected and oozing pus. Again, Dr. Tillie saw Terry and James begin to shimmer and grow in stature.

Both men filled the lobby and she saw huge swords upon their backs, Terry roared out, "THESE ART MINE CHILDREN, THEY SHALT NOT BE ABUSED."

James turned towards the city and shouted, "THOSE WHO HAVE DONE THIS THING, BEWARE MINE WRATH, WE COME FOR YOU." His booming words rattled windows and doors throughout the town of Wenatchee.

As she held the trembling children, Dr. Tillie felt a calm peace come over her, without knowing why, she knew these children would be safe.

Barry Goldman had gone home to change his clothes, he felt, more than heard James' roar. He knew in his heart from where it came. He jumped into his automobile and raced back to the Hotel, looking for his wife. He found her sitting in her clinic with two boys in her lap and three more sitting beside her. She looked up at her husband and said, "This is where we need to be."

He looked at the boys and told her he would resign from the Police Department that very day and they would assist in helping these boys. Mel Franks did the same and they came to work at Wenatchee Boys Hotel that same day.

Day by day, homeless boys made their way to the Hotel. Some were in such dire conditions that Dr. Tillie despaired of healing them. One little boy was incrusted with infections and his lungs seemed filled with liquid. She called an ambulance and they rushed him to the Regional Hospital.

The next day, the ER doctor called her, "Tillie, I don't believe in miracles, but your little patient, Robbie Noel is ready to come home!"

Dr. Tillie was not amazed, she had seen too much already for that to surprise her. She sent Barry over to receive the discharged child and bring him home.

By Christmas, there were 200 boys living at the Hotel and things were getting a little crowded. A Mr. Falwell called and asked for a meeting with Terry. When he arrived, he explained that he was an attorney for Mr. Cantly Way, a financier who had recently died. In his will, he stipulated that Wenatchee Boys Hotel was to receive $8,000,000 from his estate. He handed Terry a bank draft and thanked him for his time. They decided to use the funds to build an addition to the Hotel to provide more room for homeless boys. The weather remained mild, so the contractor began immediately in constructing the addition. He promised it would be completed by summer and he was pouring concrete the next week.

Many of the boys had been out of school for some time, with the help of the Superintendent of the School District, young men from the University came and tutored the boys in their spare time. The Superintendent saw to it that the young men received credit for their practical experience needed for licensure. They converted the Banquet Room to classrooms and boys needing help were tutored four hours daily.

The contractor cleared off the wild growth that had appeared in the front of the Hotel and graded it into a ball field. Local schools and teams were invited to play against the Hotel Team. A spirit of friendship grew among the town boys and the hotel boys. This was to become important before much more time had passed! Every Saturday, when the weather was nice, there was at least one ballgame between a school team and the Hotel Team. There was little friction between the town boys and the Hotel boys, the "Townies" were frequently invited to stay for supper, an invitation few turned down. Terry and James did occasionally hear disquieting remarks made by local religious groups, but nothing ever seemed to come of it.

Summer arrived and the final touches were put to the new addition. There was room for an additional 1,000 boys! Along with summer came the farm laborers and suddenly, there were children arriving, homeless, abandoned, sick and with little English. Mel Franks had spent two summers in the Peace Corps, building water systems in Mexico. He volunteered to help translate for those boys speaking Spanish. Since most of the farm labor was from Mexico, his assistance was vital. As the labor groups moved as the fruit ripened, they left behind many of their children. The little Mexican boys were bewildered, frightened and lost when confronted with a language barrier, again, they enlisted the assistance of the School Superintendent and 8 bilingual tutors were assigned to assist them.

Some of the older boys were becoming more responsible and they took it upon themselves to assist and look after the younger boys. Gerren Curle, a boy of 17 years, gathered together a group and came to see Terry and James. Gerren asked, "We have heard stories that you are with Saint Michael, is that true?"

Terry replied, "Yes, we are Warriors of Saint Michael the Arch Angel."

Gerren then said, "We wish to be the Cadets of St. Michael! We will watch after the younger boys and make sure no harm comes to them. If they go into town, a Cadet would go with them. If they want to go on a hike, a Cadet goes with them." He continued, "Dr. Tillie can teach us first aid and we will carry radios in case someone gets hurt."

Terry said, "That is a big job, are you boys willing to give up your free time to do this?"

All twelve boys stood and said, "Yes SIR, we are willing to do this!"

They established the CADETS OF SAINT MICHAEL, they chose to wear a red beret with a white cross on it and an armband, also red with the words Cadets of St. Michael in white letters. They outfitted themselves in blue jeans and white shirts and were seen in town whenever Hotel Boys were around. They were courteous but they would allow none to interfere with the Hotel Boys they were protecting. There was little conflict anyway, so, mostly the Cadets were advertising for the Hotel. Frequently, they would return with more boys than they had departed with!

Just before Christmas, a new church appeared in town, calling itself "GOD'S RIVER HOLY ASSEMBLY". The Reverend Jacob L. Foley was the pastor and he was frequently seen standing across the road to The Hotel, watching the boys.

It was usual practice for the boys to go to the church of their choice, escorted by a Cadet. On Sunday morning groups would depart for the local churches. There being only a few boys who were Jewish, the Rabbi would come on Saturday and attend to their needs.

Terry suspected trouble was brewing when he saw the good reverend writing in a notebook, every time a group left to go to church services. It was like he was counting noses. With the excitement of Christmas, however, the Reverend Foley was quickly forgotten.

They had hired an ex-Navy Cook and some helpers the summer before and the smells of Christmas Baking were pure torment to growing boys! Some of the little boys discovered that if they stood at the door, looking pitiful and hungry, Cookie was good for a snack or at least a sticky bun. Some of the older boys tried that and got chased off with a broom!

Christmas Eve rolled around and the Cadets had a room full of presents to be laid out for the younger boys. They waited until after all the boys had gone to bed and they started hauling out gifts that they had been collecting since the previous spring. There were bicycles, balls, bats, hoops, skates, a truckload of board games and for one little boy, a radio-controlled race car.

Little Manuel Pita was deaf, his father had hit him on the side of his head, the doctors said the little boy would never hear again! He was only 4 years old and was just beginning to learn English when his father hit him. He had endeared himself to every person in the Hotel. He was never without a smile on his face and was the ONLY boy who could wheedle cookies out of Cookie!

When the Cadets had laid out all their gifts, Terry called them to him, he and James had gifts for them. They gave each cadet a uniform, Green camouflage uniforms with their name over the left breast pocket and Saint Michael Cadet in red over the right pocket. Included were a combat first aid kit, a flashlight and a holster for their radios. To complete the outfit, there was a gold cross to be pinned just under their name.

As a special gift to Gerren, he received a Blue beret that read across the front MASTER CADET! He was trying manfully not to cry, Terry wrapped his arms around the boy and he let loose, shaking so badly that Terry had to hold him up. He looked up at Terry and said, "Make me a Warrior!"

Terry hugged him and whispered, "Son, you already ARE a warrior!"

Christmas morning rolled around, bright and clear and the boys were up with the sun, they all crowded around the door to the old Banquet Room. Garren was standing in the doorway, wearing his new uniform. He waited until Terry, James and Garth were there and then stepped back, letting the thundering herd of boys run into the room.

Every package had a nametag, boys were calling out names as they came across the packages. They watched special for Manuel, Charlie Ross had his package and carried it over to him, holding it in front so he would see it. The light on the little boy's face lit up the room, he held the package to his chest, not really knowing what to do with it. Gerren sat down on the floor with him and showed him how to open the box. His eyes looked ready to pop out of his head when Gerren pulled the toy out. A bright red radio-controlled race car! Gerren put the batteries in it for him and Little Manuel was off! Gerren let Terry and James know that he had more batteries in his pocket.

Terry looked at James and nodded his head, "YES." James smiled and agreed.

While the children were playing with their Christmas gifts, a crowd began to gather in the front drive, the Reverend Foley was exhorting people to close this den of deviates and foreigners down. They were un-American and un-Christian! He was screaming and hollering at the top of his voice. Soon, they began throwing stones and bricks at the building and the children became frightened.

When a brick came through the window and clipped little Manuel Pita on the shoulder, that became enough! Terry, James and Garth began to shimmer and grow in stature, Terry stomped his way out into the front yard, he was now ten feet tall and was holding his great sword in his hand, "BEGONE THOU SCUM OF THE EARTH, MINE CHILDREN SHALL NOT BE THREATENED BY SUCH AS YOU!" He waved his great sword at them and fire shot out, blistering and burning the protesters.

James had joined him, "THOU SHALT LEAVE THIS PLACE, NOW!" He blew a great breath from his mouth and the protesters were blown over, rolling out onto the street like so many balls.

Garth had come around the building, only slightly smaller than the other two, "DO NOT RETURN HERE LEST YOU NOT SURVIVE OUR ANGER!" and he began to chase them down the street with his great sword. They began to hear sirens as the Police Department arrived. By then, the Warriors had returned to their human size.

The Police Captain said, "We had reports of giants here."

Terry laughed, "Just us here, Captain, and those hooligans of Reverend Foley's."

The Captain laughed, "Well perhaps someone had a little too much Christmas cheer, hmmmph, Giants indeed!"

As they all returned to the Hotel, little Manuel Pita was standing there and clear as a bell, he said, "Gerren, you was glowing!"

Without thinking, Gerren leaned down and said, "Are you sure?"

Manuel replied, "Yes, Gerren, I seed you!"

Gerren looked at the little boy, "You heard me? You can HEAR?"

Manuel started to cry, "I can hear, I can hear."

Terry picked up the little boy and whispered in his ear, "Merry Christmas little one, Merry Christmas." He then turned to Gerren and said, "WARRIOR OF SAINT MICHAEL the ARCH ANGEL!"

Gerren nearly fainted, "Me?" he said with wonder.

The next day, the Reverend Foley's church was locked and a sign on the door said, "CLOSED", he was never heard from again.

Winter loosened its hold and spring opened with new life. Flowers began to grow, trees sprouted new leaves and bright green grass poked its shoots up through the winter-rested soil. Boys began to dream of doing "boy things", camping, fishing, and hiking were high on their lists. The Cadets organized expeditions for the Hotel Boys, fishing trips along the Wenatchee River, hiking and camping in the nearby forest and a prize, twenty 4-man canoes!

As the snow melt lessened, the Wenatchee River became more docile. Gerren held sign-ups for weekend canoe trips. Each canoe could hold one Cadet, three boys and their gear. As boys became 16 years old, they were eligible to become a St. Michael Cadet and, after passing Dr. Tillie's First Aid Course and Barry Goldman's Safety Course, he was eligible to lead a canoe adventure on the river.

There was a 60-mile stretch of the river south of town that had places to camp along its course. The first weekend after school let out, all twenty canoes were filled with boys eager to try their hands at paddling canoes. Master Cadet Gerren Curle loaded the lead canoe with three eager boys, all their camping gear and enough food to keep four teen boys from starving! As he shoved the canoe off from the bank and hopped in, he raised his paddle and shouted "CHARGE!" All twenty canoes headed downstream.

As they passed through the town, folks along the river waved and shouted encouragement to the boys. The lead canoe, piloted by Gerren, flew their red St. Michael banner at the bow. A sharp-eyed newspaper photographer snapped their picture as they passed by and it appeared in that evening's newspaper. Somehow, the news article and pictures were picked up by the wire services and it appeared in newspapers all over the state and surrounding areas!

The first night they camped in a small county park and the Cadets taught the boys camp songs while they ate toasted wieners and marshmallows. The next morning, a few boys wanted to stay in their warm sleeping bags, the smell of grilling bacon and scrambled eggs soon got them up. They stopped early the second night and got out the fishing poles, the boys caught enough fish for everyone to have a taste. The third day was a short trip to Keller's Landing, where there were trucks and cars waiting to haul the victorious River Rats and their canoes back to Wenatchee Boys Hotel, tired, dirty and ready to go again!

The Boys did a lot of growing that summer and so did their Cadets. Gerren Curle turned 18 years old and, somehow, he had convinced himself that he would have to leave the Hotel, the only true home he had ever known. On the day of his birthday, Cookie made him a huge cake, decorated as a St. Michael Cadet Armband. He put on a brave face at his party and thanked everyone for his gifts and cards.

Going upstairs to his room, tears began flowing down the boy's face. So deep was his sorrow he did not notice that he was the only one going up to the bedroom floors, nor did he notice the light coming from beneath the door to his room. As he stepped into his room, his surprise was so great, he sat on the floor, there stood three Great Warriors, their bodies glowing in light and their swords on their backs. In front of them stood a simple old man, dressed in common clothing and sandals. His long hair in a braid down his back and a smile was on his face.

The Gleaming Warriors drew their swords and touched them to the floor beside the old man, as they dropped to their knees. The old man reached out and drew Gerren to himself and held his hands, "GERREN CURLE, THOU HAST PROVEN THYSELF, KNEEL AND BE ANOINTED MY WARRIOR." He took the sword from Terry's hand and touched the kneeling young man on the forehead with the blade. The old man then hugged a bewildered Gerren and kissed him on both cheeks before stepping out the door and disappearing.

Gerren was stammering and struggling, "Wha, wu, who, wha?" he stammered, trying to get words out of his mouth.

As Terry, James and Garth returned to their human size, Terry smiled at the bewildered young man and said, "That was Saint Michael the Arch Angel!"

Gerren Curle fainted! Gerren sat up with his mentors far into the night, much of what was said, he would remember, word for word, for the remainder of his life.

The next morning, as Gerren entered the dining room for breakfast, Little Manuel Pita ran up to him and hugged him. He stood on his tip-toes and whispered in Gerren's ear, "Gerren, you is glowing, I can see you glow!"

It was announced that Gerren would be part of the adult staff and would continue working with the St. Michael Cadets as well as the outdoor programs, including canoeing. Peter Van was chosen to be the new Master Cadet and Manuel Pita was elected Cadet Mascot!

TBC

Look for more adventures of these gentle warriors.