Dear Reader Much of this story is true. Much of this story is fiction. You may decide to believe just some or perhaps all of this tale. Some may label this a fantasy-adventure story. Others, family saga, with elements of historical fiction. Proverbial gun to the head, I would label this a reimagined memoir-reimagined family history. Virtually every character introduced is based upon a real person-including many family members; some known, some met only in my imagination. They interact in ways both real and imagined. Of course, there is also a very real major character without whom this story would not exist. If nothing else, I hope the reader will find the tale fun, thought provoking and cause one to wonder about what has been & what could be if things only turned out differently than they have, or will. I don't want to give anything away too early¿ Essentially, this story seeks to find hope, even "in the shadows." Let me stop this note here. Let's go off on the adventure together. Let the run begin¿ K.M.H. June 2025 Shanghai, China