diff --git a/Sources/HummingbirdMustache/Parser.swift b/Sources/HummingbirdMustache/Parser.swift
index c6cb23b..d5495d0 100644
--- a/Sources/HummingbirdMustache/Parser.swift
+++ b/Sources/HummingbirdMustache/Parser.swift
@@ -71,6 +71,9 @@ extension HBParser {
 
     /// initialise a parser that parses a section of the buffer attached to this parser
     func subParser(_ range: Range<Int>) -> HBParser {
+        if range.startIndex == range.endIndex {
+            return HBParser(self, range: self.range.startIndex ..< self.range.startIndex)
+        }
         return HBParser(self, range: range)
     }
 }
@@ -283,9 +286,6 @@ extension HBParser {
         {
             unsafeAdvance()
         }
-        if startIndex == index {
-            return subParser(startIndex ..< startIndex)
-        }
         return subParser(startIndex ..< index)
     }