Found or Forgotten .

“The Edge of Home”

A Novella by Lyconius

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Chapter 1: The Cold Ground

The morning frost clung to the nylon walls of the tent like glass.

Lila rubbed her hands together and blew into them, staring at the empty coffee tin beside the small fire pit. Next to her, Mason stirred awake beneath the old army blanket, his breath forming clouds in the chill.

They’d been living in the woods for three months—just beyond the old train tracks on the edge of Chilhowie, Virginia. No one knew they were there, except a couple of hikers who pretended not to see.

Lila used to waitress at the diner off Route 11. Mason had worked drywall until the layoffs. When her mother’s house sold and his truck broke down, the bottom fell out. They drifted into the woods with what they could carry—an old tent, two duffels, and each other.

Every day was survival: keeping warm, finding food, staying invisible. But it was getting harder. The police had been patrolling the backroads again.

Lila watched the smoke rise from their half-dead fire and whispered, “We can’t keep living like ghosts.”

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Chapter 2: The Spark in the Woods

It was late afternoon when they met him.

A bearded man in a faded green hoodie appeared out of the trees while Mason was hauling water from the creek.

“You folks staying out here?” he asked, voice calm, not judgmental.

“Who’s asking?” Mason replied, hand tightening around his bucket handle.

“Name’s Travis. I’m with the People’s Lair.”

He set down a cardboard box. Inside were canned goods, socks, and a flashlight.

“The what?” Lila asked, stepping forward.

“A local group. Grassroots. We help folks who fell through the cracks.”

Lila and Mason exchanged a look. Nobody helped without wanting something.

But Travis just nodded and said, “No strings. Just neighbors helping neighbors. There’s a drop-in center in town if you ever want to talk. Hot coffee, no judgment.”

After he left, Mason opened the box slowly, like it might vanish.

Inside was a note:

You are not forgotten. – The People’s Lair.

For the first time in months, Lila cried.

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Chapter 3: Roots of Hope

Two weeks later, they went to the People’s Lair center—an old church basement in Marion, walls covered with local art and flyers for free clinics, carpentry classes, and job postings.

They met Marie, who ran the food program, and Devon, who offered Mason some work fixing up an old shed behind the center.

It wasn’t much—$40 a day and a sandwich—but it was dignity.

Lila volunteered to help sort donations. She learned the Lair wasn’t just a charity; it was a movement. People came together to rebuild each other’s lives from the ground up.

They shared their stories—veterans, single moms, laid-off factory workers—all trying to start over.

And Lila realized: being homeless wasn’t an identity. It was a moment, one that could change.

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Chapter 4: Shadows and Setbacks

Just when things began to look up, winter hit hard.

Their tent ripped during an ice storm, and Mason got sick with pneumonia.

The People’s Lair stepped in—Travis drove them to the free clinic, Marie brought soup, and Devon found them a spot in a heated shed behind the center.

But the system pushed back. The town council called the Lair a “magnet for vagrants.” Police showed up to question everyone.

Still, the community stood firm.

Volunteers filmed the encounters, posted them online, and support poured in from across Virginia. Donations spiked. The Lair’s mission went viral:

“No one should freeze on Virginia soil.”

Lila stayed by Mason’s bedside, holding his hand through fever and coughing fits.

When he finally woke and whispered, “We ain’t ghosts no more,” she smiled through her tears.

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Chapter 5: Building Something New

Spring arrived. The People’s Lair launched a new initiative—Roots, a transitional housing program built from recycled shipping containers and local timber.

Mason was one of the first workers hired. He helped build the very walls that would house people like him.

Lila joined the community kitchen, turning donated produce into meals for those still sleeping rough.

They saved what little they could, and soon, the Lair offered them a small cabin of their own—solar-powered, warm, and paid for by community fundraising.

It wasn’t a mansion. But it was home.

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Chapter 6: The Light Beyond the Trees

A year later, Lila stood outside their cabin watching the sunrise spill through the trees. Mason brewed coffee on their small propane stove, humming softly.

The woods that once symbolized their struggle had become a place of healing.

They still volunteered with the People’s Lair, mentoring new arrivals—folks just trying to get their footing like they once did.

At the monthly community meeting, Travis asked Mason to speak.

He stood before the crowd, voice steady.

“I used to think being homeless meant I’d failed. But what I learned here is that failure is what happens when no one’s there to catch you. The People’s Lair caught us—and now, we’re helping others stand again.”

Applause filled the room. Lila smiled, hand resting over her heart.

They had found not just shelter, but purpose.

And for the first time in forever, the woods didn’t feel like exile.

They felt like home.

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Themes:

Community over charity

Dignity through work and connection

The quiet resilience of love

Hope reborn from the margins