Before the Pines Fell Silent

Before the Pines Fell Silent
By epitomeofpain

Sixteen-year-old James Soriano doesn't know how to explain the silence growing inside him-only that it started somewhere between quiet doctor visits and the pages of his journal. When he's accepted into Camp Lakambini, a summer retreat nestled in the pine-covered mountains, he hopes to disappear into sketches and stories and avoid the truth he's not ready to face.

But the camp has a memory of its own.

As James meets a circle of artists, musicians, and dreamers, he begins to feel seen in ways he never expected. Through midnight walks and slow-burning friendships, something fragile and beautiful takes root. Yet the ticking inside him continues-and he knows the summer will end before he's ready to say everything out loud.

A haunting, quiet coming-of-age tale about the moments that shape us, the people we carry, and the truths we're afraid to name-Before the Pines Fell Silent is a story of time borrowed, and memories that echo long after the last fire has gone out.