Ghost of Pennsburg
A Novella
Pennsburg California is not a town you find yourself in by accident. It was a town designed for people who had nowhere else to be, or people who needed to be nowhere at all.
The Ghost of Pennsburg follows Nathaniel “Nate” Kipp, a boy living under the heavy thumb of his father, Arthur, a former cartel accountant in the Witness Protection Program. Nate possesses an eidetic memory, which—after the murder of Nate’s mother—his father has weaponized to store damning financial evidence against the Varga Cartel.
For the two years following the murder of Nate’s mother, Arthur subjects him to grueling, daily, memorization sessions and psychological conditioning that suppresses Nate’s humanity—turning Nate into a human hard drive—in order to preserve the data, and secure their safety.
Their existence in Pennsburg is sterile and isolated until Nate meets Ezra Cain.
Ezra is a magnetic, charismatic boy who lives his life outload, takes up too much space, and has a disarming 1,000 watt smile.
One day, Nate and Ezra lock eyes, prompting Ezra to sit on Nate’s front porch until he agrees to “a ten minute truce” so they can get to know each other. Nate begrudgingly agrees thinking it will get Ezra to go away. But Ezra wins him over.
Ezra finds Nate’s quirky, mysterious, behavior fascinating. He doesn’t see Nate as “the weird kid”, he just sees him. With the support of Ezra, Nate begins to reclaim his agency, and his humanity.
After Nate and Ezra have been dating for five months—and Arthur forbids Nate to see Ezra any longer—Nate finally realizes the power he has as the human hard drive. The one who holds the data, holds the power. He challenges his father’s authority using his status as the "Star Witness" to force Arthur to allow him to see Ezra again and have a normal teenager’s social life.
The boys’ relationship continues to deepen, their love grows, and they begin to plan their college years together at UC Santa Cruz.
But when the news of Hector Varga’s capture in Mexico hits the NEWS, the reality of the impending trial shatters Nate’s hope for a future with Ezra in Santa Cruz. Nate begins to believe the cartel has found them in Pennsburg, but he would rather die than live without Ezra. Nate has to decide whether to call the Marshals or keep it to himself in order to have just another few weeks with Ezra.