Rafa's mother was recently diagnosed with cancer, and she hasn't been the same since treatments started. She's always tired, and Rafa has been told more than once by his father that he needs to give her space. But Rafa is worried she might die soon, and he wishes that he could cast a spell on her to remove the sickness, just like his characters in his favorite roleplaying game, The Forgotten Age. Unfortunately, real life is not like a book.
On their way out of school for summer vacation, Rafa and his friends are convinced by their Game Master to perform a live Forgotten Age adventure by freeing the slushy machine from their school cafeteria. Caught by the principal, Rafa finds himself in trouble with his father. As punishment, his father sends Rafa away to work on a ranch in New Mexico, where he will hopefully learn personal responsibility.
Missing his mother and worried she's getting sicker, Rafa doesn't really want to be in New Mexico. He meets Jennie Kim, the daughter of the ranch's librarian, and soon the two of them become friends. Rafa notices a man in a green sweater hovering in the background, and a series of incidents seem to point to Rafa as the culprit, as if he was trying to get himself kicked out of the ranch. The incidents lead to an accident where Rafa and Jennie are stuck in a cave that was intentionally collapsed. Other strange events are also taking place. The horses are changing color. A picture with Jennie's father has changed. Books in Portuguese appear in the library. Are these strange events caused by one or more ghosts?
As Rafa and Jennie attempt to solve the mystery, the man in the green sweater is getting bolder, and a confrontation is all but certain. Can Rafa and Jennie resolve the threat before it is too late? A fast read that incorporates elements of roleplaying games, fans of mystery will appreciate Rafa's struggles to defend himself and his attachment to his mother.
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