It was early morning when the town square started bustling with buyers and sellers. Everyone in the town was there, even if they didn't need anything. This was the time to socialize among others and possibly tell a story about an encounter with the headless horseman.
"Cricket! Hurry up! We will be late if you keep catching frogs!" Katrina yelled at her younger sister who was running to catch up with her. Cricket stuffed a frog down her dress to keep it for later. The town heard the commotion and this caught the eye of Brom Bones.
He walked up behind her to trap her and said, "Good morning Katrina. Cricket."
Katrina jumped around and her shoulder slumped. "Good morning Brom Bones," she replied curtly.
Katrina tried to slide past him, but he blocked her and said, "I hope you slept well."
"As well as one could sleep in this town. We really need to be going."
"There is a new school teacher."
"I'm aware."
She managed to slip around him, dragging Cricket along behind her. Brom slung his arm around Katrina's shoulders and pulled her back. "I'll escort you."
"No thank you, Brom. I'm perfectly capable of walking Cricket to school by myself. Good day."
She walked forward and Mad Fax, the notorious madman runs up to her and grabs onto her shoulders. "He's coming for me! He's behind me! Please help me!" Brom steps in between them and pushes the old man onto the ground.
"Stop harassing the young lady you filthy scum." He kicked dirt into his eyes.
"Brom stop!" Katrina yelled.
"He needs to learn his place."
"No, you need to learn your place." She bent down in front of Mad Fax and said, "Are you alright, sir? Can you stand?" She offered her hand and he took it. She helped him back up to his feet and Brom was seething. Cricket snuck up behind him and stuck a frog down the back of his pants. He screamed and jumped and wiggled around until the frog finally came out of the bottom of his pants. The whole town was laughing as they watched the manliest guy in town freak out over a frog. He stormed off just as the school bell rung off in the distance.
"Cricket! The school bell!" She grabbed Cricket and ran off towards the school house.
~
Meanwhile at the school house, two of Mr. Crane's new students were running around causing chaos and Mr. Crane, being the awkward guy that he was, couldn't find a way to stop them.
Katrina runs in and notices the commotion. She walks right up to them and takes them by the ear. "Emmaline von Buskirk and Timothy Dervish! What on earth were you doing? You two were being very disrespectful. Apologize to..." She looked around and found a tall, lanky man looking at her.
"Oh..uh..Ichabod Crane, ma'am."
"Aplolgize to Mr. Crane."
"Sorry," they both said in unison.
"Thank you very much," Ichabod said. "I'm afraid I'm not a very good disciplinarian."
"Quite alright. Sir, my little sister, Elaine van Tassel is in your class." She said while waving Cricket over, but she wouldn't come. "But please don't call her Elaine, sir. She goes only by Cricket." Cricket walked over to Mr. Crane. He offered his hand to shake it and Cricket placed a frog in his hand.
He jumped back. "Oh good heavens."
"Cricket really!" Katrina scolded. Ichabod suddenly stopped freaking out when he remembered that a spirited young lady was standing next to him.
"No, no. It's fine. Uh...perhaps he's happiest with you though." Cricket smiled and skipped away to join the other students.
"Sir, my sister, Cricket, doesn't speak," Katrina said quietly.
"Ever?"
"Not since she was small. No one really knows why because she is very smart. She's a very good student and she likes coming to school."
"Then I'd be happy to have her in my class, Ms. Van Tassel is it?" Katrina smiled warmly at him while she shook his hand. There was just something about him that Katrina liked. He was different and certainly nothing like Brom. He was nice and smart.
Ichabod also found Katrina entrancing. She had a lively spirit that he wished he could have and he was certain that she was the prettiest lady he had ever laid eyes on.
One of his students screamed and their moment was broken. Cricket had scared someone with her frog. "Cricket, if you don't stop I'll have to take the frog away from you for today," Katrina scolded.
Cricket shook her head and put the frog away for now. Katrina turned back to Mr. Crane and said, "Good luck and welcome to Sleepy Hollow."
~
"There's a story that you should know, that I'm sure no one has told you," Grandmother Nella said while sitting in her rocking chair with a blanket that she was knitting. Ichabod was sitting beside her and Timothy was on the other side. Ichabod was staying with the Dervish family. "Don't ever be out at night. Never open a door, or a window or a latch at night. No matter what you do stay inside until the sun comes full up.
"But...why?" Ichabod asks.
"There's a thing that haunts Sleepy Hollow at night. During the revolutionary war the British sent soldiers over here, Hessians, and one in particular haunts this town. During battle his head got chopped off, but he is still very much alive. He comes out at night and if anyone crosses his path he takes them and they vanish for good. No trace of them is left. It's said that he chops off his victims heads and tries to use their heads for his own."
"Have you ever seen this horseman?" Ichabod skeptically asks.
"I wouldn't be here to tell you this story if I have." Ichabod nods along even though he doesn't believe.
