Ichabod: A Sleepy Hollow Story

Ichabod: Prologue

'Clop-Clop, Clop-Clop, Clop-Clop'

"Have you heard about the new guy who just came in to town? Ich-a bood Lame...Uh, Iky-mambo Hane...Ichoobode..." went on Claus, the tailor in town.
"Ya' mean, Ichabod Crane?" asked Mrs. VanTassel, the wife of Mr. VanTassel, the rich farm owner.
"That's it! Ichabod Wane!" exclaimed Claus.
"Crane," replied Mrs. VanTassel, clearly annoyed at Claus, as usual.

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One of the bakers in the tavern, which Claus and Mrs. VanTassel were at, gasped loudly at the mention of Ichabod's name. "Ichabod Crane?!" she squealed. The other two ladies that worked there with her began squealing as well. At this, another man in the tavern covered his ears.
"Erna!" he yelled, "you always get Wilhemina and Greta worked up!" Erna looked at the man and laughed. Wilhemina and Greta joined in with her.
"Sorry, Abraham, but-" Erna started.
"ERNA!" Abraham yelled, even louder than before, "I HATE being called that stupid name my parents gave me. You WILL call me by my new name: Brom Bones."
"Oh yes, sorry BROM, I COMPLETELY forgot," Erna replied, sarcastically. "What I was trying to say, before I was so rudely interrupted, was that how could I NOT work up Willy and Greta! Ichabod is absolutely wonderful!"
"Oh please," Brom paused and took a bite from his cheese wedge, "spare me."

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"He's tall, and exceedingly lank," Greta said, dreamily.
"With narrow shoulders, long arms and legs," Wilhemina said, also dreamily.
"Hands that dangle a MILE out of his sleeves, and feet that could serve as shovels," said Erna, giggling.
"His head is small and flat on top, with huge ears, and large, green, glassy eyes," Greta sighed.
"And his long snipe nose perched upon his spindle neck," Wilhemina breathed.
"Oh, and to see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him," Erna said. Then all three sighed, thinking of Ichabod.

'Clop-Clop, Clop-Clop, Clop-Clop'

Brom stared at them, in disbelief. "That's what you see in that fragile schoolmaster?! I almost mistook him for a scarecrow who might've escaped a cornfield!" Brom said. This made Brom's gang members chuckle. "Look at me!" Brom continued, flexing his muscles, "I can snap him in two, and yet you still fall for him?!" Brom yelled.
Erna looked at him with a bored expression on her face.
"Well at least he's nice," Erna responded. This made Brom furious.
"Who cares if he's 'nice'?!" Brom replied, very angrily. "You know what? I don't care what you think! I'm after Katrina, anyway," Brom said. Katrina VanTassel was the daughter of Mr. And Mrs. VanTassel. Whoever married Katrina inherited the land and its money. Not to mention that Katrina was also strikingly beautiful.

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"I don't care none for no schoolteacher! Readin' and writin', never milked no cow or harvest no crops. I ain't wastin' my breath on him, and neither should the rest of y'all!" yelled Mrs. VanTassel, suddenly.
"Why, thank you, Amanda," Brom replied.
"I don't approve a' you either, Abraham VanBrunt!"
"It's BROM BONES!" yelled Brom. He stomped out of the tavern, cursing. Quickly, his gang members, Sebastian, Nathan, and Ulrich, hopped up and ran out the door with him, taking their cheese wedge with them. The ladies that worked at the tavern were known for their amazing baking and cooking skills. They could make a fine slice of cheese.
"Hey, they didn't pay for their cheese!" yelled Greta.

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"I can get it back for you!" exclaimed a younger girl of about 13. This girl had been sitting quietly towards the back of the tavern just listening to the town gossip.
"Well, now, there's no need to steal, Allison," said Greta.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" said Allison, happily, "Also, Brom and his gang stole first anyway. I consider it more of a return trip. My parents won't mind at all."
"Your parents are both drunks; of course they wouldn't care!" said Wilhemina.
"I know that!" Allison stated. She paused for a moment, thinking. "I do what I need to do," she continued, "I 'steal' so my drunk parents don't have to work. Life's easier that way," she concluded. She then suddenly got a big grin on her face and leapt from her chair. "You'll have your cheese back by nightfall!" she yelled as she ran out the door.
"That kid's gonna git herself whooped," stated Mrs. VanTassel, after taking a sip of her glass of water.
"I worry about her sometimes too, Amanda," said Claus, staring at her.
"Shut up, Claus," Mrs. VanTassel said, "and it's Mrs. VanTassel to you." she added. Claus looked down at his feet, obviously embarrassed. Claus felt a lot of affection for Mrs. VanTassel, which is why her husband and she didn't care much for Claus. Plus, Claus was annoying anyway.
"I feel horrible for the way she's been raised," said Wilhemina, "Her parents never wanted to have kids you know." Erna thought about this for a second.
"Wouldn't that mean...with her parents being drunk all the time and everything...Allison is...oh" Erna thought aloud.
"Yes, it would indeed," added Greta, "My younger brother Hansel has quite the affection for her, though."