The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Long ago, a new schoolteacher arrived in the small town of Sleepy Hollow. He was tall and thin, like a scarecrow, with a small head and a nose so strong he was even able to track someone who was hiding underground. His name was Ichabod Crane.
Ichabod was a strict teacher. Some people liked him. Others, like Brom Bones, thought he was strange. Brom enjoyed playing tricks on Ichabod, but Ichabod never seemed to mind.


Ichabod was soon invited to a Halloween party. He dressed in his nicest clothes.


At the party, Ichabod ate and danced and laughed, charming everyone around her. It was a perfect night... until the host of the party called for his guests to tell scary stories.


Ichabod did not like scary stories.
Brom Bones went first. He was jealous of Ichabod because everyone liked him. Brom hoped his tale would frighten the schoolteacher so much that he would leave Sleepy Hollow forever. His story was about the Headless Horseman, a character who had a flaming pumpkin where his head should be.


Every Halloween night, the ghost would ride through town looking for someone to trade heads with. He would try to catch any stranger he found in the woods, but he could not cross the covered bridge at the edge of town.


As Brom told his story, poor Ichabod grew very afraid. He was shaking right down...
to his boots!


Although Ichabod knew the ghost wasn't real, the woods felt dark and scary as he traveled home later that night. The tree branches looked like hands reaching out to grab him!


The crickets sounded like they were calling his name.
The croaking frogs seemed to be saying, "Headless Horseman! Headless Horseman!


Frightened, Ichabod urged his horse to run. They raced blindly through the dark until they reached a clearing.


After they'd stopped to rest, they still heard hoofbeats. Something was coming for them! They hid in fear.
"TAM-DUM, TAM-DUM, TAM-DUM, TAM-DUM, TAM-DUM, TAM-DUM, TAM-DUM, TAM-DUM, TAM-DUM!"


When Ichabod realized the sound was just some reeds banging on a hollow tree trunk, he and the horse laughed. They felt silly that they had imagined it was the Headless Horseman.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"


But just when they were feeling safe, another laugh joined theirs. An evil laugh. An angry laugh. A ghostly laugh.


It was Headless Horseman!


Ichabod and his horse jumped up and ran. The ghost followed them—


into the woods,


down the riverbank,


through the water,

and across a field.


They raced away from the Headless Horseman. But the ghost wanted
Ichabod's head, and it wasn't going to stop until it reached him.



Finally, Ichabod saw the bridge in the distance. He remembered that crossing the bridge meant safety, so he urged his horse to go faster.


With a final burst of speed, they made it across!


But the Headless Horseman was not done. The ghost heaved its flaming pumpkin head straight at Ichabod Crane.


The next morning, only Ichabod's hat and a few pieces of pumpkin were found lying on the ground.


The schoolteacher was never seen again. Some people say that Ichabod left Sleepy Hollow for good, finding happiness in another town.


But others say the Headless Horseman took him away.



What do you think happened?




—The End—