The Girl of Sleepy Hollow

Chapter 17

Rose couldn't sleep that night. She tried to lay still in bed, but thoughts kept pushing themselves into her mind. That one unanswered question lingered in her brain like a headache. She tossed and turned, but sleep never caught her.

Ichabod Crane was dead. Died alone in the night with a broken heart. But the mystery culprit was yet to be found. Who took Crane's head? Who made his broken heart stop beating all together? If not Abraham, than who?

This question clawed at Rose until she couldn't take it anymore. She needed to talk to Lara. And she couldn't wait until morning to do it.

Rose slipped quietly out of bed. Down the hall she heard her father's gentle snoring and her mother as she turned in bed. Rose opened her wardrobe and pulled out a black dress she hadn't worn since her grandfather's funeral. She quickly put it on, and then donned her black cloak. Against the black night, she would be invisible.

With her hood draped over her golden hair, Rose began tiptoeing downstairs. She made her way out the back door and towards the stables. Inside, the oil lamp hung on its usual spot on the wall near Daredevil's pin. She gently took it by the hand, then slipped out the door.

The night air was shivering cold. Rose's skin chilled whenever a breath of wind stroked her skin. The moon was a glowing pale ornament in the black sky. No stars were to be seen. Occasionally a dark cloud would pass over the moon to darken the moonlight. The only sound in the entire Hollow was Rose's footsteps.

Rose navigated the town square with only the burning oil as her guide. Eventually she came to the home of her close friend. She titled her head down and hid the oil lamp with her cloak. The last thing she wanted was the town drunk to wake up and see her. She tiptoed her way to the back of the house. Lara's bedroom window was dark. But peering in, Rose could see her friend half-awake in bed.

Rose gently tapped the window. Lara stirred in bed but didn't wake up. She tapped the window again more firmly. Then Lara looked up at the window. Rose motioned Lara to come over. Her friend slipped out of bed then walked over to the window. Her hair was a frizzy mess, and she had purple bags under her eyes.

Lara opened the window and rubbed her eyes.

"Hey there, Rosie" she said. "It's eleven o' clock, what're you doing out so late?"

"I couldn't wait till morning" Rose said. "I need to talk to you. Come with me."

"Alright, but let's make it quick" Lara said. She stepped over the window sill and jumped onto the ground. She was still in her nightgown and her feet were bare. "I'm grounded, and if my papa catches me out of the house, I'll be joining Ichabod in the river."

"Grounded?" Rose said. "Why?"

"My parents found out I snuck something out of their bedroom. Unfortunately, newspaper doesn't dry that quickly."

"Don't worry" Rose said. "It'll only take a few minutes"

The girls hurried through the town square by light of the oil lamp. When they made it to the orchard, the gate was closed shut for the night. So the girls turned and headed down the path through the woods towards the bridge. Neither of them wanted to go all the way to the brook. If someone found them near the scene of the dead body at night, it could be suspicious.

So the two stayed in the wooded area next to the path. It was even darker in the woods. The black branches imprinted themselves against the moon like stencil drawings. The crunch of leaves under their footsteps sounded sinister.

Rose told Lara everything her mother had told her. It felt strange hearing the story come out of her own mouth. Like she was telling her mother's secrets to a friend, just like those three gossips. But Lara listened with the same awe as she had.