The Girl of Sleepy Hollow

Chapter 20

They buried the head with the body. Ichabod Crane was finally put to rest in one piece. They later opened the Hessian's grave to find his own head there as well. The Horseman had finally found what he had brutally lost.

No one heard the Headless Horseman again. Weeks went by, and the nights were silent. People who were once constantly awakened by ghostly horse hooves now found themselves sleeping till morning.

During those weeks, it was like the town had gone into hibernation. No one spoke, because no one was brave enough to. Not a single soul dared to go anywhere near the bridge. Everyone was still struggling to believe what had happened was real.

Rose was never taken away for punishment. Although the town was still in shock, it was clear from the proof they had witnessed that she was innocent. But Rose seemed to have gone into hibernation too. She found herself staying enclosed in her room, just like in the days before All Hallows Eve.

There was a knock at the door a month later. Rose's parents were off at the market, so Rose answered the door herself. She was surprised to see her old friend standing there, whom she thought had vowed to never speak to her again. But her friend gave her a small smile and said "Hello, Rose."

"Hello, Lara"

"May I come in?"

Rose led Lara into the living room. The two sat on two stools near the fireplace. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. It was Lara who broke the silence first.

"It's been a long time since anyone last saw the Horseman" she said. "No one's heard him in weeks."

"He doesn't need to leave his grave anymore" Rose said. "He's found what he was looking for."

Lara nodded. She paused a moment, then sighed. "Rose, I came here to apologize. For what happened that night in the woods."

"There's nothing to apologize for. You had every right to be upset."

"No, it's not just that." Lara looked down at her lap. "The thing is, it wasn't just about Adrian. I'm always picked on by everyone in this town. Just because my father's a silly drunk. Adrian was the only one who ever took a chance on me. Then you came along, and I thought I'd finally found someone I could connect with." Lara looked up at Rose. "The thing is Rose, you and I have a lot in common. You spent most of your life locked up. I spent most of mine being left out. We both know what it's like to be isolated."

"So you thought I was like everyone else? That I just wanted to make fun of you, so I pretended to be your friend then kissed a boy you liked?"

Lara nodded. "But what's worse is I let my emotions control me. I overreacted, then didn't speak up when they asked if you were innocent at the town meeting. I was so stupidly worked up that I let you almost die." She sighed. "It was foolish of me, and I swear I'll never let it happen again."

Rose stood up from her stool and hugged her friend. "Don't think about it for another second, Lara Van Hanks. You're forgiven."

"Thanks, Rosie" Lara said, wrapping her arms around her friend.

Rose sat back down on her stool. "And I'm sorry for forgetting about you and Adrian. I needed an excuse to get out of the house, so I told my papa I was seeing Adrian. The idea of a potential husband for me was enough to appease him for a while."

"Nice" Lara said. "And I forgive you."

Rose smiled, then chuckled. "Although, kissing Adrian was punishment enough. I never imagined my first kiss would taste like a tavern in a tobacco field."

Both out them burst out laughing.

"Well, I'm glad this whole mystery is over" Lara said. "But it was one fun ride!"

"Scary as hell, I would say" Rose said. "I'm just happy I don't have to wonder anymore. And now Ichabod and the Hessian are in one piece."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Lara said. "I was there when they buried Ichabod's body. I got a good look at his head. It's funny, he looks a lot like you."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Lara nodded. "You both have thin faces and big ears. But the big thing was your eyes. He's got big, shiny green eyes just like yours."

Rose thought back to the painting Master Knickerbocker had shown her. She remembered his face, his ears, his glassy green eyes. Suddenly it hit her like a kick to the gut. She felt her heart begin to thud.

Same green eyes...mother's affair...Ichabod.

"Are you okay, Rosie?" Lara asked. "Your face is white."

Rose stood up quickly from her stool. "We need to go to the cemetery."

The two girls dashed through the town square. Rose ran while dragging Lara behind by the wrist. The very idea seemed too insane to be true. But Rose needed to know. She always did.

"Rose, why do we need to go to the cemetery?" Lara asked. She hurried behind, trying not to trip as Rose pulled at her wrist.

"Just trust me, Lara" Rose said. "I think there's one more secret that needs to be settled."

They came to the church, then ran around to the back. Rose carefully navigated the maze of graves. Her eyes scanned the stones until she came to one with an unpatched hole in front of it. The two girls stopped in front of it. Lara pressed her hands to her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"I thought you said they already buried him" Rose said.

"Well, they're going to bury him this afternoon" Lara said. "I came to watch them put the coffin in."

Rose ran her thump over the dusty tombstone. The words read: ICAHBOD J. CRANE. 1756-1790. She looked down in the grave at the sleek black coffin. Rose swung her legs over the side of the hole then hopped in.

"What're you doing, Rose?" Lara asked.

Rose didn't answer. She opened the heavy coffin door to reveal the decaying corpse. He was dressed in the same dark clothes they'd found him in. The same clothes he wore the night Katrina Van Tassel broke his heart. The only part of his body that wasn't decayed was his head, somehow kept fresh by the Headless Horseman.

Rose reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small hand mirror. She held it up to see her reflection in the glass. She looked back and forth between Ichabod's face and hers. Lara was right. There was a strange resemblance in the two faces. Their ears were both large and pointed outwards. Their faces were both thin, except Rose had her mother's rosy cheeks. Their glassy eyes were almost identical to each other.

"I told you he looks like you" Lara said.

He did. Almost strangely too much. Rose tried to think back to what her mother had said. The affair had taken place before All Hallows Eve in October. Rose was born in July, nine months later. Abraham and Katrina were married in late November. Rose felt her stomach drop. It all made sense. She wondered if her mother knew. Or her father. Or even if Ichabod had known.

"Um, Rose" Lara said, reaching down to tap her friend on the shoulder. "I think the gravediggers are coming."

Rose slowly closed the coffin lid and climbed out of the grave. A man carrying a shovel turned a corner around the church and entered the graveyard. He tipped his hat to the two.

"Good morning, ladies" he said. "Come to say goodbye to old Crane?"

"Uh, sure" Lara said. Rose was still speechless.

The man chuckled. "It's crazy. I never thought they'd ever find the man."