The Girl of Sleepy Hollow

Epilogue

The children ran from the schoolhouse door in a flurry of laughter. They all headed for the hill back home after a long day of books and numbers. Following close behind them was Master Knickerbocker, who watched them go from the door. He smiled when he saw Rose walking over.

"Hello there, Rose" he said. "Lovely afternoon, isn't it?"

"It is" Rose said with a smile. "I was just walking by and thought I'd stop by. Things have been unusually quiet around here."

"All thanks to you. You put that Hessian to peace at last. And solved the great Ichabod Crane mystery. Speaking of which," The schoolmaster reached into his satchel and pulled out a thin black book. "This is a book Ichabod read to his students. It's an old book of ghost stories about witchcraft and supernatural events. I was thinking of taking my students down to the graveyard to read a few passages. Perhaps you'd like to join us and read some tomorrow?"

"I'd love to" Rose said. "But I have an engagement celebration to go to."

"Ah yes, I heard. Lara Van Hanks is going to make a beautiful bride."

Rose smiled and nodded. "I know. Adrian's a lucky boy."

Knickerbocker nodded and closed the schoolhouse door. "Well, I should be on my way. Lizbeth's making chicken-pot pie tonight." He tipped his hat to Rose. "Take care of yourself, Miss Van Brunt."

"You too, Master Knickerbocker"

"Please, Rose. Call me Diedrick."

The schoolmaster smiled and retreated uphill towards town. Rose glanced back at the rickety old schoolhouse. The wooden structure glowed copper in the setting sun. A cool breeze brushed against the old birch tree. The branches rustled, sending a plethora of orange leaves to the ground.

Then Rose noticed something else. A flicker of movement in the school house window. For a moment, she saw the twinkle of two eyes.

"Is someone there?" Rose called.

The only sound came from the rustling leaves. Just then, the door slowly creaked open. A tall, thin man stepped out and gently shut the door behind him. His eyes scanned the scene around him. He crossed his arms then looked at Rose. Suddenly, he smiled.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" he said.

The man's voice sounded strange. He had a different accent from the rest of Sleepy Hollow's residents. It sounded foreign. A Yankee accent.

Rose felt her heartbeat increase, but then soften. She smiled back at the man. "It sure is, sir."

"It's been an awfully long time since I last visited the schoolhouse."

"I'm sure it has, Master Crane."

Ichabod looked back at Rose with his glassy green eyes. The ones that had copied themselves onto Rose's face. They were full of content. Full of bliss and freedom.

"Thank you, Rose" he said.

Rose smiled. "You're welcome...father."