Sleepy Hollow 🔖

My Arrival

As you make your way into sleepy hollow, you begin to discover where the little town got its name. The town seems engulfed by a gloomy shadow cast by an unseen force. A drowsy dreamy influence seems to hang over the land and to pervade the atmosphere. Some say that the place was bewitched by a witch doctor who inhabited the place in the early days of settlement. Others, that some witch in the ancient days cast a spell upon the whole land.
Certain as it is, the place still continues to sway under some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvellous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions and frequently see strange sights and hear music and voices in the air. The whole town abounds with local haunted spots.
The dominant terror of all, that haunts the region is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head. It is said to be the ghost of a young man declared wanted by a greedy emperor. He was fired an arrow while making a get away on horseback and lost his head. It is said to have happened a long time ago. He is always seen by people, hurrying along in the gloom of the night, as if on the wings of the wind. The ghost rides to the scene of his death in nightly quest for his head. He is known as The Headless Horseman Of Sleepy Hollow.

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I could swear the clip clop of the horses' hooves was permanently etched into my brain. The carriage swayed unsteadily, sometimes threatening to fall, as the driver spurred the horses on haphazardly. We travelled for days, only stopping when the horses and passengers were too tired to continue, following the long line of late travellers. A week later we arrived at my destination, where I would be spending the next two weeks on vacation.

If this is a vacation, why do I feel so tired? I asked myself, as I stumbled out of the carriage, joints and back complaining from neglect. Hands on my waist, I took a long look at the town my mother had suggested. Quiet and sleepy, it was tucked away in the midst of trees. It seemed lifeless, to me, at least. Perhaps it got livelier during the day. I turned to face the inn, the "placid sunflower". I couldn't decide if the proprietor was going for something a bit sarcastic, because the inn was a rather dreadful sight. Or just naively chose the name. Either way, it was a befitting name, in a way.

"Oi, are you going to pay me or not?" The driver croaked.

"Ugh" I groan as I drag my little bag of clothes out of the carriage, banging the door obnoxiously for good measure. "How much?"

"7. "

"7? That's thievery!" I shrieked into the night. "I'll give you five, that's all I've got."

He scoffed, ready to start a dispute but I wasn't having it. I dropped the money on the seat beside him and stormed into the inn. The doorbell above the door chimed as I walked through. One lit lamp hung from the wall to my left, doing little to chase the darkness away. An unlit chandelier swung dangerously on the ceiling, making an occasional squeak. The parlour housed two worn couches and was also a bar. Patrons, mostly men, sat around tables drinking and laughing heartily.

I pulled my bag closer to my chest and walked past them, noticing how the laughter stopped as I neared each table. The barman was, in fact, a woman. A rather muscular woman, with wrinkles from hard work and age. Rather than a charming inviting smile, there was a scowl on her face as she saw me.

"Fine evening, isn't it?"

"What do you want?" She growled.

"I was wondering if there's a vacan't room here," I said, glancing behind me to the room full of men, wondering if I had made the right choice in this inn. "You see, I've been on the road for a week and I'm in need of a place to sleep.  I would really..."

"2," she replied.

"Sorry?"

"Its 2 for a room, do you want it or not?" She asked, growing impatient.

"Yes, yes, let me have the keys".

Throwing the key on the counter spitefully, she said, "Room 9"

"Thanks."

Walking as quick as my tired legs could carry me, I crossed the room to the flight of stairs leading to the first floor, feeling everybody's eyes on me. I eventually found my room, it was as expected. In the same condition as the inn itself. Too tired to unpack, I took a bath and curled up on the bed.

*****

I woke up to drumming and the sound of merrymaking outside my window. I looked through. The whole street was filled with men and women laughing and drinking. I was happy, finally, some excitement and fun. Just what I needed to make this trip better.
I took a shower, held my dark hair in a ponytail and changed, in a few minutes, I was out in the streets in a sea of drunk sweaty bodies.

Time to get wasted and drink the night away. I thought inwardly. And I smiled to myself as I imagined my mother back home gasping as she heard those words.
"Hello beautiful." I was startled by a man suddenly beside me.

The pungent smell of drink and sweat and something else which he oozed of made me scrunch my nose. I made my way away from him as fast as I could. In my haste, I bumped into someone. I looked up at the face of this stranger and it seemed that for a moment amidst all the noise, I was hypnotised by his eyes and his demeanour. Those beautiful green orbs on his face were the highlight of it all. They were just like mine.

"Are you okay?" his voice filtered into my mind and sent my thoughts heading for the hills.

"Um yes, I'm fine. Rebecca and you are?"

"Oh sorry. I'm Tony," he said extending out his hand for me to shake. I shook it. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Um same here," I murmured.

"So I presume you're a visitor in this town?" At this point I stopped to study this handsome stranger I ran into this night. Who was he? And should I be telling him about myself? As if sensing my uncertainty, he added.

"I know that because you look lost like I did when I arrived about a week ago. We should talk then," I nodded.
"Well, this festival is for Halloween. All hallows eve. Halloween is tomorrow you probably know that."

Oh right, I had forgotten.

"My people believe that the headless horseman comes every Halloween eve in search of his head."

My people? Wasn't he a visitor?

"So we come out to celebrate and get wasted before 1 am. It is believed that at 1 am on the dot, he will come riding through sleepy hollow seeking for his head. Whoever he finds is never seen again. There was a story of a teacher called Christian who went missing after an encounter with the horseman". He paused.

"It's just a silly excuse to get drunk and be promiscuous for a night. I don't really believe in such tales. Do you Rebecca?"

I was spooked to the core after the story. As I looked up at the moon and the shadows it cast over sleepy hollow, I knew something would happen. Something that would change my life.

There was a blinding flash of light and a bang.

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A cliff hanger. I love it, we all love it.
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