The place where I live is a small separated sheltered inlet of Hudson in the drowsy valley of Sleepy Hollow. Once it was reverberated with stories of fantasies and superstitions.
The people in the area are influenced by the tales of ghosts and evil spirits told by their ancestors.
The most important fact of the haunted story is the statue of the headless horseman who played tricks on the people of Sleepy Hollow. These activities were interminable.
My name is Ichabod Crane. I lived in Sleepy Hollow for many days where I used to travel from place to place as a schoolteacher and a music teacher for kids of farmers. Since I brought the local gossip and helped with the chores, my periodical visits were affable to the housewives.
I am tall, thin, have a unique personality (according to others), and lacking vanity. I used to tell the stories of which witchcraft, during wintry evening before a crackling wood fire.
I felt my life is surrounded by phantoms and menacing shadows. Apart from these, I am profoundly impelled by the most bewitching of all witches, a woman, Katrina Van Tassel. Katrina is the only child of existing farmer, stunningly beautiful and famed for lot of expectations.
I visited her as a music teacher frequently and became attracted by her wealth, her father has rich meadowlands, over flowing barns, farmhouse with old mahogany, pewter and silver. I became greedy and eager to marry her.
My fearful rival is Brom Van Brun whose nick name was Brom Bones; he was the hero of the Sleeping Hollow. He is always irascible ready to fight or frolic.
The old ladies of the sleeping hollow never treated him amiss. They never got angry about his tricks. He wanted to capture Katrina and on a Sunday his horse was tied to the fence of Van Tazel where this discouraged the suitors.
In the name of teacher, I used to go to the Van Tassel’s farm frequently. But all my trials for her love felt difficulties.
Brom Bones declared a deadly revenge activity at me. Like a sage I avoided physical combat. Even I became a victim of his and his companion’s temperamental activities. They destroyed my school completely and gave a scary opinion to Katrina about me.
One autumnal afternoon was in a despondent mood. The surrounding was standing still. That was until it disturbed by the entry of the galloping messenger. He gave an invitation for “Quilting frolic” in Van Tassel’s farm.
I dismissed the school, polished my only suit of rust black and soon rode forth a gallant’s cavalier to the bidding of the lady fair.
I went quilting frolic of by Gunpowder the bony old plow-horse borrowed from the farmer with whom I settled.
By evening I reached Van Tassels farm, the farmers surrounding the country gathered there. I was attracted not by the beautiful young ladies there, but by the big dinner table with delicious ham, chicken, doughnuts, crullers and ginger cakes. I made enough justice to my ample appetite. By seeing wealth around I felt that someday I would be the Master of it all.
Soon the dance began, and dancing with Katrina I felt victory over. But Brom Bones was striked by envy and kept himself reclusive. Later I joined sager folk to tell about ghost, goblins and of the headless horseman.
It was pitch black when started back home, all the tails of the ghosts was haunting my mind and situation was tremulous and the night became darker and darker when I reached the church yard, the scene of many fearful blood-curdling stories.
Suddenly I heard a clatter of hoofs. Something huge, shapeless loomed about the crouching shadows. I got terrified and dashed ahead some unknown followed me closely.
I could see the headless horseman through a rafting cloud and his head rested on the pommel of saddle. I turned my head to look, what an abhorring sight it was! He was charging at me with full strength. For a minute I thought I should entreat him to spare me but it happened faster than I blinked my eyes.
