Remy couldn't control his excitement. This year he would be spending Halloween night in one of the most famous towns in literature: Sleepy Hollow. The town was holding its annual block party.



After returning home from school, Remy had a snack and got right to his homework. He wanted nothing holding him back from enjoying himself that night.



After supper, he put on his costume and he and his parents headed down to the well-known town of Sleepy Hollow.



The traffic was a true horror, but they arrived without incident. They found a parking space in town. After driving around for twenty minutes.

The place was packed with people, making Remy a little tense.



Bradley and Richard were there to meet him. They too were in their costumes.



"Isn't this place something?" said Bradley. "Mamma mia!"



"I know," said Remy. "It's like Halloween has gone all out."



"Well, not yet," said Richard. "Just wait until it gets dark. Then it goes all out."



Remy's parents let him go with his friends. "Don't get lost," said his mother. "Okay?"



"And don't be too late," said his father. "Or lose your pants again."



Once it was sundown, the fun began. The street was heavily decorated with scarecrows, spiders, ghouls and animatronics. Remy had never seen so many Jack o' lanterns. They were lined up in rows across the grass. It was as if they were guiding them into another world.



It wasn't long before they bumped into Kyle and his sister, Regina.

"Hey, you made it," said Kyle. "Happy Halloween! How's it going?"



"Amazing," said Remy. I've never seen Halloween like this before."



"Tell me about it. We've seen so much already. Except..."



"Except what?"



Kyle leaned in close. "Except the old church bridge where Ichabod Crane was chased by the Headless Horseman."



"But that was just a story," said Richard.



"I know," said Kyle. "But the bridge it was based on was real. And it still stands today. I know where it is, so why don't we go check it out?"



Remy, Bradley and Richard looked at one another unsure.



Regina stepped in. "Remember what Daddy said if you lose me? He will ground you until Armageddon."



Kyle sighed. "Yeah, well aware of that. You can come along too."





The five made their way into the woods where the bridge stood. It was very dark, but they had some glowsticks with them just in case.



Remy grew nervous. He didn't want to go too far from the town.



Finally, they came to the bridge. It was a small, wooden structure stretched across the river. Despite its simplicity, they were all impressed.



"This bridge," said Kyle, "is over 200 years old. Can you believe it?"



"Si," said Remy.



"It's really something." said Bradley.



"Tell you what," said Kyle, "let's walk across it and turn around and go back?"



"I don't know," said Remy. "Who knows what's over there?"



"Oh, come on. We'll just go to the end of the bridge, turn around and come back. Simple as that, right?"



The four others hesitated before Remy spoke. "I'm in."



Bradley, Richard and Regina nodded and reluctantly followed.

When they got to the end, they stopped.



"See?" laughed Kyle. "That wasn't so bad."



"Alright," said Richard. "You've proven your point. Now let's get--"



SNAP!



Everyone jumped over the sudden snapping noise.

"What was that?" asked Remy.



"I'm not sure," said Kyle. "Hang on."

He crept slowly forward. "Hello?"



At first, he heard nothing. But what followed was the unmistakable sound of horse hooves.



A figure slowly emerged from the mist. As did the moon. A figure riding a black horse stood before them. Remy's heart pounded hard. As did everyone else's.



They couldn't make out the rider, but they all noticed one thing about him: he had no head!



They all screamed and dashed back to the bridge.



The horseman pulled out a sword and charged at them with it high in the air.



Remy had never run so fast in his life. Kyle, Regina, Richard and Bradley sprinted as well.



They didn't stop until they were clear across the bridge.



"Look out!" cried Remy, as the Horseman hurled his "head" at them.

They ducked as it smashed in front of them.



They turned around to see the Horseman was gone.



"Where did he go?" panted Remy.



Everyone stood to catch their breath.



"It was really him," wheezed Bradley. "The Headless Horseman!"



"I saw him with my own eyes," cried Richard. "I know it!"



Regina started to cry. "I want to go home, Kyle!"



"You know what?" said Kyle, "I agree. Let's get back before we get into more trouble."



They made it back to the block party without further incident. Kyle held his sister's hand the whole way.



They never said a word about their encounter with the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.





The Legend of Sleepy Hollow © Washington Irving

Idea by JRR5790

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