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wilderebellion · 2 years ago

Text

Rip Van Winkle

-"Missing" one year

-Science teacher

-Many missing posters on drugstore bulletin board

Ichabod Crane (and family)

-Science teacher previously in Hartford

-"Absent Glory"

-'Wanted to see the world' (Refuted: seeking answers)

-Skeptic of supernatural phenomena (at first)

-Born in Sleepy Hollow

-Sent to live with grandmother when parents passed (cause unknown)

-Grandmother hated Sleepy Hollow (reasons unknown)

-Mystery heirloom left to Ichabod.

Location: Old Dutch House

Douffe Martling (pronounced Dufay)

-Wealthy landlord, incredible hair

-Insists on personal checks for payments

-Hacked Ichabod's Instagram

-Married to Dr. Geoffrey Crayon

Does not deny catfishing him

Claims he catfished her too, which he denies

Matilda

-Runs Colonial Drugs n' Stuff, saving to open her own occult shop

-A witch. Like, for real

-BFF to Kat? ("Bestie" inscription in yearbook)

-Mysterious whispers with Kat

-Ancestors were hanged for innate magical prowess

-"We've been through a lot" re: Kat

-Reluctant to Kat and Ichabod getting involved

-Last name Bishop (I only noticed due to episode 7 captions, but also stated in Kickstarter video)

-Family photograph looks old. Doesn't remember when it was taken, just that it was a really nice day

Kat Van Tassel

-Works at not-a-drugstore, Matilda got her the job

-Mayor's daughter ("That's what he tells me")

-Short for Katrina (German form of Katherine, "pure")

-"Not everything that happens here is the result of some curse."

-BFF/bestie of Matilda

-Went to college but "it wasn't for her"

-Dated Brom like, a decade ago in high school

-Brom once got her a job at the bowling alley but the hours sucked

-Seemingly a skeptic of the supernatural?

"Don't start with this horseman crap"

Dismissive of Rip's disappearance being mysterious

Refutations: Serious when speaking about Matilda's witch status, thrilled by the HH stories her mom told, psyched to discover HH is real and wants to help

-"We're running out of time and we need to be able to trust each other."

-Born 1995 (Reverse math!)

-Got sick from shrimp at last year's Autumn Gala (Brom held her hair back)

Judy Gardenier

-Current assistant to Mayor Van Tassel

-Ordained via internet

-Always cries at weddings

Eugene and Ramona Trousers

-Acting School for 'children'

-5'11 and 5'4 mezzo soprano, respectively

-Fired all the local children

-Obsessed with Trevor and stardom

-Theatre is definitely NOT A CULT as their flyer states

-"Trousers and Lee Strasburg [sic] Theatre (NOT A CULT) Camp"

Dr. Geoffrey Crayon

-Physician in chief

-Denies catfishing Douffe

-Was catfished BY Douffe with images of Bonnie Hunt

-Divorce = happy

-Present at Van Tassel house the night Anne Tarry died, checking on Kat (week after Autumn Gala last year)

-Wants to re-negotiate mysterious deal with Mayor

Trevor Trinkets

-Fifteen. Well, fifteen "next month"

-Fourteen

-Thirteen (claims he was eight 5 years ago)

-Flikpix audition

-Midwestern farm boy origins (alleged)

Mayor Baltus Van Tassel

-Rich white dude

-Watches Bosch and Safe House

-Believes "gents have to get a little bit crazy every once in a while"

-Checkbook with regular payments made out to Dr. Crayon

-Glass cabinet with half of map

-Phone calls with Dr. Crayon, refuses to re-negotiate their deal

-"We Van Tassels are extremely thorough"

Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt

-Too much name

-Extra bones, genetic thing, pretty cool

-Gym teacher at middle school

-Substituted science class (poorly) after Rip's disappearance

-Well versed in local legends

-His 55 year old father with perfect bone structure is "on a cruise" (actually dead, fairly recently)

-Dated Kat in his youth

-Now accidentally married to Matilda (And LOVING it)

The Babes

-Cal, Tripp, and Blair

-Love shots and chanting

-Bro mentality but cognizant of toxic masculinity and misogyny (which are v.v. not cool)

-Enjoy helping community

-Burned an actual bridge once

-Former member Spike ostracized after an incident in forest by Raven Rock. Still haunted by high school events

-Blair was in Cirque du Soleil once, quotes Hamlet, and knows meaning of habeus corpus

-Trio would like to open a dispensary called Brom's Babes' Buds

-Cal's "real hair color" is blonde. He and the Babes often wear day-wigs.

-Tripp majored in archaeology at Cornell, now suffers PTSD from shark attack

-Blair has dated or hooked up with (at least) three of Tripp's siblings

The Headless Horseman

-"An aggro Hessian mercenary hired by the Brits to fight during Revolutionary War" (Refuted)

-COD: Decapitated on battlefield (Refuted), now wanders for his head (True)

-Longer without head = memory loss

-Same symbol on sword as mysterious Crane heirloom

Officer Baader Rhonda Meinhof

-Hair loss due to stress

-Frightened off by HH but says nothing about it

Captain Gravy Davy Crowbones

-His skull came with the drugstore

-Scourge of the Hudson Harbor

-Gravy Aloysious "Two Sleeve" Davy Crowbones

-Friend to animals

-Tyrant of eastern Copenhagen

-Architect of San Juan Swizzle

-Captain "Maybe Baby" Crowbones

-Lover of Juniper LaBouf

-Sea log shares a symbol in common with Elizabeth's manuscript (but NOT the same as Crane heirloom and HH sword?)

-Sought legendary treasure in Tarrytown, recorded sighting of HH in 1622

-Met Juniper in/near Tarrytown, later lost her

Juniper LaBouf

-Lady of a Thousand Sapphires

-Necklace in Davy's treasures, taken by Douffe

-"Met and lost on this shore"

Anneke Storms

-Teacher who established one of the first US girls' orphanages in Sleepy Hollow

-Disappeared one year later mysteriously

-Said to be a witch

Verla

-"So many men. I'm not even wearing my culling robes."

-Boyfriend Henri

-"You never understood our love!!"

-WHERE DID YOU COME FROM (recurring gag)

Crawled out of TV

From the orphanage

Doll came to life

A well

-Doesn't do plagues anymore (as a means of murder)

-"I remember my first murder trial."

-Always wears white

-Eats glass

Woman in White

-Depiction in play resembles Verla (if the black fabric is supposed to be hair)

-Haunts the woods to discourage tresspassers from harm

-Was caught in a deadly storm

-Sighted with "BLONDE hair, white dress, terrifying" by Max Lee between 2010 and 2015 (Babesteries ep 2)

Location: Raven Rock - Spike and Max Lee experiences

Elizabeth Van Tassel

-Astronomy nut

-Expert/obsessed with local legends and folklore

-Died when Kat was 10

-Author: The Legends of Sleepy Hollow Vol 1, Sleepy Hollow Herstory

-Believed the best in people

-Next book would've said Henry Hudson didn't found the town, was up in Nova Scotia exploiting natives

-Manuscript dated January 13, 2005. Anticipates meeting destiny that weekend. Died the following day.

-COD: Unknown. Official word was drowning, but Kat says her dad lied.

-Manuscript has a mysterious symbol

Max Lee

-Recognized by Matilda

-Died in 2015, Biannual reenactment of 1776 Battle at White Plains

-Marijuana delivery man

-Age 10 performed in History of Sleepy Hollow play

-Loves history

-Encounter with Woman: wanted to watch The Notebook (2004) on iphone 4 (2010) with buddies

Devlyn Versace

-Blogger, Youtuber, influencer, prankster

-COD: bungee jumping from a turbo blimp (also didn't wear flight suit?)

-Brand ambassador for many mobile apps

-Privileged, elite upbringing; online presence at age 10

-Casual abuse of substances (Quaaludes, Xanax, Adderall)

-2 years of Houdini Summer camp for magic

-Degree in Biochemistry from MIT

Anne Tarry

-Annafred Parygon Tarrysmith

-Former assistant to Mayor Van Tassel

-COD: Overdose, possibly poisoned drink

-Rumors of painkiller addiction after death

-Suspects Baltus of her murder

-Took improv class prior to death, didn't make it to show

-Big on caffeine

-Observed but didn't hear conversation between Baltus and Geoffrey Crayon the night she died

Lucretia Lazenby

-Also new in town

-"Before I came here I grew up in Kansas City and my hair has always been this color and length" - Super normal to say.

-Owns and runs Storms Inn

-On Brom's trivia team, knows a lot about foreign policy

-Knows many ways to kill a man, she's just super normal

Location: Storms Inn

Oldest building in town, former girls' orphanage. Unstable basement and historic mold in attic

Henry Hudson

-Captained the Half Moon in 1609, landed in Tarrytown (future Sleepy Hollow)

-Credited as town founder

-Left to discover new lands (allegedly) but named Ambrose Van Tassel as mayor

-Traveled north, faced mutiny, killed?

But somehow is not the Horseman....? Suspish.

-In Elizabeth's manuscript, he couldn't have founded S.H. as he was in Nova Scotia at the time

Henrietta Hudson

-Captained the Lichtgevend in 1609

-Married to Henry

-Included in the Herstory book by Elizabeth Van Tassel

-History play presumes death but evidence her ship made it

Frederick Storms

-Longtime friend of Henry Hudson

-Captained the Middernacht in 1609

-Fate unknown but presumed dead after failed voyage

Bruce McConnell

-Stand up comedian (bad)

-COD: Crippling tomato allergy

Major Andre

-Missing from the history play

-British spy in Revolutionary War

-"Hung" from church in town

Various Sleepy Hollow citizens:

Mrs. Van Ripper

Christa Pierson

Greta Bradley

Timmy and Edgar, Max's triplet buddies

Ambrose* Van Tassel (1600s? 1700s?)

Reginald Van Tassel (built family estate in 1888)

___

*Cotton Van Tassel = same or different from Ambrose?

-"The Trousers mentioned a Cotton in the play the other day"

-'Bad boy' of the family

-Survived Revolutionary War

-Mayor from 1777-1785

-Decapitated in drunken duel over soup that was too wet

-Wished for his remains to be burned in town square

Paulie Tahoe

-Family requested burial in S.H. due to enemies

-Smuggled a whole slot machine in broad daylight out of the Morongo Casino

-Refused to wear same suit twice

-Bennifer: is the reason for both the breakup of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez and their later reunion

-Has an ex-wife that thinks he's out of the business

Questions:

Kat knows her father lied because she found out something "last year". Did Rip Van Winkle discover something for her?

Where did the German soldier story come from?

Is "the deadly storm" literal or metaphorical for the Woman in White?

Did Kat and Matilda mess with magic in their youth and that's why they're "running out of time"?

Is there a curse on the Van Tassels binding them to Sleepy Hollow?

Has the history play always been so historically inaccurate, or was that a more recent development as a result of editing by Ramona and Eugene Trousers?

Who put up all those MISSING posters for Rip?

#headless: a sleepy hollow story #headless series #shipwrecked comedy #headless spoilers

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sonnetthebard · 4 years ago

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On Losing One’s Head

Or, in other words, my entry to @shipwreckedcomedy‘s fanfiction contest. I have had a really fun time reading the works of Washington Irving to prep for this, and it’s only made me more excited for this series. Even though I know in a modern adaptation it may be changed I’m sticking to a lot of the facts that Irving gives us about the Headless Horseman. Thank you to everyone on here who gave me ideas/ inspiration/ let me rant to you for a bit while I figured this out. It took a bit longer than I had anticipated, but I’m really happy with it. This is probably so far from canon, but I got a prompt from the wonderful ‘S’ anon on here and I had to write it. Enjoy!

Genre: Comedy/ Fluff/ Mystery/ A Pinch of Angst

Words: 4249

TL;DR: Ichabod Crane tries to unravel a bit of the Headless Horseman’s past in order to try and figure out where his head might be.

TW: Minor bullying, Mentions of war, mentions of PTSD, mentions of decapitation

__________________________________________________________

Ichabod Crane navigated the hallways of the school, eyes trained on his feet. He normally wouldn’t allow himself to walk with such a closed posture- it exposed him for how nervous he was (which was, contrary to popular belief, a more recent development in his personality). This town had put him a bit on edge. This town and his roommate, who was as inexplicable as he was persistent, and happened to be the reason he was allowing himself to walk with such a closed posture. He had a series of questions to ask his roommate at the forefront of his mind, and he’d spent a majority of the day figuring out how to word them so that he didn’t sound completely heartless. He didn’t want anything or anyone distracting him, because the talk he was about to have was very important- well, he thought it was anyways. It was important to him. His roommate seemed like a good person, and he really did want to help him (though it seemed like his roommate was doing more ‘helping’ at the moment than Ichabod was).

Ichabod’s roommate was, of course, the infamous Headless Horseman. It had certainly made his life interesting- especially given that he was only just settling into this new town and his new position. He was just navigating his new life, and now on top of that, he was also trying to find his friend’s head. So far, no luck on that front. He hadn’t had a lot of luck on many fronts. It didn’t seem like his colleagues were particularly fond of him- especially not Douffe Martling or Brom Bones and his cronies. He wasn’t quite sure what it was with Martling other than perhaps a naturally uptight attitude, but he could at least venture a guess on why Brom Bones didn’t like him. It seemed they both had their eyes set on the same woman- which was another front on which Ichabod had not been very lucky. Katrina Van Tassel, the woman his heart had decided to set on, did not seem to reciprocate his affections in the slightest. Mind you Ichabod also found her incredibly hard to read. She was confident and smart, and one could interpret nearly everything she did as flirtatious. But you also got the overwhelming sense when interacting with her that she was not flirting in the slightest.

Ichabod needed to stop distracting himself, he thought, as pleasant of a distraction as Kat was. He was on a roll. He was trying to get back to his room in a timely matter because (and I cannot emphasize this enough) this conversation was important. It was also a conversation that his friend would prefer to keep confidential, so he needed to get back to his room and have it before anyone could decide to tag along. He wasn’t the only person in Sleepy Hollow who wanted to help the Headless Horseman find his head. In fact, he had many supporters. But this particular conversation was delicate. Ichabod intended to ask how precisely his new friend had come about losing his head. Ichabod believed that perhaps even though this head wasn’t the Horseman’s original one, it may be able to help with some of his memories- physical memories, that was. It would likely be a hard conversation, Ichabod considered. Losing one’s head seemed like it would be traumatic. Remembering that feeling wouldn’t be pleasant for his friend. He would eventually need to share the necessary details with those who were intent on helping him and his friend, but perhaps the Horseman might feel slightly more comfortable having the initial conversation privately where he could express his emotions without judgement- if, of course, he had any. It was more of a precaution.

Ichabod found himself so consumed in his thoughts that he neglected to notice a foot extended in front of him. He was looking at his feet. He really should have seen it. But he was in a state not uncommon to him where the world within his head had taken precedence over the world outside of it. Ichabod tumbled to the ground with a thud, and it was not long until a roaring chorus of laughter resounded above him. He did not even need to look up to know precisely who he had encountered and what had happened. He did the courtesy of looking up anyways- though it was probably only feeding their egos to see the embarrassment flush on his face. As Ichabod had suspected, the figures of Brom Bones and his three usual companions Tripp, Cal and Blair loomed above him, their bodies racking with every laugh. Ichabod sighed, fixing his glasses and trying not to pay them much mind. The more upset he got with them and their shenanigans, the more satisfied they would be with their results (which meant that they’d be inclined to throw something else his way). He stood, brushing himself off and starting back on his way. Before he could get very far, though, he felt a strong grip on his arm pulling him back. Even once he had stopped walking, it didn’t let go. It seemed Brom wasn’t through terrorizing him yet.

“Where are you going?” The strapping Brom Bones smirked. It was a smirk Ichabod was all too familiar with, and one that he had very much hoped he wouldn’t be seeing. Brom was holding him up intentionally. He knew Ichabod didn’t want to be there. “You look like you’re in a hurry.”

“Well-” Ichabod started before being cut off.

“You going to try to pick up Katrina?” Tripp teased, pouting and cooing mockingly at the mention of the woman Ichabod had taken a liking took. He sighed as all four men found amusement in that and erupting into laughter again.

“What? No!” Ichabod blushed.

“Ichabod and Kat, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-” Cal and Blair cooed before Brom raised a hand to signal for them to stop.

“That’s enough, guys.” Brom told them, trying not to show how much that bothered him. There was only just a hint of jealousy in his tone, but it was enough for the boys to know they’d gone too far. He seemed to size up Ichabod again, before letting go of Ichabod’s arm. Ichabod sighed in relief, thinking that he was finally free... until Brom wrapped an arm around him in a seemingly friendly gesture, putting on his smug smirk again. Ichabod seized up a bit. He was not too fond of physical contact at the best of times, but especially not from Brom Bones. It took everything in him not to scowl. “So if you’re not going to see Kat... what’s the rush getting out of here?”

“I’m going to have a talk with the Horseman.” Ichabod told him plainly, hoping that was enough to get him out of this. Whatever Brom Bones had against Ichabod, the feeling was entirely mutual.

“But don’t you, like, live with him?” Cal pointed out.

“You could literally talk to him any time.” Tripp nodded.

“Yes, but I’ve spent all day planning this conversation.” Ichabod sighed. There were very few people Ichabod knew who would understand his situation, and these men were most certainly not among them. “I have to do it soon before I forget what I was going to say.”

“It’s just a conversation, man!” Tripp laughed.

“It’s not just any conversation.” Ichabod told him, getting an idea. “It’s about his head.”

“You’re still on that, are you?” Brom rolled his eyes, letting him go. He knew he didn’t need to hold Ichabod there anymore. Not only did Blair, Tripp and Cal have him surrounded, but... now Ichabod felt socially obligated to stay. Brom Bones was a lot smarter than he let on (at least socially). Most bullies were.

“Well... yes. I’d like to help him find it.” Ichabod shrugged.

“Don’t get your hopes up.” Brom warned him in what Ichabod might almost consider to be a genuine tone. He hand a hand through his hair subconsciously, and Blair reached forward once he was done to fix a strand that had fallen in Brom’s face. Brom gave him a clap on the back as a silent ‘thank you’. Ichabod had always found those four men to be strangely close. “Listen, bud... he’s been missing his head a long time.”

“Since before we were born.” Blair added.

“It’s not like you’re just going to waltz in and find it.” Brom sighed. “This head probably isn’t going to know anything.”

“We don’t know that.” Ichabod countered. “We’ve finally got people taking the search for his head seriously, and I think we’re making good progress!”

“Right... you keep telling yourself that.” Brom rolled his eyes. “Alright, guys, let him go.”

“But you said-” Tripp furrowed his brows.

“He’s doing enough damage himself.” Brom sighed. The boys cleared a path for Ichabod, and he meekly started to walk away. He felt oddly embarrassed, or ashamed, about what he was doing. He tried to shake it off, but Brom had successfully gotten under his skin and he knew it. Brom chuckled, almost gloating. “Have fun, dork!”

“Thank you?” Ichabod tried, unsure as to how he was supposed to respond to that.

Ichabod made his way out of the school (but not without a cold glare from Douffe). Perhaps what Brom Bones had said had some merit. His headless friend had been missing his head for a long time. Did Ichabod really think things were magically going to go better this time around? He wasn’t even dealing with the original head. He couldn’t expect to find anything new. But then again... Ichabod himself had also posed a good point. They did seem to be making progress. And how were they supposed to know if his head could ever be found until they tried? No, Brom was wrong. Brom was wrong a lot of the time, but especially about this. He walked down the streets of the town, head down but significantly more aware of his surroundings. He’d learned his lesson- at least for now. His room was within walking distance from the school. In this town, just about everything was within walking distance. He exchanged nods of acknowledgement with a few people on the street, a smile or two. Luckily, he was running into people who knew better than to bother him when he was like this. People like Judy, Rip Jr., Verla, or Matilda. Verla and Matilda probably didn’t want to talk to him anyway. But Judy had given him a nice smile, and it had raised his spirits. It’s funny how small things could do that.

“Ichabod!” A light voice called out from behind him. Ichabod pivoted, recognizing it instantly. For anyone else, Ichabod would have simply waved, continuing on his way. But this wasn’t anyone. This was Katrina. Ichabod smiled softly upon finding that he was right. It was a dopey sort of grin commonly found in people when they saw the person that brightened their lives. “You’re out early!”

“School ended half an hour ago.” Ichabod furrowed his brows, confused by her implication.

“Oh, I know.” Kat clarified. “You usually stay a bit longer, though.”

“Oh.” Ichabod nodded. And that was when it hit him: he had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. He’d always been a little socially awkward- especially when he was under as much pressure as he was with Kat. He bit his lip, trying to think of what to say next. Luckily, Kat took care of that for him.

“Any particular reason you’re out so soon?” Kat asked, finally catching up with him. She kept walking as if silently asking him to walk with her, or maybe telling him it was okay for him to continue on his way. That she would follow. Either way, it was a great comfort to Ichabod.

“I thought of a few questions to ask the Horseman.” Ichabod told her.

“What kinds of questions?” Kat asked. Ichabod could tell she wasn’t teasing him. She was genuinely interested. But there was also an air of amusement to her that was undeniable, and admittedly rather attractive to Ichabod. It made him feel like she genuinely enjoyed his company. A light blush covered his cheeks.

“Well... I was hoping to ask him about how exactly he lost his head.” Ichabod admitted. “See if maybe his history might be able to help us figure out where to look in the present.”

“That’s a really good idea! Maybe this head will know!” Kat hummed in agreement. “I’ve always wondered about what happened... People say he was a Hessian soldier. You know, during the revolution.”

“Yes, I’m familiar with the concept of Hessian soldiers.” Ichabod hummed. “German regiments for hire, if you will, employed by the British to fight in the Revolutionary War. Do you really think he’s a Hessian?”

“That’s what the lore says.” Kat shrugged, smirking.

“All the more reason for me to talk to him about this alone.” Ichabod decided. He blushed again, not having meant to think aloud like that. “Sorry, I-”

“No, it’s okay. You’re right.” Kat assured him. “He’s probably not going to want a lot of people around if you’re talking about... you know, war. It should be just you and him.”

“I’m glad you understand.” Ichabod sighed softly in relief.

“I don’t like to talk about war anyways.” Kat admitted. “I don’t... I mean...”

“I understand.” Ichabod hummed sympathetically. No one liked talking about war. But on top of that, he knew Kat was very against slaughter of any kind. “Have you thought about how to approach it if he has... you know, PTSD?” Kat asked. “It’s pretty common in soldiers, even if this isn’t his original head.”

“I... haven’t.” Ichabod admitted. “I did work out how to ask the in a way that I think will be the least upsetting or offensive.”

“That’s a good first step.” Kat encouraged him. “Just... respect his boundaries. Give him the space and time he needs to answer- if he can answer. Don’t pressure him if he can’t.”

“Right.” Ichabod nodded, taking mental note of those things. “Thank you, Kat.”

“No problem.” Kat smiled softly. It was smiles like those that made appearances in Ichabod’s dreams as he rested his head. She had, Ichabod thought, the most beautiful smile in the world. It was so kind. They approached the inn, and Kat sighed. “Well, this is your stop.”

“It is...” Ichabod chuckled semi-nervously. He stopped, shifting his weight awkwardly on his feet. She had him so nervous that he couldn’t quite stand still.

“Good luck, Ichabod.” Kat smirked. Ichabod blushed. It seemed that nearly everything Katrina did, intentional or not, made him blush.

“Thank you!” Ichabod called after her, watching for a few moments as she continued down the street.

Ichabod sighed, imagining very briefly what their family would look like. He imagined they would be a very handsome family (though the children would get their looks from their mother- he was of the opinion that he was a bit homely). He snapped himself out of it before he could go too far down that rabbit hole. He wondered for a moment if it was weird that he was already thinking that way about a woman he hadn’t even worked up the nerve to ask out. It likely was. But his heart tended pine after things and his mind did no helping, running wild with even the smallest of fantasies. When he was a child, a teacher once told him that his appetite for the fanciful was unsurpassable. He was now rather more a man of reason than he was then, where he was willing to believe just about everything he heard. But his mind did still run wild with whims about more everyday pleasures. Rational joys, like love, romance, and food. Mostly food, until Katrina came along. For a man his size, he had a surprising appetite...

“Hey, Ichabod!” Someone called. Ichabod snapped his head, looking for where it was coming from. Oh. It was Judy again. He waved. “Do you need me to call Lucretia to get you a new key?”

“What?” Ichabod blinked.

“You’ve been standing there for a while.” Judy pointed out. “Did you lose your key?”

“Oh...” Ichabod blushed. He pulled out his keys, holding them up. “I’m fine!”

“Okay! Just wanted to be sure!” Judy chuckled, going back to her own business.

“Thank you!” Ichabod called after her. It was lovely that she cared. He quickly and carefully opened the door to his room. He saw his friend the horseman busy at work taking a tray of what appeared to be either muffins or cupcakes out of a microwave oven he’d been gifted by the family of one of his students. The room smelled wonderful. “Hello...”

“Oh, hey Ichabod!” The Horseman turned, his- or, rather, her (for now)- hair splaying out behind her in a fan-like motion. She gave him a brief smile before busying herself with her work again. Ichabod liked this head on the Horseman. “I hope you don’t mind, but while you were out I thought you might be hungry when you got home, so... I made some carrot cake muffins.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Ichabod sighed contentedly. So long as she didn’t burn the room down, he had no objections to food.

“We just have to let those sit for a bit.” The Horseman muttered, removing the last of the muffins from the pan. “There! I’ve got a cream cheese icing in the fridge for when they cool if you want.”

“Lovely.” Ichabod chuckled.

“How was your day at school?” The Horseman asked.

“Good.” Ichabod told her, sighing and taking a seat on his bed. The mention of school had reminded him of why he had left school so promptly in the first place. She seemed to be in such a good mood... he hated to ruin it. “Would you... I have a few questions.”

“Oh... sure.” The Horseman shrugged, sitting down on the small chaise in the corner of the room. “What is it?”

“I... know this isn’t your body.” Ichabod bit his lip. “But... do you remember anything about it?”

“I... don’t know. I think, a bit.” The Horseman considered.

“Do you think you might remember how you lost it?” Ichabod asked carefully. Well, that wasn’t what he’d planned on saying. He winced. “Your head, I mean. Do you remember how...”

“I... can try to.” The Horseman offered. "I don't know what I'll be able to get, though... I don't have the eyes, ears or mind of the original body"

“You could still find something.” Ichabod reasoned.

“Just give me a moment.” The Horseman nodded, sighing. She closed her eyes for a moment, head in her hands.

Ichabod gave her space and silence to think. Each new head the Horseman donned seemed to unveil a bit more about his personality. He hadn’t thought to ask about any memories before because it didn’t seem entirely logical to assume that any head other than his own would hold them. But... he’d gotten the idea at school today that maybe the body had a few memories of its own. Like a physical memory. It was silly. And it might lead to nothing. But the chance that it might amount to something was too much for Ichabod to pass us. He was a man of science. And with science comes experimentation. It’s how humanity evolves and grows. This was an experiment that might prove fruitless but was still necessary. Because like many experiments, you can never be certain of what you’re going to find until you conduct it. After a moment, the Horseman raised her head and opened her eyes.

“Anything?” Ichabod asked cautiously.

“Not much.” The Horseman shook her head.

“Not much is better than nothing.” Ichabod blinked, pleasantly surprised. “What did you remember?”

“Well... I don’t have anything visual or auditory... because like I said, those are kind of gone...” The Horseman warned him. “But I can remember... I think the body was fighting. I mean, obviously it was on horseback. That’s how it got its name. But... I think it was holding a gun of some sort. Maybe a musket?”

“Interesting... so perhaps you were a soldier...” Ichabod hypothesized. “Anything else?”

“Well... you’re not gonna like this.” The Horseman chuckled nervously. She clearly didn’t like it either. “I don’t think this body’s head was cut off.”

“What?” Ichabod blinked.

“From what I got, it felt more like the head was ripped off. Or blown off. I’m kinda leaning towards it being blown off...” The Horseman winced.

“With a gun?” Ichabod asked cautiously.

“I’m thinking something a bit bigger than a bullet.” The Horseman shook her head. “I don’t know what, though.”

“Well, a cannonball would be too big...” Ichabod thought aloud.

“You know what, I don’t think it would.” The Horseman snapped her fingers. An almost cartoonish ‘lightbulb moment' look graced her features.

“A cannonball?” Ichabod gulped.

Well... she was right. he didn’t like that. Because if his friend had lost his head to a cannonball, the odds of it being in good shape were slim. He certainly hoped that this Headless Helper, as he’d named her, was wrong. That maybe the head had been cut clean off. Or that if it hadn’t, it was at least in usable shape. Mind you, he realized, his friend was certainly not around by any natural means, and it was wrong to assume that his head would have been preserved by any natural means either. This entire situation was unlike anything Ichabod had ever been through. It was terrifying... and absolutely thrilling. Ichabod had always imagined himself playing hero, and though these circumstances were odd ones, he was finally living that reality in a way. But back to the matter at hand... perhaps he now had more clues to his Headless friend’s identity.

“I’m sorry...” The Horseman winced. “I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear.”

“Actually, it really helps. Very useful information.” Ichabod assured her. “This is the closest we’ve gotten to finding out who the Horseman is. Thank you.”

“I’m just happy I could help.” The Horseman smiled shyly.

“Are you okay?” Ichabod asked carefully.

“I think so.” The Horseman shrugged. “I just... I feel bad for this guy. What he went through sucks.”

“Yes it does.” Ichabod hummed sympathetically.

“I mean, I guess it was a quick death.” The Horseman reasoned. “I just... wow.”

“I’m sorry for-” Ichabod started.

“No. Don’t be. I really want this guy to find his head.” The Horseman cut him off. “I’m fine.”

“As long as you’re sure.” Ichabod nodded, not wanting to push. There was a moment of silence between them. “You know, it’s okay not to be.”

“What?” The Horseman blinked, confused.

“It’s okay not to be fine.” Ichabod told her. “And if you’re not, or you need anything... I’m here.”

“Thank you.” The Horseman sighed. There was another moment of silence. Ichabod didn’t know what else to say. "I think the muffins have probably cooled enough for us to try. Want one?”

“I would love one.” Ichabod nodded getting up, walking to his desk, and pulling out his notebook.

And so Ichabod Crane took some rather detailed notes on his findings, however scarce, and his new hypotheses about where they might find his friend’s head. While he did this, he snacked on one (or two, or three) of the Headless Helper’s muffins- which were exceptional. Especially for the grade of the oven they’d been baked in. This head had a knack for knowing precisely what Ichabod needed and providing it to him. The other heads he’d encountered... not so much. It was a finicky business working with his headless friend because with every new head he changed fairly drastically- almost as if he were an entirely different person. What a mess Ichabod had gotten himself wrapped up in... Truly, he’d only come to Sleepy Hollow to teach science. Teaching was his passion, and he was very much enjoying his job in Sleepy Hollow. But his mind had always wandered towards the inexplicable, and that was a term that more than aptly described his friend the Horseman.

In a sense, Ichabod felt that maybe that had been the true reason he was drawn to this little town. That perhaps a higher purpose did exist in his life than simply to teach. He had always thought teaching was his calling, but perhaps it was simply a step on the journey that was meant to be his life. Or a vessel, he supposed, for it was teaching that had brought him to where he was. Whatever the case may be, Ichabod knew that what he was doing in helping the Horseman felt right. He wasn’t usually a man to trust pure gut instinct, but this was different. This felt like the start of something. Ichabod hoped that it was a good something. He would hate to be on the wrong side of history. The Headless Horseman had been a beloved legend for so long, and Ichabod felt it in his bones that he was now building onto that legend. That was a scary prospect. Because if he made a wrong move, all that he was building could crumble as quickly and as easily as a Jenga tower and leave him buried under the weight of his failure, the villain of a story he had never intended to be written into.

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