N1: It’s a dark night, just outside a forest.

N2: A glowing light comes up. 

N3: The Storyteller appears.

Storyteller: I was never one for ghost stories. But then I visited an eerie village called Sleepy Hollow. 

N1: Leaves begin rustling.

Storyteller: It was there that I learned about a man named Ichabod Crane.

N2: The wind howls.

Storyteller: Are you ready to hear a spooky tale?

Storyteller: Ichabod Crane was the new teacher in town. He was a lanky man with big eyes and a long nose. Everyone in the village was excited to meet him.

Martha: Good day, teacher! 

Ichabod (startled): Good day, ladies.

Ida: Are you enjoying Sleepy Hollow? 

Ichabod: Oh yes. But the wind was very loud last night. 

Martha: That wasn’t the wind. That was a ghost. Her name is the Wailing Widow.

Ichabod: A ghost? Are you serious? 

Martha: Yes. 

Ida: She cries when a terrible storm is coming. 

N3: The women walk away.

N1: Ichabod is spooked.

N2: He looks up at the sky and shivers.

Storyteller: One day, Ichabod went to the home of Katrina Van Tassel. He gave her singing lessons each week. Many people in town admired Katrina, including Ichabod.

N3: Ichabod knocks on the front door of the mansion. 

N1: A beautiful and cheery young woman answers. 

Katrina: Mr. Crane! Isn’t my lesson tomorrow?

Ichabod: It is. I came by to give you a present. 

N2: Ichabod holds out two shiny red apples. 

Katrina: Why, thank you. 

N3: Ichabod smiles shyly. 

N1: The sound of horse hooves fills the air. 

Katrina: That must be Brom Bones. He’s come to take me riding. 

N2: A large man rides up on a big black horse.  

Brom: Hello, Katrina.

N3: He points at Ichabod.

Brom: It looks like your scarecrow escaped from the cornfield.

Katrina: Stop it, Brom. That’s Mr. Crane, the new teacher.

Brom: Sorry, Crane. Your clothes are so loose, and your neck is so skinny.   

N1: Brom chuckles unkindly.

N2: Katrina climbs onto Brom’s horse and waves goodbye to Ichabod.

Katrina: Don’t forget about my party, Mr. Crane!

N3: Brom frowns at Ichabod. Then he and Katrina ride off.

Storyteller: The next evening, Ichabod got ready to go to the party. He couldn’t stop thinking about Katrina and her lovely voice.

N1: Ichabod’s friend Van Ripper enters the room.

Van Ripper: Almost ready for the party?

Ichabod: I think so. I’m nervous, though. I can tell Brom likes Katrina. And I think he knows.

Van Ripper: Knows what?

Ichabod (blushing): Well . . . I’m in love with Katrina too. 

Van Ripper: Be careful. I wouldn’t mess with Brom if I were you.

Storyteller: At the party, the Van Tassels’ home was overflowing with food.  

N2: Ichabod stares at a table full of sweets. 

N3: Brom approaches. 

Brom (coldly): Ichabod. 

Ichabod (coldly): Brom.

N1: Lively music fills the room. Ichabod finds Katrina.

Ichabod: Will you dance with me?

Katrina: Of course!  

N2: As they dance, Katrina laughs with delight. 

N3: Ichabod’s long limbs fly around the room.

Brom (muttering to himself): My goodness. Ichabod looks like an octopus in a tornado!

N1: Brom Bones watches them dance, feeling more and more jealous.

Storyteller: Later that night at the party, talk turned to the supernatural.  

Martha: Have you been up near the hill? 

Ida: You can hear the ghosts screaming.

Ichabod: There are so many ghosts in Sleepy Hollow! 

Jansen: But none compares to the Headless Horseman. 

Ichabod (scared): A man with no head, riding on a horse? 

Hans: Yes. They say he was a soldier who lost his head in the war. 

Ida: Every night, his body rides around looking for its head. 

Brouwer: I once saw him on the road. He chased me and pulled me up onto his horse. 

Ichabod (shivering): Oh my!

Brouwer: We reached the old bridge and the Horseman turned into a skeleton. Then he threw me into the creek. 

N2: Brom strides over. 

Brom: I too have seen the Headless Horseman.

Jansen: What happened? 

Brom: I raced him. And just as we came to the old church bridge, he disappeared. 

Martha: They say he can’t go past that bridge. 

Brom (looking at Ichabod): So if you see the Horseman, ride for the bridge. If you can reach the bridge, you will be safe.

Storyteller: Ichabod left the party after midnight. As he was riding home on his horse, ghost stories filled his head.

N3: The horse trots along. 

N1: The night grows darker. 

N2: Suddenly, something appears in the shadows. 

Ichabod: Who’s there? 

N3: He sees a large figure sitting on a big black horse.

Ichabod: I s-s-s-say, who are you? Who’s there?

N1: There is no response. 

N2: Ichabod kicks his horse and they take off into the night. 

N3: He looks back. He is terrified by what he sees chasing him. 

All: The Headless Horseman! 

N1: A fiery jack-o’-lantern hangs at the rider’s side.  

Ichabod: That’s . . . his head! 

N2: Ichabod’s horse races toward the old church bridge. They are nearly there.

Ichabod: Faster, faster! Brom said if we can make it to the bridge, we’ll be safe.

N3: As they race over the bridge, Ichabod turns around. He expects the Headless Horseman to disappear.

N1: Instead, he sees the Horseman raise an arm and throw its fiery head . . . at him!

Ichabod: Aaaaahhhhh!

Storyteller: Ichabod Crane was never seen again. Months later, the villagers still talked about that terrible night.

Van Ripper (sadly): That poor man. His horse came home, but he did not!

Martha: And his body was never found. What a shame!

Jansen: Did you know that his hat was found near the old church bridge? A smashed pumpkin lay next to it! 

N2: Brom Bones chuckles. 

Ida: Poor Ichabod. I think he died of fright.

Hans: I heard he just got scared and ran out of town. 

Brouwer: What do you think, Brom? 

Brom (smiling): I think it’s clear that the Headless Horseman took care of him. 

Storyteller: Me? I don’t know what to believe. But soon after Ichabod disappeared, Brom and Katrina got married. 

N3: Brom winks at the audience.

Storyteller: If Brom Bones knew more about what really happened to Ichabod, he sure wasn’t telling.