Chapter 1: Unwillingly Chosen
The day in Sleepy Hollow began just like every other... There were some whom found the day was going to be productive and maybe even interesting but this could not be said for Olivia Johnson.
Olivia was an admin worker within the Sleepy Hollow Police Department. Whilst her fellow co workers were off doing something that they deemed exciting; Olivia was happy carrying out scheduled paper work within her small, extremely organised office... That is until Sheriff Leena Reyes; silently known to Olivia as the office shadow that was always on her back with some useless task that definitely didn't meet her job description,
"Johnson, I need you to head over to the archives and have everything cataloged before shipping off everything on this list to the furnace" The woman said with a tone that she always had whenever she had yet to have her morning coffee; Olivia accepted the list before looking at it with a frown,
"Isn't objects in the archive meant to be preserved and protected?" Olivia pointed out causing the woman sheriff to rub her temples in an irritated manner,
"Not the stuff on this list, Johnson. Just do it" she snapped before stomping off to most likely find some aspirin and Olivia could only roll her eyes.
The Sleepy Hollow Archives was cluttered and in complete disorder; This caused Olivia to groan in frustration. It was going to take her hours to find everything on Sheriff Leena's list.
Olivia yawned as she put another folder into a box before picking up a leather bound journal that was bound with tanned twine; Olivia frowned when she found no identification card like all the other documents... She was about to put the journal aside when her curiosity got the best of her and she was soon untying the twine and opening the journal to the first page to reveal a single ink statement written in elegant handwriting,
'The Secret Journal Of Ichabod Crane'
Olivia frowned once more when she found an unaddressed envelope behind the first page. It wasn't sealed and it was as if some hidden force willed her to open it and retrieve the letter within; She found the same elegant handwriting from the first page,
'Well Wishes and Wishes well to the finder of this journal,
My name is Ichabod Crane and the Journal you have stumbled across is a documentation of the strange, weird and I dare say; Wonderful things that I have encountered since waking from what should have been an eternal sleep.
I implore you not to be alarmed by the words you are about to read...
For you see Dear Reader that it was long ago within the year of 1781 that I was slain in battle by a Hessian Soldier. Struck across the chest with a merciless swipe of a deadly broadaxe... It was in the very moment that I accepted my fate as the world around me became blurred and time slowed down... There is little I remember from the moments that followed; I remember my wife... Katrina; Whispering words of comfort to me as death's icy grip grew stronger upon my mortality.
My vision blackened and I felt my last breath leave my body... Until I found myself gasping and willing air back into my lungs as I dragged myself from long dried earth. As my vision became more focused and I quickly took in the sights around me; I found myself within a dark cave that contained, strange symbols and various jars that even now I will not even attempt to figure out their meaning for being there.
It was shortly after my awakening that I felt sunlight upon my face for the first time in what felt like years. I emerged from the dark dwelling in which I had awoken. Shortly after nourishing my desperate thirst from the merciful waters of the river that flowed outside the cave's entrance; I was stunned to find a pathway! A road not formed by earth as I was used too but instead was formed from solid stone. I was later informed that the substance it was made from was now known to many as concrete.
My mind was beginning to fill with at least several thousand questions; All of which were quickly forgotten about when I was suddenly attacked by two gigantic horseless drawn carriages formed from metal... It later became known to me that my previous feeling that I had been without oxygen for years was in fact true... It was no longer the year of 1781... I had awoken within the 21st Century. In the year of 2013.
Death had held me captive for a number of 232 years and I was now awake and living within a world I no longer knew.
This Journal contains many of the monstrous and perilous creatures and events I have faced with my former partner and very dear friend: Lieutenant Grace Abigail Mills.
I implore you dear reader. The contents of this Journal must be kept safe as there are many whom would seek to destroy it and keep what is deemed as 'The Impossible' a secret.
This mission I have been given by what seems to be destiny itself; To protect the world and prevent a coming apocalypse is truly dangerous and... If I do not survive. I am certain that others will step into my place. For those successors (Though I hope they succeed me none too soon!) I have written this journal so that it may assist them in navigating the thickets of superstition, spycraft and malevolence that oppose us.
I am, Most Respectfully,
Captain Ichabod Crane.'
Olivia was in a word... Shocked. Surely the words she had just read was nothing more than some silly practical joke... This is what she thought until her eyes moved to the list that Sheriff Leena had given her; She lifted the first page so that she could see the continued list and found the statement 'Any/All notes referring to Ichabod Crane'... Olivia knew what she had to do. Her boss had given her a direct order after all.
15 boxes from the archives were throne into the insinuator and Olivia signed a copy of the list that Sheriff Reyes had given her; Stating that the contents of the list had been destroyed... However, if the insinuator operator had opened the boxes to inspect them, He would have discovered that they were filled with nothing but scrap paper and the real contents of Reyes' list was safely stored away within Olivia's car trunk and was later safely put away in her apartment.
It was the very next morning when Olivia was on her way to work that she saw a large assembly of officers lead by Sheriff Reyes outside The Sleepy Hollow Archives; Olivia quickly pulled up and rolled down her window,
"What's wrong, Sheriff?" Olivia called, earning Leena's attention whom was nursing what was most likely her 5th cup of coffee,
"Morning, Johnson. You can have the day off today if you want. Someone broke into the archives last night. I'm just thankful you cleared away all the useless crap in there" Leena said, taking another sip of her coffee and frowned; Wouldn't whoever broke into the archives be interested in stealing something that was 'Useful'?
An Officer approached Sheriff Reyes after exiting the archives,
"No sign of Crane, ma'am" he informed her, immediately earning Olivia's subtle attention. There was something strange going on in Sleepy Hollow and whatever it was... It all had something to do with Ichabod Crane.
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Kind Regards,
TheAuthor1996
