Disclaimer: I don't own Sleepy Hollow- the movie or the book.
I was walking through the woods one crisp afternoon. It was fall, and I wanted to collect some leaves for my scrapbook. I was seventeen, nearly eighteen, and about to go away to college. Sure, I still had a year before I would leave home, but I cherished these woods. I walked a path that had been formed long ago, and the trees were ancient, like the monoliths at Stonehenge. As I picked up a golden leaf, a water droplet fell on it... a teardrop. I hadn't realized I was crying.
I tucked the leaf away into the satchel I had on my shoulder. I had a poetry book in there, along with a journal and pen. I was walking to the cave at the end of the path, something that had been inhabited hundreds of years before. When I had first discovered the cave in my youth, I found a few bowls, some bottles of herbs, candle stubs, and the skeletal remains of small animals. I buried them a few feet from the cave entrance, and cleaned the place up; it was the perfect spot for me to relax and have some alone time. I never told anyone about it, and as I entered it now, a feeling of peace washed over me. It was my second home.
I went over to the indent in the wall and lit a fire. It used to be a fireplace; I learned that from the ash and the smoky scent that still lingered. I brought my chair over and pulled out my poetry book. I loved this; the warmth of the fire, a good book, and the sounds of nature. This is where I was the happiest. Away from the luxuries of the world, away from city life, away from people. This is where I could be myself and not be judged. This was my home.
As time passed, it grew colder. And darker. Like an idiot, I had forgotten my flashlight. I looked at my watch; five o'clock. There still should be some light. I picked up a twig and stuck a candle stub on the end. I poked it into the fire, creating a makeshift torch. I smothered the main fire and walked out. There was something different about the woods, something... sinister. Something I had never felt before. I started to shiver. Not from cold, because I had on jeans and a sweatshirt. But from fear.
As I walked along the path, I suddenly heard voices. No one came into these woods. I didn't think people even realized they were here. But sure enough, I saw the faint outlines of men in the distance. They had torches. And guns.
I tried to move along as quickly and as quietly as I could, but somehow they heard me. I broke out into a run, dropping my torch as I ran. I made my way through the trees blindly, then heard a gunshot. I fell to the ground, and darkness came over me.
A/N: I figure if I get 2 reviews I'm lucky, and I'll post the next chapter. So, please, please, PLEASE REVIEW!!!