Cedric Crane and the legend of Sleepy Hollow
Chapter 8: A trick of the senses
As devastated as the Sleepy Hollow school house was, the surrounding habitat was rather breathtaking. The building sat at the bottom of a hill, where a small stream rolled down, emanating the most relaxing sounds of flowing water. As chilled winds swirl through the trees that hung above the buildings sunken roof, it created patterns of sun light that danced over everything.
It was pleasantly calm, and with the sky clear of clouds, the day grew warmer. Imagining a spring afternoon, sitting beneath the shady trees, and listening to the brook while reading one of his favorite books Cedric decided, that despite his terrible arrival, his life here could be rather enjoyable. But then he remembered the unforgivable walk back to Lucinda Lockharts tavern, and his feeling of calm dispelled.
Cedric Crane and Rolland Van Tassel circled the depressing school house, avoiding the fallen pieces and stepping over broken boards. It had been an hour of repair cost figures, and debates about the state of the furniture inside, but Cedrics assessment was that the building was thoroughly unusable.
Rolland disagreed however, insisting that he and the miscreant Sleepy Hollow boys could repair it in a few days. Cedric had his doubts, but refused to argue with the man who would soon be handing him his monthly coin, and the deal was set. Until the building was complete, Cedric was just another occupant of the town, free to come and go as he like.
As they finished up their business, Rolland opened the stagecoach door. "…and don't worry about the furniture Mr Crane. I'll go ahead and have the carpenter build all new desks."
"That is a good idea, sir." Cedric replied with a nod, following the man as they spoke.
Boarding the coach, Rolland paused with the door open. "Before I go home to join my daughters tea party…" He chuckled nervously, clearly hoping to procrastinate. "…can I offer you a ride somewhere?"
His eyes wide, Cedric smiled graciously. He was honestly surprised that the man would be so considerate, with all his wealth and status. Though, as he learned about him, Cedric found that Mr Van Tassel was full of surprises. The wealth he had was shared freely among the people of Sleepy Hollow, and his ownership over the land was merely unimportant trivia.
"Why, yes thank you." He replied, entering the coach and sitting opposite of Rolland again. "That is very generous of you, sir."
"Not at all! After all, we wouldn't want you getting lost! A good school keeper is hard to find." Rolland said with a boisterous voice, before laughing at his own strange pun. Though Cedric smiled, inside he felt a moments confusion for his travel companions statement. "Where would you like to go Mr Crane? Do you have somewhere in town you'll be staying?"
"Yes, I've made arrangements at the Sleepy Hollow tavern." Explained Cedric, and the wealthy man directed his driver.
As the carriage pulled away, Cedric gave the disheveled building another glance. Between the passing trees, he caught a glimpse of something through one of the broken old windows. It looked like a person, a man wearing a… monocle?
Cedric blinked a few times, tilting his head to narrow his gaze at it, but with the pass of another lifeless tree, the figure was gone… or moved. His eyes darted around the window, hunting for it, but he found no trace. The hallucination was so unnerving, Cedric hadn't noticed that Mr Van Tassel was speaking to him. "I'm sorry sir, did you ask me something? I was… distracted."
"That's alright, Mr Crane. I just said that the Sleepy Hollow Tavern is a nice place." Rolland shifted in his seat to relax with a sigh. "Mrs Lockhart does fine work, despite her husbands objections. Unlike Lucinda, he's not a very friendly man, I'm sure you'll meet him eventually, if you're staying there a while."
Cedric had gathered that himself, judging by her reaction to the very mention of her husband, Lucinda clearly didn't keep him around for his affection. "She mentioned that you were the true owner, is that right?" Cedric asked, wanting to avoid conversation about the Lockhart families personal life.
"Yes, I suppose so, but only the land. It's Mrs Lockharts hard work that keeps it alive." Rolland explained, chuckling humbly as he did so. "My father inherited the wood lands, but for a long time, there was no use for it. Until I discovered it, now it's an inviting place for food and fun."
The carriage curved over the hill to bypass town central, and followed a cluttered forest path down into the woods, but before crossing the sturdy covered bridge, the cream colored mare stomped to a halt.
With a whistle and click of his teeth, the driver urged the horse forward. She whinnied and thrashed, refusing to enter the long covered bridge, the only way to the tavern by horse back.
"What's going on?" Cedric asked, lifting from the seat to get a better look. The road was clear, but the horse just bucked and whinnied anyway. The driver wrestled with the reigns, as the horse tried to break to the left, then to the right, Cedric and Rolland being tossed about inside.
"Woah, Dewdrop! Woah!" The driver commanded, trying to will her to stop, and when the horse finally calmed, Rolland opened the door to the carriage.
He stepped out halfway, hanging off the carts entrance, calling out to the driver. "Is everything okay? Is she hurt?"
"No, sir. Something must have spooked her." The driver replied, hopping from the ride and patting the horses neck to comfort her. Once she stopped neighing in protest, he then came to the carts door. "Are you and Mr Crane alright?"
Rolland gave a glance to Cedric. "Mr Crane?" He nodded to Rolland, and seeing that he was sitting unscathed, the wealthy man returned to the driver. "I think we're alright."
"That was peculiar." Cedric muttered, not really directing the comment to anyone, but Rolland responded to him.
"Yes, this bridge has always given the town folks trouble." He said, inspecting the road ahead. The bridge was empty and didn't seem damaged, so he then turned to the driver. "If Dewdrop is willing, let's give it another try." With a nod the driver then moved beside the horse, and this time, instead of directing her, he took the reigns and lead her over the bridge himself.
It was slow, but the cart steadily entered the covered bridge, with only a few complaints from Dewdrop. The wind mimicked the sound of whispers around them, and the horses hoof steps clomped against the thick wood beneath. Somehow, even in the middle of the day, the dense woods created an illusion of evening, and with in the confines of the covered bridge it was even darker.
Each support post was fixed with a lantern, and it's glow kept the way ahead visible, but the slowly approaching exit was blinding in comparison. As the carriage rolled over the end of the bridge, it was as if all the sounds of the forest returned at once, the bird songs and waving trees, all coming to life again.
The three men glided their gaze across the forest around them, searching for something without an idea of what it was they were looking for. Mr Van Tassel was the first to awaken from the mindless trance. "R-right." He said, capturing the others attentions. "Well done driver. Let us be on our way."
With that the driver climbed upon the carriage seat and snapped the reigns. Dewdrop gave a huffing sound, but did as commanded. The rest of the ride was spent in relative silence, with only the occasional mention of some pretty scenery. The carriage made its way through the wood, powering over fallen branches and rounding the hills until the tavern building was in view.
Cedric stepped out of the vehicle, thanking Rolland for the ride and giving him some parting words, but before he could turn away the wealthy man said. "I'm happy to help but, please don't try going into town after dark. The woods are dangerous at night." And with that, the carriage hurried back towards Sleepy Hollow.