"Do
you have a husband, fair lady?"
"No."
"Are you a widow?"
"I have never been married. I have had no man to
serve or call my own."
"And why not? I cannot be the only one to notice your
beauty."
"I am afraid I do not agree with you. I am not
beautiful."
"Oh, but you are, my sweet lady... you appear as an
angel before me. You are the most glorious and wonderful gift on the earth. The
world is unworthy in its degrees of sin and guilt to deserve and angel such as
you to pass among it. No. I must disagree with you. You are beautiful..."
"Thank you for the complement. I do not hear that
often. But when I do I do not believe it."
"You should. It is the God's honest truth."
"If you say so..." she looked down at her feet
and walked into the small kitchen. "What would you like for dinner?"
"Whatever you wish, my lady. For it is not food I
desire now..."
"What?"
"I would like to talk with you... I would like to get
to know you better..."
"Why?"
"As I have said, you are beautiful. I'd like to get
to know what you hide behind your magnificent appearance..."
"I have nothing that is not reflected by my appearance."
"Then you must be an angel to have a soul as
beautiful as you are..." She blushed again. "Now, my dearest
Katrina... do you find me attractive?"
"Oh yes, yes I do. You are not from here. You carry
the youthful looks of the south no doubt. Your accent reflects that as
well."
"I have an accent?"
"Yes, yes. IT only adds to your perfection."
"I am far from perfect my lady..."
"But you are closer than any man I have ever met. I
have never left Sleepy Hollow."
"Well then you have missed out on a world of
things."
"Such as?"
"Love."
"I know what love is..."
"What is it?"
"When you marry."
"Not entirely my good lady. Have you ever experienced
the act of love itself."
"Oh no! That is wrong!"
"Only without love. Do you love me?"
"I do not know you."
"But do you love me already?"
"Yes, yes, I believe I do. I've never felt this way
about any of the men in Sleepy Hollow."
"Then let me show you what you have missed." He
moved at her quickly and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her. She had
never been kissed before and she tensed up as he slipped his tongue into her
mouth.
"Don't be afraid." he said softly as he picked
her up and carried her into the bedroom...
The weeks passed by. Ichabod never saw much of Katrina.
She seemed to be ashamed or scared of him now. It made him sad, but he had
gotten what he wanted.
As the story is told, Ichabod was going home from a party
one night. He had ignored the warnings of many and passed over the bridge of
souls. It was there he met his fate.
A dark figure stood in the road. This scared Ichabod, for
he had a slight doubt that the tale could have a seed of truth to it.
Ichabod's body was found not long after. His head was
missing. He was still dressed in the clothes he had worn the night of the
party. He was buried. In the churchyard.
Katrina gave birth to a daughter only a few months later.
Because she had given birth out of wedlock, she was shunned by the rest of the
town. She finally went crazy and killed herself, leaving her 5-year-old
daughter with her sister. Her grave sits next to Ichabod Cranes.
Their daughter left Sleepy Hollow and moved to the south,
where she was told her father had been from. No one ever heard from her
again...