Here's a story that came to me instantly after watching the Vampirina episode, 'A Tale of Two Hollows'. I highly recommend watching it! Enjoy and no flames please! Thank you.
Rachel and Sasha were taking pictures of the beautiful autumn colored trees as they walked through Sleepy Hollow.
"This is amazing!" Rachel said. "I just love fall!"
"Me too! It's my favorite season!" Sasha took more pictures of trees, their leaves were the most beautiful shade of red. "I wish it could be fall every day of the year!"
"Same here. But there's a time and a place for everything." Rachel came upon a poster attached to a lamp post. "Hey! Check this out!" She read it out loud. "Come get the most haunted history lesson of your life! See the Sleepy Hollow Show! Come face to face with the Headless Horseman himself-"
"Nope! No way! Forget it!" Sasha cut off. "I didn't come all this way to get scared by a headless horseman!"
"Relax, Sasha. It's not really going to be the real Headless Horseman, just some guy in a costume." Rachel calmly assured her sister.
"I know, but I still don't want to go!" Sasha said. "Costume or not, I just want to relax and enjoy the beautiful fall weather on this vacation."
Rachel nodded. She knew how jumpy her sister gets, especially when it involves ghosts, spooky things, and haunted happenings. They arrived at the hotel. "Here we are!" Sasha said.
"It's beautiful!" Rachel breathed in awe. Their hotel was a cozy little bed and breakfast. The girls came in and were greeted by a woman with a warm, welcoming smile.
"Hello! Thank you for coming to the Sleepy Stay-In." the woman greeted. "I'm Isabelle and I'll be your hostess."
The girls thanked Isabelle and were shown to their rooms. Rachel and Sasha's bedroom had two canopy beds right next to each other. Rachel opened up the white lace curtains. Her eyes lit up. "Wow! This view is spectacular!"
Sasha joined her sister. She was amazed seeing all the beautiful trees and the lovely blue sky. But Sasha noticed something Rachel didn't see. "What's that over there?"
Rachel squinted a little. Off in the distance, she spotted to where Sasha was pointing to. "It looks like an old bridge."
Sasha blinked. An old bridge? That sounded ominously familiar.
"Yes!" Isabelle said from the doorway, making Sasha jump. "They say that very bridge is where the Headless Horseman has been seen!" she said in a spooky voice.
Rachel heard Sasha squeak. She looked over and saw her sister looking panicky. Isabelle took her leave. Once she was gone, Rachel patted Sasha's shoulder. "Don't worry, sis. There's no such thing as the Headless Horseman. It's just a made-up ghost story that people in Sleepy Hollow use to give the town some glamour for the tourists."
Sasha thought about this. Maybe Rachel had a point. The Headless Horseman was probably just a gimmick to bring in tourists, that's all. "Yeah, I guess your right."
Rachel smiled. "That's the spirit. Now, what do you say we go get some apple cider?"
Sasha perked up, feeling better already. She truly loved apple cider. "I'm in!"
The girls continued with their Sleepy Hollow vacation. They enjoyed the town sights, sounds, and even the smells. Sasha bought some scented candles and Rachel bought some of the most delicious pumpkin pies and apple cider she and Sasha ever had.
Sasha was having so much fun, she forgot all about the so-called haunted bridge and the Headless Horseman.
Before the girls realized it, it was already night time. It was time to get back to the hotel. Rachel looked around. Because of the Sleepy Hollow Show, there were tons of people and the girls wanted to enjoy the sights in peace. So, they took the less traveled country trail to get away from the noisy crowds. "I think if we take this trail all the way down, we'll be back at the hotel."
Sasha heard an owl hoot in the distance. "O-Okay..." She held her sister's hand.
Rachel knew they had to get back soon. The sisters ventured down the trail with their flashlight apps lighting the way. Rachel knew Sasha was getting nervous, so the sooner they got back, the better. "Look! There's the bridge!" Rachel pointed out. "If we go across it, we'll be back at the hotel!"
Sasha remembered Isabelle saying that the bridge was haunted, but remembering what Rachel said, she was not going to let a made-up ghost story stop her from taking a hot shower and sleeping in her nice, warm bed. The girls were just about to cross the bridge when,
"Rachel! Sasha!" said a young voice. Sasha screamed and latched onto Rachel. Rachel moved her flashlight and saw a familiar young vampire.
"Vampirina!" Rachel couldn't believe her eyes! It was Vampirina! Their vampire friend from Pennsylvania. "What are you-"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Rachel jumped when she heard not one, but two people screaming. She turned and saw Sasha running in the opposite direction from the bridge.
"GHOST!" Sasha screamed as she ran away. Rachel looked and gasped when she saw a ghost poking his head out from behind a tree next to the bridge.
"That human gave me such a fright!" said the ghost as he came out of hiding. He spoke in a distinguished voice. His choice of clothing reminded Rachel of the colonial period.
"W-Who are you?!" asked Rachel.
"Oh, forgive me, Madame." The ghost politely bowed. "I'm Ichabod Crane, at your service."
Rachel blinked. "Wait! THE Ichabod Crane?!"
"Yes, and you are?"
It took a moment for Rachel to get over the shock. "I'm Rachel, Rachel Jocklin. And you just scared my sister away!"
"Your sister?! Oh, no! What have I done?! I didn't mean to scare your sister!" Ichabod said most sincerely.
"We have to find her before anything else!" Vampirina said. "Come on!"
Sasha kept running and running until her legs finally gave out. She scurried behind a tree and looked to see if the ghost followed her. She gulped. "No ghost...but Rachel! What if the ghost got her?!"
Just then, Sasha heard a loud, scary laugh echoing toward her, followed by the grim neigh of a horse.
Sasha spun around and saw a man riding a horse. Only this horse was all bone, it was a skeleton horse! And riding the horse was a man wearing spooky colonial clothing and a cape with a high collar.
But he had no head. He was holding it in his hand. It wasn't a human head, but a pumpkin head with a jack-o-lantern face grinning at Sasha. The horseman belted out another horrid laugh and threw his pumpkin head where it was suppose to be. He opened his mouth to speak, but he saw Sasha faint and fall to the ground.
The horseman gasped. So did his horse.
"Uh, oh. I think I spooked her a little, Dusty." said the horseman.
The skeleton horse named Dusty gave his master a look.
"Okay, more than a little." The horseman looked at Sasha. "A lot." Feeling terrible, the horseman picked up Sasha and carefully put her limp body onto Dusty. The horseman hopped on and made sure Sasha was upright and secure. "Come on, Dusty. We better make sure this human is alright."
Dusty snorted and the horseman trotted away into the darkness. They kept riding until they came upon a creepy stone cottage. The horseman put Dusty in his stable and carried Sasha in his arms. He stepped into his home and closed the door behind him.
"So, you're saying the Headless Horseman is real and you're friends?!" Rachel asked as she walked with Vampirina and Ichabod.
"Indeed. But we weren't always friends. In fact, we couldn't stand each other because of a silly misunderstanding many years ago!" Ichabod explained. They arrived at the horseman's cottage. "Here we are! If anyone can find your sister, Mr. Horseman can! He knows these woods better than anyone!" The ghostly gentleman knocked on the door. A few moments later, the door opened and there was the Headless Horseman himself.
Rachel's jaw just dropped. Her eyes wide with amazement. The really real Headless Horseman!
"Ichabod?! Vampirina?! This is a surprise!" said the horseman. He looked at Rachel. "Who's this? New friend?"
"Yes, this is Rachel Jocklin and we are looking for her sister, Sasha." said Ichabod. "Have you seen her? She looks just like Sasha, but has long brown hair and doesn't wear glasses."
The horseman nearly . "Great goblins! That's what I was about to tell you about! I found a girl who looks just like that while I was on my way to meet you guys! She's resting in the guest room now!"
Sasha groaned a little as she woke up from her fainting spell. She found herself in a spooky looking bedroom filled with dust and cobwebs. The decor reminded her of the Scare B&B in Pennsylvania. But...this couldn't be the Scare B&B. So...where was she?
And then it hit Sasha like a lightening bolt. She remembered seeing a ghost and the Headless Horseman before passing out! She had to get out of here before either of them found her! Sasha got out of bed and ran out the door, right into the Headless Horseman!
Sasha screamed. The horseman screamed, which made Ichabod scream. The three of them screamed and Sasha took off running again.
"Sasha! WAIT!" Rachel yelled. But Sasha couldn't hear, she was too terrified. So terrified, she ran right into the wall.
Everyone cringed in sympathy as Sasha collapsed in a painful heap.
Sasha was able to come to again. She found herself in the same bedroom she woke up in and got a bad feeling of déjà vu. She looked around and nearly screamed when she saw the skeleton horse she saw asleep on the floor beside the bed. Swallowing hard, Sasha carefully stepped out of the bed and moved as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake up the terrifying horse.
Shaken, but determined, Sasha cracked the door very, very slightly. Peeking around, she saw no ghosts, headless or otherwise. Sasha slipped out of the room and tried to find a way out.
"I hope Sasha is okay."
Sasha heard Rachel's voice. She was saved! But what if it was a trap? Curious, she moved toward a room with the lights on. Peeking carefully around the corner, Sasha couldn't believe it. Rachel was sitting in an armchair drinking tea with the same ghost she saw and the Headless Horseman! And...Vampirina? Why was she here?
"I hope so as well." said Ichabod. "I feel awful! If I didn't accidentally scare Sasha, none of this would have happened!" He buried his face in his blue, transparent hands. "This is the incident all over again!"
"The incident? What incident?" asked Rachel.
Ichabod and Mr. Horseman looked at each other, unsure.
"I mean, if that's a sore subject, you don't have to talk about it!" Rachel insisted.
Mr. Horseman shook his pumpkin head. "Nah, it's okay. See, years ago, I was out riding with Dusty when I spotted Ichabod by the old bridge. In fact, the same bridge where he scared your sister. Anyway, I went to to say, 'hi' to the guy, but I accidentally scared him and he ran away."
"And we've been angry at each other since." said Ichabod. "Until Vampirina here helped us clear up this whole silly misunderstanding."
Rachel was shocked. "You mean...you're saying that Mr. Horseman accidentally scared Ichabod and Ichabod ran away? That's what really happened between you two?!"
"Yeah, what did you think happened?" asked Mr. Horseman.
Rachel opened her mouth. But quickly closed it. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Just a silly assumption..." She chuckled nervously.
Sasha, who overheard everything, felt like fainting again. Everything she thought about the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane was more wrong than she knew! The story about their legendary encounter was absolutely false.
"I feel so silly. But I just can't help myself." said Ichabod. "I get so jumpy."
"Yeah, and Sasha's really jumpy too." Rachel said. Sasha looked at the ground in guilt. But it's true. She's jumpy and she knew what she was.
"And I always forget my laugh scares people sometimes." The horseman let out his scary laugh again. A frightened squeal was heard, everyone turned and saw Sasha on the floor. She looked up at her sister and the three monsters looking at her.
"Sasha!" Rachel shot up and helped her sister up. "Are you alright?! Is your head okay?!"
"I'm fine, but..." Sasha looked up at the Headless Horseman. She was able to stand, but her knees were still shaking. "Uh, I, uh..." She tried to say something, but she was too scared. Sasha yelped when something nudged her from behind. She fell on her behind and saw the skeleton horse.
"Dusty! You were suppose to keep an eye on Sasha so she wouldn't get hurt!" said Mr. Horseman.
Wouldn't get hurt? The horseman was worried about Sasha? Sasha yelped again when Dusty came closer. Sasha was up against a wall and closed her eyes, fearing what this creature might do. Sasha felt Dusty nuzzle into Sasha's tummy and she started to laugh. Dusty then playfully nibbled her stomach and ears.
"Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Hey! Quit it!" Sasha laughed. Everyone laughed as Sasha laughed. Rachel needed to thank Dusty later for tickling Sasha into calming down.
Once Dusty was done, Sasha felt much better. She petted the skeleton horse. "So, this is your horse, Sir?" she asked Mr. Horseman.
"You bet! Dusty's been my best friend and steed for centuries." said Mr. Horseman. "Are you okay now, Sasha?" He offered his hand. Sasha took it and stood up.
"I am now." Sasha looked up at the horseman. "So, you really are...real, huh?"
Mr. Horseman laughed. "I sure am! Sorry for scaring you back there. You looked lost and I wanted to help you."
"And I apologize for scaring you as well." said Ichabod. "Honestly, I didn't think I was capable of scaring anyone! I got lost while taking a stroll with Vampirina until I heard you scream! Your scream made me scream and I ended up scaring you!"
Sasha rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, and I scare real easily." She laughed a little.
Rachel hugged her sister. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"Me too." Sasha hugged her sister back. "In fact, do you still have our bags of souvenirs?"
Rachel nodded. She pointed to the bags sitting on the table.
Sasha smiled. "Good." She went to the bag and rummaged through it. She pulled out a scented candle she bought. "Mr. Horseman. I know you scared me. But you took good care of me by bringing me into your home. Here." She gave her pumpkin-headed host the candle.
"A scented candle! For me?! I love scented candles!" Mr. Horseman removed the top of his pumpkin head and put the candle inside it! Sasha and Rachel watched in awe as Mr. Horseman's face glowed with candlelight. He inhaled the candle from within. "Mm-mmm! This smells amazing! What is it?"
"Lavender. It's one of my favorites." Sasha answered.
"And now, it's one of my favorites!" The horseman laughed happily. "Thank you very much! So, this is a human scented candle? I've always wanted to try one!"
"Really? Why don't you?" asked Sasha.
"Well, let's be honest, I can't just walk into a human candle store without scaring anyone, now can I?" Mr. Horseman chuckled.
Sasha laughed. "I guess not."
"We also have some pumpkin pie and apple cider if you'd like some." Rachel offered to Ichabod.
The horseman turned to Rachel. "What kind of pie?"
Sasha gasped. She rushed to Rachel and covered her mouth. "Uh, nothing! The pie we got is...expired! Yeah! We completely forgot! We were just about to throw it out!" She leaned close to Rachel. "Get rid of the pumpkin pie! Hurry!" she hissed.
"Pumpkin pie?" said Mr. Horseman.
Sasha yelped. She started to panic. Rachel gasped, realizing her mistake.
"It's okay," said Mr. Horseman. "I eat pumpkin pie all the time. Don't worry, it's fine." He smiled.
Sasha and Rachel blinked in surprise, then exhaled a sigh of relief.
The three monsters shared a laugh. "I say we take these pies and cider to the dining room and dig in!" Mr. Horseman suggested.
"And I say what a splendid idea!" said Ichabod.
"Yeah!" said Vampirina.
"Count us in!" Rachel and Sasha said in unison.