Long time, no post, I know. Grad school has been happening. Here's something for 4everschemes for her birthday. :) I hope you love your present, girly, though it's extremely late. More to come soon. :)

It's my first day in Scotland. The weather's cloudy and cold. I'd rather be in our old house in Sleepy Hollow. My parents had to move here because of work, and I didn't have a choice in the matter. Jenny, my little sister, is excited; she hopes to discover rare artifacts, like letters, jewelry, and art, in caves and under wet dirt. My sister is so weird sometimes. I don't think I'll like Scotland. I miss my neighborhood, where the candy lady lives across the street and the corner café serves slices of pepperoni pizza bigger than my hands. I wish I was an adult, so I could live in our old house. But there's nothing I can do about it.

I'm unpacking a box in my room when the doorbell rings. Jenny races down the hall to grab the door until Mama yells for her not to. I follow them downstairs. A boy's here. He's got brown hair and blue eyes and is taller than me. He also wears a yellow raincoat, even though it's not raining yet.

"Hi. How can I help you?" Mama says.

"My name's Ichabod Crane. I saw the moving truck. Can your daughters come outside to play, ma'am? I have a treehouse. It's just next door."

"He talks funny," Jenny says.

He talks like Mama and dad, like he's old. But he sounds happy. He's got an accent.

Mama crosses her arms and looks down at Jenny. "That's not nice to say. Apologize."

"Sorry," she mumbles.

"No offense taken. It's quite alright. Ma'am, can they play?"

"It's fine with me. You said you live next door?"

"Yes, ma'am. House number 205. My mum's home if you'd like to meet her."

"I think I'll do that. What's her name, Ichabod?"

"Karen Crane. Yours?"

"My name's Lori. This is Jenny. And this is Grace."

I roll my eyes. "Call me Abbie."

"Nice to meet you all."

"You, too, Ichabod. Give us a second, and we'll come right over."

"Okay, ma'am."

"You can call me Mrs. Lori."

"Alright. As long as it is what you wish, Mrs. Lori."

She laughs. "It is. We'll see you shortly."

He nods and runs off.

"What time is dad getting back home?" Jenny says. "He said we'd go exploring later."

"I don't know. It shouldn't take him too long. Do you girls want to go?"

"Sure," I say.

"Maybe I can snoop around and—"

"Jenny, no. That's rude."

She sighs. "You never let me have any fun."

"You want to be grounded?"

"No."

"Alright then."

Jenny pokes her mouth out.

"Girls, go get your shoes on."

We hurry upstairs, and then we walk the ten steps to Ichabod's house. It looks just like ours, except it's blue. Mama rings the doorbell, and his mom appears. He's beside her and waves at me and Jenny. We wave back.

"Hello," his mom says. "My son told me your family was coming over. It's nice to meet you and your daughters, Lori. You all are so lovely. Please come inside."

Mrs. Karen is short and has hair and eyes like Ichabod. Their house smells like pine trees while ours smells like cardboard and wood. Pictures are everywhere: in their foyer, in their living room, in their kitchen. All of them have Ichabod, Mrs. Karen, and his dad in them. I don't think he has any brothers or sisters. The colors in their house are orange, teal, and brown. It looks pretty. Ours is still empty, except for a lot of boxes.

"Thank you," Mama says. "Your house is very nice."

"Thank you, dear. Would you like a drink?"

"Lemonade, please," Jenny says.

"I'll just have a water," Mama says.

We sit at the kitchen table. Mrs. Karen looks at me.

"What about you, dear?"

"I'm not thirsty."

She nods; her and Ichabod go about fixing the drinks.

"Would you like to see my treehouse?" Crane says.

"Dear Ichabod, wait a second, will you? They barely have their beverages in hand."

"Yes, mum." His shoulders slump forward as he gives Jenny and Mama their glasses.

"I don't wanna go outside," Jenny says. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Jenny," Mama says.

"I have to pee."

Mama gives Jenny her famous side-eye. She knows Jenny's up to something. Jenny gets up from the table.

"The bathroom's upstairs to your left, dear."

"Thanks." She hurries from the kitchen.

"Can I see your treehouse, Ichabod?" I say.

"Of course! You'll love it!"

"Mama? Can I go?"

"Sure, baby. Have fun. I'll be in here talking with Mrs. Karen if you need anything."

"K."

There's a sliding door in the kitchen that leads to the backyard. The grass is really green and the treehouse is really brown. It's tall and wide, has a slide, a rope, and a latter to climb. A tire hangs on a branch next to it.

"Are you afraid of heights, Abbie?"

"Nope."

"Good to know." He stands beside the latter and offers his hand. "Do you mind if I help you up?"

"I got it. Thanks."

"Very well. After you."

Not only does he talk funny, but he acts funny, too. He's so polite. The boys at my school never act like this. They pull girls' hair and throw spit balls at the board. Ichabod doesn't seem like the other boys.

When I'm in the treehouse, I'm amazed at how much fits up here. It's got a hammock, a shelf of books, a green rug. There's a mini table and two chairs. Drawings stuck on the walls. There was even a clock.

"How did you get this in here?"

"My father found a way to do it. We built it together." He sits down.

"It's really cool."

"Thank you. It's my favorite place to go. I've even seen a bird's nest up here. Can you imagine?"

"I guess." I sit next to him. "You like to read?"

"Very much so. Do you?"

"Not really. I like to solve things, like puzzles or riddles."

"Really? I think I've got the perfect item for you." He quickly gets up and rushes to his bookshelf. He hands me a book. "My father bought it for me last year. It has a page where you can make guesses about the story before you read it. You can keep it if you want."

"You're not gonna read it?"

"No. I'm prefer historical novels. My father only bought it because he believes I should expand my horizons." He shrugs.

"I'll take a look at it. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Why didn't your sister want to see the treehouse?" He sits back down.

"She wants to snoop around your house. She's probably in your parent's room right now."

His eyes get big. "What?"

I laugh. "She likes to explore for antiques and other old things. Rare artifacts, she calls them."

"My mum won't be pleased if she finds her upstairs. It's a good thing my father's not home. They like their privacy."

"Mine, too. Jenny's like that everywhere though; she goes places she isn't supposed to. Do you like living in Scotland?"

"I haven't really lived anywhere else, but I do, except the weather. I wish for more sun. Was it shiny where you lived?"

"Yeah. Mostly. I'm from Sleepy Hollow, New York."

"Really? I've heard of that place. Does the headless horseman really live there?"

"I don't know. It's just a scary story. I don't believe it."

"You ought to. I do."

"Why?"

"Why not? It's the headless horseman."

"If you say so."

He gets up again and lifts a wooden plank. "Would you like a snack? I've got a bit of tablet left."

"What's that?"

"It's like fudge, but not exactly chocolate. It's really sweet. Would you like to try it?"

"Sure."

He takes out a package of it and joins me at the table. He holds it out to me to break a piece off. Then he gets his own. I smell it, and then I bite a tiny piece. It's sugary and melts on my tongue.

"What do you think?"

"It's really good."

He smiles. "Have some more. Oh, and don't tell my mum. She doesn't know I have this up here. She'd get quite upset about me eating this much sugar, especially before dinner."

Ichabod talks a lot to me, but I think I can get used to that. "Can I call you Crane?"

"Sure. What for though?"

"It just fits. Is that okay?"

"It is fine by me, Abbie."

"Cool. What's the school like? I'm supposed to be going to Primbridge Primary School."

As Crane tells me about the big school and the clumsy teachers, I stuff my face with tablet. Maybe, maybe, I can get used to Scotland.