A/N: This is my replacement entry in Stormchaser90's contest. I was inspired to write this story a few days ago, but it left a conflict with me as I also had to work on 'It's Playtime!' for the contest. Fortunately, Stormchaser90 added a rule that permits one entry exchange. Therefore, not only can I submit this story into the contest, but I can also give 'It's Playtime!' the time and concentration it deserves afterwards. Anyway, please enjoy my new entry!
I.
The town in the center of the woods was a sight to behold. The small community nestled beyond the land where the most vicious battle in the Revolutionary War commenced was a hobbit like no other.
It was on a sunny autumn day when a strange youth on a rickety old horse came down the road, his straw colored hair was messy and ruffled with a few hairs sticking out in back, his eyes the color of chocolates, and his ears and hands being larger than average. Behind him was a small bag, packed misshapenly.
Pulling on his horse's reins, the traveler looked up to the town's sign.
"Middleton…Hollow" he read before looking to his horse "Well Rufus, looks like this is the place. Man, I can't wait to start my new job. Come on, let's go into town and get acquainted with the people I'll be living near".
With that, the boy and his horse resumed their trek, not knowing what to expect in his new home.
II.
The small glen held over three dozen houses, half a dozen businesses, and three large mansions. The citizens usually got along nicely, despite a few scuffles. As the young man traversed the street, a few people gave him strange looks, not knowing who he was.
"Man" The boy shook his head "They act like they've never seen a horse before".
Rufus merely snorted and shook his head in disbelief at his master's obliviousness.
Spotting a couple of men drinking out of a keg, the blond approached them.
"Excuse me" he called out politely "I'm looking for the Middleton Hollow Bistro. Can you tell me where to find it?"
The two men shared a look before letting out a quiet snicker.
"Uh sure" One of them said while pointing to the left "Just go that way, turn right at the well, another left three houses down and keep going till you see it".
"Thanks" The blond tipped his hat in gratitude before directing his horse in the direction he had been given.
"Who in the world was that silly looking stranger?" The other man asked.
"Who cares" The man who gave directions shrugged with indifference "But hopefully, those directions I gave him will get him so lost, he won't be able to find his way back to town".
With a hearty laugh at the prank, the two clanked their mugs before downing their drinks.
III.
The richest family in Middleton Hollow were the Possibles, who earned their fortune through vast mining of valuable minerals. The eldest child of the family was a lovely young woman named Kim. She was amazingly beautiful with hair as red as fire and eyes as green as the emeralds her family dug up. Despite being far from helpless, every man in the Hollow wanted to help her, constantly buzzing around her like worker bees serving a queen bee.
As such was this day when she was in the village to do some shopping, nearly every man in town wanted to help carry her packages.
"Kim, I can carry that ham for you!" One man yelled.
"Let me handle that bag of cans!" Shouted another.
"I want to carry those hat boxes!"
"I call dibs on the bag of fruit and vegetables!"
"Hey, I wanted to do that!"
"Guys" Kim chuckled, flattered that they wanted to help but didn't think it was necessary "I've got this".
"Nonsense" One man said "A pretty young woman like you shouldn't have to handle such heavy objects".
"Ahem" came a gruff grunt, causing the men to turn to see the town's hero and Kim's fiancé, Erik Drake, towering over them "Don't you guys have to be somewhere?" He didn't so much ask as he demanded.
Taking the hint of warning, the men disbursed, until it was only Kim and Erik.
"I can take those" Erik said before relieving Kim of her load.
With a sigh, Kim walked towards home with Erik behind her.
"Why do you always insist on chasing off any guy who tries to be kind to me?" She asked her fiancé indignantly.
"Well, pardon me for not wanting someone trying to move in on my future wife" Erik shot back while carrying the packages that obstructed his view "I just can't stand the idea of any of those guys making goo goo eyes at you".
Kim shook her head. "You and your jealousy. Erik, you know my hand has been promised to you. Honestly, I can only hope that you'll be a little less possessive after the wedding".
"Oh, I think I can assure you of that" Erik replied, Kim not seeing the wicked look in his eyes.
As Kim and Erik walked past a road, the blond haired boy and his horse were coming down it, searching in vain for the bistro.
"You know Rufus, I think those guys back there gave us hokey directions" the boy said as he looked around "I can't tell where we are in this town".
The young lad was so distracted by his searching that he didn't see Erik directly in his path and wasn't aware until Rufus smacked right into him, sending Erik and the packages he was carrying to the ground.
"Oh man!" The boy cried as he hopped off his horse to check on the man he hit "I am so sorry about that! I didn't see you there. Are you okay?"
As Erik was being helped to his feet, he shoved the guy off him. "Hack' You nitwit! Why don't you watch where you're…hack, hack…going?"
"Sorry. It was an accident!" the boy cried.
"Is anyone hurt?" Came an angelic female voice behind the boy, causing him to turn around.
His breath left him as he found himself in front of a beautiful young girl, who seemed to be about the same age as him. He found her long auburn hair amazing and her emerald green eyes were absolutely entrancing. The boy noticed that she seemed to be looking on in concern, no doubt for both him and the man he had bumped.
"Uh, I'm fine" he said slowly.
"I haven't seen you before. You must be new here" Kim observed.
"Oh yeah" the boy said enthusiastically "I just arrived here from Michigan. My name is Ron, Ron Stoppable".
"I am Kim Possible" Kim introduced herself to the newcomer with a curtsy.
"My what a lovely name" Ron said sincerely.
"Thank you" Kim replied with a smile before turning to the guy Ron had hit "I believe you've already met my fiancé, Erik Drake".
Erik, from the frown on his face, was not as intrigued with the new arrival to their hamlet as Kim.
"Charmed" he said flatly "Is there any chance you can help clean up this mess you made?"
Ron looked down to see the spilled packages scattered everywhere when he smashed into Erik.
"Oh man!" Ron said in shock while throwing his arms into the air, accidentally striking Erik in the face while doing so "I didn't mean to do this. Here, let me help you with that".
Erik, having already had enough of Ron's clumsiness, reached out to grab him with his hands...only for packages to be shoved into his face by an oblivious Ron.
Looking around to make sure he got everything up, Ron spotted a tomato on the ground, picked it up, and put it in one of the open bags.
"You got all that, pal?" He asked Erik.
Erik replied with a muffled and strained mutter of words that would poison the schoolchildren's ears.
"Great" Ron flashed a thumbs up, unaware of what Erik had actually said.
"Thanks for helping us" Kim said sweetly to Ron "Is there any way we can return the favor?"
"Actually, yeah" Ron nodded "Can you tell me where the Middleton Hollow Bistro is?"
"Why, are you stopping on your trip for a hot meal?" Kim inquired.
"Nope" Ron shook his head "I've got a job there waiting for me. I'm the new chef".
Kim's mouth fell open "You're going to be the new chef at the bistro? Why, you must be an exceptional cook to be hired there so young".
"Graduated from Culinary school in Michigan with top marks" Ron said modestly.
"Well, to answer your question, the bistro is on the other side of town" Kim explained "Just head for the well in the middle of town and go straight. You'll notice it by a big painted sign".
"Thank you, milady" Ron said with a tip of his hat before climbing back onto his horse "Hopefully, we'll meet again" He then turned to his steed "You heard her Rufus, let's go".
With that, Ron and his horse were on their way, leaving behind Kim and a frustrated Erik.
"Boy, she seemed swell" Ron said to Rufus when they were out of earshot before sighing forlornly "Too bad she's engaged. Hopefully, one day I'll find a girl as lovely as her".
As Kim watched the new chef trot down the road on his horse, she couldn't help but look at him with a smile.
"He seemed pretty nice" She commented.
"Oh yeah?" Erik retaliated "The hoofmarks on my back say otherwise".
Kim sighed "He didn't do that on purpose, Erik. He was just lost. No doubt one of your boys gave him lousy directions".
"Yeah well" Erik said as he turned to the boy riding away from him with narrowed eyes "He just better watch himself".
IV.
The following few days saw Ron working hard at the bistro. At first, the restaurant only had a few frequent customers, but after Ron's arrival, with his culinary skills, not only did he bring in new dishes, but also transformed mediocre items on the menu into blue plate specials, resulting in the bistro getting more and more customers each day.
On the third day following Ron coming to Middleton Hollow, he was in the process of serving a group their regular orders.
"Alright, let's see" he was saying as he passed around the platters "We have one fried omelet with a dash of paprika, one half rare half well done steak with a side of sausage patties, one sizzling burger on a lightly buttered sesame seed bun with melted Swiss, cheddar, and mozzarella, a platter of fried scalped potatoes, and finally, a pheasant meat pie".
Watching the customers eat their meals with a satisfied smile, Ron headed back to the kitchen.
"Hey, Ron!" the waitress called out to him "The guy at table three wants another half dozen grilled cheese sandwiches".
"Coming up!" Ron said as he donned his chef's hat and started working. Sparring a glance out his open window, Ron saw a familiar pair coming up to the bistro.
"Wha, Kim?" he asked in surprise as he poked his head out the window. A gruff cough from the side caused Ron to look at Kim's fiancé "You should really do something about that cough, Erik". Not seeing Erik's annoyed frown, Ron turned back to Kim "What are you two doing here?"
"That's what I'd like to know" Erik muttered to himself.
"Well, after our little meeting a few days ago, I couldn't stop wondering about your cooking skills" Kim said "And when I heard how successful you made the bistro, well, I had to see it for myself".
"Well" Ron said flattered "If it means that much to you, I can set you both up with a meal. Would you like a table inside or out?"
"I like to get fresh air and sunshine when I can" Kim replied.
"Okay then" Ron said as stepped out the back door "One outside table coming up. Follow me, please".
With an intrigued smirk, Kim followed the chef, Erik right behind, scowling the whole time.
Being a gentleman, Ron gave Kim and Erik the best table outside the bistro there was before handing them menus.
"So, what would you like to have?" he asked.
"Hmm" Kim said as she looked over the menu items "I think I'll have a tossed Caesar salad with sour cream".
"Ooh, high class" Ron said before turning to Erik "And you, sir?"
"I'll just have a cup of black coffee" Erik said in uninterested tone.
"Very well, if you insist" Ron said with a shrug before going back into the restaurant.
Ten minutes later, Ron came back out with the orders.
"Here we go, madam" Ron said with a corny accent while presenting Kim with her bowl of salad, causing her to giggle without him knowing. He then turned to place a cup in front of Erik "And your coffee, Sir".
Grumbling an insincere 'Thanks', Erik picked up his mug and took a sip. He didn't see what the big deal was. The coffee tasted the same as it usually did here.
"Excuse me" Kim asked Ron politely "But can I have some silverware?"
"Not a problem" Ron said as he reached into a pocket of his apron "Always carry them on me in case a customer wants one". Pulling out a fork, Ron was about to hand it to Kim when it slipped out of his grasp due to the grease from the cooking and fell on the ground.
"Butterfingers" Ron groaned to himself "Here, I'll get that".
Ron leaned down to pick up the fork, but accidentally brushed against the table, causing it to momentarily shake and spill some of Erik's still hot coffee into his lap.
"YEWOUCH!" Erik screeched as he leaped out of his seat and began hoping around the yard "Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!"
"Gee" Ron said in surprise "Never saw somebody get heartburn from drinking coffee before".
To make the situation worse for Erik, the other patrons at the bistro had heard the scream and looked to see what the commotion was about, and found it absolutely hilarious to see the town hero leaping about trying to cool off his trousers.
Snarling in humiliation at the villagers' laughter, Erik turned to them."Alright, break it up! Break it up!"
Still giggling, the patrons went back into the bistro to finish their meals, while Erik directed a murderous look towards Ron who watched as Kim finished her salad.
"My, my" the redhead said blissfully "I don't recall when I ever had such a wonder meal. You simply must let me give you a hearty tip".
"Ah, you don't have to do that" Ron said humbly "I was just doing what I always do here".
"Nonsense" Kim shook her head as she reached into her purse and pulled out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to the boy. "You are an amazing chef. Hopefully, one day you'll own your own restaurant".
"Well, thanks" Ron said as he reluctantly took the bill "But I doubt I'm that good".
Kim gave him a look "Trust me. You are a very gifted person".
"Well" Ron said with a goofy grin "That's nice of you to say, Kim".
"Can we go now?" Erik asked bluntly, cutting into the conversation.
"Oh, alright" Kim said with submission before standing up. She had walked only a few steps when Ron jumped in front of her.
"Wait, wait!" he cried to stop her before pointing to the ground. Right in front of Kim was a mud puddle.
Being a gentleman, Ron took off his apron and set it across the puddle, allowing Kim to walk across.
"Very noble of you" Kim said kindly.
Ron was so caught off by the compliment that he didn't see Erik walking towards him and over the apron. As such, when Ron pulled the apron away, it caused Erik to flip over and slip in the mud face first.
"You okay, pal?" Ron asked oblivious "You really should watch where you step".
Erik gave an audible growl that caused the mud to percolate. This boy was becoming a real thorn in his side.
V.
A week after Kim and Erik visited the bistro, Ron was out shopping for more cooking supplies. Once he had gotten everything on his list, he started making his way back home. As he was passing the well in the center of town, he spotted a bunch of hungry dogs and cats. With a smile, Ron reached into a package of ground beef, broke off a big chunk and tossed it to them.
"There you go, little guys" he said kindly.
Barking and meowing happily, the animals began digging into the meat Ron had given them.
"Quite the animal lover, aren't you?" Said a familiar voice behind him.
Whirling around, who should Ron expect to see but…
"Kim!" he cried in surprise at the sight of the redhead and her fiancé "Man, we've got to stop meeting like this".
"Tell me about it" Erik grumbled under his breath, still upset about what he went through at the bistro a week ago.
"We were just going for a walk through town when we spotted you" Kim explained before seeing the bags he was carrying "So, I see you're doing a little shopping".
"Well, I need to get the supplies for the dishes I make somehow" Ron joked, causing Kim to laugh.
At the same time, Erik was looking at Ron with contempt. Two times, this fool had embarrassed him in front of his fiancé while making her swoon. Well, this time was going to be different.
Spotting the animals still eating the ground beef with Ron's back turned to them, Erik got an idea.
As Kim and Ron talked, Erik slipped away and moved towards the animals. Making sure the two weren't looking, Erik took a piece of meat from the slab. He would throw it to the side, causing one of the dogs to chase after it and bump into Ron and spill his bags. Not only would he get payback for their first encounter, but if Ron ended up spilling some of the food on Kim, it would result in her never wanting to see him again.
Smirking to himself at the cruel trick, Erik made sure Kim and Ron were still distracted.
"Really?" Kim asked in surprise "You actually had to make a seven course meal as a final exam at Cooking school?"
"Oh yeah" Ron nodded "It was quite a challenge for me, but I managed to pull it off. First, I…"
Seeing that nobody was looking at him, Erik turned back to the dogs and let a quiet 'Fweet', getting the attention of a big sheep dog.
"Here boy" Erik said while dangling the meat in front of the dog. Seeing that he had gotten the dog's attention due to his wagging tail, he said "See the meat? You want it? Then go get it!"
With that, he hurled the piece as hard as he could over Kim and Ron's heads.
Sure enough, the sheep dog happily bounded after it, heading right for Kim and Ron!
However, Ron caught sight of the sheep dog coming out of the corner of his eye.
"Whoa!" he cried in shock as he pulled Kim out of the way with a twirl, letting the dog pass by harmlessly "Easy, big guy!"
Unbeknownst to Ron, a beget was sticking out of his bag, and when he spun around to let the dog pass, he ended up smacking Erik right in the jaw with it. In addition to bruising the side of his mouth, the force of the strike ended up knocking Erik backwards, causing him to bump right into the town well and go over the side yelling "AAAHH!" before hitting the water with a big SPLASH!
"Did you hear something?" Ron asked Kim.
"No" Kim said as she brushed herself off "Thanks. That could have been nasty for both of us".
"My pleasure" Ron said with a bow "I do gotta say though, I've never seen someone, let alone a woman, show such interest in my cooking skills".
"Well, there's a reason for my curiosity" Kim said solemnly.
"What is it?" Ron invited her to speak.
"I find your talents amazing because they're skills I'm lacking" Kim admitted.
"Huh?" Ron asked perplexed.
Kim sighed "The reason I'm intrigued by your cooking is because…" the rest trailed off as a whisper.
"What?" Ron asked, not catching what Kim said.
Kim sighed and looked Ron in the face before revealing her dark secret…
"I can't cook".
Ron was taken aback by this sentence.
"You can't cook?" he asked in surprise while not being sarcastic "You're kidding".
"I wish I was" Kim said with a shake of her head "My cooking is said to be a greater threat than the Bubonic Plague".
Ron looked at the girl before him with sympathy. Suddenly, an idea came over him and he smiled.
"Here's an idea" He said enthusiastically "How about if I teach you?"
Kim looked up in surprise "You'd actually do that?"
"Sure" Ron nodded "You've been kind to me ever since I first arrived, so I feel I should return the favor".
Kim's face broke into a smile. "Oh, Ron! Thank you!"
With that, she threw her arms around Ron in a grateful hug.
Unbeknownst to the pair, Erik, who had just used the well's bucket and rope to pull himself out, had heard the whole thing. And now, Erik, clinging to the edge of the well with his clothes soaking wet, looked at the boy his fiancé was hugging with nothing that could be described as anything less than pure hatred.
Three times, that kid had impressed Kim while making him look like a fool. Now, he was going to be spending even more time with Kim, giving her cooking lessons. It was clear now that this boy wasn't just a nuisance to him anymore. He was now a rival for Kim's affection.
What was worst, he was also interfering in his plans to claim the Possible family fortune.
VI.
Weeks passed, and pretty soon it was All Hallows' Eve. In that time, Ron was impressed with Kim's progress in her cooking lessons. True, there were a few flubs like when she caused a grease fire when there was no grease involved, but Ron was patient and handled the situation with kid gloves. Two weeks after the tutoring started, Kim succeeded in making something actually edible. Despite Ron saying he was just doing it out of the goodness of his heart, Kim insisted he let her pay him for his work.
The current day found Ron at his house, trying to decide what new dishes to introduce at the bistro.
"Now, let's see" he was pondering as he held a quill and notebook "Since pumpkins are in season, perhaps I can use some of the surplus to produce an entire menu of pumpkin meals".
Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. Curious, Ron got up from his desk and opened the door, revealing a mailman on the other side.
"A letter for Ron Stompable" the mailman said.
"Uh, it's pronounced Stoppable" Ron said before he took the letter, paid the mailman a tip and walked back inside.
Recognizing the handwriting on the stationary as Kim's, Ron instantly opened the letter and read Kim's message, to which his face split into an excited smile.
"An invitation to the Possibles' annual Halloween party?!" he asked ecstatically "Cool! I'm actually going to a Halloween celebration hosted by an amazing girl's wealthy family!"
Slapping the letter into his desk drawer for preservation, Ron immediately raced to his closet to pick out the best clothes he had.
VII.
"I can't believe you actually invited him to the Halloween party" Erik said in disbelief as he followed Kim around the Possible mansion.
"Why wouldn't I?" Kim asked "He's been so kind to me ever since we met him and he's willing to help me with my cooking skills, even requesting that I don't pay him for his troubles".
Erik silently growled at the idea of perfectly good Possible money going to that goof but kept it hidden and said in a fake concerned tone "I just don't like you spending so much time with him. I can't help but feel he's trying to steal you away from me".
Kim turned to her fiancé with a look.
"Erik, his intentions are pure and he's a good hearted person. I can tell. He hasn't done anything malicious or conniving once since he arrived in town. I think you're just letting your jealousy get the better of you".
With that, Kim went off to deal with the preparations for the party, leaving Erik's anger and detest for Ron to reach its boiling point. Enough was enough. It was time to put that little pest in his place and show him that nobody stood between Erik Drake and his fortune.
VIII.
That night, nearly the entire town of Middleton Hollow came to the Possibles' Halloween celebration; each of them greeted at the door by Kim and her father.
"Nice of you to come, Sheriff Hobble" Kim's father, James, shook the lawman's hand as he came in, followed by a burly man and his brunette wife, "Good to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Flagg", and behind them was a young blonde woman about Kim's age "Welcome to the party, Tara!"
Finally, Ron was at the door.
"Ah" James said happily "If it isn't the young man who is helping my daughter with her cooking" he enthusiastically shook Ron's hand "It's great that you could come".
"Thank you, Sir" Ron replied before entering the house, seeing all guests chattering and having fun. Pretty soon, he spotted the girl who had invited him alongside her fiancé.
"Hey" Kim said happily as she hugged the boy "Thanks for coming, Ron".
"Thanks for inviting me, Kim" Ron replied before looking around the room "Wow, you certainly get quite a few guests at these things, don't you?"
"Well, the Possibles have been known to throw great Halloween parties" Kim said before looking to her left "Oh, excuse me. I need to help my mom with the hors d'oeuvres".
With that, she disappeared into the crowd, leaving Ron and Erik alone.
"So" Erik said in a conversational tone "You seem to be excited to be here".
"Well, yeah" Ron nodded with enthusiasm "This is actually the first party I've ever been to".
"Really?" Erik asked with wide eyes "Well, I hope you'll enjoy yourself".
"Thanks, pal" Ron said before leaving to fraternize.
"Think nothing of it" Erik said in a friendly manner before a sinister glint appeared in his eyes. If his plan worked, this would also be the last party Ron ever went to.
IX.
An hour after the party started, the band started playing.
"Alright, everyone!" Sheriff Hobble, the leader of the band called out "Grab a partner, it's time for a hoedown!"
Kim grinned in excitement before turning to her fiancé "Erik, I know we usually dance during the parties, but would it be okay if I asked Ron to join me for this one?"
Erik grinned "Not at all, my dear". This actually fit into his plan nicely.
With a smile, Kim walked over to Ron and invited him to dance.
Ron gulped in response. "I don't know, Kim" he said uneasily "I'm not very good at dancing".
Unwilling to take 'No' for an answer, Kim took Ron's hand and dragged him out onto the dance floor saying "Oh, come on. It'll be fun".
Nervously, Ron took Kim's hand and placed his arm around her middle and they started dancing around the room, a little clumsily at first, but with Kim's direction, Ron started dancing gracefully.
"See?" Kim said cheerfully as they moved in step "You're a natural".
"You really think so?" Ron asked with a bit of optimism.
"Without a doubt" Kim nodded. "Since you've been so kind as to give me cooking lessons, perhaps I should return the favor and start giving you dancing lessons".
"Well, if you insist" Ron replied as they continued to move across the floor with the other dancers.
Off to the side, Erik watched as Kim and Ron danced and figured it was time to put his scheme into effect. Walking over to the buffet table, he grabbed a banana from a basket of fruit. Nonchalantly, he peeled it before proceeding to eat it, his eyes glued to the dance floor the whole time to keep track of Kim and Ron's position.
After finishing the banana with only the peel remaining, he looked to see that Kim and Ron were a good ten feet away from him.
Excellent, that would help to cover his involvement. Whistling causally, Erik made sure no one was looking in his direction before discreetly tossing the banana peel out onto the dance floor, right behind Ron, before walking away to the back.
Sure enough, Ron's dance moves took him right towards the banana peel. Upon stepping on it, the slippery underfooting caused his leg to slide forward, resulting in him letting go of Kim as he stumbled backwards.
"AAAHH!" Ron cried frantically as he uncontrollably slipped around the room, causing the music to stop as everyone watched him tumble with waving arms while screaming before he crashed into the wine keg, spilling its contents all over him!
Soon, the room was filled with riotous laughter as most of the guests cracked up at Ron's tomfoolery. Unbeknownst to everyone, the banana peel that Ron had stepped on had been flung into the air and landed neatly in the trash, destroying the evidence of Erik's prank.
Smiling at the success of his trick, Erik said over the loud laughter "Not much of a graceful person after all, huh, Kim?" There was no reply. "Kim?" Looking to his side, he realized that Kim wasn't there. Turning, he saw that Kim was tending to Ron.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly as she helped him up.
"Yeah, I think so" Ron said as he got to his feet "I must've taken a bad step".
As Erik watched the scene, his hand clenched in fury, his lips formed a sneer and his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits while the realization became obvious. It didn't matter how much he tried to discriminate Ron. Erik knew that as long as Ron was around, Kim would remain interested in him.
He needed a way to get rid of Ron for good.
X.
While contemplating a proper method of getting Ron out of the way without suspicion, Erik watched as his rival piled mountains of food from the buffet table onto his plate.
"Really packing it in, aren't you?" Erik snarked.
Ron didn't notice the tone. "Well, what can I say?" He said with a shrug. "Working with food gives a guy a big appetite". He was about to move further down the table when he saw what seemed to be the shadow of a giant hand on the wall reaching for him.
"AAAHH!"
Letting out a scream of fright, Ron ducked down while clinging to Erik's leg.
"Don't let it get me! Don't let it get me!"
"Would you calm down?!" Erik yelled to keep Ron from screaming his ears off before pointing outside. "It's only a tree branch".
Standing back up, Ron looked to where Erik was pointing. Sure enough, the shadow was being cast by the branch of a tree that was shaped like a hand.
Embarrassed, Ron chuckled nervously "Heh, heh. Sorry about that. It's just that this is the night when spooks and ghouls are supposed to come prowling, you know?"
Erik's eyes lit up as a wonderful, awful idea came to him.
"So, you actually believe in goblins and monsters?" he asked while trying to sound innocent.
"Yeah" Ron said while finishing loading his platter "Ever since I was young, I've always felt that I'm being targeted by ghoulies. I know it sounds childish, but it's the way I am".
"Ah, I see" Erik said nonchalantly as he followed Ron from the table "Then I guess you're probably also terrified of the…Headless Horseman".
Ron froze and turned back to Erik, his face pale and his eyes wide. "The what?"
"The Headless Horseman" Erik answered. "You're living here and you actually don't know the story of the Headless Horseman?" Ron shook his head "Well, since you're a new resident, I guess I should educate you. You know that there was a big battle during the Revolutionary War beyond the town, right?" Ron nodded "Well, during that battle, the leader of the Hessians, a cruel, black hearted soldier, was leading a one man charge towards the Americans. Just when it looked like he was about to singlehandedly take the Americans' side, a cannon was aimed at him and…"
"Kaboom?" Ron asked meekly.
Erik nodded "The cannonball blew the Hessian's head clean off. Following the battle, his headless body was unceremoniously burned in a cemetery not too far from here. However, that wasn't the end of his story".
The room seemed to be growing darker, intensifying the mood of Erik's tale, which caused Ron to sweat bullets.
"It was rumored that the Hessian had made a deal with dark forces to gain the inhuman ability to take on so many Americans. Legend has it, that a year after the Hessian's death, the dark forces he was endowed with allowed him to return from the land of the spirits".
Ron gulped. "W-Why would he want to do that? I mean, we won the war, so there was no point in returning to continue fighting".
Erik shook his head "It wasn't to carry on his fight why he returned. He came back for one reason…to reclaim his lost head. However, it was said that despite searching the entire field where the battle took place, the Horseman couldn't find his head".
"Well, that was interesting story" Ron said quickly before turning "We should do this again someti-AAAHH!"
Erik had grabbed Ron by the collar and pulled him back to face him.
"The story still isn't over" Erik said grimly "Realizing that his original head was lost forever, the Horseman decided that the only thing to do…was to get a replacement".
"R-Replacment?!" Ron cried as he backed away a little.
"Right" Erik nodded "The legend has it that his spirit followed the settlers that founded Middleton Hollow to this valley, and every year, on the night of his demise, he returns to haunt the hollow in search of a head".
Ron gulped "I hate to ask but…when was the date of that battle?"
"October 31st".
Ron's eyes widened "Y-You mean…?"
"Exactly" Erik said "The Horseman is believed to be coming tonight, and anyone who goes through the hollow could be his target".
Ron turned even whiter "B-But, I have to go through the hollow tonight to get home!"
"Well, then the only thing you can hope for if you run into him is to get to the bridge spanning the brook" Erik said with a shrug.
"Huh?" Ron asked in a confused tone.
"The legend is that the dark forces he made a deal with said he could return if he was only allowed to haunt up to a certain area" Erik explained. "The two bridges on either side of the hollow is the boundary line. He's not allowed to cross it".
"So, you're saying that all I have to do is make for the bridge and I'll be safe?" Ron asked.
"That's what the legend says" Erik replied before clapping a hand on Ron's shoulder "Best of luck to you". With that, he walked off, a nasty smirk on his face that Ron didn't see.
Still white from the story, Ron turned to Kim who was talking to her father.
"Kim!" he called out "This story about a headless horseman I just heard, is it authentic?"
"If you mean if there's actually a legend about it then yes" Kim nodded "The ghost itself I doubt is real. I mean, hey, you're not going to be intimidated by a ghost story, are you?"
Ron gulped while tugging at his shirt collar. "Of course not. After all, I'm not one who believes in ghosts!"
With a smile, Kim turned away while Ron's face became nervous as he looked out to the road he'd be taking back home.
XI.
It was nearly midnight when Ron started on his way homeward. He was still feeling jittery due to Erik's story, with his anxiety increasing as he drew closer to the hollow. It didn't help that thick clouds were rolling in and blotting out the moon and stars.
Dismally, Ron rode up to the opening of the forest that was said to be haunted tonight.
"Okay, Rufus" he was saying to his horse in a nervous whisper "All we have to do is get through this glen as fast as we can and we'll be okay. Got it?" then with a gulp he said "Alright, let's go".
Trotting into the murky patch of wood, Ron began to whistle to try and relax. The flute-like sound echoed and reverberated around him. Tugging on his collar nervously, Ron looked around the woods surrounding him to make sure the horseman wasn't lurking behind the trees.
"Okay, so far so good" he said tensely "We just need to keep this up and…" he heard something go caw and jumped for a moment before calming a bit "It was just a crow. That's all it was".
Looking back to see that the entrance was obscured from sight, Ron knew there was no turning back now and prodded Rufus to trot faster. Suddenly, the howl of a wolf caused him to freeze in fright. Recovering, he continued his travel through the glen.
Suddenly, he started hearing eerie sounds around him. The chirping of crickets and grasshoppers sounded like they were saying 'Going to get you. Going to get you. Going to get you'. The croaking of frogs sounded like 'Headless Horseman. Headless Horseman'. An owl's hooting gave him the impression it was saying 'Ron. Ron. Ron'. The addition of a crow that sounded like it's squawk was saying 'Beware! Beware!'.
Ron was so antsy that when a tree branch broke off above and brushed against his back, he jumped up forward in fright.
"AAAHH!" He cried in fright as he pushed Rufus to gallop like he never did before.
A minute after the scare, Ron calmed down and Rufus's speed slowed.
"Okay, Ron" the blond was saying to himself "You're just letting the sounds around you get to you. Just focus on getting out of here before that headless spook shows up".
Still sweating up a storm, Ron and his horse eventually reached a fork in the road.
"I always forget," Ron said as he scratched his head "Do we take a left or a right to get home?"
Rufus merely snorted in disbelief.
"Perhaps we should go against stage direction and head right" Ron said with a nod as he directed Rufus in the direction "Yeah, this seems right".
As Ron continued down the path he had picked, the forest seemed to grow darker and the trees closed in around him. Continuing the trek, Ron began to realize that this road was unfamiliar to him.
"Uh oh" Ron said with a gulp "I think we took a wrong turn somewhere, Rufus".
The horse shook his head with a sigh.
"No problem" Ron said as he turned his horse around "We'll just go back the way we came and try again".
Unfortunately, that didn't appear to work as Ron saw that the path looked different than when he came through it before.
"Uh, Rufus" Ron said uneasily "This could take us a while…"
"…I think we're lost".
XII.
"Ahahahahahahaha!" Erik was guffawing as he went in the opposite direction of the hollow towards his home on his white stallion "Oh man, the look on that dope's face! He'll be so scared that he'll no doubt flee Middleton Hollow and be out of my life for good! Then nothing will stand between me and the Possible fortune". Erik shook his head in amusement "Imagine, that fool believing that stupid legend of the Headless Horseman!"
Erik's stallion snorted in cruel laughter alongside his master.
"'Riding out on Halloween night each year in search of a head'" Erik said mockingly "Yeah, right!"
Erik was so caught up in his laughter that he didn't hear the sounds of something approaching from the shadows.
After his laughing fit subsided, Erik turned his attention to how he would act and what he would say to his fiancé tomorrow in response to her distress over the disappearance of her new friend. However, before he could even form a sentence of condolence in his head, he heard a snap behind him.
"What was that?" he asked as he looked back, only to see nothing "Probably just the wind".
He was about to continue onward when he heard the distinct clatter of rocks.
"Okay" he mumbled to himself "I don't think I'm alone out here".
His theory was confirmed when he heard the sound of leaves being stepped on and crushed.
"Alright, who's back there?" Erik demanded in annoyance "Come out and show yourself, and that's an order!"
From out of the shadows came a shadowy steed, black as night with crimson red eyes. Riding the horse was a figure wearing a black riding outfit with a blood red cape, his gloves and boots the same color as the cape, and the hilt of a sword at his side.
What was really noticeable about the figure was that it had no head.
Erik studied the figure before him before his eyes went into a leer.
"Ha ha, very funny" he said sarcastically "Trying to scare me as the Headless Horseman, are you? Well, nice try, but it won't work. I know you're just some stupid jokester from the village trying to get a ton of yucks in tonight. Well, too bad for you that I'm not falling for it. So why don't you scram and find someone else to scare".
His disdain spent, Erik turned to continue on his way, leaving the figure to stand dumbfounded for a moment before gripping his horse's rein tightly in annoyance.
Reaching to his side and pulling out his sword, the figure began approaching Erik from behind. Taking his free hand off the reins, he reached for Erik's shoulder, only for Erik to whirl around and grab his hand by the wrist.
"Can't you take a hint?" Erik said viciously "I told you to get lost! If you think you can frighten me with a hokey legend, then you're…"
Erik didn't manage to finish as suddenly, the figure wrenched backwards. Panning down to his hand, Erik saw that he was still clutching the figure's glove and sleeve…with his arm still in it!
"AAH!" Erik cried in fright as he dropped the dismembered appendage to the ground before looking up to see the one armed rider before him.
Suddenly, a bolt of blackish purple energy surged from the figure's empty shoulder joint before shooting down towards the arm, pulling it back up and reattaching itself. Once it was back in place, Erik watched the rider flex and move the arm around to confirm it was still working.
Erik's eyes went wide, his irises shrunk ten sizes and his skin became paler than a ghost.
"Y-You're real!" he cried in shock "You're the real Headless Horseman!"
Having had enough nonsense, the horseman instantly swung his sword at Erik, who quickly ducked it.
"G-G-GET AWAY FROM MEEE!" Erik screeched in fright before taking off down the trail on his steed.
With a whinny from his horse, the horseman began the chase. As his nightmarish steed practically flew down the path, it left a trail of fiery horseshoe prints behind and it seemed to snort bursts of flames.
"Okay," Erik said gasping for breath as he tried to keep as far away from his pursuer as possible "I just got to get to the bridge on the other side of the hollow and he won't be able to touch me!"
Unfortunately, despite Erik prodding his horse to go faster than it ever did before, the ghostly horse behind him closed in until they were neck and neck.
With a gasp, Erik saw the horseman swing his sword madly at him, ducking each strike and pressing his form down to saddle of his horse entirely.
"Quick, to the left!" he directed the stallion, who obeyed and went down a steep incline.
However, with a mighty bound, the black stallion and its rider managed to sail over their prey and land at the bottom before them.
"NO!" Erik cried before the horseman tried to take another swing at him, which Erik avoided by turning to the right, only for the horseman to continue the pursuit.
The runners were now galloping on a wide road with a thick patch of woods around them, with the adrenaline of fear causing Erik and his charger to pull ahead.
The horseman raised his sword to arm's length before the blade started to glow an eerie blue. Swinging it forward, the horseman let a blade shaped wave of wind fly. The projectile whizzed past Erik and struck a tree on the right, neatly slicing it along its tree trunk and causing it to collapse on the road in front of Erik.
"Up!" Erik cried as he tugged on his horse's reins, to which the stallion leaped over the fallen tree and landed on the other side.
Turning back while still galloping, Erik hoped that the tree would slow the horseman down a bit. Much to his shock and terror, he saw the horseman come smashing right through the tree, reducing it to splinters without stopping or losing momentum.
"He's gaining!" Erik screamed "I gotta do something!"
Looking to left, he saw an incline going down a hill. Pulling to the left, he directed his horse down the hill, to which they skidded into a shallow pond.
Looking up to see if the horseman was coming after him, Erik was relieved to see he was not. Feeling he had gotten a good lead away from the ghost, Erik directed his horse to the pond's shore and back onto the main road.
"Okay" Erik said with relief "The bridge shouldn't be much further".
Unfortunately, his relief vanished and his terror returned when the horseman leaped out of the shadows of the trees right in front of him!
Raising its front legs, the horseman's charger stomped on the ground with an unnaturally loud thump!, cracks in the ground starting from where its hoof met before causing a wide split in the road before Erik.
Turning to the right, Erik pushed his horse to continue going as fast as it could.
"Okay, if we can't outrun him or get a good lead ahead of him, maybe we can lose him" Erik surmised, coming up with an idea.
Quickly, he lead the horseman into a patch of wood, a grin on his face.
"Alright, you spook" he muttered to himself "Time to play 'Follow the Leader'".
Turning around a large boulder, Erik began leading the horseman in circles. It eventually got to the point where Erik was chasing the horseman. However, the horseman and his horse were quickly engulfed in black smoke before reappearing facing Erik, causing him to crash face-to-no face with the ghost.
Growing aggravated with the chase, the horseman swung his sword at Erik's head madly, but the mortal and his steed pulled away and quickly leaped out of the patch before the horseman could pursue.
"We did it!" Erik gasped with a mad laugh "We did it! Ha ha! We got away!" Turning to the front, he saw his objective in front of him. "Oh, there's the bridge! I'm going to make it! I'M GONNA MAKE IT!"
Much to Erik's horror, however, just as he was a few feet away from the bridge, the Headless Horseman suddenly appeared out of nowhere right in front of him, cutting off his route!
"AAAHHHHH!" Erik shrieked as an orb of fire materialized in the horseman's free hand which he then hurled directly at him!
XIII.
Ron was lucky to have gotten any sleep last night. It had taken him forever to get out of the hollow and find his way back home. Fortunately, however, he hadn't run into the Headless Horseman.
"Maybe Erik was wrong about the night he comes out" Ron said to himself as he was getting ready for work "Oh well, at least I didn't encounter that spook. I'd feel sorry for any poor sap that ever does see him".
Pretty soon, Ron was on his horse trotting to the bistro. However, as he drew closer to the center of town, he began seeing swarms of citizens dashing by, crying and yelling frantically.
"Whoa!" Ron said, both in shock and to tell Rufus to stop before trying to address the panicking villagers "What's all the hubbub about?"
"It's Erik Drake!" Sheriff Hobble cried as he stopped to explain "He's disappeared!"
"What?!" Ron asked in shock.
"His horse was spotted dashing through the countryside, a look of pure terror on the beast" Hobble explained "We're forming search parties and scouring the woods to find him! I just hope the poor lad is okay."
Without wasting a second, Hobble went off to aid the search party for the lost town hero, leaving Ron to fully absorb the situation.
"Oh man" he said with a shake of his head "I can't believe Erik has disappeared like that. What could've happened to him?" Suddenly, another thought came to him "Oh no! Kim is probably in tears over this!"
In a flash, Ron had Rufus galloping towards the Possible home. Disembarking his horse, Ron immediately dashed into the manor, where he found Kim sitting quietly in a chair looking out the window.
"Kim!" He said in concern "I just heard about Erik. How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine" Kim said softly "Just a little surprised that something like this has happened".
"I know" Ron nodded "I can't believe it either. What do you suppose happened to Erik?"
"I'm not sure" Kim replied "I don't know anyone who would feel malice towards Erik".
"Well, if you need some comfort, I'm here for you" Ron said sympathetically.
Kim smiled at the boy "Thank you, Ron. That's very kind of you".
"That's just the way I am" Ron joked "I gotta say, you're taking the disappearance of your fiancé well".
"Actually," Kim admitted slowly "I'm sort of glad this happened".
"Huh?!" Ron cried in shock.
"I've been having second thoughts for weeks now" Kim said "My parents weren't aware, but I was sure…Erik was only interested in my family's fortune".
"Wow, that's harsh" Ron said soothingly "I mean, marrying for money seems pretty terrible to me. If you're going to marry someone, you should do it for love. Hopefully Kim, one day you'll find someone who loves you as much you love them".
"I think I already have" Kim whispered.
Much to Ron's surprise, Kim stood up and turned to him.
"When we first met, I could tell you were being sincerely kind to me" Kim said slowly "Since my feelings for Erik were wavering, I couldn't help but feel a strong reaction to your charms. I know you think I've been wanting you around because I wanted to be a good friend, but the truth is…I've been falling for you since we first met".
This revelation came a surprise to Ron. To think such a beautiful young woman could be interested in someone like him.
"Well," he stuttered awkwardly "I'm very flattered, Kim. I mean, you are beautiful and sweet, and you don't find me appalling, but I don't know if…"
Kim put a hand over Ron's mouth to stop his jabbering, a warm smile on her face.
"You don't have to hide it" she whispered "I know you feel the same".
With that, Kim brought her lips to Ron's in a tender, loving kiss. Ron was surprised at first, but as the soft feeling of Kim's lips continued, he soon found his resistance diminishing and soon was kissing her back with as much fervor.
It wasn't long before the two were walking to the altar. With Kim's resources and Ron's talents, they eventually opened a lucrative chain of gourmet restaurants across the United States.
As for Erik, despite extensive and thorough searches throughout the countryside, he was never seen again.
For that matter, neither was the Headless Horseman.
The End
A/N: Got you all, didn't I? Bet you weren't expecting this twist on a classic, huh? Since the original version of 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' has been played out so many times, I felt a version with a surprise would be best. Besides, you didn't really think I was going to keep Kim and Ron apart, did you? Of course, despite the victim being different, the song from 'Ichabod and Mr. Toad' still fits:
'With a hip hip and a clippity clop, he's out looking for a head to swap, so don't try to figure out a plan, you can't reason with a HEADLESS MAAAAANNN'.