CHAPTER#5- MYSTERY OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN

Deadmau5 was playing his favourite video game and Prof. Meowington's PhD watched from the back of room. It was as normal as any day could be. A phone call from Mau5mom changed that all in minutes.

"What? There's a what going up and down the street?"

Mau5mom said again, "a headless horseman! Don't you ever turn on the news?"

"No, why would I? Is the headless guy riding the horse?" Deadmau5 asked in disbelief.

"Yes and he's swinging a sword. He barely missed my head! Son, you need to do something!"

"Why me?"

"Well if not you, then get Meowingtons to go talk to it! The Mayor of Toronto just got swiped at and now has a crack in his head! He's lucky to still have a head. But a pile of heads and bodies are building up!"

"Is this some kind of Halloween prank? You do this to me every year, tricking me." Deadmau5 still did not believe her.

"No it's not a trick. Turn on the TV and check out the news!" Mau5mom hung up on her son, frustration making her throw her coffee cup against the wall. She looked at the pieces and laughed, "my next piece of art will be a mosaic, what a wonderful idea!"

After the call ended, Deadmau5 turned on the TV. Together with his cat, he saw the headless horseman galloping after pedestrians, swinging his sword, trying to take off their heads.

Prof. Meowingtons PhD. cocked his head, "a hell steed, meow. Well we can't have this continue, how are we going to go for a coffee run, meow? He's creating a major traffic problem, meow."

"Alright, let's go down there and see if we can figure out where he came from and why he's taking people's heads. I don't recall there being a clause in the contract from the Queen of Hearts, saying she can send a knight outside of her Kingdom." Deadmau5 said thoughtfully.

Once out on the street, they drove until the horseman came into view, then they parked. Prof. Meowingtons PhD rode on top of Deadmau5's head, between his ears. People on the street turned and watched the pair go by.

"Hey headless horseman, come over here, we need to talk!" Deadmau5 called, handing his cat the laser Hax sunglasses. "Meowingtons, only use these if we're in danger."

"I know that, meow. I don't shoot first and ask questions later, it's not my style, meow."

The horseman acknowledged the summons, the horse snorting as it came to sudden stop in front of Deadmau5. "Where's my head? Did you see it?"

"No. Back up and tell us what happened. How did you loose it in the first place?"

The headless Knight got off the horse, holding it's reins in one hand. They noticed, he moved around pretty good, even though he couldn't see because he had no head. "Long ago, I had a fight with my wife and she decapitated me. But then she felt remorse and used a spell to bind my soul to my armour. Using a pumpkin as a replacement head, I was able to remain her husband and servant until she died of natural causes."

"So you're immortal then?" Deadmau5 asked.

"Until someone breaks the seal on my armour, you could say that. Anyway, recently I was shoeing my hell steed, when he kicked me and sent my head flying. Well someone took my head, because I can't find it. Powerful beast as he is, it shouldn't have landed too far away. I decided to look for a new head, that didn't smell like pumpkin."

Prof. Meowningtons PhD flicked an ear. "Show us where you first lost it, meow."

"My hell steed is fast, are you sure you can keep up?"

"You haven't seen him drive, meow." Prof. Meowingtons PhD laughed.

Deadmau5 and the cat, got into the Meowclaren and followed the horseman. The steed was very fast indeed, but they kept up. It didn't take long for them to find the location of where the pumpkin head had been lost. To the dismay of Deadmau5 and his partner, they saw that the pumpkin head had smashed into many pieces.

"I'm sorry to say, we found your head. It's smashed and no way of fixing it."

"Then I'll just take your head!"

"Now wait just a minute!" Deadmau5 yelled, backing up. "Meowingtons get the laser Hax ready. We may have to take this guy down with force."

"I need a head!" Wailed the horseman.

Prof. Meowingtons PhD gave a warning laser shot at a near by tree. The hell steed reared in fear. "Hear me out, meow. You can have one of his fan made heads, meow."

"Good idea Meowingtons, he can have the pumpkin head one. I can take off the ears. The eyes are green and light up, it has a green stem and is orange. It would honour your wife. Follow us back to my house. Will your hell steed be okay in the garage?" Deadmau5 asked.

The hell steed nodded and the horseman agreed. They raced back to Deadmau5's house, parking the Meowclaren and tying the reins of the hell horse to the mirror. Then they rode the elevator up to his apartment. People screamed when they passed them by in the hallway. Once inside, the head from the fan was found. Deadmau5 removed the ears and then handed it over to the headless Knight.

"It fits perfectly and doesn't smell like pumpkin! I can keep this?"

"Yes, as long as you promise me to never decapitate people ever again. If you loose this head or break it, call me first." Deadmau5 said, sealing the promise with a hand shake and signature on a quickly composed contract.

It was evening by the time they returned to the hell horse and the horseman mounted back up. They walked him out of the parking garage. Before the horse and rider from hell left, the beast reared. As it pawed the sky with it's hooves in flame, the Knight shouted, "Happy Halloween!" Then waiving his sword above the new glowing pumpkin head, they rode away.

"Could you imagine having to wear a stinking, rotting, pumpkin head for the rest of your life, meow?" Prof. Meowingtons PhD wrinkled his nose.

"No way! I guess his horse hated that head too. Both should be happy from now on. Let's go and hand out candy!"

The pair did just that. There were no further problems for the rest of the night and the mystery had been solved. Halloween night once more became a time for children to laugh and say 'trick-or-treat' for free candy.