SEVERED (A Tale of Sleepy Hollow) Read Online Free

this
nightmare become my reality?
    As he drew nearer
my senses heightened, and I woke up gasping for air. But just as quickly, I
froze. My dream had vanished, but The Horseman had not. He rode close by,
hooves beating against the heavy clay of the road leading to our farm.
Perspiration covered me. My nightdress clung to my skin. Yet a chill washed over
me like a rippling tide.
    I will not go.
    He journeyed
closer. Had my dream mystically drawn him, or had he purposely waited till now
for my capture?
    Curiosity ate at
me like the insects in my dream. I gathered the courage to slip from my bed and
take the tiniest glance through my window. I strained to see, but he rode in
shadow. Still, he approached. I waited and watched, my mouth parched, my heart
banging against my chest. Moments later, the black clouds parted and the
moonlight shown upon him. I exhaled for the first time in what seemed like an
eternity. It was only Brom, riding past our farm to his cabin. I didn’t know
the hour, but could sense it was late…or early rather. Far past midnight.
    And he’d said
he was done with carousing and foolish games.
    I eased back onto
my bed, my nerves a shattered mess. The Horseman had not come, yet I could feel
his cold breath upon me.
    * *
*
    Over the next week, Sleepy Hollow
became ghostly and withdrawn. While there were no credible sightings of The
Horseman, rumors of witchcraft spread like the Tappan Zee. The slaves took
precautions, wearing all manner of crude charms and enchantments. Simon, our
house servant, carved a protective talisman for me from a black willow root –
an oblong pendant with a spiraling eye. I discreetly wore it tucked into my
bodice. Of course, with Father insisting I remain inside, I had nothing to
dread. Other than being imprisoned in my own home.
    Twice I sent
messages to the dock, hoping to reach Marten, but he sometimes spent a week or
more on the water. What had he wanted to tell me? Just when I thought I
might literally burst, he finally showed up.
    “Marten, I’ve been
so worried,” I whispered, stepping onto the piazza.
    He placed a finger
to his lips and led me away from the door. “Katrina, I’ve done it.”
    I searched his
eyes. “Done…what?” This was Marten, the boy who always reached for the
impossible, yet never came close.
    “I have arranged
for the purchase of a ship.”
    I stood,
thunderstruck. No wonder he’d burst in at the funeral.
    He bent his knees
to see eye level with me. “Did you hear me?”
    “Yes,” I said,
blinking away my shock. He’d always talked of owning his own vessel, but on his
wages? I never dreamed it’d be a reality. “But…how?”
    He scratched his
head, looking away.
    Gripping his chin,
I turned his gaze back to mine. “Where did you get the money?”
    He waved it off.
“Don’t worry. It’s taken care of.”
    “I worry, Marten.
I always worry. And even more so since we’re whispering.”
    He placed his
hands on my arms and lowered us onto one of the wooden benches.
    “Marten,” I urged,
“Why so secretive?”
    “Because,” he
said, “when it arrives, I’m leaving the Hollow for good. And I want you to come
with me.”
    Though Marten and
I were only close friends, we’d always sworn that one day we’d leave Sleepy
Hollow and sail off to exotic ports unknown. I never thought it’d actually come
to pass. Was this my escape? Had my “someday” finally arrived?
    My heartbeat
quickened and a thousand thoughts flickered through my mind. “When?”
    “Not for a few
weeks.”
    “ Weeks? ” He
offers a chance at escape, then tells me this?
    He rubbed his
hands together, fidgeting. “No one’s more frustrated than I. But it’s currently
sailing up from the West Indies. And it’ll need some repairs and preparations.”
    I didn’t hide my
disappointment. “A lot can happen in a few weeks.”
    “Or in the blink
of an eye.” His ominous tone was reflected on his face. “Keep in mind, there
are other arrangements to be