Horseman

one

 

Of course I knew about the Horseman, no matter how much Katrina tried to keep it from me. If ever anyone brought up the subject within my hearing, Katrina would shush that person immediately, her eyes slanting in my direction as if to say, "Don't speak of it in front of the child."

 

I found out everything I wanted to know about the Horseman anyway, because children always hear and see more than adults think they do. Besides, the story of the Headless Horseman was a favorite in Sleepy Hollow, one that had been told and retold almost since the village was established. It was practically nothing to ask Sander to tell me about it. I already knew the part about the Horseman looking for a head because he didn't have one. Then Sander told me all about the schoolmaster who looked like a crane and how he tried to court Katrina and how one night the Horseman took the schoolmaster away, never to be seen again.

 

I always thought of my grandparents as Katrina and Brom though they were my grandmother and grandfather, because the legend of the Horseman and the crane and Katrina and Brom were part of the fabric of the Hollow, something woven into our hearts and minds. I never called them by their names, of course-Brom wouldn't have minded, but Katrina would have been very annoyed had I referred to her as anything except "Oma."

 

Whenever someone mentioned the Horseman, Brom would get a funny glint in his eye and sometimes chuckle to himself, and this made Katrina even more annoyed about the subject. I always had the feeling that Brom knew more about the Horseman than he was letting on. Later I discovered that, like so many things, this was both true and not true.

 

On the day that Cristoffel van den Berg was found in the woods without his head, Sander and I were playing Sleepy Hollow Boys by the creek. This was a game that we played often. It would have been

Christina Henry is a horror and dark fantasy author whose works include Near the Bone, The Ghost Tree, Looking Glass, The Girl in Red, The Mermaid, Lost Boy, Alice, Red Queen and the seven-book urban fantasy Black Wings series.

She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on and watching movies with samurai, zombies and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.

Fans of gothic horror will be eager to follow Ben into the woods. --Booklist

"With visceral visions of nightmares, creepy prose and a pace as fast as the rush of horses hooves, Henry s take on Irving s classic story is a one-sitting read, a chilling romp into the forest that will remind readers that sometimes the scariest monster in the room is human nature ."--BookPage

Praise for Christina Henry's novels

"Satisfyingly upends the familiar tale of a clever girl, a dangerous wolf, and a brave savior, and folklore fans will enjoy this bloody near-future variation on a familiar theme." Publishers Weekly

"An engrossing page-turner that will delight anyone who loves running through thought experiments about the apocalypse. Paste 

"A riveting rewrite of Peter Pan."--The Wall Street Journal

"Multiple twists keep the reader guessing, and the fluid writing is enthralling....This is a fine addition to the shelves of any fan of children's classics and their modern subversions."--Publishers Weekly

"This wild, unrelenting tale, full to the brim with the freedom and violence of young boys who never want to grow up, will appeal to fans of dark fantasy."--Booklist

"A horrifying fantasy that will have you reexamining your love for this childhood favorite. Smooth, velvety prose blends well with the deliciously complex characters and intricate story line."--RT Book Reviews (top pick)

"It's full of magic and passion and courage, set against a convincing historical backdrop....Henry's spare, muscular prose is a delight. I loved this novel."--Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches