Story So Far: With the help of the Tarrytown villagers, Brom Bones scares Ichabod back into the ghostly woods of Sleepy Hollow. Millie Cooper picks up the cane that Ichabod has so hastily dropped, and follows the terrified Schoolmaster back into the Hollow. Confronted by the Headless Horseman, Ichabod pleads for his life by vowing: ?I can change!? We find ourselves back in the study of Washington Irving, where our story began. Finally, the master storyteller pens the last words of the tale that has haunted his imagination for years.

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?I can change?I can change?I can change,? are the words that he writes into his journal with a relieved sense of satisfaction.

Exhausted, yet thankful, Irving puts down his quill and closes his journal. ?And so, my friends, we have come to the end of our tale. After all these years, it is finally finished!?

But how could this incredible story possibly be finished without knowing what happened to Ichabod Crane, or to Katrina Van Tassel, or to Brom Bones?

Sitting down on the corner of his desk, Irving smiles. ?Alright, we?ll add a short postscript. It so happens that Brom and Katrina married and gave Baltus and Dame Van Tassel seven lovely Dutch grandchildren. Millie Cooper did find a man to marry, and as for the Sleepy Hollow Boys? well, they went on to do? absolutely nothing.?

Irving pauses for a moment as he gathers up some books from his desk. ?Oh, and as for Ichabod Crane?

?Well, he went into the Hollow on that dark and stormy night ? and was never seen, or heard from again. The only trace of him that was ever found was his tricorn hat and the broken pieces of a large jack-o-lantern!?

Pushing in his chair and winding his watch, Irving continues, ?To this day, some say that the Headless Horseman showed no mercy to poor Ichabod. And that he deserved what he got.

?But some are more optimistic; they insist that he struck a deal with the Horseman. In exchange for his life, Ichabod promised that he would change his ways forever, that he would love unselfishly, and that he would never return to Sleepy Hollow again.?

With a satisfied smile followed by a sly wink, Irving turns toward his desk as the sweet and somewhat familiar voice of a woman calls out from the other room, ?Darling ? are you coming? We?ll be late!?

?Coming, dear! Just putting the finishing touches on my story. I?ll be right with you,? Irving responds as he sets his manuscript on the corner of his desk and makes his way to the coat rack...a grizzly bear coat rack.

Putting on his coat and scarf, Irving cannot help but hesitate a brief moment in front of the mirror, gazing thoughtfully at the reflection of the man staring back.

An elegant and beautiful woman enters the room and watches Irving, slightly amused with her husband. It is Mille Cooper, now middle-aged. ?Aren?t you ready yet? We don?t want to be late,? she playfully scolds him.

?Coming, dear. Just smoothing out the wrinkles,? chuckles Irving.

As she always does, Millie helps him readjust his collar. ?My goodness, even after all these years, you?re still as fussy as ever!? Amused, Irving puts his hat on, giving it just the right tilt, while Millie removes a walking cane from the cane tray and hands it to him. It is Ichabod?s walking cane!

Slipping his handkerchief over the end of the cane, Irving makes his way to the study door, with a familiar elegance and undeniable charm. He opens the door for Millie, then pauses a moment to offer one last bit of wisdom.

?Personally, I believe that if there is a moral to my humble story at all, it is only this? do not be afraid to look into the mirror and seek the truth, butterfly; for you have magic on your wings.

?And you can out-pull the ox, if only you will learn to use the power of your imagination? And fly!?

The End

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? Did you enjoy this serialised story? Come to the Bermuda YouthLibrary on Church Street in Hamilton to see the musical version of ?Ichabod! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? this Saturday at 2.30 p.m. Admission is free. Popcorn and drinks will be available for 50 cents. Reserve your seat by stopping by the Circulation Desk or telephoning 295-0487.