Avescope HORROR

The Hollows Sleep
Guendolen Jacobs
"It’s not like Sleepy Hollow" Gage announced as they peered
at the figure upon a dark horse.
Dela turned her head towards Gage - her mouth agape. He
must have seen the same figure; a broad-shouldered man
in a heavy wool coat. The shafts of light gleaming through
the forest canopy made it impossible to dispute that the
man simply didn’t have a head.
The steam-driven buggy shimmied under them. It hissed as
if letting out a gasp. Gage stopped just as the rutted path
cleared the corner. Narrowing his eyes, Gage pursed his lips
deep in thought.
Dela pushed her emotions aside. If her partner wasn’t
panicking, then she wasn’t about to let him have the upper
hand. They had both been called to investigate the
strangeness that beset the town of Jasper. At most, she
expected mischievous wind spirits or perhaps a forest
guardian. The apparition could be a forest guardian, but
they rarely took human form - well, any kind of dressed
human. Woodland spirits were a bit cheeky that way.
Gage reached towards her legs. Before Dela voiced her
disapproval, Gage fumbled with the latch of a box that sat
between them. The flipped lid revealed several instruments.
Gage’s hand grabbed a telescope. He twisted several
sections out of the way, shortening its length. Pulling up the
eyeglass, Gage adjusted it.
Dust jumped into the air as the horse stomped around. The
mounted figure lifted his arm. It might have been her
imagination, but Dela thought it had beckoned them with
two gloved fingers.
Dela hopped in her seat, twisting towards her partner,
"What about this ISN’T Sleepy Hollow?"
"No pumpkin for one," Gage said in a distracted tone,
"Fascinating. The spectral emanations are extraordinary. We
should talk to him."
Dela’s eyes shot open, “What?!” Gage pushed himself up,
freeing his long legs and stepped out of the vehicle, “Clearly,
he’s intelligent.”
Dela glanced over at the rider, “You do realize that it doesn’t
have a head.” Gage looked at her for the first time since they
began this adventure. His green eyes searched her face for
something. He wore an expression of concern.
He spoke in slow careful words, “He’s also visible despite it
being daylight. I think we’re beyond simple logic here. Not
having a head, shouldn’t present a problem.”
Gage’s hands tugged down his vest in an instinctual
gesture as he straightened. If he had more muscle on his
Dela thought, he might be impressive. As it was, he was just
tall and lean, very much a bookworm type. He strode up the
path without looking to see what his partner would do.
She gave herself a mental slap to get her mind functioning.
Scrambling, she fought against the thick fabric that she had
painstakingly tucked around the passenger’s seat. She
could have gone with her French Vivandières outfit but had
opted instead to blend in with the traditional skirts and
jacket. The additional fabric got in her way. It also
threatened to trip her as she rolled out of the buggy.
Dela caught up with Gage on the dust-strewn path. Now
that she thought about it, it could hardly be considered a
road. She supposed they didn’t care for company if they
failed to maintain or improve the roads leading into the
town.
The rider’s horse stomped the ground, obviously impatient.
The stallion’s head nodded against the reigns. Upon closer
inspection, Dela saw that the rider flowed seamlessly into
his mount. The darkness of their forms made it impossible
to discern one from the other.
“His name,” Gage spoke, “is Jeremiah Cogram.”
“How do you know that,” Dela asked, adjusting the belt set
around her hips. It held six knives and twice as many
specially constructed darts.
Gage took in a sharp breath. He steadied himself before
snipping, “Research.”
“Of course,” Dela responded as if the answer should have
been obvious.
She normally didn’t do the initial investigations so
contacting entities fell outside of her prevue. She usually
came in once the spectral being had started rampaging.
Her intuition began to vex her. Something was amiss only
her intuition was never precise on what that something
was.
As they approached, shadows loomed in. Dela’s eyes flicked
around, looking for signs of danger. No one was going to
surprise them while she was around. Her fingers itched to
pull out her daggers. However, the horseman might see the
act as threatening. While normal knives were ineffective
against spiritual emanations, her knives were made of sliver
with a vein of opal set along the spines. Dela had also oiled
the metal with anointing oil. She was certain most spirits
could sense the danger they represented.
The headless rider twisted in his saddle. If he had a head,
Dela thought he would be looking them up and down. He
pointed out into the foreboding woods.
Avescope | 35