Sleepy Hollow
Jonathan pulls the bow taut, pained, lips bloody.
Elsewhere, Daredevil approaches slow. The Horseman taps his sword on his spur, CLINK… CLINK… CLINK…
Foliage moves as the Horseman’s form pushes through.
Jonathan releases-the arrow WHISTLES…
THWACK!-imbeds in the Horseman’s chest.
CLINK… CLINK… CLINK… continues-Jonathan readies a second arrow. Pulls and releases-O.S. THWACK!
CLINK… CLINK… CLINK… Jonathan cries out, crawling away desperately. Crawling through underbrush, over roots and rocks. CLINK… CLINK… CLINK… Jonathan gives up, spent, face to the dirt. He closes his eyes.
CLINKING STOPS. Daredevil halts astride Jonathan; two legs on each side of Jonathan’s body.
EXT. SLEEPY HOLLOW FARMLAND-MORNING
Baltus and a large, DULLARDLY MAN ride. Behind, Ichabod rides with Magistrate Philipse.
Ichabod is not adept at riding his old nag, Gunpowder.
ICHABOD The Van Garretts died first; a man and his son, survived by a wife and two infants. And the Widow Windsor was next…
PHILIPSE And now Jonathan Masbath.
ICHABOD (looks back, ponders) Why would he flee this direction, with so much open ground to cross before he reached cover?
PHILIPSE He would not have gone into the Western Woods. No sane man would.
Philipse drinks from a whiskey flask, sees Ichabod watching and offers some. Ichabod declines.
PHILIPSE Van Ripper there…
Ahead, the dullard, VAN RIPPER, sloppily spits tobacco.
PHILIPSE … found the body this morning. (pause) You do believe now, don’t you?
ICHABOD Believe?
LADY VAN TASSEL You said yourself. What mere man could have downed the Belltower?
ICHABOD It is a prime tenet of science, Philipse, that because one thing appears improbable does not mean you embrace the utterly fantastical.
PHILIPSE You need less big words, and more common sense.
Philipse fingers an IRON KEY talisman he wears on a cord.
ICHABOD What is that you wear?
PHILIPSE My talisman. It will, protect against the Horseman if I show a brave face. But, I cannot run. If I run in fear, it is worthless.
ICHABOD Well… so much for common sense.
EXT. SLEEPY HOLLOW FORESTS, FURTHER ON-MORNING
Brom and Baltus stand at a HORSE’S CORPSE amongst jagged boulders. The flesh has been stripped, guts exposed. Philipse and Ichabod arrive and dismount.
BALTUS Was this Jonathan’s?
BROM Yes. Seems he panicked across here and broke two legs.
ICHABOD Who took the meat?
BALTUS Must have been the Redman. A Lenape Indian lives in the Western Woods.
ICHABOD These woods of yours sound a bit crowded, what with all the witches, ghouls and Indians living there.
Brom climbs up onto his own horse, a black beauty.
BROM There’s only one Lenape. He eats small animals and lost children… and the occasional constable when he can get it.
Brom rides. Ichabod goes to the dead horse, digs in his satchel for a thin iron tool, which he uses it to pry off one HORSESHOE. A WHISTLE is HEARD O.S.
Everyone looks far ahead to where Van Ripper has ridden. The doctor and others are there. Van Ripper waves.
INT. FOREST, MASBATH MURDER SITE-MORNING
Doctor Lancaster stands with SEVERAL ARMED MEN. A coffin on a cart is covered by a blanket. Ichabod is crouched nearby.
ICHABOD Why did you move the body, Doctor?
DOCTOR LANCASTER To place it inside its coffin.
Ichabod, nods, vaguely annoyed. He puts the horseshoe into a hoofprint in the dirt. It fits.
Ichabod rises, walks, studying the ground, kicking up leaves. Brom, Van Ripper, Baltus and Philipse watch.
Ichabod finds a deep hoofprint. Huge. He compares the horseshoe. The hoofprint is much larger.
Ichabod pulls his satchel off his shoulder, takes out a bowl, bottle of water and bag of brown powder; begins mixing water and powder with a fork to make plaster.
The others watch, finding this bizarre, whispering. Brom comes up to stand over Ichabod, irritated.
BROM What the hell are you doing?
ICHABOD (ignoring pause) You are the blacksmith. Ever shod a horse with a hoof this large?
BROM Never. A shoe that size I would have remembered.
Ichabod starts to fill the print with plaster.
ICHABOD Van Ripper. Can you show where the body lay?
VAN RIPPER I can show exactly.
Van Ripper dismounts, wiping tobacco drool. Ichabod rises to follow with his satchel.
VAN RIPPER Here… in front of this oak, facing north. Horrible…
ICHABOD To the best of your recollection, where did the open wound fall?
Van Ripper points. Ichabod takes a BOTTLE of WHITE POWDER from his pocket.
He uncorks the bottle, cautiously pouring powder in an x on the dirt there, then waiting.
A chemical reaction causes the powder to bubble a bit.
ICHABOD There was not much blood, was there?
VAN RIPPER I didn’t see none.
Ichabod stands, puzzled. He walks to the coffin cart, rolling up his sleeves. Others come to watch, but keep distance. Ichabod removes the blanket…
Reveals Jonathan’s headless corpse.
Philipse can’t look. Ichabod takes strange spectacles from his satchel; wire-framed with many lenses. MAGNIFICATION SPECTACLES. He examines the gross neck wound, sniffs it.
He pokes the flesh and severed spinal cord.
ICHABOD No bleeding.
DOCTOR LANCASTER What is that?
ICHABOD This should have bled by the pint. Yet, no blistering or scorched flesh. How… ? Whatever weapon was used… it cauterized somehow….
Ichabod straightens, eyes weirdly big in the spectacles.
ICHABOD It instantly burnt the wound shut.
EXT. CHURCHYARD AND CEMETERY-DAY
A coffin in a grave. Headstone reads “MASBATH, 1799.” A CROWD gathered. Young Masbath broods. Clergyman Steenwyck steps forward to take a handful of newly dug dirt.
Men with guns stand at the outskirts, like on guard.
Steenwyck sprinkles dirt into the grave with prayerful words. In the crowd people whisper. They steal glances at Ichabod, who stands with the Van Tassels.
INT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, DINING/VARIOUS ROOMS-DAY
Dining room. Sarah and two other servants collect plates. A few people still sup, including Van Ripper, his warty WIFE and two kids. Van Ripper guzzles ale, laughs at something his also-drunk wife says.
IN the HALL and FOYER, funeral goers socialize quietly.
FURTHER ON, in the SITTING ROOM, men smoke. Young Masbath is confronting Ichabod, who is leaving…
ICHABOD I am not here for revenge. I am here to bring justice.
YOUNG MASBATH Whatever. You still need a second to tend to your things.
ICHABOD I manage fine alone.
YOUNG MASBATH I deserve to help you. Don’t you see how much this means? My father… he… he was a good man…
ICHABOD (faces Masbath) Young Masbath, I am sorry for your loss. It is a great and sad tragedy. However… I cannot be the one to look after you now.
YOUNG MASBATH (angry) I did not ask you to, did I?
Young Masbath exits. Ichabod remains impassive.
EXT. VAN TASSEL HOUSE, FRONT PORCH-DAY
Ichabod comes out. KILLIAN, a dashingly rustic man, carries his son, THOMAS, 5, and chats with Baltus. Doctor Lancaster peers off at something through a SPYGLASS.
BALTUS Hail, Constable. How are you?
ICHABOD Well enough. Your gathering does honor to the deceased.
DOCTOR LANCASTER (still using spyglass) We must be a curious sight to him.
