“Are you okay?” Michelle demanded, sitting up straight.
“I’m fine, but Sunny’s worried about me doing this, and I don’t want him stressed out. I’m not quitting, but Connor shall now oversee some investigations to ease the pressure on me. There are three lead paranormal investigators here. However, only two teams are needed for this investigation. So, Connor and I will trade off,” I explained.
“Fair enough,” Freddie replied.
“Okay, Jack, Celt, Phil, Callum, and Hugo are team one. Connor, Sunny, Michelle, and Chey will make up the second team. Freddie and Harry are on monitors. The cameramen will be Connor, Sunny, and Phil. Solace, did you sort your rotas out?” I asked.
“Yes, considering you’ve got Celt and Sunny, we’re going to do a two-on-two-off rota. Merrick and I will take nights while Ashford takes days. I’m staying at the house for the full week.”
Several eyebrows rose at that, but nobody questioned Solace, knowing I’d explain, eventually.
“Do you need anything?” I asked, and Solace shook her head.
“We’re good,” she replied.
“Jack’s team will be taking Sleepy Hollow, we’ll have Amityville. Then we’ll swap on day four. The main base is obviously here, which is about forty-five minutes from the graveyard and thirty-five to Amityville. We’ll get the usuallookie-loos, so be careful. Remember, dignity at all times,” I said.
“Harry, what have you got for us?” Jack asked.
“Facts: Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and the Old Church Burial Grounds are two separate places, although adjacent to each other. Sleepy Hollow is obviously well-known for the Headless Horseman. Sorry to disappoint everyone, but no famous Headless Horseman was haunting Sleepy Hollow. However, a headless Hessian corpse was discovered at the Revolutionary WarBattle of White Plains. Historians found the corpse buried in the Old Dutch Burial Ground. It’s highly likely that Irving heard of it and used it in his legendary story. The character of Ichabod Crane was based on two real men.
“Crane was a major in the army whom Irving met, and the name stuck in his head. But the personality was based on a schoolmaster Irving once knew. While the legend is great for tourism, it’s just that, a tale.”
“So we won’t see the Headless Horseman?” Chey looked disappointed.
“Actually, we might. Recently, there’s been a rash of sightings around Sleepy Hollow, the Old Dutch Burial Grounds and the Headless Horseman Bridge. It was originally a wooden structure, replaced in nineteen-twelve by a concrete one. There have been reports of a headless figure riding a horse and chasing people over it.”
I tapped the table. “A thought-form or Tulpa?”
“That was my conclusion,” Harry agreed.
“What are those?” Celt asked.
“A thought-form is where a person believes in something so much that they create an entity by the strength of their belief. It’s rare, but it happens. A Tulpa is a manifestation created through intense meditation and concentration. A group of people usually cause Tulpas. Basically, they’re the same, although a Tulpa canact independently, whereas a thought-form can, but not to the same degree,” I explained.
“And fans possibly wished the Headless Horseman into existence?” Celt sounded disbelieving, and I couldn’t blame him.
“Tulpas and thought-forms are rare, but I’ve heard of them. Never actually come across one, though,” I admitted, glancing at Jack and then Connor.
“Once. And they’re incredibly powerful,” Connor agreed.
Jack shook his head; he’d never crossed paths with one.
“There is a myth concerning a statue called the Bronze Lady in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, there’re a variety of legends around her. They range from crying, hexing people, and having nightmares. A shadow man and dog have been seen in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. And orbs and other strange incidents mark the grave of Washington Irvine. A Lavender Lady is alleged to appear wringing her hands and searching for someone.”
“Are they residual or intelligent?” Jack asked.
“Again, reports vary. It’s something we’re going to have to learn. There’re also ghosts of Revolutionary War-era soldiers reported to be seen in the Old Dutch Church Burial Grounds,” Harry added.
“Plenty to look into.” Phil nodded at Harry.
Harry nodded back. “To nutshell. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery has the Bronze Lady, the Lavender Lady, Washington Irvine’s grave, a Woman in Black, a shadow man, and a dog. The Old Dutch Church has the Hessian corpse, the Headless Horseman legend, and Revolutionary War-era soldiers.”
“And the house? Do we need an explanation?” Sunny grumped.
“Yes, because a lot was over-dramatised. I’ll start with the murders. The second-floor master bedroom was where the parents were found. The adjacent bedroom on the northeast was where the brothers were discovered. And the other room on thatlevel had the younger daughter’s body in it. In the third-floor bedroom was the older daughter, also dead.
“A lot of speculation exists about why this happened. It was agreed that the killer had a mental breakdown and shot his family. But some, and I stress this is rumour only, reckon evil spirits or a demon influenced or possessed him.It’s never been confirmed.What was proven was that he was a habitual liar and had psychological problems.
