On the eastern shore of the Hudson River, in the depths of one of the bays, there is a village, not far from it there is a hollow, which for its silence and serenity, as well as for the phlegmatic nature of its inhabitants, was called Sleepy. This place seems to be under some kind of spell that fascinated the minds of local residents who live in a world of waking dreams. The whole district is replete with legends, "unclean places", superstitions. The main spirit visiting this enchanted corner is the Headless Horseman. They say that this is the shadow of the Hessian cavalryman, who in the battle was torn off his head with a cannonball; his body is buried inside the church fence, and his spirit prowls at night in search of a severed head.

Thirty years ago, poor rural teacher Ikabod Crane lived in these places - a lanky clumsy young man, a conscientious teacher, piously observing the rule "who spares the rod, spoils the child" and confident that the guilty naughty "will remember and thank him until the end of his days" . He was a mixture of cunning and innocence, loved to show off his education, especially in front of pretty girls, was the regent of the church choir, and also had an enviable appetite. His favorite book was The History of Witchcraft in New England by Cotton Mather, and he knew it by heart. Ikabod Crane fell in love with Katrina van Tassel, the only daughter of a wealthy farmer, a beauty whose favors were sought by all the local young people. Ikaboda’s most serious rival was Brom Bonet, a mischievous country boy, strong and brave.

Once, Ikaboda was invited to Van Tassel for a holiday. To look worthy, Ikabod cleaned out his old black pair, carefully combed his hair in front of a piece of a broken mirror and borrowed from his landlord the horse, an old stubborn bed. The soul of the holiday was Brom Bonet, who came riding on the Devil - a hot raven horse. Ikabod, rejoicing at the delicious treats, dreamed that one day he would marry Katrina and take over Van Tassel’s farm. After the dances, everyone began to talk about spirits and ghosts, and Brom Bonet told a story about how one night he met the Headless Horseman and suggested that he “measure himself in the race, promising, in case of defeat, to bring up a“ headless ”bowl of excellent punch. Bonnet almost won, but on the church bridge the Hessian jumped forward, crumbled in a fiery flash and disappeared. After the holiday, Ikabod paused, wanting to talk with his beloved in private, but their conversation was short-lived, and Ikabod retired in complete despondency.

Returning home at night, he noticed a rider of good build on a mighty black horse. Ikabod galloped forward in fear, but the rider did not lag behind. At some instant, the figure of the rider was clearly outlined against the night sky, and Ikabod saw that the rider’s head was not in the right place, but tied to the bow of the saddle. Horse Ikaboda raced like a whirlwind, but in the middle of the ravine the girth weakened, and the saddle slipped to the ground. Ikabod flashed the thought of how angry the owner who lent him a festive saddle, but now he was not up to the saddle: he was in a hurry to the church bridge, recalling that the ghost competing with Brom Bons disappeared there. Suddenly Ikabod saw the rider rise in stirrups and throw his head at him. The head banged with a bang on the skull of Ikabod, and he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

The next morning, the old horse without a saddle and without a rider returned to the owner. During the search, a broken saddle was found, and behind the bridge near the stream - Ikaboda's hat and a pumpkin smashed to smithereens. Local residents decided that Ikaboda was taken off by the Headless Horseman, but one old farmer who traveled to New York several years after the incident said that Ikabod Crane is alive and well. After moving to the other end of the country, he became a politician, deputy, wrote in the newspapers and in the end became a justice of the peace. As for Brom Bons, he married Katrina van Tassel, and it was noticed that whenever the story of Ikabod was told with him, a sly expression appeared on his face, and when he mentioned the pumpkin, he began to laugh out loud.