Epilogue
Victor Crane
The smell of bacon and sizzling potatoes fills the air as the morning sun streams through the kitchen’s high timber windows, shining on the dust motes dancing in the small room.
Humming a soft tune that I'm sure no one alive today could remember, I stand by the old cast-iron stove wearing a soft flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled to my forearms as I flip Catherine’s eggs and mine.
My lips curve into a grin as I glance down at the frying savory meats as they sizzle, feeling how perfectly right to be in my human skin.
I hear the telltale sounds of footsteps from the bedroom and turn around as Catherine appears. She stands blinking against the bright morning light like a dark owl, wearing one of my shirts, and she looks so adorable it takes my breath from me.
My chest fills with pride at the sight of her. “Good morning, pretty girl,” I say, turning back to the stove to set the food onto plates and turn the burners off.
I smile at how bashful she is standing in the doorway and realize she may want some more clothes while she eats.
“Let me grab you something to wear,” I say, and quickly move to grab a shirt and a pair of slim pants from one of the bedroom drawers someone saw fit to stock. “Here you are.”
“Thank you,” she answers softly, pushing her glasses up her nose as she takes the garments from me.
I make myself busy as she dresses. “I thought you might be hungry this morning after scrambling around in a crypt all night.” I carry over the wooden tray laden with buttermilk biscuits, fresh eggs, bacon, and a small bowl of wild blackberries I picked just this morning while she slept.
“Victor, this all looks so good,” she says with a smile warming her face.
“I'll have to buy a proper dining room set soon, and maybe add on a room here,” I mention, setting the tray down before the hearth.
We eat in companionable silence, but once the tray is cleared, I pull her to her feet. “Want to go ride Brom for a bit before I take you to meet the tow truck?” I ask.
She nods, and when we step outside, the autumn countryside is breathtaking.
I'd forgotten just how really beautiful it is. The morning air smells of pine and damp earth as the rolling hills of the hollow stretch before us. A sharp whinny alerts me to Brom’s arrival and I find the big horse looks well-rested. “Want to go for a ride, boy?”
I laugh when he prances and heads to the paddock to get another saddle strapped onto him.
As soon as we’re able, I stroke Brom’s nose before hoisting Catherine onto the saddle and swinging up after her, leaning to catch the reins in my hands.
With a click of my tongue, he surges forward and we break into a gallop over the open country, giving him his head.
A few moments later, he slows to a gentle trot that allows us to take in the autumn gold and amber valley before us.
I ease my grip on the reins and tighten my arms around her.
“Catherine?” I say, a little nervous about what I have to ask her.
“Hmm?” she asks, tilting her head back to look up at me.
“I know this may be a bit too soon, and I don't want to influence your decision,” I begin, feeling a bit self-conscious.
“Now that I have my real body back and I'm no longer cursed, I'd like to do this properly.
If that's alright with you, I'd really like to take you out. A real, proper date without magic and monsters chasing us.”
I pause, sucking in a deep breath, not allowing her to answer just yet. “You see, we can take things as slowly as you want,” I add. “There’s no rush anymore and I just want the chance to court you properly if you’ll let me.”
A charming and bubbly laugh escapes her and the sound of it is so happy that Brom’s ears twitch in response.
She turns in the saddle and throws her arms around me. “I would love that,” she whispers. “A real date sounds perfect, and slow is just fine by me.”
I let out a happy laugh of my own, the tension melting from my stiff shoulders at her answer. I set Brom into a canter as I tug her to me, my vines securely wrapping around her in a possessive embrace she doesn't seem to mind.
“Catherine, my pretty girl, consider yourself officially hallowed by the Headless Horseman.”
The End