Storytime with Kray

On the ride home, Ichabod’s imagination spirals as he passes landmarks tied to eerie legends, and every sound feels like a threat. Near a haunted bridge, a shadowy rider appears, matches his pace, and is revealed to be the Headless Horseman carrying his head on the saddle. Ichabod flees in terror, barely holding on as the chase barrels toward the church bridge, where the Horseman hurls his “head”...

Ichabod is invited to a big gathering at the Van Tassel farm, where he arrives in his best attempt at gentlemanly style and enjoys the feast like it might be his future property. The party includes dancing, flirting, and plenty of local bragging, but the night turns darker when everyone gathers to trade ghost stories. The Headless Horseman dominates the conversation, and Ichabod leaves the party l...

Brom Bones is introduced as the strong, cocky local favorite, famous for rough humor and reckless horsemanship, and he does not like Ichabod sniffing around Katrina. Ichabod avoids direct confrontation because he knows he would be folded like laundry in a fight, so Brom shifts to relentless pranks and public humiliation. The rivalry turns into a steady campaign of intimidation, with Ichabod growin...

Ichabod becomes infatuated with Katrina Van Tassel, the pretty, wealthy daughter of a successful Dutch farmer, and his attraction is not helped by the sight of her family’s overflowing food and comforts. He imagines winning Katrina and inheriting the farm, picturing a future of prosperity far beyond his poor schoolmaster life. The problem is that Katrina already has plenty of admirers, and the big...

Outside the classroom, Ichabod survives by staying with different farm families, making himself useful with chores, gossip, and music lessons. He thrives on attention, especially from the local women, and builds his reputation as a “learned” man by reading spooky books and soaking up every ghost story he can find. The more he feeds on superstition, the more the valley’s eerie atmosphere gets into...

Ichabod Crane arrives in Sleepy Hollow as the local schoolmaster, and Irving paints him as a tall, lanky, awkward figure who looks like a scarecrow brought to life. He runs a rough little schoolhouse and believes strongly in discipline, but he is not purely cruel, just self-important and convinced he is doing what is necessary. Despite his oddness, he settles into the community and becomes part of...

Sleepy Hollow is introduced as a quiet valley near the Hudson River, steeped in old Dutch traditions and an atmosphere so dreamy it makes people more superstitious just by living there. The area is filled with local legends, haunted spots, strange sounds, and eerie sightings, all feeding the sense that the land is bewitched. The most feared presence is the Headless Horseman, said to be the ghost o...

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving | 1820 Written during a time when American writing was still treated like the weird cousin at the fancy European dinner table, Washington Irving helped change that with polished, spooky folklore set in real places. Sleepy Hollow drops us into a dreamy Hudson River valley where old legends linger, and where one superstitious schoolmaster is about to...

Send us Fan Mail Alice is called as a witness in the trial, accidentally upsetting the jury-box due to her growing size. She denies any knowledge of the stolen tarts, leading to absurd exchanges with the King, who attempts to apply nonsensical rules related to her height. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Alice attends a chaotic trial where the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen's tarts. The King acts as a bumbling judge, and the first witness, the Hatter, provides nonsensical testimony that further adds to the confusion in the courtroom. During the proceedings, Alice continues to grow larger, causing disruptions. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The Mock Turtle vividly describes the peculiar "Lobster Quadrille," a dance involving lobsters being thrown into the sea. He and the Gryphon then demonstrate the dance and sing a whimsical song about a whiting. Alice attempts to tell them her own adventures, but her version becomes increasingly nonsensical, much to the confusion and impatience of her listeners. Support t...

Send us Fan Mail Alice meets the Duchess, who is surprisingly amiable and constantly spouts morals. The Queen then dispatches Alice with a Gryphon to find the Mock Turtle. The Mock Turtle, a melancholic creature, recounts his bizarre education in the sea, including peculiar subjects like "Reeling and Writhing" and "Uglification," taught by various strange masters.  Support the...

Send us Fan Mail Alice finds her way into the Queen's garden where she observes card-gardeners painting white roses red to avoid the Queen's wrath. The Queen of Hearts arrives with a grand procession, and an absurd game of croquet ensues, played with live flamingos as mallets and hedgehogs as balls, while the Queen constantly threatens to behead anyone she dislikes.  Support the show

Send a text Alice joins a perpetual tea-party hosted by the March Hare and the Hatter, with a sleepy Dormouse. The conversation is filled with illogical riddles and nonsensical remarks, frustrating Alice with their rudeness and the constant changing of places. She eventually leaves in disgust, deciding it's the stupidest tea-party she has ever attended. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Alice observes two footmen, one resembling a fish and the other a frog, discussing an invitation for the Duchess. She enters a kitchen filled with pepper smoke, where the Duchess nurses a constantly sneezing baby and a grinning Cheshire Cat sits by the fire. The cook throws dishes, and the Duchess is rude to Alice when asked about the Cat's grin.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Alice meets a philosophical Caterpillar who challenges her identity and asks her to recite a poem. He then informs her that eating parts of the mushroom he is on will alter her size. After several attempts to control her size, she has a confusing encounter with a Pigeon who mistakes her for a serpent. Alice eventually returns to her normal height and then shrinks again to approach...

Send us Fan Mail The White Rabbit mistakes Alice for his housemaid and sends her on an errand. Alice enters his house and drinks from a bottle, causing her to grow until she fills the house, leading to the Rabbit and other creatures trying to dislodge her. She escapes by eating a magical cake that shrinks her and finds herself in a wood, encountering a large puppy.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail To get dry, the creatures participate in a Caucus-Race, where everyone wins prizes. Alice distributes comfits and receives a thimble as her prize.  The Mouse attempts to tell its history, but Alice's repeated mentions of her cat, Dinah, cause the Mouse and other animals to leave.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Alice grows to an enormous size, and her tears create a large pool. She then shrinks rapidly after picking up a fan, falls into her own pool of tears, and encounters a Mouse whom she inadvertently offends by discussing cats. Other creatures also fall into the pool, and they all swim to shore together.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Lewis Carroll | 1865 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland began on a “golden afternoon” in 1862, when Charles Dodgson, the Oxford mathematician known as Lewis Carroll, told an improvised tale to 10-year-old Alice Liddell as they rowed along the River Isis. Her excitement pushed him to write it down, eventually leading to the 1865 publication with John Tenniel’s now-iconic illustration...

Send us Fan Mail Alice follows a White Rabbit down a hole and finds herself in a peculiar hall with many locked doors. After experimenting with a "DRINK ME" bottle that shrinks her and an "EAT ME" cake that makes her grow, she is determined to reach a beautiful garden.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The child, now called Snow-white, shares a tender moment with Mark, affirming her love and his eternal role as her "own dwarf," regardless of her growing older. The chapter concludes with them walking through the peaceful wood, and Mark standing in silent prayer under the buttonwood tree, his life now guided by the child's presence. Notable Quotes: "Always and...

Send us Fan Mail The child continues her happy life with Mark in the woods, counting his money and asking endless questions, seemingly unaware of the external world. Meanwhile, Miss Tyler, her former governess, is actively seeking the child's guardians, and a powerful "Queen's Mirror" (an influential woman) shows a keen interest in finding the child, hinting at an impending lar...

Send us Fan Mail Mark, often referred to as the dwarf, grapples with the encroaching outside world, despite his deep affection for the child. His actions, like refusing to wear conventional clothes, illustrate his internal conflict between his reclusive existence and the looming return of his past, signaling that their peaceful life may be threatened. Notable Quotes: "Have I no right to keep...

Send us Fan Mail The child realizes her dress is very dirty and asks Mark for a new one. Mark searches through his belongings, finding no suitable clothing, but then locates an old, beautifully embroidered pale blue silk shawl in a carved chest. He looks at it grimly before the child's impatient calls interrupt his thoughts, implying he will use it for her. Notable Quotes: "Once upon a t...