We're trapped on the bridge! What do we do? When I would get scared as a little girl, my dad used to say that evil spirits get their power from fear. It's like oxygen. So we have to act like we're not afraid. I'm not that good of an actor. What is he waiting for? I don't know. Adam, break off a plank. A plank? Okay. Okay, you headless freak! You want to pick on someone? Start with me! Whoa! He's getting off the horse! I'm coming this way! With a sword! Okay!
Jump off the bridge. It's a long way down to the water. You got a better idea. Wait! What's he doing with the sword? Look out! What? We're... Jack, look. The sword. Instead of sticking it to us, the horseman stuck it into the bridge. What's he doing? Why is he digging into the wood like that? He's not digging. I think he's using the sword to write. What? He's carving a word into the bridge. Don't get too close, Jill. Oh! What does it say? It says... Friend!
Every town has its ghosts. But in Sleepy Hollow, as Halloween draws near, the wall between the land of the living and the dead when he rides again. The ghost of the headless horseman. Gen Z Media presents The Hollow. An eight-part audio adventure inspired by Washington Irving's timeless Halloween tale in honor of its 200th anniversary. Episode 5. Speak. of the devil.
horseman carved friend into the bridge is it possible he doesn't mean to harm us it could be a trick i know horses this one's not as scary as i thought he was are you big fella Ticklish, too. Who's a good ghost horse? Yes, you are. Why is the horseman just standing there? I think... He wants to talk to us. Okay, but that's going to be hard, seeing as he has no head. Um, excuse me? Mr. Horseman? Do you...
Do you know sign language? N... Oh. Okay, it's going to take forever if he always needs to carve his answer with a sword. Do you have a paper and a... A pen? Or a quill? Here we go again. My phone! I highly doubt a ghost from the 18th century has a cell phone. No, I mean, I got that text-to-speech app. Remember I used it when I lost my voice after the battle of the classes? Oh, right. Your robot voice. That's pretty brilliant. It's okay, Mr... Horseman? It's not magic. Just technology.
Science. Nothing to be afraid of. See the letters? If you spell out a word... Friend. Friend. Now you try. Hold out your hand. That's it. Tap the letters and spell a word. Any word. Then hit this button. Kind of a slow typer, huh? Shh, Jack! Greetings, friend. He did it! It's gonna take forever while he learns to use both phones. Don't worry, Jack. I'm a fast learner. Whoa. Ghost powers! You can talk! Sort of. May I select a different voice?
This one is a bit young, for my liking. Of course. Let's test out the options. Hello. I am the Horseman. Yeah, no. Next. Hello. I... the horseman. Australian? Kind of cool, but doesn't seem quite right for you. Alright, let's try this one. There you go. That sounds like a keeper. I like it. I have a voice again. When was the last time you spoke? Over 240 years ago. Wow. You've got a lot of time to make up for, and you must have a story to tell. Indeed. The true story of the Headless Horsemen.
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Help us out by going to gzmshows.com slash survey and taking a super quick survey to tell us more about yourself and what you like. Once again, that's gzmshows.com slash survey. Thank you. Well, that meeting could have gone better. Unless panic was the goal. Everyone calm down. There's nothing to fear. Says you, Van Buren. You've been making money off of these ghost stories for years.
That's all they are. Stories. Right, Kate? Look, we've all felt things in this town. The chill up your spine, the sense that someone is in the room you can't see. Are we still talking about this ridiculous horseman? I just proved to you that it's a joke. Don't you poke fun, Ichabod Craig. Jeez! Miss Quisenberry!
Why are you always sneaking up on people? Not my fault. You don't pay attention to what's happening around you. What does that mean? Just an observation. I understand you were meeting here. About him. The meeting is over. But the trouble is just beginning. Your children know it. Our kids. What about them? They know what? That the Horseman is real.
And he has unfinished business here in Sleepy Hollow. What do you want from us? You folks have been coming to my library for years, generation after generation. But you still haven't learned. Books aren't things you study in school and forget. Books are doors that open to worlds you've never dreamed of. But once you open one of those doors, there's no telling what comes out.
Sometimes good, sometimes evil, and sometimes it's hard to know which is which. Excuse me, Miss Quisenberry. I love books as much as anyone. But you have to separate fact from fiction. And the fact is, ghosts are a figment of the imagination. Are they? Then who tried to kill me and burn down the school? Who tried to take off my head?
Coach is right! No more Halloween! Alright, that's enough. I believe someone is up to no good in Sleepy Hollow. Someone who knows the legend and is using it to frighten folks. You think it's a trick? But who would do that? Maybe it's someone who faked a near-death experience to convince a certain lady that he's a hero. Those are fighting words, Crane. If you have something to say, say it to my face. That's enough. Both of you.
Thank you, Kate. Whoever it is, they want us to turn on each other and ruin the thing that makes our town special. We can't let them get away with it. Keep on believing what you want to believe, Mr. Van Buren. But I promise you... The legend of Sleepy Hollow is no silly story. The Horseman has returned for the 200th anniversary, returned with a purpose, and the sooner you realize it, the safer your children will be.
Where's the horseman taking us? Back to town. Or what used to be town. It was just a village then. See over there? Yonder oak tree? It's on the same spot where the library stands. Or... used to stand or will stand or all of the above. It is the hanging tree. I saw it in the old history book. It's where they used to hang traders during the revolution. I
and they meant to hang me from the highest branch. But if you were a spy for the British... A lie. I was a double agent, working for the Americans and only pretending to spy for the British. You mean you were on our side? I was operating in service of General George Washington himself. Whoa. Wait, then why did they try to hang you? Because I was betrayed by the real traitor. So they took you to this tree?
You want a horse... and tied a rope around your neck? But they didn't count on my trusty companion, Shadow, rescuing me. Shadow? This guy. Shadow took off like a shot. And we raced for the bridge. We almost made it, when suddenly... That's why you can't cross the bridge. You've been trapped on this side of the river ever since. Yes, Jill. Sadly, that is true. And ever since, you've been searching for your missing head. Searching for justice.
For hundreds of years, the legend has portrayed me as a ghoul and a monster. But you're not, are you? I'm a man who wants to prove I died for my country. If you're really a hero, why have you been scaring people? Why did you attack Bob and Coach Bones? I'm innocent. I did not attack those people. You mean someone else has been pretending to be you? The scoundrel.
The miserable scoundrel. We want to believe you, but why would someone go to all that trouble? Who is it? Who set you up? Who is that approaching? Our parents! Shadow... No, wait! Put your sword away! You said you're innocent. Is this how you prove it? Or was it all a lie? What's the real reason you came back to Sleepy Hollow? Was it for justice or revenge? The lights are back. The town. Mom! Jill, what are you doing here at the library at this hour? Well, see, we... Library? Oh, right!
There it is. The library. Good old library. It's all back. Jill, you still haven't said why you're here. Believe it or not, it's because... Well, say hi to our new friend. You mean Adam? No, the horse... He's gone! For more awesome pods, go to gzmshows.com. Shh, it's starting. GZM Shows. Imagination. Are you a fan of teen spy action-adventure podcasts? Then you'll love six minutes. But don't take my word for it. The New York Times said,
children and their adults who love the X-Men and other tales of youths with innate powers will get lost in the six minutes fictional saga. And we're not just in the news. We've got over 15,000 reviews on Apple Podcasts alone. Look for 6 Minutes on Apple Podcasts and for more information on gzmshows.com.