(A/n: I wrote this for my niece's 10-year-old daughter Adrianne. She thought it was "cool." Happy Halloween.)

Adrianne and the Horsemanless Head

Adrianne was very stubborn about going to bed one

night. So her Mom asked Uncle Bill to help tuck her in,

with the promise of a bedtime story.

“You should go to sleep,” Uncle Bill said. “So that

you will be all rested for school tomorrow.”

“I hate school,” Adrianne pouted. “I wish I was grown

up so I could travel and have adventures like you do.”

“You do have adventures,” Uncle Bill said. “Like the

one with the Horsemanless Head.”

“You mean the Headless Horseman,” Adrianne said.

“That‘s another story,” he said. “This one happened on

the Halloween that your Mom dressed you up like a fairy

princess and let you go out Trick or Treating with some

other kids. Don’t you remember how you got separated

from them and thought you were lost?”

“Well, I kinda think I do,” Adrianne said. “Maybe you

should tell me about it, so I can remember better.”

“Okay,” said Uncle Bill.

“Well, there you were in a strange part of town and you

didn’t know which way to go. All the houses were pretty

frightening with Halloween decorations like witches and

scarecrows and bats and spider webs and flashing colored

lights.

“You felt scared, but you remembered that I had told

you that you must be brave if you want to have adventures.

“So you tried to feel brave as you walked up to a dark

house. The front door was open and the only light came

from a jack-o’-lantern on a table.

“You stood outside and called:

‘Hey, trick or treat! Is anybody home?’

“There was no answer and you were about to go away,

when a voice called out:

‘No, don’t leave. Come on inside.’

‘Who said that?’ you asked as you crept slowly into

the house.

‘I did. Here, on the table.’

“That shook you up. But you were too smart to be

fooled so easily.

‘Where are you, really?’ you said. ‘Jack-o’-lanterns

can’t talk.’

‘I can, because I am not a real jack-o’-lantern,’ the thing

on the table said. ‘I am the head of a handsome prince. A

wicked witch put a spell on me and turned my horse into a

broomstick. Now she is out riding around on it and scaring

people. Come closer and I’ll tell you about it.’

“You felt nervous as you approached the table. But you

were curious to know more about the jack-o‘-lantern or

prince’s head or whatever it was.

‘I’ve been waiting a long time for someone like you to

come along. Only a fairy princess can break the spell and

help me get back to my body.’

‘Well, I’m not really a fairy princess,’ you confessed.

‘I’m just a kid.’

‘That’s close enough. Now listen while I tell you what

you need to do.’

‘Will I have to kiss you, like a frog?’ you asked. ‘I hope

I won’t burn my lips on your candle.’

‘No. Nothing like that. You just have to --’

“Suddenly there was a loud whooshing sound outside and

the candle’s flame flickered.

‘It’s the witch coming home!’ cried the jack-o‘-lantern.

‘Quick! Hide under the table!’

“You scrambled under the table and pulled down the table

cloth, leaving just a narrow slit so you could peek out.

Chills ran down your back as you saw the witch fly into the

house and bring her broomstick to a screeching stop. She

leaned it against the wall and went into the kitchen.

‘Now is our chance!’ whispered the jack-o’-lantern.

‘Go get the broom!’

“You jumped up and ran to the broomstick and got on it.

You nearly fell off when it turned into a great white stallion

and reared up like it was ready to take off running.

‘Don’t forget me!’ the jack-o’-lantern called.

“You trotted the horse over to the table and picked up the

jack-o’-lantern, just as the witch rushed out of the kitchen

screaming.

‘Stop! Stop! You can’t steal my horse. I mean broom-

stick. I mean…’

“She tried to grab the stallion’s bridle, but he was too

fast for her. He galloped out the front door and into the

street. You held onto the reins and the jack-‘o-lantern for

dear life as the horse leaped up and flew through the sky.

“He carried you out of town and over the countryside,

with only the moon and stars above. The jack-’o-lantern’s

candle sent out a strong beam of light to guide the horse on

his way, with the wind fanning your hair and fairy wings.

‘This is crazy!’ you cried. ‘Horses can’t fly. And I’m

not allowed to go out in the country without my Mom or

Dad.’

‘Anything can happen on Halloween,’ said the jack-’o-

lantern. ‘Don’t you know that this is a night of magic?

Just relax and enjoy your adventure.’

“You tried to relax as the horse flew on and on. Finally

he came to a dark forest of huge old trees and glided down

to a landing in a small clearing. There was a tree stump in

the middle of the clearing.

‘You can dismount here,’ said the jack-o’-lantern. ‘And

put me on that stump.’

“You did as you were told, then stepped back to see what

would happen next.

“Slowly the jack-’o-lantern turned into a handsome prince’s

head and the tree stump became his body. He was wearing a

suit of shining armor and a jeweled sword was belted at his

waist. He stood up and smiled at you.

‘Thank you, Adrianne,’ the Prince said. ‘You have

broken the wicked witch’s spell. Now I can carry on with

my quest.’

‘What is a quest?’ you asked ‘Mr., Prince…or…what

should I call you -- Your Majesty?’

‘You can call me anything you like,’ said the Prince.

‘Or ask your Uncle Bill to give me a name. He is good at

making up names. A quest is something everyone has in

life. You will learn more about it when you get older.

But first I must take you home.’

“The Prince mounted the stallion and lifted you up on

the saddle in front of him. The horse leaped into the air

and almost before you could enjoy flying again, he was

over the town and gliding down to your house.

‘Thank you again, Adrianne,’ the Prince said as he

lowered you to the ground.

‘Will I ever see you again?’ you asked.

‘Yes,’ the Prince said. ‘When you are grown-up I will

come and take you to my castle. But now you must go

inside. It is almost your bedtime. Good-night.’

‘Good-night, Prince whatever-your-name-is,’ you said,

and watched him fly away on his beautiful stallion until they

disappeared among the stars.

“When you were inside the house you opened your trick

or treat bag and saw that it was full jewels!” Uncle Bill said.

“Well, they were really just candy and cookies. But that

was more treats than any other kid got that year. You

thought it was the best adventure you ever had, didn’t you?”

But Adrianne’s eyes were closed and she had gone off

to find other adventures in Dreamland.

The End