There was a dance at the castle in the small kingdom town called Sleepy Hollow. A young timid man named Henry slicked back his golden brown hair before jumping into his blue corvette. As he cruised down the quiet streets to the castle, he couldn’t help but hope he’d meet a beautiful girl at the dance. Henry was a very insecure man who found it hard to talk to girls. Dashing men would always dance with the prettiest girls before he ever got the courage to say hello. But tonight, tonight would be different. Tonight, Henry would sweep the most beautiful girl off her feet at the dance. 

The ballroom floor was lively as he arrived. He wasn’t having much good fortune with the women dancing on the floor. He bravely approached each girl and asked to dance, only for them to be taken. After his last rejection, he sulked over to the bar for a drink as he watched the beautiful women dance. 

“Go on, get out there and dance with them,” the bartender told him after a few drinks.

“It’s not that simple, all the girls are here with their lovers.”

“Not every girl, there’s plenty of single ones out there you come to these dances looking for a lover. You won’t find one if you keep sitting back here.” 

Just at that moment, he eyes gazed upon a beautiful blonde girl standing on the other side of the ballroom floor. She was wearing a gorgeous long baby blue gown and her skin pale as a sheet. Her emerald green eyes watched the dance, longing for a partner. Henry felt his heart start to beat faster as he kept his eyes on her. Such a beautiful girl should be dancing.

“All right, I’ll go dance,” and with that he got up and walked over to the girl. 

As the music began to drown out, he asked the girl for her name. “Catherine,” she said with a small smile. She told him that she lived in a small neighborhood right next to the castle, which happened to not be far from his address. 

Some people on the side eyed him some odd looks as he danced with Catherine. There was a couple who bumped into them as if they hadn’t seen the beautiful girl at all. He was furious and wanted the couple to apologize as she simply laughed it off. 

When the dance was over, he went to get his partner a drink. Henry makes his way back to his partner in blue and hands her the glass. They sit at a small side table as they watch the other couples dance past. 

“Let’s dance again.” He said as he looked up at her. Catherine shook her head.

“I really need to get going,” she said as she walked toward the exit. 

“I’ll drive you home. It’s not out of my way.” 

She smiled softly as his heart pounded with happiness, walking the beautiful girl towards his car. He cruised down the street revealing his beauty to all. He was only a few blocks off from her street when she asked him to stop by the cemetery. Puzzled, he pulled over and she quietly got out of the car. 

Catherine walked towards the locked gates as Henry watched her fade away. Where could she have gone?

He felt a deep sense of unease as sudden dread washed over him.  “It’s not safe for a lady to be walking around a cemetery at night,” he mumbled quietly to himself. He slowly drove around the cemetery, searching for Catherine, not even seeing a single hint of her presence. 

At day break, Henry drove to the address Catherine had given to him just the night before and knocked on the front door. An elderly woman with dreary eyes opens the door after a few moments. She was still in her nightgown. As Henry questioned the woman about Catherine, he saw tears brim into her eyes. 

“Oh sweetie, Catherine died in a horrific car accident three years ago,” she spoke quietly. “My daughter was on her way to a dance at the Hallow Ballroom when the car swerved and hit a tree. Catherine died upon being thrown through the windshield. She’s buried at Saint Peter’s Cemetery.”

Saint Peter’s Cemetery. That’s the place where he had dropped off the beautiful young woman only a few hours earlier. 

He sat down on the front step as he started panicking. 

Henry had spent the whole night dancing with a ghost.