Once upon a time, in a land far away, was a town. The town was simple. Nothing out of the ordinary. It had all the things a town should; shops, house, farms… and it was quite simple. Except for one thing. For as long as anyone could remember, an empty, abandoned castle sat at the very north point of the town.

Legend had it that whoever could spend three nights in the castle without leaving would free it from the curse. But whomever tried met a horrible fate, ending up in the claws of the devil himself, leaving their mercy in the hands of his henchman.

It just so happened that one day, a young man was passing through the mountains that the town called home. He came to the woodland village and found the nearest inn, where he overheard some miners speaking about the castle.

“Real shame, it is. He was a good fellow, like all the rest. Those young fools need to stop worrying about the castle,” said one.

“Only the bravest, smartest, and most cunning can survive the nights,” chimed another.

“And don’t we know that there’s none like that in this town!” All three laughed. The poor traveler heard this, and wondered what it could possibly mean. He had hardly noticed the castle, and didn’t suspect anything strange. But his curiosity got the best of him, and he asked the miners to explain.

They told him the story, and he was intrigued. Despite the miners’ warnings, he had decided that it was the best thing he could do. As he set off, they all mourned him, knowing that the scrawny fellow wouldn’t last a day- but oh we’re they wrong.

He went straight to the gates instead of spending the night at the inn, and once he entered the castle, he went through all the rooms before at last stumbling across the king’s chambers. A table laid out with food presented itself, and a bed with the finest sheets, blankets and pillows. He ate as much as one would and went to sleep. This was where most men went wrong. They were so frightened by what would come next that they would give in; but he did not.

When the clock struck midnight, the man awoke. The invisible ghosts and demons appeared and began to dance around, lunging out to frighten him and playing nasty tricks. But the man remained calm, and when the devil’s hour was over, the demons vanished and the man went to sleep.

The next day, he explored the castle further, and quite enjoyed looking at the relic of a palace. But when it became night again, and the man went to the bedroom, the beautiful conditions had disappeared, and in their place was a bed of rocks and a table with dry bread and water. But the man did not complain; he ate as much as one would and went to sleep. As the clock struck twelve again, he awoke and sat perfectly still, not making a move when twice the amount of demons and devils and ghosts tried to scare him. And when the hour was over, he went back to sleep and was well.

The young man explored the parts of the castle that he had not gotten to yesterday once it was morning again. He went down a hall and saw a room marked DO NOT ENTER. But being the curious man he was, he went in anyway.

Inside, the room was dark. But as soon as his foot touched the ground, none other than the devil himself appeared. Outraged, he seized the man in his fiery claws, and threatened to kill him if he did not reveal how he had survived the first two nights so well.

The man was at first persistent, and would not speak. But finally he gave in, and explained that he had the power, the sixth sense, if you would, to see the dead, and when the invisible creatures appeared, he could see them, and saw everything they tried to do, and therefore he did not feel fear. Since he had obeyed the devil, he was let go. When he went back to the room, the food was good and the bed was decent. It reminded the man of his home; this was the hardest night. If anyone made it to this point, then they would become so homesick that they would beg to leave. But not the man. He ate his share and went to sleep, and when the ghosts and demons appeared, he again felt no fear. When the morning came, he was greeted by a beautiful woman standing at the foot of his bed. But he did not run to her; for he saw who she truly was- the devil in disguise. He brought with him the kiss of death, and if he had done what the few other men had, all would be over. So he remained in his spot, until the devil revealed himself.

Knowing that the man had passed the test, he removed the curse, and the simple town turned into a beautiful kingdom, and the man that had survived the nights became the king. The princess of the castle was freed and the two were wed. Since he had shown true nobility, and had passed fairly, the devil left the kingdom alone, and it was blessed for the rest of its days. As for the king, he used his sixth sense to ward off bad spirits and to help the kingdom.

And they all lived happily ever after.