Tina was right. The trip was really very interesting. The castle made an impression with it's monumentality and rich decorations. But everything ends sooner or later. And for girls it was time to leave. But when they looked out from the hall window, they saw a terrible blizzard. The weather surely wanted them to stay in the castle.

The girls weren't much happy about that, but Tina suggested just to celebrate Christmas right in the castle hall. So she and her new friends lighted on the candles to make themselves to feel like in Middle Ages and made some cocktails. Since they had binge but not appetizers, they became quite drunk quickly enough. So no one noted, where and when a strange looking man wearing a half mask appeared in the hall.

"Who are you, who dared to disturb my castle!" he asked in a thunderous voice.

"Whoops!" the girls said in chorus and tried to hide behind each other.

"Who're you?" Molly asked, trying to not to show, that she was feared.

"I am the keeper of this castle!" the stranger said "My name doesn't any matter! You may call me a Mysterious Mask, if you need! And now be ready to take your punishment!"

"A punishment?" Belinda gulped "What a punishment?"

"Yes! We didn't anything wrong!" Clair complained "We just got trapped here by a blizzard!"

"Hush!" the Mysterious Mask said "You all will be cursed for disturbing this old place's quietude!"

"Hey, that's not fair, Signor!" Elvira argued "We didn't even know!"

"Well, maybe you're right" the Mysterious Mask nodded "Maybe a lifelong curse will be too much. But you all should pay your price for your crime! And I think, I can change it. If you all will agree to take a punishment, which was a regular one for a parlourmaids in this castle, when I was just a boy, I will be satisfied."

"And what a punishment was that?" Alicia asked.

"You all will receive a good old slippering on your bare behinds! I suppose it is better then be cursed to the rest of your lives" the Mysterious Mask answered.