In a small village in Italy once lived a poor widow with her two daughters. She made a meager living by taking in laundry, which, wasn't enough to get by. So she hired her two daughters out as housemaids.

One day, a stranger came, asking to hire one of her daughters as a live-in maid. He wore the fine cloths and manners of a nobleman. But he wore a hooded cloak with the hood pulled up. And it cast a shadow on his face, so that she couldn't' see him. And he smoked a pipe made of cork wood. Now, it was common knowledge that the Devil stoked the fires of Hell with cork wood. So the washerwoman felt uneasy about him. But he spoke so politely, it put her at ease.

He hired the older daughter Carlotta. And when she was all packed up, he said, "Let's get going. It's a long walk to my house."

"Walk?" she said, "You don't have a horse and carriage?"

"Oh, ho, ho, no. No, no. I generally walk everywhere," he said, "horses always get spooked around me." So they set off walking.

And as they walked, Carlotta grew suspicious of her new employer. His face remained in shadow. And the smoke from his cork wood pipe stung her nose with a faint sulfurous odor.

When they got to his house and went inside. The door closed behind her with an ominous "clink" and the man pulled off his hooded cloak. And there in the middle of his face was a big, shiny, silver nose. Carlotta froze with terror. "Who but the Devil himself could have a silver nose?"

But he spoke so politely, that it put her at ease again. "Now, my dear, I will show you the house." He showed her every room in the house. And for each room, he gave her a key. But when they got to the last room, the door was closed and locked. He gave her the key and said, "This one door you must never open. Never."

That night, while Carlotta was asleep, Silver Nose sneaked into her room and he put a rose in her hair. In the morning, he said, "I have to go out on business." And he left her alone in the house. Alone with that forbidden door. Alone with that key. As soon as he was out of sight, she went to see what was behind that mysterious door. She slid the key into the lock and turned it. Then, she pulled the door open just a crack. And a burst of hot air and flame pushed her back! The door swung open wide. Inside was a scene of unspeakable horror! The fires of Hell itself, and the souls of the damned burning in the eternal flames! She screamed and threw the door shut. "So it's true," she thought. "I am a servant of the Devil, himself!"

When Silver Nose came home, she acted as if nothing had happened. But as soon as he saw her, he looked at the rose in her hair, and he knew she had opened the forbidden door, because it had been wilted by the heat. "So this is how you obey me!" he shouted. And, having no mercy, he grabbed her and dragged her by the hair to the door to Hell. He opened the door and threw her in.

The next day, Silver Nose put on his hooded cloak and went back to the washerwoman and said, "Carlotta's working out fine, but my house is too much work for just one maid. Could I hire your other daughter too?" So he took the younger daughter Lucia home with him. When he revealed his face to her, she was terrified. But then, he spoke so politely, it put her at ease again. But she was still suspicious. After all, she still hadn't seen Carlotta yet. He showed her every room in the house. And for each room, he gave her a key. But when they got to the last room, the door was closed and locked. He gave her the key and said, "This one door you must never open. Never."

That night, while Lucia was asleep, Silver Nose sneaked into her room and placed a jasmine flower in her hair. In the morning, he said, "I have to go out on business." And he left her alone in the house. Alone with that forbidden door. Alone with that key. But unlike Carlotta, Lucia had brought with her a silver mirror. She looked into it and saw the flower in her hair. She said, "Oh, what a nice surprise. I'll just put this flower in water to keep it fresh. And I'll wear it for him when he comes home. Now, to see what's behind that mysterious door."

When she opened it, she saw the fires of Hell and her sister in there with all the tormented souls. "Lucia! Lucia!" she cried. "Please, help me!"

Lucia called out, "I will!" And she slammed the door.

When Silver Nose came home, Lucia had put the jasmine flower back in her hair. He looked at the flower and saw that it was still fresh, so he didn't know she had opened the door. Later on, she said, "Would you please take a bag of dirty laundry to my mother to be washed?"

"I'll take it in the morning," he said,

That night, while Silver Nose was asleep, Lucia opened the door to Hell and quickly reached in and pulled her sister out. She got out a big laundry bag and said, "Now, Carlotta, get in this bag and be very still and quiet. Silver Nose himself will take you home. But if he stops to put the bag down and look inside, you must call out, "I see you. I see you."

In the morning, Lucia said to Silver Nose, "I hope this bag's not too heavy for you."

"Nothing's too heavy for me," He said.

"Is that so?" she said. "I bet you can't carry it all the way to my mother's house without stopping to rest."

"It's a bet," he said. And he shouldered the bag.

"Now don't think you can get out of sight and put the bag down," she said, "because I have the power to see long distances. If you put it down, I'll see you."

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll carry it all the way."

But on the way, Silver Nose thought, "Holy smokes! This bag certainly is heavy for laundry. I'll bet she's stolen some of my gold and put it in there for her mother."

But as soon as he started to put the bag down to open it, Carlotta called out from inside the bag, "I see you. I see you."

"Holy smokes!" cried the Devil. "That's her voice! She really can see me!" He hated to let a woman get the better of him in a bet, so he shouldered the bag again and walked on. He delivered the bag to the washerwoman and went about his business.

So Carlotta was rescued from Hell and reunited with her mother. And now Lucia had to save herself. So that night, she said to the Devil, "There's more laundry here for my mother. Would you take it, please?"

"I'll take it in the morning," he said,

"I'm going to be busy with housework in the morning," said Lucia. "So you won't see me when you leave. I'll put the bag by the door for you. And remember, if you put it down to rest, I'll see you."

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll carry it all the way."

So Lucia got up early the next morning. She took some of the Devil's money and two pieces of cork wood and hid herself in a big laundry bag by the door. Later on, the Devil hoisted up the bag and started walking.

About half way to the washerwoman's house, he thought, "This bag is awfully heavy for laundry. Maybe Lucia's too busy to be looking out the window at me right now." He stopped and began to put the bag down to look inside.

And Lucia called out, "I see you. I see you."

"Holy smokes!" cried the Devil. "Nothing gets past her!" He shouldered the bag again and delivered it to the washerwoman. He said, "I'll come by another time and pick up both loads when this one's done. I'm tired of carrying laundry right now." And he went about his business.

And that's how clever Lucia saved her sister and herself and solved the family's money problem in the bargain. She made a cross out of the two pieces of cork wood and had it blessed by a priest. She placed it in front of the house, to ward off the Devil. And Silver Nose never came around again.

This is my version of a nifty Bluebeard story that appears in Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino. Other Bluebeard stories go by the title of Mr. Reynard or Mr. Fox, etc. Physical deformities or oddities are a classic Italian motif and also a feature of most Bluebeard stories.