Once upon a time, there was a father with two sons. The older one was smart and careful, but the younger one, named Juan, was a bit absent-minded and wasn't afraid of anything. When people told ghost stories and said 'How scary!', Juan would always ask: 'Scary? What's that? I want to learn how to shiver too.' His father, worried, decided that Juan should go out into the world to learn what fear was.
Juan said goodbye to his father and began his journey, always repeating: 'If only I could shiver! If only I could shiver!' One day, he arrived at an inn where they told him about a nearby haunted castle. The King had promised that whoever could spend three nights there and free the castle from spirits would marry his daughter, the princess. Many had tried, but none had returned.
Juan went to the castle and presented himself to the King. 'Your Majesty,' said Juan, 'if you allow me, I will spend three nights in the haunted castle. I'm not afraid.' The King, surprised by his bravery, agreed and let him take three things. Juan asked for fire, a carpenter's lathe, and a carving bench with his knife. At dusk, Juan entered the castle and lit a fire in the main hall.
At midnight, two huge black cats appeared out of nowhere, meowing fiercely and showing their claws. 'Let's play cards!' they shouted. 'Gladly,' said Juan calmly, 'but first show me your paws.' When he saw their long nails, Juan picked them up by the neck and tossed them out the window. 'Out you go, cheaters,' he said, and sat back down by the fire.
The second night, Juan returned to the castle. This time, strange men appeared, playing bowling with skulls and bones. Instead of being scared, Juan thought it looked fun. 'Hey! Can I play too?' he asked. He took the skulls, rounded them with his lathe, and played with the ghosts all night, winning several games.
The third and final night was the most dangerous. An old giant with a long white beard appeared and threatened Juan. 'You're going to die, little worm!' roared the giant. 'We'll see about that,' replied Juan without flinching. Cleverly, he trapped the giant's beard in the carving bench and kept him stuck until the giant promised to leave and reveal where the castle's treasure was hidden.
The next morning, the King arrived and found Juan safe and sound, and very happy. 'I've spent three very entertaining nights,' said Juan, 'and I've found a great treasure, but I still don't know what it means to shiver.' The castle was disenchanted, and the spirits were gone. The King, keeping his word, arranged for Juan to marry the princess.
Juan and the princess got married and lived happily, but Juan often repeated: 'Oh, if only I could shiver!' The princess, a bit tired of hearing the same thing, asked her lady-in-waiting for advice. 'I'll teach him to shiver,' said the lady with a mischievous smile, and went to the stream to fetch a bucket full of cold water and little fish.
That night, while Juan was sleeping soundly, the princess lifted the sheets and poured the bucket of icy water with the wriggling fish over him. The fish wiggled and squirmed all over Juan's body.
Juan woke up with a start, shouting and shivering: 'Brrr! How cold! How I shiver! How I shiver!' He looked at his wife and smiled. 'At last, dear princess! At last, I know what it means to shiver!'
