The Black School was run by the Devil. Here students were taught witchcraft and ancient magic. The school was located in a dark dungeon below the Earth. Many children attended the school. But the Devil had a strange custom he would keep back a boy with him from the graduating batch of students as his assistant. On the last day of school every year, as soon as the last bell chimed, the boys ran up the flight of steps that led to the Earth, but the Devil managed to pull one student into the dungeon. This year too the children waited anxiously for the bell to ring and as soon as it did, they sprang up from their seats and rushed towards the stairs. One boy named Tom was a slow runner and the Devil knew this. But Tom was smart too. He wore a very loose cloak and as soon as the Devil grabbed it, the cloak came off and Tom ran away from the school.