Hamelin, a small town in Germany, was facing a big problem.
There were rats and rats running here, there, everywhere.
What are we going to do?
The rats have made our lives miserable.
We are scared to eat anything in case they have already had a bite.
Ugh!
I am afraid that they will bite my little baby when it is asleep, the wretched things.
I can’t even sleep myself, dreading when they will decide to taste me!
We must meet the mayor and ask him to do something about it.
This cannot go on.
It is his responsibility to see that the town is rid of the pests.
So the people of Hamelin went to meet the mayor.
Sir, as you know, our city has been overrun by rats.
There are more rats now than people!
We are really, really scared for our children as well as ourselves.
You have to do something about this problem immediately.
Well, we have tried making cats go after the rats, but the rats are so many that the cats are not able to catch them all.
So cant we do anything?
Is there no way our city can be rid of the rats?
Will be always live with the fear of rats making our lives hell?
No, no of course not!
I am going to have a meeting with all the ministers this afternoon.
Don’t worry, we will find a way to drive those pests out of our city.
A funny-looking man with a funny-looking hat and carrying a long pipe walks up to the mayor’s office.
I wish to see the mayor.
Off with you!
Some cheek you have to just come and ask to see the mayor.
You must book an appointment, and only if the mayor agrees can you see him.
Well, I thought the mayor would be very happy to see someone who can solve the rat problem of this city.
but if the mayor is so busy, I guess I better go away.
Er, what did you say?
You can solve the rat problem?
That’s right.
I can make all the rats in the city vanish, and that too without the help of cats.
Are you serious?
I don’t have time to waste on jokes.
If the mayor has no time to see me, then I’ll be on my way.
Wait, wait, let me talk to the mayor.
Maybe he could see you for a few minutes to hear what you have to say.
The officer rushes to the mayor.
What is the matter? Why are you barging in like this? Don’t you know I am having an urgent meeting?
Sorry to disturb you, sir, but there is a young man outside who says he can get rid of all the rats in the city.
Get rid of the rats? What are you waiting for, call him in and let’s see what he can do.
The Pied Piper was brought in to meet the mayor.What is this I hear?
You can get rid of all the rats in Hamelin?That’s right.Hmmm… you seem very confident.
Well then, go ahead and do it.For that you have to give me 1000 gold coins.
Do you agree?
1000 gold coins?
That is a very big amount.
And how do we know you will be able to do it?I do not agree with you, sir.
I think it is a very small price to pay for getting rid of all the rats
that have made all your lives so wretched.
Let us give him a chance to prove what he says.
There doesn’t seem to be anything else that we can do.Alright, prove that you can get
rid of all the rats in this town, and you shall be rewarded.
But remember, there should not be a single rat left.Don’t you worry, sir.
By tomorrow the city of Hamelin will be free of the rat menace.The next morning, before
the sun was up, a strange sound was heard by the people of Hamelin, coming from the
pipe of the strange man.
And when they came out of their houses, what an extraordinary sight met their eyes!
Rats of all kinds, big, small, fat and thin, were all following the pied piper!
I can’t believe my eyes!
How is that man getting all the rats to come out and follow him?
As the pied piper walked, the rats kept following him.
He walked through all the roads and lanes, with more and more rats coming behind him.
Finally, the piedpiper made his way to the river, and as he stood on the bank playing
his pipe, the rats all jumped into the river and were swept away.
Before the sun came up, the city of Hamelin was rid of all the rats.
Come one, come all, Hear hear hear, The rats are all gone, We can now live without fear.
All the people in the town were very happy, and sang and danced with joy.
Soon, the pied piper came to see the mayor again.
Well, sir, I have done what I promised.
There are no more rats in Hamelin, so please give me the 1000 gold coins that you promised.
1000 gold coins for a 15-minute job?
You must be out of your mind young fellow!
Some audacity you have to ask for such a big sum for playing your pipe for a few minutes.This
This is not right.
You are breaking a promise you made.
Oh, come on, young fellow, you really think you deserve one thousand coins?
Here, take these 50 gold coins, that is all you are going to get.
Sir, as the mayor of the city, you should not go back on your word.
You will be setting a very bad example for the people of this city.
Okay, okay, here is another 50 coins.
Now off with you, I shall not give you anything more.
The pied piper was very angry. He walked away in a huff, and as he reached the door, he turned to face the mayor again.
You have cheated me, and you shall pay for it.Oh really?
The rats have all drowned in the water, and I don’t think even you can bring them back to life.
Pay for it, indeed!
Now get lost and don’t waste my time!Ha ha ha, ha ha ha.
You are indeed very smart sir.
You have solved the rat problem and saved the money of the city.
Even getting cats would have cost more! And so the pied piper went away, a very angry young man.
The mayor was very pleased with himself.
The city of Hamelin had no more rats, and it was all done with just 100 gold coins.
Well, dear people of Hamelin, our problem is over, let’s get back to leading our lives normally again.
However, the next morning
a strange whistling sound was heard in Hamelin and before the people could realize what was happening,
all the children rushed out of their homes and started following the pied piper.
What is happening?
What is this man doing?In front of their astonished eyes, their children just kept following the pied piper
far, far away from their town.Come on, come on, that fellow is leading our children away.
We have to go and save them!The people of Hamelin rushed after the pied piper and the
children, but they seemed to have just vanished!
Where has that rogue taken our children?
Where have they all gone?The people looked everywhere, but there was no sign of the children.
Finally, they spotted little Tim, who was lame, sitting by the roadside.
I did follow the pied piper, like all the other children did.
He was playing such beautiful music that we just couldn’t stop ourselves from following him.
But I couldn’t go so fast, so I got left behind. Yes, yes, but where are the other children?
You see that mountain? when the pied piper reached there, it just seemed to open up, and everybody went inside.
Before I could reach, the mountain closed again.The people of Hamelin were very, very sad,
and went to the mayor.What you did was very wrong, sir.
You should have given the pied piper what you had promised him.
He has taken his revenge in such a cruel manner.
Oh, will we ever see our children again?The mayor sent his men far and wide to search for the children
but never again were they ever seen again.
The homes in Hamelin wore a deserted and gloomy look.
The people were missing the laughter and cheer of the children.We were all wrong.
We should not have supported the mayor.
When he had promised 1000 gold coins, we should have made sure that he gave the 1000 gold coins.
It does not matter how long the pied piper took to get rid of the rats, he did what he promised
but we failed to keep our promise.
We are all responsible for cheating him, and we shall live to regret this.
It was a long time before the homes and streets of the city of Hamelin were filled with the cheer of children,
but it was a lesson the people never forgot.