It all began in Hamelin, a small town in Germany. During that time, the city was full of rats. Hamelin was known to be called as Rat’s Paradise. Rats would enter houses, inns, shops, schools and in every street. They were considered to be a menace to society. A solution had to be found quite fast.

The mayor of the city had often held meetings with the towns folk to discuss this problem. At the beginning, they had thought that cats would drive away mice. However, the number of rats became a problem for them. It was very tough to take proper steps as it was really difficult to find a huge amount of cats. And the locals ended up being in a real dilemma.

One day, a stranger arrived in Hamelin. He used to carry a flute along with him. He had a serious look on his face, and had walked straight to the mayor’s building. He faced the mayor by saying, “It is well known around Germany that Hamelin has turned into a rats city. I will try and get rid of all the rats. What would my reward be?”

The mayor was stunned at that point. It was quite difficult for him to believe that a man who was coming from somewhere suddenly was claiming to drive away all the rats from the city.

The mayor closed an agreement with the Piper for ten thousand gold coins from the treasury. The stranger nodded his head and said, ” In a day’s time, Hamelin will be ratless.”

Then, the Piper, walked out in the street, pulled out his flute and started playing it. It was excuding an eerie sound floating in the air. The people of Hamelin were enchanted from this beautiful tune from every corner of the city and were paralyzed hearing this tone.

Suddenly, a “whirring” noise was heard. Thousands of rats came all the way from various directions. They followed that sound that came from the Piper’s flute. It seemed that they were so mesmerized with its delightful tone. The Piper headed towards the sea, with all the rats of Hamelin behind him. It was an extraordinary sight to the folks of Hamelin. He ended up continuously playing the flute and walked right within the sea. The rats kept following him and all of them were caught by the waves which dragged them into the sea. All the rats of Hamelin drowned. The piper had got rid of all the pests and kept his promise.

The stranger approached the mayor for his reward. However, the mayor changed his mind. When the stranger went to him, the mayor said, “It is a wonderful task you have accomplished but isn’t ten thousand gold coins a hefty rewards for a day’s work. ” And the mayor said that he would pay the piper 500 gold coins. The stranger was so disappointed with the mayor that he walked out.

Due to his frustration, the Pied Pier pulled his flute again and started playing it. This time the sound that came from the flute was much darker. And what occurred next was much more creepy. The Children of Hamelin began following him. He walked out of town and disappeared within the mountains. More children kept following. The parents of the children wept. They went to the mayor and complained about it. That was when the mayor was helpless. He knew that he had been dishonest with the stranger.

The Piper returned to Hamelin; however, no child accompanied him. The mayor rushed to him begging for forgiveness. He pleaded to the stranger to get the children back. Without uttering a single world, the stranger turned and walked away. He returned after a few hours, this time with all the children. He was finally rewarded his ten thousand gold coins. And the mayor learned his lessons. Magic always comes with a price.

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