Pied Piper

The story is set in the German town of Hamelin in 1284, which was plagued by rats. At this time, a man dressed in colorful clothes came to the town. He claimed he could eliminate the rats and reached an agreement with the townspeople that he would be given a generous reward after completing the task. Then he played a magical tune with his flute. All the rats in the town were attracted and followed him to the Weser River, where they all drowned. However, the townspeople repented and refused to pay the promised reward. In anger, the piper left. Later, on a day when the adults were gathered in the church, he returned and played another tune. This time, all the children in the town were enchanted and followed him away. In most versions, the children were trapped in a cave and never came back; some versions add that a lame child failed to keep up and escaped, thus telling the townspeople what happened. There are also happy endings where the townspeople finally paid the reward and the children were rescued.