The pied piper of Hamelin

It's a cautionary tale. There are rats in the city, everywhere, and the city officials don't know what to do. Who appears but the Pied Piper, offering to rid the town of rats for a pretty price? And when he plays his pipe and leads them all to their death (except one rat to share the story with others) and returns to collect his reward, how is he repaid? The town offers only a meager amount. In retribution, the Piper plays his pipe again, and this time leads all the children of the town into a mysterious opening in a mountain, where they are never seen again.

A marvelous little story, told in verse.

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