Will the mayor keep his promise?

Darren Hello again. I’m Darren. Let’s continue the story of broken promises and revenge. A stranger, with an amazing gift for playing the pipe, has promised to rid Hamelin of the rats that are terrorising the town. The mayor has agreed to pay in cash , but can he be trusted?

The girl played her pipe up and down the streets. From the deepest cellars and the highest attics the rats came, drawn to the sound. They followed the piper, hypnotised, to the river. The people of Hamelin watched as she waded waist-high into the deep river, still piping. The rats followed and jumped into the fast-flowing river. They drowned - every single one of them.

The crowd fell silent. They were afraid of what they’d seen. “She must be in the pay of the devil”, they thought. They grabbed their children and fled. Only one small boy remained. The piper returned to Hamelin to collect her pay . But the mayor locked the door. “Open up!” she shouted. “It ‘s pay day! “ But the greedy mayor refused. “Give me my money, you cheat, or you’ll be sorry!” she shouted.

The piper realized she’d been double-crossed. “You’ll all pay for this!” she cried angrily and left. That night the town held a big party. The wine flowed freely. The mayor was congratulated on getting rid of the rats without paying a penny .

At midnight strange music could be heard in Hamelin. It was the piper, of course. But only children could hear the tune. All across town, whilst their drunk parents slept, children rose from their beds as if sleepwalking. They walked like ghosts, following the pipe’s haunting notes. Slowly, silently, they followed the piper out of town. She led them into a cave in the mountainside and the cave closed up. Only one child - the little boy - remained outside.

The next morning there was shock and despair as parents discovered empty beds. They gathered in the square. The mayor looked grave. Suddenly a tiny figure appeared - the small boy. He led the way to the mountain. But the cave could not be found. Neither the children or the piper were ever seen again!

What a mystery - but that’s the story. I hope you’ll join me for another one very soon. Bye for now.