Hamelin is a prosperous city, its residents feel satisfied and proud to live there. Then came the rats that were very disturbing. Never before has anyone found so many rats in one place. They gather throughout the city, steal food, bite buildings, and spread germs.
The mouse catcher works day and night to free the city from mice, but it seems that the more rats they kill, the more mice appear to replace the dead.
City residents feel very wretched. The longer the situation gets worse. The mice stole food from cupboards and food warehouses. Wherever they went, they left dirt and damage. Food became scarce and people began to worry that there would be hunger. Children and parents become ill from eating food that has been contaminated by mice.
In desperation, the mayor held a meeting to find a way to eliminate the rat plague. Everyone gather in the field. Every time an idea arises, someone else says that this method has been tried without success.
At that moment, a stranger appeared in front of the crowd. The man's clothes were very strange and colorful, on his head he wore a large hat with peacock feathers. Looks like he is more suited to be a circus player. All Hamelin residents watched him when he began to speak in a strange voice, as if singing.
"I can help you drive the mice out of this city, but make no mistake, this is very expensive," he said.
"In the treasury of this city there are ten thousand pieces of gold," said the mayor.
"If you can eliminate the plague of rats from this city, all the gold will be yours. But before that, good lord, how did you make this miracle?" The Mayor continues to be curious.
The stranger then smiled secretly.
"Everything I need is here, sewn on my waist," he said, pointing to a bamboo flute at his waist.
"If you want me to get rid of these mice, you have to trust me."
The mayor was not too sure that the stranger could do what he said, but there was nothing wrong if put on trial, so he agreed. Then the flute switches to the crowd.
"Now go home to your house, and wait until my work is finished," he said.
Everyone left the fields and returned home, wondering what the strangers in color would do. After everyone left, the stranger took his flute and began to blow it. The magic rhythm he played seeped throughout the city. And like a miracle, people see mice coming out of their homes and gathering to make processions. From their window, they could see thousands of mice rushing along in the fields where the flute blower blew the flute.
When rats first arrive nearby, the flute starts dancing and then goes down the streets outside the city followed by rats. The procession of rats is getting bigger and bigger, the numbers are truly amazing. It seems that each mouse follows the rhythm of the music played by the flute player.
Everyone watched in amazement until the flute disappeared from view. Some people who could not help but curiosity out of their homes and followed an extraordinary procession. Without turning his head, the flute continued to dance to a bridge that stretched over the river on the edge of town. On arrival at the bridge he stopped dancing but continued to blow his flute. The people who followed him saw rats running to the edge of the rushing river. One by one the rats jumped into the river and then disappeared from view swept away by the river's current. One by one, thousands of mice jumped into the river and disappeared, not a single person was left behind.
City residents can hardly believe what is happening. When they returned home or went to the store, wherever they searched, rats were no longer found. They also held another meeting in the field. The flutist must be given a prize.
But the townspeople did not know that the mayor lied when he promised ten thousand pieces of gold to the flute player. The mayor is stupid and greedy, he has used Hamelin city money for his own needs. City cash is almost empty. When the flute came to get his prize, the mayor only gave him a few pieces of gold to replace his efforts. The flute was very angry. Although the mayor cheated, he blamed all the townspeople.
"You all have deceived and insulted me!" he shouted angrily. "But I'm telling you; no one can do that to Flute without accepting the answer! All of you will be punished!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sorcerer turned and picked up his flute again. He put the flute on his lips and then blew it back, but this time the rhythm was different. Music flowed throughout the city and every child's feet in Hamelin began to dance. With extreme fear, adults watch as children form a procession, like a mouse, then begin to follow the Flute Blower.
Fathers and mothers call their children and tell them to stop, but the children don't hear. They dance faster and faster with Flute Blowers. Townspeople cannot do anything to stop them. The Flute Blower continued to dance and the children followed happily behind him. Music has magical powers, which can only be heard by them, which makes them want to leave.
As before, the Blower of the Flute led the procession to the road leading out of the city. With great fear the townspeople saw him reach the bridge over the river, but the children did not jump into the river like rats. They followed Sorcerer across the bridge then went far.
At the end of the procession, lagging behind the others because they can't walk fast, is a boy whose legs are weak. For him, walking is very difficult and tiring. He also likes to follow the magic rhythm of the music and although it is difficult for him to walk as fast as the others, he tries hard to follow. Something tells him that the children will be taken to a place that is more fun than they can imagine.
City residents stopped. They know that the Magicians have taken their children forever and it is impossible to bring them back. With great sadness they went home.
Since then the city of Hamelin has been submerged in deep sadness. City without children is a very sad place. Parents who lose their children are very sad, as are other people who know and love these children. The mayor, who realized that it was all because of his crime, felt very ashamed and left the city.
No city dweller knows where the children go, whether they live or die.
Several weeks passed. Then one day the boy with weak legs hobbled back to Hamelin in a state of exhaustion and despair, and he told a very strange story. With the music, Blower of Flute has taken children miles away across the hill. The boy tried to follow, but over time he fell and fell behind. The flute carries children to steep slopes. Mountain slopes open and from a distance looks very beautiful place in it. One by one the children walked across the mountain, but when the boy arrived, the slope was closed. He was left alone on the mountain, and felt sad because he could not go with his friends.
Hamelin City has paid a very high price to repel rats. For years the city was quiet and terrible without the sound of children playing. In some versions of the story, the flute leaves only 3 children in the city. Namely a child who is paralyzed, a child who is blind, and a child who is deaf.
What do you think? This story teaches us to never break a promise to something we say. There will be prizes for whatever we do.
By : Cate Edellyn
