Children of the Pied Piper

What ever happened to those poor children who were led away?

Children of The Pied Piper

Once a upon time there was a small village that faced a rather gruesome dilemma. The town had become infested with rats who made life unbearable for the poor citizenry. Finally their prayer for help was answered in the form of a jolly young man who offered a guaranteed method of removing the rats, for a fee of course. The desperate citizens gladly consented, but much to their great surprise, his secret method, although effective, was the simple act of playing his pipe. The music appeared to hypnotize the rats, and as he skipped out of the town, the rats all began to follow him until he and the rats disappeared far beyond the borders of the town. Soon, the man came strolling back up to the gate, now with the rats far behind him, ready to collect his fee from the townspeople. 

However, much to his disgust, they insulted his integrity as a businessman by refusing to pay on the grounds that his method had been far too simple. The man then vowed revenge on the town and that very night he played his pipe a second time. Only this time instead of swarms of vermin following after him, all of the children of the town followed after him in a trance that night. 

Perhaps you heard of the man’s story, but many do not know the events that transpired soon thereafter.

The townspeople were so desperate to have their children returned to them, that they swore to never rest until the youths were comfortably back in their beds. They tried searching for them: in the wood, by the lake, and in the neighboring towns, but still not a trace. They offered lavish rewards and gifts to anyone who could bring the children back, but no one could help.

Finally, they knew that the only thing left to do was to find the piper man and beg him to return them from whatever space and time he must have banished them.

However, the man was still humiliated from the treatment they had given him, and soundly refused. Again and again they begged and pleaded with him, and again and again he would turn them down. He rejected gifts, bribes, and even disregarded threats directed at him. He simply would not return the children. 

The town became so desperate, that in one large body, moving as a cruel mob, they marched to his home. The leader of the town caught the piper by the neck and told him that if he did not return the children that very instant, they would snap his neck and leave him cold on the ground without any regrets; after all, they had nothing more to lose. 

Angrily, he relented and played a short and frenzied tune on his pipe. The people of the town were very happy, and the piper told them that if they would return to their homes, they would find their children there waiting for them. However, they did not trust him and so they brought him along with them as a hostage until they could be sure his words were true.

The townsfolk dragged him all the way back to their own town square, but much to their surprise, when they reached the town they saw that not only were their children not back safely, but the town was once again infested with rats. How dare this man commit the injustice of not only refusing to restore their children, but to bring this vile plague upon them. 

By now, they wouldn’t have even minded the rats’ return if the children had accompanied them, but this cruel joke at their expense was inexcusable. The townspeople began to go mad, slaughtering the rats as quickly and as violently as possible, running through the town and tearing at the rats’ throats with their nails, and setting fire to large groups of them in traps. 

When the mission to murder all of the rats was finally done, they led the pied piper up a flight of wooden steps, towards a swinging noose. They told him that if he would not bring back the children right then and there, they would hang him. 

At that moment, the piper laughed and said, “Oh, but your children have been here all along.” He snapped his fingers, and as if a fog that had been placed over the town was now lifted, like a veiling rising off the eyes of the adults, they discovered that the murdered corpses of the rats were in fact the bloodied bodies of their own children. They could not believe what they had done, and how blinded they had been by the pipers’ magic. 

They turned back towards him, with the intent to kill him in the most brutal way possible, but all they saw as they looked at the gallows was one enormous rat with a pipe in his mouth, who scurried away quickly out of the town, never to be seen again. 

Author's Note

Written in the style of a classic fairy tale, and meant to be a twist/alternate ending to the original. Number 8 of the No One Special Fairy Tales, (c) No One Special 2011

Reviews

[Omegax45]

This was a very good twist to the Pied Piper story. The original usually ended with the townspeople becoming grateful that one child was left behind and they learned their lesson This story has a bit of truth to it, for there are some people that never learn, even after losing something very precious to them. Good job.

[thoughts of jade]

i like how you changed the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin... You're a genius... i love this one. great write!