The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Long ago in the town of Hamelin, the people had a terrible problem. Rats had invaded every home, every shop, and every street. They ate the food, gnawed the furniture, and made life miserable.

The mayor of Hamelin was desperate. "I will give one thousand gold coins to anyone who can rid our town of these rats!" he announced.

One day, a mysterious piper dressed in colorful clothes came to town. "I can solve your rat problem," he said. "But you must promise to pay me the one thousand gold coins."

"We promise!" said the mayor and the town council. "Just get rid of those rats!"

The piper walked to the center of town and began to play a strange, enchanting tune on his pipe. Immediately, rats began to appear from everywhere.

Drawn by the magical music, the rats followed the piper through the streets, out of the town, and down to the river. When the piper walked into the water, the rats followed and drowned.

The town was free at last! The people celebrated and cheered.

But when the piper returned for his payment, the mayor had changed his mind. "One thousand coins is too much," he said. "We'll give you fifty instead."

"You made a promise," said the piper. "A promise must be kept."

"Take what we offer or leave with nothing!" said the mayor.

The piper's eyes grew cold. "You will regret breaking your promise," he warned.

That night, while the adults slept, the piper played a different tune—one that called to the children of Hamelin. Sleepwalking, the children followed him out of town, just as the rats had done.

When the parents woke up, all the children were gone. Only three children remained—one who was lame and couldn't keep up, one who was deaf and couldn't hear the music, and one who was too frightened to follow.

The town learned a terrible lesson that day: promises must be kept, or the consequences can be devastating.

**Moral Lesson:** Always keep your promises. Your word is your bond, and breaking it can have serious consequences.