The Pied Piper: Chapter 1
The Deal
Thank you for coming to read this. I just had to put this somewhere out of my mind before I became mentally insane. Disclaimer: This is my OWN version of the Pied Piper. He will be completely different(somewhat) to the fables I have read. I refuse to write a romance story where the original piper kidnapped children!! :(
You couldnât sleep.
There was always the scratching, crunching, munching, screeching, rasping, and tapping whispering into the hollow night of the town. The rats scurrying, never tired, bloomed of many, overran the multitudes of houses and alleyways.
They never stopped coming, evading the hand of death. Whatever the townspeople tried was trifled by the luck of those diseased-filled animals. There was no hope, and thinking about it made your night unbearably loud.
How long has it been since youâve heard wings flapping gleefully in the air? The crickets chirping, and the bushes tingling against the mighty wind?
You push the covers away tiptoeing to the open window to bathe in the silk of the moonlight. You looked down where you could oversee the town, once dancing in a silent beauty now thrumming with thousands of pattering feet.
Your father, the mayor, was none the wiser, thinking that trapping you inside this tiny tower would keep away the rats from crumbling your beauty with their filth. But he was wrong, very wrong.
A squeak came from the corner, and youâve never turned your head slower. A rat, perhaps pursuing the role of an acrobatic, jumped from your nightstand to your high-stacked books that came tumbling down from the corner. It lands on the cobblestone floor with a loud âthumpâ running towards the black hole chipped away in the walls.
You sighed defeated, thinking it useless to restore the wall for the hundredth time now. You gazed back into the town of Hamelin, wondering, wishing there was someone here to save you.
You didnât want to be stuck inside a damp, yet cold room for the rest of your life. You wouldâve done anything to escape, but youâve tried every possible way.
Ropes to climb down. Sticky fingers find their way to a guard's key. Hiding and then escaping. Your father was very perceptive only when you tried to leave, and anger started to boil inside you when you knew the reason for your hidden freedom.
Though, it didnât matter to think of it now when there was nothing you couldâve done but wait. But tonight, you wished to the moon in hopes that someone would help set you free.
âŠâŠ
The next day came like a loud toll bell, ringing with the wails of exasperated residents rather than the clanging metal. âPlease sir, we have to find a way to rid of these rodents!â A lady shouted cradling the wailing child in her arms.
âWeâll have no food left if this keeps up!â Expressed the butcher angrily.
âIs there no way we can rid of the rats?!â and the complaints of the crowd came well after.
The mayor shot his arms into the air and immediately the crowd held a captive silence. His eyes slid side to side, lips bundled into a nasty frown. âIs there no one here who can erase this problem? Are we to forever live in a land brazen with disease?â
You rolled your eyes, tempted to shout from your prison to berate your father for his lack of effort. He always seemed to gather a simple solution out of all his problems.
âHere me now the good people of Hamlin! If one of you brave souls are to rid of all these rats by the morrow, then my daughterâs hand shall be yours!â
Bursts of surprised gasps erupted by the group, and the chattering grew. Your face burning red, the anger youâve long longed to spill over.
How dare your father try to win you off as some sort of prize?
Before you shouted protestations, there came a bellow from the crowd. âIf I rid of all the rats, you promise your daughterâs hand in marriage?â
The attention turned to the voice, authoritative and bright, of a stranger, and immediately yours, as well as everyoneâs interest, was peaked.
A man stood pridefully tall, colors of the rainbow covering every inch of his skin and smiled towards the mayor. From the way you were pinning down, it was hard to tell which color combinations adorned him, only seeing gold sparkling from the rays of the sun.
Yet, it did not matter what he looked like or what he sounded like, only what atrocity spewed from his mouth.
The mayor bellowed back with a tainted smile. âThat of what I said is true. Rid the rats for me and I shall give you what I promised.â
âI will not participate in this feud you have promised father. Give him a bag of gold instead of my hand!â Youâve wished to keep your mouth closed and your thoughts empty, but youâve done so long enough.
But it was a pity knowing your father did not love you from his heart for his lust for gold overtook his desires like a viper devouring its prey.
âMy daughter,â he arched his head upwards, his teeth a grind with eyebrows furrowed deep with anger. âYou will not speak of this subject anymore! This is your only and final warning!â
You spat, and down it traveled until it landed on the top of his bald head. You retreated into the tower where your tears flowed into a tiny river stream. He needed you only as his weapon, a prize that can never be won.
âForgive her,â said the mayor to the strange man with a formally wide smile. âShe is not welcoming of guests.â
âAll is forgiving good sir,â The strange colorful man bowed, his hair tipping down to an arch. His eyes slit like a venomous liar as he peered into the mayor's face. âWhen do I begin?â
The king gave a wicked smile in return, almost as if they are challenging themselves for a grand dual. âFirst your name so that if you succeed, Iâll do myself a favor to remember you.â
The man planted his head high again, and he spoke clearly. âThe Pied Piper.â












