The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Children's stories

The Pied Piper of Hamelin is part of the traditional children's literature of Germany. Classified as a fairy tale, it tells the story of a small German town invaded by a plague of mice. The good work of a charming flutist frees the people of rodents, but the greed and selfishness of its inhabitants

The Pied Piper of Hamelin is part of the traditional children's literature of Germany. Classified as a fairy tale, it tells the story of a small German town invaded by a plague of mice. The good work of a charming flutist frees the people of rodents, but the greed and selfishness of its inhabitants will end up condemning them forever.

In Guiainfantil we bring you a shorter version of El flutista de Hamelín so that you can read it with your children and teach them that in life greed does not lead anywhere, and that sooner or later it can end up turning against it.

Traditional story The Pied Piper of Hamelin

A long, long time ago, in the prosperous city of Hamelin suced, something very strange happened: one morning, when their fat and satisfied inhabitants left their homes, they found the streets invaded by thousands of mice that roamed around everywhere, devouring, insatiable, the grain of its full granaries and the food of its well-stocked larders.No one could understand the cause of such an invasion, and what was worse, no one knew what to do to put an end to such a disturbing plague.

No matter how much they tried to exterminate them or, at least, to scare them away, it seemed that more and more mice were coming to the city every time. Such was the number of mice that, day after day, took over the streets and houses, that even the cats fled scared.

Given the seriousness of the situation, the men of the city, who saw their wealth jeopardized by the voracity of the mice, called the Council and said: "

We will give a hundred gold coins to those who will free us from the mice".Shortly before them a flutist appeared, tall and lanky, whom no one had seen before, and told them: "The reward will be mine.There will not be a single mouse left in Hamelin tonight."

That said, he began to walk through the streets and, while walking, played with his flute a wonderful melody that delighted the mice, who came out of their hiding places enthralled the steps of the flute player who played his flute tirelessly. Así And so, walking and touching, he took them to a very distant place, so much so that from there they could not even see the walls of the city.

A large river flowed by that place, when trying to cross it to follow the flutist,

all the mice perished drowned

. The Hamelingers, finding themselves at last free of the voracious troops of mice, breathed a sigh of relief. Already calm and satisfied, they went back to their prosperous businesses, and so happy were they that they organized a great party to celebrate the happy ending, eating excellent food and dancing until late at night.The next morning, the flutist appeared before the Council and demanded from the men of the city the one hundred gold coins promised as a reward. But these, already freed from their problem and blinded by their greed, replied: "Ve Get out of our city!

Or do you think that we will pay you as much gold for as little as playing the flute?" And having said that, the huge men of the Council of Hamelinturned their backs to him

uttering great laughter.Furious at the greed and ingratitude of the Hamelenses, the flutist, as he did the day before,played a sweet melody

over and over again, insistently. But this time it was not the mice who followed him, but the children of the city

who, raptured by that wonderful sound, went after the strange musician's footsteps. Holding hands and smiling, they formed a great row, deaf to the prayers and cries of their parents, who in vain, between sobs of despair, tried to prevent them from following the flute player .

Nothing was achieved and the flutist took them far , far away, so far away that no one knew where, and the children, like the mice, never came back.

In the city, only its opulent inhabitants and well-stocked granaries were left, and well stocked, protected by its solid walls and an immense mantle of silence and sadness. And this was what happened many, many years ago, in this deserted and empty city of Hamelin, where, no matter how hard you search, you will never find a mouse or a child.END

Pedro Oliver . Editor of Guiainfantil.com