Paying Piper (or “What Happened in Hamelin Town”)

By Ilana Waters

The people of Hamelin have a problem with rats. There are rats in their houses, their stores—even swimming in their stew! The rats don’t think they’re a problem. They just want to live their lives in peace. With the town’s approval, the mayor thinks of a clever way to solve the problem. He offers twenty gold pieces to a piper to rid the town of rats. He delivers only five.

But he’s cheated the wrong piper, who’ll have to use both skill and wit to teach this town a lesson. Because there’s more than money at stake. An evil pattern is emerging in the way Hamelin treats any creature it considers inferior. And the Piper vows to put an end to it—once and for all.

Think you know everything about this classic folktale of greed and cunning? In “Paying Piper,” you’ll learn what really happened the day a magical musician came to Hamelin—and why.

Fans of fairy tales with a twist will delight in this tricky, witty middle-grade short story. (And if you’re a parent or teacher, stay tuned for bonus discussion questions at the end!)

“Paying Piper” is approximately 5,000 words, or about twenty pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ilana Waters
• Release date: Jan 7, 2013

Ilana Waters

Here’s the skinny: I once pet-sat an electric eel and crashed my car into a house, though not on the same day. Before I became a writer, I was reprimanded and/or fired for reading in every job I ever held. I consider this my greatest accomplishment to date. Oh, and I write mostly fantasy for adults, young adults, and middle graders. :-)

Book preview

Paying Piper

(or What Happened in Hamelin Town)

A Short Story

by

Ilana Waters

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please see contact information on the publisher’s website (listed below).

www.ilanawaters.com

Copyright © 2013 by Ilana Beth Waters

Cover illustration copyright © 2013 Ilana Beth Waters

Cover design by Streetlight Graphics, streetlightgraphics.com

Editing by Marcia Trahan, marciatrahan.com

Paying Piper

The rat sniffed the air. Something was coming. It wasn’t cheese—he’d know that smell anywhere. It wasn’t a pretty lady rat. There was none of that perfume in the air, of warm, cozy holes and fat rat babies. No, this was a different smell. It was carried on the wind from far, far away. It smelled like music. Dangerous, haunting music.

The rat sniffed again, and a fierce shudder went through him. Then he scurried home in the darkness as fast as he could, heart pounding all the way.

***

The town of Hamelin