The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Complete the story with the verb forms in the boxes.
Past Simple
appeared
left
ran
led
ate
En
drowned
Past Perfect
had heard
had been
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
long time ago there was a town called Hamelin in
A Germany. was a wealthy town, everyone ate well.
But then there was a plague of rats. No one knew where the
had come
had eaten
had brought had done
them
town and followed the Pied Piper. He
to the river, where they all
The people of Hamelin were delighted, but it seemed to
the man to get
Complete the story with the verb forms in the boxes.
Past Simple
appeared
left
ran
led
ate
En
drowned
Past Perfect
had heard
had been
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
long time ago there was a town called Hamelin in
A Germany. was a wealthy town, everyone ate well.
But then there was a plague of rats. No one knew where the
had come
had eaten
had brought had done
them
town and followed the Pied Piper. He
to the river, where they all
The people of Hamelin were delighted, but it seemed to
the man to get
Answers & Comments
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
A long time ago, there was a town called Hamelin in Germany. It was a wealthy town, and everyone ate well. But then there was a plague of rats. No one knew where the rats had come from; they had eaten everything in their path and brought misery to the town.
The townspeople didn't know what to do until they heard about a man who was said to have magical powers - the Pied Piper. They had heard that he had led rats out of other towns, so they decided to seek his help.
The Pied Piper appeared in the town, and the townspeople eagerly asked for his assistance. He agreed to help and asked for a sum of money as payment. The people willingly paid him, and the Pied Piper began to play his enchanting tune.
The rats, enchanted by the melody, followed the Pied Piper as he led them out of the town and towards the river. The people of Hamelin watched in amazement as the rats were lured away. When they reached the river, the rats drowned, and the town was finally rid of the pestilence.
The people of Hamelin were delighted, but it seemed to be time for the man to collect his reward. He went to the town's leaders and asked for the payment he had been promised. However, the leaders refused to pay him the full amount, thinking that they had already gotten rid of the rats.
Angry and hurt by their deceit, the Pied Piper warned the townspeople that they would regret their decision. He told them that they hadn't seen the last of him.
True to his word, the Pied Piper returned to Hamelin a few days later, but this time he didn't play a tune to lead the rats away. Instead, he played a haunting melody that enchanted the town's children. They followed him as he led them out of the town and into a hidden cave, where they disappeared forever.
The townspeople were devastated, realizing the mistake they had made. They had lost their children, and they deeply regretted not paying the Pied Piper what he deserved.
From that day on, the town of Hamelin never recovered from its loss, and the haunting tale of the Pied Piper served as a reminder of the consequences of greed and betrayal.