:41:02
''The river Weser
deep and wide...
:41:05
''washes its wall
on the southern side.
:41:08
''A pleasanter spot
you never spied,
:41:09
''but when begins my ditty--''
:41:11
-What's a ditty again?
-lt's like a song.
:41:16
''Almost 500 years ago,
:41:18
''to see the townsfolk suffer so
from vermin was a pity.''
:41:21
-What's vermin again?
-Rats.
:41:25
''They fought the dogs
and killed the cats...
:41:27
''and bit the babies
in the cradles...
:41:29
''and ate the cheeses
out of the vats...
:41:31
''and licked the soup
from the cooks' own ladles.
:41:34
''Split open the kegs
of salted sprats,
:41:37
''made nests inside
men's Sunday hats,
:41:39
''and even spoiled
the women's chats...
:41:42
''by drowning their speaking
with shrieking and squeaking...
:41:45
''in 50 different
sharps and flats.''
:41:49
Can l sit beside you
on the bus tomorrow?
:41:51
You sit at the back
to wave at your dad.
:41:53
l want to sit beside you.
:42:00
Did the Pied Piper
take the children away...
:42:02
because he was mad
the town didn't pay him?
:42:05
That's right.
:42:05
Well, if he knew magic,
:42:09
if he could get the kids
into the mountain,
:42:12
why couldn't he
use his magic pipe...
:42:14
to make the people pay him
for getting rid of the rats?
:42:17
Because...
:42:21
he wanted them to be punished.
:42:23
So he was mean?
:42:26
No, not mean. Just...
:42:28
just very...
:42:32
very angry.
:42:38
Should l keep reading?