Hello and welcome to this podcast from the BBC World Service.
Please let us know what you think and tell other people about us on social media.
Podcasts from the BBC World Service are supported by advertising.
We all know what that music means.
It's time for the Olympics in Paris.
I'm Matt Rogers and I'm Bowen Yeigh.
And we're doing an Olympics podcast?
Uh yeah.
We're hosting the two guys Five Rings Podcast.
Watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympics beginning July 26th on NBC and Peacock.
And for the first time, you can stream the 2024 Paris Games on the I Heart Radio app.
And listen to two guys Five Rings on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hello, I'm Tim.
The story I'm going to tell you is one of broken promises and revenge.
How a town saved from a terrible plague of rats by a mysterious stranger
refuses to pay up and so pays a heavy price.
Hamlin was a peaceful town on the banks of a wide, deep river.
People were wealthy and life was comfortable.
For some, like the mayor, it was too comfortable.
He grew greedy on the town's profits and neglected his duties.
Bins overflowed in the streets and alleyways as rubbish wasn't collected.
People were so busy making money that they didn't pay much attention.
Until one day, the rats arrived.
They came out of the gutters and sewers in droves.
They were huge and black with red bulging eyes.
And there were hundreds of them everywhere.
They scurried across the pavements, swarmed through the gardens,
and then they entered the houses.
Do something that people asked the mayor,
but he was a bit stupid as well as greedy and didn't have any ideas.
He was in a meeting at the town hall when suddenly the door was flung open
and a young girl strode in.
Her velvet jacket was threadbare and covered in patches.
Around her neck she wore a pipe.
I can help you, she said, in a strange accent.
Everyone looked at her astonished.
I can get rid of the rats, she said.
But you will have to pay me well and in gold coins.
The mayor laughed. He didn't believe her.
And then something quite extraordinary happened.
She picked up her pipe and started to play,
a simple tune but mesmerising.
And from behind the curtains, from under the floorboards,
came the rats, drawn as if by magic.
The girl stopped playing and turned to go.
The mayor hesitated.
He hated parting with money.
It's a gamble, he thought, but it could pay off.
They're wait, he said.
Get bit of the rats and we'll pay you handsomely.
The pipe nodded. It's a deal.
The girl played her pipe up and down the streets
from the deepest sellers and the highest addicts,
the rats came, drawn to the sound.
They followed the pipe hypnotised to the river.
The people of Hamlin watched as she waded,
waist high into the deep river still piping.
The rats followed and jumped into the fast flowing water.
They drowned. Every single one of them.
The crowd fell silent. They were afraid of what they'd seen.
But she must be in the pay of the devil, they thought.
They grabbed their children and fled.
Only one small boy remained.
The pipe returned to Hamlin to collect her pay,
but the mayor locked the door.
Open up, she shouted.
It's pay day.
But the greedy mayor refused.
Give me my money, you cheat.
Or you'll be sorry, she shouted.
The pipe realised she'd been double-crossed.
You'll all pay for this.
She cried angrily and left.
That night the town held a big party.
The wine flowed freely.
The mayor was congratulated on getting rid of the rats
without paying a penny.
At midnight, strange music could be heard in Hamlin.
It was the pipe, of course.
But only children could hear the tune.
All across town, whilst their drunk parents slept,
children rose from their beds as if sleepwalking.
They walked like ghosts, following the pipes haunting notes.
Slowly, silently, they followed the pipe out of town.
She led them into a cave in the mountainside and the cave closed up.
Only one child, the little boy, remained outside.
The next morning there was shock and despair
as parents discovered empty beds.
They gathered in the square.
The mayor looked grave.
Suddenly, a tiny figure appeared.
The small boy.
He led the way to the mountain,
but the cave could not be found.
Neither the children nor the piper were ever seen again.
What a mystery, but that's the story.
I hope you'll join me for another one soon.
Bye for now.
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do
Two guys, five rings podcast! Watch every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympics beginning
July 26th on NBC and Peacock. And for the first time, you can stream the 2024 Paris Games on the
I Heart Radio app. And listen to two guys, five rings on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
