Plague times and wind of putrefaction

Gutter belching rats by millions


Brutal wave of squeaking vermin

Babies devoured in their cradle

Rats seemed to come all from the same place

A putrid forgotten gutter's bowel

And in the middle of the nest

Something as a crown

A crown made of rats all linked by the tail

One day a stranger came with odd tongue and red eyes

His little rat's eyes were shining with malicious intelligence

Strangely looking

Breeding distrust

Covered with rats' furs

Greasy whiskers like rat's tails over his buck-like yellow teeth

Deeply cold and malevolent hawking the plague message

Stench of death and gutter smell follow his ugly path

He seemed to be the only one not affected by the rats

Some said they saw him speak with rats

He who came from nowhere

Soon people asked for help to him

Ready to give the few they had

The deal was clear he would get out the rats for free

The condition is that he takes one child with him

But none of the yokels wanted any child to sacrifice

They decided another way to break the deal and never pay

"Just let him kill the rats and we won't give anyone..."

They said "agreed" and gave him their word

He looked at them and he promised at dawn rats would be gone...

At night the villager hardly slept bitten by remorse

Surrounded by the sound of his flute

Monotonous and sullen...

The stranger walked calmly

His music following him in the night

And the rats followed him near the lake

Gazing at his complaint...

Trustful they all understood and accepted what he silently said

The procession disappeared in the deep waters and none saw them again

And the morning after when he asked for the child,

None wanted to give his son

Their plan was running on

The rats were gone but the villagers expelled him with no child

With the acid smile of betrayal on their hypocrite faces

At night a feeble melody of sick complaint pierced the silence

The stranger walked calmly surrounded by the sound of his flute

And all the children followed him near the lake,

Gazing at his eyes

Trustful they all understood and accepted what he silently said

And the children broke the circle to walk to the silver lake

The procession disappeared in the deep waters and none saw them again

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