I always loved the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Feeling sorry for the minstrel who had been so cruelly treated after he piped away the rats, at the same time feeling sorry for the pain of the parents who had lost their children. And whenever I thought of the one crippled boy left on his own in a village of adults, I wondered how he coped—was he treasured or reviled? What happened to his friends, did they ever return? Curled up in my bed, a well-thumbed book by my side, I imagined his life, the path which destiny had forged for him, and the adventures he had. His story, like the hundreds of others I had read, weaved its magic in my head, until finally, as a grown-up, I shared his life with you.

Is this how you would have ended this story. Is the Piper cruel and vindictive or misunderstood? Is this how the story goes in your imagination?

Words are a powerful magic. They twist and turn in your head creating visions good and bad.’ The Piper’ is the spell I share with you.’