Empire 1: Humiliation

What does a Prince of the Space Empire do when his father takes his toy away? Spend the summer in a Camp Meeting on Earth. Just what is a camp meeting? Open air and open water baffle men raised in tunnels and domes but the message of God's claim on their lives is even more disturbing. Alexander promised his family he'd come home alive. Imperial SSTs targeting the Discovery might change his plans.The people of Hamelin have a problem with rats. There are rats in their houses, their stores—even swimming in their stew! The rats don’t think they’re a problem. They just want to live their lives in peace. With the town’s approval, the mayor thinks of a clever way to solve the problem. He offers twenty gold pieces to a piper to rid the town of rats. He delivers only five.But he’s cheated the wrong piper, who’ll have to use both skill and wit to teach this town a lesson. Because there’s more than money at stake. An evil pattern is emerging in the way Hamelin treats any creature it considers inferior. And the Piper vows to put an end to it—once and for all.Think you know everything about this classic folktale of greed and cunning? In “Paying Piper,” you’ll learn what really happened the day a magical musician came to Hamelin—and why. Fans of fairy tales with a twist will delight in this tricky, witty middle-grade short story. (And if you’re a parent or teacher, stay tuned for bonus discussion questions at the end!)“Paying Piper” is approximately 5,000 words, or about twenty pages.