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Show 117 Gast took up his flute and began to play a slow melody. At their parents urging the worn, exhausted children took hands and dragged their feet in a sad imitation of a dance. When the music grew a bit livlier, the children's feet moved with somewhat less effort, and one or two of them began to smile. "I will dance for you, Gast," Hilde cried out, "and I know I will feel better. I do feel better! When I jump high enough my feet leave the burning behind me." Others heard her and began to hop about more energetically until most of them were dancing in time to the music. There was no gaity in the dance, but a grim, determined plodding and leaping. "It helps. It does help me," several children shouted. "I feel better when I dance." "My hands don't burn so much." "My stomach stopped hurting." Gast kept on playing for the better part of an hour, and except for me, all the children bounded and hopped. I had no parent to urge me on as the others had, so I stood on the edge of the circle and watched. So much exertion was making the children sweat, and the sweat pouring from their bodies had a peculiar odor, like dead mice. The joyless, eerie dancing continued until at last the heartsick parents couldn't bear to watch it any longer. "Enough!" they began to cry out. "Enough for today! Give us back our children. We will take them home and see if the dancing has helped. Let it cease for now!" "Wait, my people, wait before you go!" Father Johann had come out |