The Snow Spider

Arianwen! What's happening?

Found your bird-loving pal, have you, Alun?

WHOOSHING

Patterns. It's the same as on Nain's book.

Only those with true magic can use the items.

I'm a magician, Alun. Are you trying to make fun of me?

Because I've had enough of that from Dewi, thanks. No!

I don't know what's going on with you, Gwyn.

You should hear some of the things he's been saying. Yeah?

Like what?

See you soon, Gwyn Griffiths.

See you soon.

Arianwen?

SPIDER CHIRPS

KNOCK ON DOOR

Gwyn?

Well, is everything all right? Yeah...

No.

Hi, Mr Lloyd. Is Alun up? What, now?

Well, it's very early. I mean, do your parents know? Please, Mr Lloyd!

There's something I need to tell him before school.

Homework you haven't done, is it?

I'll get him now. Alun, Gwyn's here to see you.

Hello, Gwyn. What are you doing here?

Urgent business, apparently.

Are you off? Yeah, love. Right.

What are you doing here?

I got something to tell you. Not here, outside.

Wait, Gwyn, look! I want you to know... Forget all that.

I saw a spaceship and I need you to believe me.

What? Last night,

I was by the sea. The sea? At night? Are you mad?

Listen to me. I saw a ship.

Silver it was, with sails and everything.

It just dropped out of the sky and flew over the water.

It left marks in the grass, and if you come now, I can show you.

What do you mean? Go where?

To see the trail! The path it made. Shh!

You do believe me, though?

Will you come?

No. It's first thing in the morning

and, anyway, that's not what spaceships look like

with sails and everything.

Please believe me, Alun. I wouldn't lie to you.

Trails could be quads, anything.

And if there was a great big ship falling out of the sky,

somebody else would have seen it.

Maybe you were sleepwalking, or it was just a dream.

I'm going in.

It's freezing out here.

I can prove it.

You be very careful about who you tell, Gwyn.

Very careful, bach.

HE SIGHS

If you don't believe me, can you at least not tell anyone else?

It's really important.

Please promise not to tell.

OK. OK.

By, then.

Gwyn, is that you up? Yeah, coming now, Mum.

I've got to go to school. I'm sorry.

SPIDER CHIRPS AND SCUTTLES

Please be quiet, Arianwen. Please!

You can't let anyone find you.

Come on. We'll be late.

Don't you want to wait for Gwyn?

Why should we do that?

We always wait for him.

What's going on, Alun?

What was last night all about?

All the questions?

Yeah... What you on about?

You're feeling guilty about something.

You wait if you want. I'm going.

It didn't rain yesterday, did it? No.

The ground was solid this morning.

The sheep have made a right mess of the garden...

..and guess who ended up fixing the gate?

The garden will recover. Always does.

Yeah.

SHE SIGHS

BELL RINGS

LOUD CHATTER

Quiet now, everyone. Settle down.

It's a special morning today, because I'm pleased to say,

we've got a new student in our class.

Do you want to come up for a minute?

This is Eirlys. She'll be staying with Mr and Mrs Thomas for a while.

Now, I want you to make her feel at home,

beginning with a big round of Pendowie applause.

APPLAUSE

Now, I want you to like new books

ARIANWEN CHIRRUPS

MUFFLED DISTANT CHAT

I can't believe it. Yeah, Richard was saying.

They're funny, them boys, ain't they?

Vivid imaginations.

I think it's the stuff he's been looking at on his tablet.

Maybe we shouldn't have given him one yet.

I know. Alun, he's on his far too much.

From what he's been saying, I think it might be his nain.

She's never been shy about her fantasy, has she, Ivor's nain?

Are you sure it was so early this morning he was round at yours?

I think it was homework thing! God. Glenys, look. Look at the time.

I've got to go.

OK. See you.

Magic and wizards, was it? Leave me alone.

Are you going to cast a spell on me?

My God.

What you looking at him for?

How's this for a magic trick?

THE CROWD JEERS

Ooh! He's down.

A spaceship, is it?

Part of your farm, is it, Gwyn?

Or aliens too? I never...

Ooh!

Little green men, were there? VOICES GO FAINT

WHOOSH!

CRUNCH!

Dewi, are you OK?

He's bleeding!

Enough!

Enough!

What's going on here?

Dewi Davies! Gwyn Griffiths!

In here, now!

He threw something at me.

I don't want to hear it.

You can explain yourselves to the headmistress.

Come on.

Thanks.

I mean, of course, I'm not saying you shouldn't talk to Gwyn.

We'd never say that. So, then...

What are you saying? Well...

Maybe go easy on all the myths and magic stuff, is it?

Why? What's he said?

Nothing. At all.

It's what he's not saying worries me.

His out at six in the morning, down at Rhiannon's,

and then he's looking all this legends stuff

on his tablet.

So, he's interested?

He asks me about the myths all the time. I know.

I know.

But he is nine now, and, well, other boys that age,

they might not be so into it.

They might tease him about it. More fool them.

Maybe. I don't know.

He's distracted. He's...

He's...

Yes? He's been behaving strangely. Out of sorts.

As a mother of a son, believe me,

that's just the start of it.

Look at Ivor. Some of them never stop.

Gwyn, wow! You really showed Dewi.

You told! Not Dewi, I...

No, you did! You told!

I only meant for Gary Pritchard to know. Nobody else.

But you didn't believe Gwyn either, did you?

What? You didn't believe him.

You told his secret. That's not what friends do. What's it you?

Leave her alone.

At least she helped me.

Whatever. You walk home on your own.

I'm going to go and wait for my sister.

I will walk with you, if you want.

Um, won't they be worried?

Your... Foster parents?

It's fine. Mr and Mrs Thomas trust me.

All right.

OK, then.

I better go in first. My dad can be a bit...odd, sometimes.

Is that you, cariad?

Just in time.

What have you done to yourself?

Love. What's happened?

It's nothing, Mam, really.

Well, it doesn't look like nothing. Get in.

This is Eirlys.

She helped me today.

It wasn't Gwyn's fault, Mr Griffiths.

Dad?

Er, yeah, right. Well...

Come in. Come in.

Come on, Gwyn.

So, er...

What was this nothing, then, Gwyn Griffiths?

So, where was Alun during all this, Gwyn?

I don't know. I think he was off playing football or something.

Come on, you two. You might as well finish it.

So, Eirlys, I used to go to school with Carys, you know.

Sorry, Mrs Thomas.

She was a right scream, she was!

DOOR KNOCKS Well, I think we know who that's going to be.

Sorry, Dad.

Gwyneth. Rhodri. What a nice surprise.

We are here, Ivor Griffiths,

because of your bullying son!

Yeah, throwing stones at our Dewi.