The Snow Spider

SHEEP BLEAT

Please, Bethan. It's snowing and she's TINY.

She'll be hard to find - a black lamb at night.

Not in the snow, she won't.

Oh, all right. Just for you, Gwyn bach.

But you have to promise never to leave the gate open again.

Shut the door tight after me now,

or this wind will howl through the house.

And don't worry, I'll be back before Mam and Dad wake up.

GRANDFATHER CLOCK CHIMES

It's your birthday. Happy birthday, little brother.

Thanks, Bethan. Now, come back quickly.

WIND HOWLS

Where are you, little lamb?

GHOSTLY SING-SONG VOICE

EERIE VIBRATING

GHOSTLY VOICE

WIND HOWLS

VOICES GET LOUDER

METALLIC RINGING

TWINKLING

GHOSTLY VOICE SPEAKS WELSH

Mae fy hud yn fyw o hyd.

Rwy'n siarad trwy'r oesau a ti.

Black Magic by Little Mix

KAZOO BLASTS

KAZOOS TRUMPET

You'll never get him off that thing, Glenys.

Well, he deserves something special.

Of course. It's a very special age -

nine years old.

Right, time for some proper music.

Oh, Nain!

COUNTRY DANCING MUSIC

Come on!

Come on, at you both.

Come on, Alun.

I'll get your dad through.

And again.

..for you, to keep you nice and warm and toasty, eh?

There.

COUNTRY DANCING MUSIC PIPES

Hey, Gwyn, do I look like your dad?

Party? Fun?

Not when I can be out in the cold, with the sheep. Hey, ho! Here we go.

# Happy birthday to you

# Happy birthday to you Penblwydd hapus i ti

# Happy birthday dear Gwyn Penblwydd hapus i Gwyn

# Happy birthday to you Penblwydd hapus i ti. #

You're just in time, love, for the cake.

You can cut it, Dad. Party, then, is it?

Of course it is. It's Gwyn's birthday. Or did you forget?

No, I didn't forget, Mam!

It's just, for some of us, there's other things to remember today, too.

Right, children, who wants cake?

Me! Ivor Griffith, out here, now.

Music?!

I don't need this, Mam.

It's four years to the day since Bethan went,

we still don't know where, we may never know where.

And I can't spend the day pretending to enjoy myself.

For goodness' sake, Ivor! You've got two children.

Have I?

Well, where is she then, Mam? Where's my daughter?

I don't know, cariad.

But there's always hope.

Yeah.

Gwyn, I forgot.

I did you a drawing. Thanks.

Mine next.

Are you OK?

Yeah.

You know how my dad is. Yeah.

I wanted to give you this.

Thanks.

Reckon we'll need it in the woods tomorrow.

PAPER TEARING

Ha! Cool.

I'm pretty sure I saw a sparrowhawk up there this morning.

Right, kids, your mum's here to collect you.

Come on, kids. It's time to go.

Happy birthday, Gwyn.

Now! See you in school.

What about my present? You didn't have to get me anything.

Well, I did.

But not here.

Penblwydd hapus, Gwydion Gwyn. Thanks, Nain.

Just one present would have been fine, though.

No, it wouldn't,

not for such a special birthday.

What's so special about being nine?

Well, two birthdays, really, I suppose.

His ninth as a boy

and his first as a...

..well...

..a magician. A what?

I thought it could have been your dad, once,

but he didn't have the language, did he?

It was dying.

It wasn't back in the schools like now.

I should have taught him

because it's the language that carries the magic.

Nain, this scarf... But you, Gwyn...

..you've had it since nursery, haven't you?

Yr hen iaith, the old language...

..alive in your mouth.

Nain, is this Bethan's old scarf?

Look here, Gwyn. You listen to me and you listen to me good.

These gifts that I've given you are one gift, really, not five.

Except for the horse, of course.

Nain, not again.

Please say something I understand.

This one is just for keeping safe.

It's been in our family for generations.

Given to me when I was your age,

but he's grown too strong for me, you see?

So you lock him away and then just forget him.

The rest...

..are for using. Using?

Because it's time, Gwyn.

Time to find out if you do have magic.

Very funny!

There's nothing funny about it.

You'll be very lonely if you are. Lonely?

DOOR OPENS

Mam! I said you were to knock BEFORE.

I was just giving Gwyn here his presents.

Well, Ivor's brought the car round to give you a lift back home.

As I was saying,

you have to be very careful who you tell, Gwyn.

Very careful, bach.

Most don't understand, if any.

But it could also open the door to your heart's desire.

What's that? Oh, yes, and that is Bethan's scarf.

But Mam said the mountain rescue didn't find anything?

They didn't...

..but I did. Why didn't you tell them about it?

What use would it be, locked up as a piece of evidence?

Now...come on.

I feel it every time I step into this house...

..the ache of missing.

It needs healing.

Well, let's just see, is it?

Because it's time, Gwyn.

Time to remember Gwydion,

the ancestor you were named after,

son of Math, lord of Gwynedd, brother of Gilfaethwy.

Who?

The magician, boy.

Gwydion, the magician.

Let him speak once more.

Rhowch nhw i'r gwynt, Gwyn. Rhowch nhw i'r gwynt.

"Give them to the wind."

Bye, love.

Give them to the wind?

HE SIGHS

"Dim hon."

WIND WHISTLES

Rhowch nhw i'r gwynt.

Rhowch nhw i'r gwynt.

Give them to the wind?

HE SIGHS

OWL HOOTS

Whoa.

Gwydion, a character in the myths of the Mabinogion,

was one of the sons of Math,

lord of Gwynedd, was a trickster and a magician.

DOOR KNOCKS

DOOR OPENS I remembered this time.

I'm sorry about earlier, love.

And you know your dad, he doesn't mean it, don't you?

I know, Mum. I miss her, as well.

We all do.

And I miss Dad, too.

Oh, love.

He'll come back to us, you'll see.

Hey, I wanted to see how you're enjoying this thing.

It's brilliant, Mam, really.