Rhiannon Goes to Barry

''Rhiannon Goes To Barry by Suw Charman-Anderson'' It's a lovely morning and the forecast says that the day is going to be hot and sunny. Rhiannon decides that it's a great opportunity to visit her aunt Fflur in Barry. They'll have an ice-cream on the beach and catch up on family gossip. Rhiannon drinks her coffee and finishes eating her last pancake, which she smothers in honey and berries. She grabs her handbag and heads towards the front door. Should she go to Barry on the train or by car? * [[She should go on the train|On the train]] * [[She should go by car|By car]]

Rhiannon unlocks the car, gets in, throws her handbag onto the back seat, adjusts the mirror and pulls out of her driveway. It should take about three quarters of an hour to drive to Barry Island from her house in east Cardiff, so she'll get there by mid-morning. Is there traffic or is the road clear? * [[There is a lot of traffic|There is traffic]] * [[The road is clear|Clear road]]

Rhiannon walks to Cardiff Central train station and buys a ticket to Barry Island. It will be a lovely, relaxing journey taking her just over half an hour. She goes to the platform and looks at the sign. Is there a train coming? * [[Yes, there is a train due in a few moments|Train]] * [[No, there's some sort of delay|No train]]

Almost as soon as Rhiannon reaches the road, the traffic slows down. There's a traffic jam. She sits patiently, pulling forward now and again when the car in front has moved. At this speed, she won't get to Barry until midday. Still... there is that shortcut. Should Rhiannon take the shortcut? Or should she be patient? * [[Yes, Rhiannon should take the shortcut|Shortcut]] * [[No, she should be patient|Rhiannon waits]]

The road ahead is clear. Rhiannon plays music on and enjoys the drive. Suddenly, she is struck by a terrible thought. Did she leave the gas hob on? * [[She thinks she did|Go home]] * [[She's sure she didn't|Carry on]]

Rhiannon turns off down a side street. She's sure that there's a route through the back lanes that will get her to the right road. She thinks she knows where she's going, but it's been a long time since she drove this way. But the route soon starts to look more familiar and Rhiannon feels more confident. She's disappointed to realise that the reason the road looks familiar is that it's her own road. And there's her house. That's weird. Does Rhiannon give up and go home? Or does she try the train? * [[Rhiannon gives up|No ice-cream for Rhiannon today!]] * [[She tries the train|On the train]]

Rhiannon turns on some music and tries to enjoy the sunshine as the traffic moves slowly, slowly forward. She can see flashing lights ahead and soon it's clear that there's been a minor accident. A lorry has shed its load. She gets to the front of the queue and a police officer waves her past. As he does so, she is struck by a terrible thought. Did she leave the gas hob on? * [[She thinks she did|Go home]] * [[She's sure she didn't|Carry on]]

There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

The fear that she might have left the gas hob on haunts Rhiannon and she turns back towards home. She can't remember turning it off. But she can't remember leaving it on either. She arrives home, rushes into the house and opens the kitchen door. There's a strong smell of gas. She reaches to turn the gas off when the vapours explode. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. * [[Try again, preferably this time without killing Rhiannon|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

Thinking about it, Rhiannon is absolutely sure that she turned the gas off. She remembers serving out her last pancake, putting the cast iron pan on its stand, turning the gas off and then going to finish her breakfast. She drives on. The battery light on her car dashboard lights up. She's not out of charge already, is she? "Hey, phone!" she says. "Where is the nearest charging station?" She glances at the map. That can't be right. The map is directing her to leave the main road and head off into the countryside. Should she stay on the main road and hope she can make it to Barry? Or should she head towards the charging station? * [[Carry on|Stay on these roads]] * [[Turn off|She gets turned into an owl]]

Nah, it'll be fine, she thinks. Barry's not far away. She drives on, ignoring her phone's continued demands for her to turn back. After a while, the car starts beeping. She's almost out of power. If it could last just a little bit longer... The charge does not last. She spots the gateway to a field where she can safely pull off the road and she parks her car. Does she walk, or does she try to hitchhike the rest of the way to Barry? * [[She walks|It's a long way to Barry when you're walking]] * [[She hitchhikes|Hitchhiking is never a good idea]]

Rhiannon decides that she had better charge the battery, otherwise, knowing her luck, she'll run out of power completely and get stuck. That would ruin the day, so she does the sensible thing. She finds the charging station, but there is only a slow charger, not the fast charger she needs. It's going to take an hour to top up her battery. She buys a few snacks from the shop and eats them in her car. The battery is not even half full. She gets out of the car, locks it up, and goes for a walk. "For your crime of plotting to kill your husband," a man says behind her. She turns to see a man wearing flowing robes, with a long beard. "What?" she replies. "For your crime of plotting to kill your husband," he says, "you must live for eternity as an owl, hated by all the other birds, never to see the sun again." He mutters unintelligible words and Rhiannon feels herself transforming. "But I don't even have a husband!" she says, her last words before she flies off into the woods. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

"It's a good thing I charged my phone!" Rhiannon says to herself. She picks up her handbag from the back seat, locks the car and sets off towards Barry. It's probably about an hour's walk, the map tells her. She's going to be late. She takes a closer look at the map. What if she cuts across the fields? Then she could get to that bus stop there and catch a bus into town. She would arrive on time! She climbs over the gate and walks straight across the field. The walk will do me good, she thinks. When she reaches the other side of the field, she sees a path heading through a small wood. It's going in the right direction, so into the wood she goes. The air seems strange within the wood. Clearer. Colder. Fresher. And the walk feels as if it is taking a long time, although only minutes can have passed. She reaches the edge of the wood and looks out at the view in front of her. Something is very, very wrong. She feels it. She glances at her phone, at the date on the lock screen. It says "2126". One hundred years have passed. She is not sure if Barry still exists now. Certainly Fflur does not. She turns back into the woods. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

Rhiannon decides to hedge her bets and sticks her thumb out whilst walking. At least every step gets her closer to Barry, even if no one picks her up. There's not much traffic, but after a while, she hears a car slow down behind her. Her heart beats loudly in her chest. Maybe hitchhiking was a bad idea. The car door opens and out jumps a dog. A large, grey dog. And then another. And another. And another. They bark at her, mouths open, eyes glaring, more dogs flowing from the car, more dogs than one car can hold. They are the Cŵn Annwn. She sees Arawn, sitting behind the wheel, encouraging the dogs on. She runs. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

Rhiannon gets on the train and makes herself comfortable at a table. Slowly, she begins to relax. She watches out of the window as the train pulls out of the station. This is going to be a lovely day, she thinks. But then... horror! Did she leave the gas hob on? * [[Oh, no, she thinks she might have|Go home by train]] * [[No, she's sure the gas is off|Carry on by train]]

There are no trains on the departures board. And there is no information about when the trains might come. Rhiannon sighs. How annoying. She waits. Eventually there is an announcement. There is a cow on the line. Should Rhiannon catch the bus instead, or walk home and take the car? * [[Rhiannon should catch the bus|Catch the bus]] * [[Rhiannon should walk home and get the car|By car]]

It will take twice as long on the bus, but at least she'll be able to enjoy the ride. She sits down, pulls her phone out of her handbag, and checks her social media. After a few minutes, she suddenly wonders whether she is on the right bus. She was sure that this was the 95, but it feels like it's going the wrong way. Is Rhiannon on the right bus? * [[Yes, she is. All is well|Stay on this bus]] * [[Oh no. Oh dear.|Wrong bus]]

She's on the right bus. Phew! She can sit back and enjoy the journey! As they reach a patch of countryside, the bus’s engine starts to make a painful grinding noise. The bus slows. The engine coughs and dies. The driver makes an announcement. "I'm sorry for the delay to your journey. I don't know what's happened, but I've contacted Control and they are sending someone to help." Rhiannon sighs. Should Rhiannon wait on the bus or try to get a lift from someone? * [[Rhiannon should wait on the bus|Wait on the bus]] * [[Rhiannon should try to get a lift|Hitchhiking is never a good idea]]

It takes Rhiannon a while to realise, but she has got on the bus to Caerffili. Oh dear. That's unfortunate. But she hasn’t gone too far out of her way. Should she get off and find a bus to Barry? Or should she stay on the bus and have a different day out? * [[She should get off the bus|Off the bus]] * [[She should stay on the bus|On the bus]]

Rhiannon gets off the bus, looks at her phone and works out where the nearest correct bus stop is. As she walks, a thick fog comes down. Soon she can't see much more than a metre or two ahead. Underfoot, the pavement changes to gravel and then to a hard mud pathway. A voice comes out of the fog. "Who goes there?" a man says. "What?" The fog suddenly clears and Rhiannon sees a young and very handsome man standing in front of her. "Oh, hello," he says. "Would you like a drink?" She sees a goblet of wine in his hand. "Um, maybe?" Rhiannon says, looking around. She's standing at a gate in a tall town wall, one that certainly does not exist in Caerdydd. "My name's Seithennyn," he says. "If you want to come to the feast, you better make a decision. It's all starting to kick off in there." "What?" He bows elaborately. "Welcome to Cantre'r Gwaelod." There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

Aunt Fflur and Barry Island will still be there tomorrow, Rhiannon thinks. I should just go with the flow. Maybe there's a reason I’m on her way to Caerffili. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Or maybe there will be. Caerffili surely has ice-cream! * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

Rhiannon waits on the bus. She waits. And waits. And waits. Who knows how long it will take for someone to come and fix the bus. Maybe she should walk anyway. * [[Rhiannon gets off the bus|It's a long way to Barry when you're walking]]

The fear that she might have left the gas hob on haunts Rhiannon all the way to Grangetown. She can't remember turning it off. But she can't remember leaving it on either. She gets off the train and runs through the station to the taxi rank. Thank God there's a taxi there! She gives the driver her address and goes home. She arrives home, rushes into the house and opens the kitchen door. There's a strong smell of gas. She reaches to turn the gas off when the vapours explode. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. * [[Try again, preferably without killing Rhiannon|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

Thinking about it, Rhiannon is absolutely sure that she turned the gas off. She remembers serving out her last pancake, putting the cast iron pan on its stand, turning the gas off and then going to finish her breakfast. She relaxes again. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and all is well with the world. But... A strange man is walking along the carriage towards her. He sits opposite her at the table, leans forward and stares at her. In turn, she stares through the window, trying to avoid his gaze. The more he stares, the more she refuses to look at him. Maybe if she talks to him, he might stop staring? Should she talk to him? * [[Oh hell no, she should get the hell out of Dodge.|Run away]] * [[Why not? How dangerous can a strange, creepy man be?|Talk to the man]]

Rhiannon says nothing to the strange man. He draws a breath as if he’s going to start lecturing her. She considers her escape options. She remembers that there is an empty seat further up the carriage. She grabs her bag and walks briskly to the open seat. She can hear that the man has got up and is following her. She steels herself, ready to make a fuss if he tries anything on. She sits down and immediately the second seat is filled by a woman. She leans over to Rhiannon. "I saw that man hassling you," she whispers, "and I thought you might need some back up." Rhiannon turns to face her. She's middle-aged, unremarkable, but there's a fire in her eyes that makes Rhiannon feel reassured. "If he tries it on again, he'll have to deal with me," she says. Rhiannon looks up to see the strange man staring at her. He turns and walks away. "Thank you," Rhiannon says. The train pulls into a station, the doors open and Rhiannon sees the man get off the train and leave the platform. She relaxes. But the train doors don't close. The train doesn't leave the platform. Instead, there is an announcement. The train has broken down and everyone must get off. "This is not helpful," Rhiannon says. "Don't worry," the woman replies. "I promise you it'll be fine." Does Rhiannon wait for another train? * [[Yes, Rhiannon waits for another train|Waiting for another train]] * [[No, Rhiannon looks for another way to get to Barry|Alternative route to Friars Road]]

"Er, hello," Rhiannon says, nervously. "I recognise you," the strange man says. "I'm sure you don't." "You, you plotted to kill Lleu Llaw Gyffes." "What? No! I've never plotted anything in my life!" The train is pulling into Dinas Powys and Rhiannon makes a snap decision. She grabs her handbag and runs to the carriage door. As soon as it opens, she leaps on to the platform, but the man is close behind her. "For your crime of plotting to kill your husband," he says, "you must live for eternity as an owl, hated by all the other birds, never to see the sun again." He mutters unintelligible words and Rhiannon feels herself transforming. "But I don't even have a husband!" she says, her last words before she flies off into the woods. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

Rhiannon stands on the platform, waiting for another train. She waits and waits and waits. Eventually, there is an announcement: "The emergency services are currently attending an incident. There will be no more trains or buses to Barry Island today. We advise passengers to return to Cardiff." Rhiannon sighs, crosses to the other platform and gets on the train that's waiting there to return to Cardiff. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

Rhiannon leaves the station, looking nervously around in case the strange man is waiting for her. She doesn't see him, but the woman from the train is not far behind her. For some reason, that makes her feel safer. Does she look for a cab or walk? * [[She finds a cab|Oh, it's Cwn Annwn again]] * [[She starts to walk|It's still a long way to Barry when you're walking]]

Rhiannon walks up to the cab and tries to catch the driver's eye. The taxi door opens and out jumps a dog. A large, grey dog. And then another. And another. And another. They bark at her, mouths open, eyes glaring. More dogs flow from the car, more dogs than one car can hold. They are the Cŵn Annwn. She sees Arawn sitting behind the wheel, encouraging the dogs on. She runs. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

There are no taxis on the rank, so Rhiannon starts walking towards the bus stop. Her phone's map says it should be a ten minute walk. She feels a presence behind her and turns to see the strange man following her. She walks faster. He speeds up. Suddenly she is surrounded by fog. She hears a female voice calling to her on her left – it's the woman from the train. Should Rhiannon run towards the voice, or run towards the bus stop? * [[She sticks to the plan and runs towards the bus stop|Cantre'r Gwaelod]] * [[She changes direction and runs towards the voice|Safety in numbers]]

Soon, Rhiannon can't see much more than a metre or two ahead. Underfoot, the pavement changes to gravel and then to a hard mud pathway. A voice comes out of the fog. "Who goes there?" a man says. "What?" The fog suddenly clears and Rhiannon sees a young and very handsome man standing in front of her. "Oh, hello," he says. "Would you like a drink?" She sees a goblet of wine in his hand. "Um, maybe?" Rhiannon says, looking around. She's standing at a gate in a tall town wall, one that certainly does not exist in Cardiff. "My name's Seithennyn," he says. "If you want to come to the feast, you better make a decision. It's all starting to kick off in there." "What?" He bows elaborately. "Welcome to Cantre'r Gwaelod." There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

The fog clears as suddenly as it arrived, but the woman isn’t anywhere to be seen. Rhiannon isn't entirely sure where she is, but she keeps going. A large dog appears out of nowhere and trots along beside her. She sees a taxi with it's light on, and wonders whether she should flag it down. * [[She should flag it down|Here we go with the Cwn Annwn again]] * [[She should not flag it down|Learn the lesson already]]

The taxi stops and the driver opens the door. Several dogs swarm out of the car, but the the big dog by her side defends her. It barks at the Cŵn Annwn, baring its teeth. It seems somehow bigger than it was. The Cŵn Annwn yelp and run back to the taxi. Rhiannon finds herself patting the big dog by her side, and it nuzzles at her hand. She carries on walking. * [[Rhiannon carries on walking|Walking]]

Rhiannon lets the taxi go past and carries on walking. The dog trots along beside her. She lets it. * [[Rhiannon carries on walking|Walking]]

The dog leads Rhiannon past a park. She looks at the map on her phone and decides it's a good shortcut. She turns to walk into the park, but the dog is not very happy about her decision and it tries to herd her away. It's some sort of big hound, with wiry grey fur and sharp ears that seem to be constantly scanning the perimeter. It looks up at Rhiannon and she can see it is unhappy. It whines. Should Rhiannon go into the park? * [[Yes, Rhiannon should go into the park|Go into the park]] * [[No, Rhiannon should carry on along the road|Along the road]]

The dog is agitated. Rhiannon pats its head to soothe it, but it trots off ahead of her. It's clearly annoyed. There's a wood within the park and the path leads straight into it. The air feels strange within the wood. Clearer. Colder. Fresher. And the walk feels as if it is taking a long time, although only minutes can have passed. She reaches the edge of the wood and looks out at the view in front of her. Something is very, very wrong. She feels it. She glances at her phone, at the date on the lock screen. It says "2126". One hundred years have passed. She is not sure if Barry still exists now. Certainly Fflur does not. She turns back into the woods. There'll be no ice-cream for Rhiannon today. Bah. * [[Try again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]

It's a long walk to Barry from Cadoxtan, but Rhiannon continues. The dog trots along beside her. She gets to Barry Waterfront and looks at her map. Still another half hour to go. She's going to be so, so late. She writes a text to Aunt Fflur, but it doesn't send. The dog nuzzles at her hand, and as Rhiannon crouches down to pet it, it licks her face. She screws up her eyes for a moment, and when she opens them again, there she is, on the promenade. The dog barks once, its voice somehow feminine and familiar, and runs off into the distance. "Rhiannon!" she hears the voice of her aunt Fflur and turns to find herself wrapped up in a warm hug. "I'm so happy to see you!" "I'm so glad I made it!" Rhiannon says. "It's been a bit of a trial." "I know," Fflur replies, and there's something in her voice that sounds a little wolfish. "Shall we get an ice-cream?" //Congratulations! You have guided Rhiannon successfully to her ice-cream! You win the feeling of a job well done!// If you’ve enjoyed this game would like Suw to write another one, <a href="https://gofund.me/1745c27e3">please donate at GoFundMe</a>. If you want to practice your Welsh and learn the vocabulary from this game, subscribe to Ymestyn.Cymru, the only structured practice program for intermediate learners. And if you want to play again, you can! * [[Play again|Rhiannon Goes To Barry]]