Another tale worth retelling, which is so original , as were all of Gwillym's Pen Pwyll's stories, is the one he told my father's brothers and sisters about a lad called Ballyntyne who became caught  up in circumstances that were far from ideal. 

This tale, like the others that you have heard, are based on events that could not occur today. I suppose this is because folk do not believe in magic anymore.This story was told to me by a good friend of mine who had travelled through Brittany with his family. He believed the events his uncle told him, as I hope you will.

The creature was part of the darkness and espied the old man as he sat by the lake. His eyesight, poor now that he was aged, saw shadows, but his hearing was so sensitive as he heard the call that sounded like an owl's coming from the creature standing in the waters of the lake. There was an air of of melancholy as the old man tried to stop the picture appearing in his mind that was of the creature as he once were: a fresh faced lad called Ballyntyne. To be like this was despairing, for if he could not break the spell at the end of Ballyntyne's story, the old man knew he would turn into a breeze like the mistral and would never be heard of again. 

Ballyntyne lived with his brothers on a farm near the River Severn that used to be called Sabrina. They were poor, hungry, and knew that they would starve if there was another bad winter on their farm. So, Ballyntyne' s brothers, scallywags as you would ever find, decided to leave him to his own devices and travel to London without their brother and seek their fortune.

They did just this, but Ballyntyne followed them and they were angry with him. Eventually, they decided to let him travel with them. Fortune was good  as they came to a forest they knew not and saw a house, with smoke coming from three chimneys. An old woman and her daughters lived there. The elder brother asked if they could stay the night and  the old woman agreed with a gleam in her eye. Her daughters also watched from the shadows. Only Ballyntyne saw them for some reason he could not understand. His brothers just slept on the floor and did not heed his words of warning as he saw what was about to occur.

His warning words were lost because the old woman had bewitched his brothers. The daughters, Ballyntyne realised, had red neckerchiefs covering their thin necks. There was some kind of magic to this. Ballyntyne suddenly felt sleepy as the mother took off the red neckerchiefs and placed them on the brothers necks. Ballyntyne implored them to awaken. Horrified, he watched as their bodies changed shape into hunting dogs that had white bodies and red ears. The salt he held in a little bag in his pocket started to burn the fabric of his trousers. Quickly taking it out of his pocket, he threw it at the daughters who screamed in agony, begging their mother to help them as they burnt.Their mother flew into a rage as one of the hounds, still partially human, whispered: "Take the old hag's boots that are under the stairs and you will escape, Ballyntyne. There is little hope for us, your unworthy brothers who wanted to leave you behind. God go with you. "

Ballyntyne made the sign of the Cross as he put the boots on. 

"That will not save you from my wrath, boy. You killed my daughters and I have cursed you for that." screamed the witch.

Ballyntyne took a last despairing look at his brothers and ran from the house into the forest. There was something not quite right, he thought, as the boots made him take giant strides from the harridan who was the best part of a mile away. her cries fading into the night as the forest seemed endless. The moon did not offer him any reprieve to see where he was going. At last, he came to a stream and crossed it. He knew that witches could not cross water and that he was safe. Who would believe him when he told people the fate of his brothers in that strange house.

Ballyntyne closed his eyes and, after a moment's rest, he felt much better. The water had stopped flowing. He looked across the stream and the witch eyed him.

"I told you there would be no escape from me "she said.

Ballyntyne stood up, petrified, as the witch walked across the stream. He felt his body would not move as he stared into her eyes that showed torments only he could see.

"You are cursed for the calamity you brought to my ancient lineage and you will not move from this spot. Time has already stood still. You are already hundreds of years old, your body hideous, full of maggots, as you await a traveller to tell your  sorry tale to, Ballyntyne."

I do not know the full circumstances of what my friend's uncle witnessed that night.. He may have told the truth and you have now heard Ballytyne's terrible tale and how he tried so desperately to escape the witch.