The Dark is Rising, a drama by Susan Cooper for BBC World Service.
Episode 2, Midwinter Day.
When the dark comes rising, six shall turn it back.
Three from the circle, three from the trap.
Wood, bronze and iron Water,
fire and stone Five will return And one will go below The dark The dark is rising I will tell you only this Will stand up You are bound to devote yourself to the long conflict between the light and the dark.
You are one of the old ones, the first to have been born for 500 years.
Will Stanton was woken by music.
Music of such deep enchantment that he woke smiling in pure happiness at the sound.
In the moment of waking it began to fade and then as he opened his eyes it was gone.
The room was still.
There was no music but Will knew it was no dream.
Cold light glimmered around the edge of the curtains but no one was stirring anywhere.
He pulled on his rumpled clothes from the day before,
crossed the landing to the central window and looked down.
Snow!
So much snow!
Wow!
All the outbuildings surrounding the family house were mounted into glistening square towers of white.
And beyond them was the familiar landscape of fields and hedges.