The Ring Experiment and Polly’s Disappearance

This flow follows Andrew Ketterley’s selfish experiment from its concealed origins to the danger it unleashes across worlds.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Secret Study

The Secret Study Hidden preparation Andrew Ketterley keeps his study forbidden and fills it with books, experiments, and paired rings. Digory’s curiosity brings Polly into a room whose apparent quiet conceals a dangerous design. A calculated invitation Andrew presents himself as a lonely, kindly uncle and offers Polly a yellow ring. His performance masks his need for human test subjects and his unwillingness to risk himself.

Polly Vanishes

Polly Vanishes The trap springs Polly touches a yellow ring, and disappears without warning. Andrew immediately calls the experiment a success, treating her disappearance as a result rather than a child’s peril. Digory’s horror Digory demands to know what Andrew has done. His alarm is sharpened by the realization that Andrew deliberately concealed the rings’ purpose and has no reliable plan for Polly’s return.

The Forced Rescue

The Forced Rescue A moral trap Andrew explains that a green ring can bring Polly back, but only if someone follows her. He turns Digory’s affection and sense of responsibility into leverage, refusing to go himself. Digory chooses Andrew invokes honor while evading his own duty. Digory recognizes the cowardice behind the speech, yet takes a ring because leaving Polly alone is unthinkable.

The World Between

The World Between Reunion in stillness Digory reaches the Wood between the Worlds and finds Polly there with Andrew’s guinea pig. The place’s quiet nearly erases their memories, but they recover their identities and discuss how to return. New possibilities The children discover that the pools connect to different worlds. Their rescue has exposed a larger network of worlds, and Digory’s appetite for discovery begins to compete with caution.

The Rings Are Buried

The Rings Are Buried Ending the experiment After the adventure, Polly retrieves the rings and joins Digory in burying them around the tree grown from the apple core. The children act on Aslan’s command to prevent anyone else from repeating Andrew’s experiment. A sealed passage The buried rings close the route Andrew created through reckless curiosity. Their choice protects other people from his methods and leaves the children with a lasting memory of worlds beyond their own.

early in the summer holiday

during the children’s first visit to the study

minutes after Polly disappears

shortly after Digory enters the pool

the day after the return to London