ONE: THE WRONG DOOR

In turn-of-the-century London, Polly meets Digory, a new neighbor distressed by his sick mother and by living with his unsettling Uncle Andrew. Their friendship forms quickly as they share suspicions about Uncle Andrew’s forbidden top-floor study and discuss odd noises and possible mysteries in the neighboring houses.

Forced indoors by a cold, wet summer, Polly shows Digory a secret attic tunnel behind her cistern. They devise a counting method to reach an allegedly empty house two doors away. Excited by mystery and rewards, they creep along rafters by candlelight, miscalculate distances, and open a small door.

Instead of an empty attic, they enter a furnished study lined with books, a fire burning, and a tray of enticing yellow and green rings that hum faintly. Before they can retreat, the high-backed chair turns to reveal Uncle Andrew, who locks both doors and blocks their escape.

Uncle Andrew, eager and unsettling, admits he needs children for an experiment. Pretending kindness, he offers Polly a yellow ring as a “present,” refusing to give any green ones. Despite Digory’s warning, Polly, drawn by the rings’ allure and reassured by Uncle Andrew’s manner, touches a yellow ring and instantly disappears, leaving Digory alone with Uncle Andrew.