THREE: THE WOOD BETWEEN THE WORLDS

Digory materializes from Uncle Andrew’s study into a silent, sunlit green wood, emerging dry from a small pool amid many identical pools. The place’s calm lulls him, almost erasing memories of London, Polly, and his mother.

He notices a girl—Polly—half awake beneath a tree. Both feel they have “always” been there until a guinea-pig with a yellow ring jogs their memories. Seeing matching rings on their own fingers, they recall Uncle Andrew’s trick and piece together how they arrived.

Polly urges a prompt return, fearing the wood’s drowsy pull, while Digory is tempted to linger. They decide to try going home by re-entering their pool, but with yellow rings still on, nothing happens. Digory remembers the supposed rule—yellow outward, green homeward—and they successfully test a partial return toward London, then switch back to remain in the wood.

Eager to explore, Digory proposes trying other pools, realizing the wood may be an in-between place like their attic tunnel, leading to many worlds. Polly insists on safety first; they mark their home pool with a turf cut to avoid losing it among the look-alike pools.

Attempting a new pool with yellow rings only splashes them, revealing Uncle Andrew’s error. Reasoning it out, they conclude yellow draws travelers into the wood while green carries them out into a world. More confident, they don green rings, take hands, and jump into the unknown pool.