About this story
The Psammead turns the broken half into an arch onto ancient Egypt itself, where a fishing village arming against invasion mistakes your charm for its own missing treasure. By the time the outer hedge falls, getting home means leaving the amulet's other half behind, in the hands of the enemy who just reached it.
How it opens
With Father abroad and Mother recovering overseas, Old Nurse kept four children in Bloomsbury.
CyrilLondon contains every sort of wonder, provided one searches behind enough ordinary windows.
CyrilThat unattractive foreign animal in the pet-shop cage is glaring at us personally.
Rescue me before that shopman sells me to someone who wishes for improved livestock.
JaneWe have pooled every penny, so please stop biting the cloth until we reach home.
Jane found a red stone arch among the shop's Egyptian curios before leaving.