Friends Reunited

"Yes, it's me. What happened to you? Is Fred with you? Can you come through to me now?"

The passage that had opened up was easily large enough for Fred and Checkers to squeeze past Astra's tail. When they had re-entered the cavern, they recounted everything that had happened to them since they had left. When they had finished, and Astra had in turn briefly described her own experiments with her fire and her tail, she said rather wistfully: "I should like to see that ampitheatre, and especially the three statues that you have described, Fred. But it seems that there is no way that I can even get out of this cavern. Especially now that Belboz's spellbook seems to have vanished."

Checkers put in: "It is very strange how seemingly the same substance - which sounds rather like amber from how Fred has described it - should cover that part of the globe where my people live as covers your statue, Astra. I don't understand what that could possibly signify. Why should a sculptor spoil his work so?

"But an idea has occurred to me. Fred, you did not say whether the statues were solidly fixed in their niche. Would it be possible for you to remove them and bring them back here, so that Astra could see them? I was also wondering whether, if she was to breathe her fire very gently on her statue, she might be able to melt away the covering without harming the gold."

1. Fred says that he believes the statues to be too solidly fixed for them to be removed.
2. Fred says that the statues might be removable.

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