The room was pitch-black. All the Makers could hear was the sound of one another’s breathing. Suddenly, Dr. Crisp’s voice boomed over a loudspeaker.

“Step right up, step right up, Makers! Welcome to the first level of your sensory adventure!”

Henry frowned as he covered his ears.

The lights flashed on, and the room glowed purple. Wide streamers and banners draped the ceiling. Colorful, confetti-filled balloons floated through the air. They were tied into different animal shapes. At the far end of the room, Dr. Crisp stood on a stage in the middle of a spotlight. Next to her was a large black box with a purple M painted on the side.

“This is a circus,” said Henry, pulling on his sleeve. “Not a makerspace.” A giant llama balloon floated over his head. “I don’t know if I like it.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’re going to love it!” said Violet with a smile. She darted toward the stage. Pablo and Henry hurried after her.

“In this level, we are going to explore our sense of touch,” said Dr. Crisp, tapping her pointer fingers together. “And we’ll be using this Mystery Maker Box!” She gave the box a slap.

“How does it work?” Pablo asked.

“This box is full of all kinds of goodies,” Dr. Crisp began.

“Like candy?” asked Henry.

“Not this time.” Dr. Crisp laughed. Then she pointed to a hole in the top of the box. “In the first part of the level, you’ll stick your hands in here and dig around. When you grab something, you’ll have to guess what it is. But you can only use your hands. No peeking! And you have to guess correctly before you take the item out of the box.”

Dr. Crisp opened her backpack. “Here are your Mystery Mittens!” she said, tossing each Maker a pair. “In the second part, you’re going to guess what you grab while wearing these. You might notice…a difference.” Dr. Crisp winked. “To complete the level, you’ll have to figure out why it’s so different exploring the Mystery Maker Box with mittens on.”

“There isn’t anything in there that can hurt us, right?” asked Henry, peering through the dark opening.

“Most definitely not!” replied Dr. Crisp. She held up her right hand with her three middle fingers down, making an M. “Maker’s honor.” Then she pressed a button on the side of her watch. “Activate Mystery Maker Box!” The watch glowed purple. “Ready, set, DIG!”