Chapter 5

5 Violet went first. She reached into the box with both hands and fumbled around. Eventually, she grabbed something. She ran her hands along the object's curves and edges. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and a smile flashed on her face. "No way! It's a microscope!" RING DING DONG

Violet lifted a bright purple mini-microscope from the box. "It matches your pants, Dr. Crisp!" Pablo pointed out. "Purple happens to be my favorite color," said Dr. Crisp, strutting around the stage. Everyone laughed. "Can I go next?" asked Henry. "Sure!" replied Pablo and Violet. Henry reached in. "I got something!" he said. He pulled his arms out. But his hands were empty. "Ah, ah, ah! You have to guess what you're holding before you pull it out of the box. If you don't, it will disappear," said Dr. Crisp with a snap of her fingers.

"She told us that already," said Pablo. "Remember?" "I know!" Henry frowned. "I just got… confused." His cheeks turned pink as he reached back in. He grabbed something else and traced it with his fingertips. "This has to be a belt!" he said after a few moments.

RING DING DONG Henry pulled out a green belt with a shiny black buckle. An H was drawn on it. "It matches my costume!" said Henry. "Now we just need to get you a cape!" cheered Dr. Crisp. Pablo went last. After digging for a while, he got his hands on something. It felt just like… "A spaceship!" shouted Pablo, holding it high in the air. It was exactly like the ones on his sneakers. "Now it's time to mitten up," said Dr. Crisp.

"I wonder if they'll help us feel the objects better," said Pablo. He examined the Mystery Mittens carefully. "Can I go first this time?" Henry asked. "Go ahead!" replied Violet. Henry reached into the Mystery Maker Box. "Whoa, this is different," he said. "What do you mean?" asked Pablo. "Well, I can kind of feel stuff. But it's hard to tell what anything is." Henry kept digging. "I think I have a…stick?" When he pulled his hands out of the box, they were empty. "Are you sure you put the Mystery Mittens on right, Henry?" asked Pablo.

Henry's shoulders became tense. "I know how to put on mittens! I learned how to do that when I was, like, four," he replied. "It's just that…sometimes you have trouble with directions," Pablo continued. "Why don't you give it a try, then? You'll see it's not so easy," Henry said to Pablo. Pablo reached in and felt around for a minute. "I can't tell what anything is!" He sighed. "Told you," Henry mumbled.