Free The Potato Chip Puzzles: The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin

was impossible to think in this crowded space, packed in elbow to elbow. Winston slipped back out of the hallway while the others discussed what they should do next. Mr. Garvey came out after him, and they glanced at each other, frowning.
    “I don’t like this,” Mr. Garvey said.
    Winston nodded. Would Simon send dozens of people into a tiny little hallway where the only notable feature was a locked door? Winston had created a few puzzle hunts himself, for his friends and his sister, and he understood that you couldn’t leave the solvers hanging, with no idea what they were supposed to do next. Simon was either very bad at creating puzzles or something was wrong.
    They saw a staff member walk by. He was wearing a lime-green T-shirt and a name badge that said VOLUNTEER. Winston rushed to catch him.
    “Hey,” said Winston, “can I ask you something?”
    “Sure.”
    “You know about this potato chip contest that’s happening here today?”
    The guy put on a sly look. “Ah, I can’t answer any questions about that. Sorry. You’ll have to solve the puzzle on your own.”
    “But how do we unlock the door to where the puzzle is?”
    The volunteer looked taken aback. “The doors are locked? To the theater?”
    Mr. Garvey said, “What theater?” Winston didn’t even realize Mr. Garvey had come up behind him.
    The volunteer looked confused. “The planetarium. The only theater we’ve got. Are the doors locked, or aren’t they?”
    Mr. Garvey smiled. “I’m sure they’re fine. We must have gotten ourselves all confused. Thank you very much for your help.” As the volunteer strolled off, Mr. Garvey put a hand on Winston’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Go to the planetarium. It’s up toward the front—we passed it when we came in. I’ll be along with the others in a moment.”
    He said that in such a conspiratorial tone, like a prisoner sharing an escape plan, that for a moment Winston only stared at him, expecting further instructions—“Start digging through the wall and watch out for guards.” But instead Mr. Garvey said “Go!” again and gave him a little push to get him started.
    So Winston walked back toward the entrance to the museum. He glanced behind him to see Mr. Garvey heading back to the little black hallway, and Winston heard him say, “Jake, Mal, can I speak to you for a moment?”
    Winston couldn’t remember seeing a movie theater in here, but as soon as he saw the doors, he realized what the volunteer was talking about. It wasn’t a traditional theater, of course, but rather a planetarium where they projected an animated solar system onto a domed ceiling. You sat in a big cushy chair and felt like an astronaut looking out a rocketship’s window. A Tour of the Universe, it was called.
    He glanced back the way he had come and saw Mr. Garvey ushering Jake and Mal, a hand on each of their backs pushing them along. “Where are we going?” he heard Mal say.
    “Just walk,” Mr. Garvey replied.
    “Where are the girls?” Winston asked when they had caught up.
    “Well,” Mr. Garvey said, “I imagine they’re still in the hallway.” He gestured to the planetarium door. “Let’s go. The puzzle’s right in there.”
    Jake was openmouthed. “Aren’t we going to tell the other team?”
    Winston said, “We’re all looking together, remember?”
    Mr. Garvey nodded and gestured into the theater once again. “We were, and now we’re not. Go in! Let’s go!”
    Reluctantly, Winston and his friends filed in to the pitch-black planetarium, Mr. Garvey practically stepping on their heels as they did so. They reached the center, and all eyes instinctively looked up. Projected on the theater’s curved ceiling was a night sky more spectacular than any Winston had seen in real life. There were so many stars, they threatened to paint the ceiling white. There was also a series of words floating out there in the artificial universe.

    Mr. Garvey laughed when he saw the words. “All