The Mystery of Locked Rooms

The Deltas find another door that opens to reveal a safe containing a rope. A written clue tells them: “He floats through the air with the greatest of ease, the daring young man on the […] flying trapeze” (65), so they guess that the rope must be used like a trapeze to lead to another room. The three friends go up a set of stairs to a platform and hook the rope to the ceiling. They realize that the wall on the other side of the tent must be fake, and Sarah, despite her fear of heights, decides to try swinging on the rope first.

Sarah overcomes her fear and swings, landing on a plastic tarp after tearing through the fake wall of the circus tent. West goes next and brings the backpack and flashlights. Hannah goes last but lets go of the rope once she lands on the platform, and the Deltas realize that they have no way of getting back the way they came.

The Deltas light up the new room with the flashlights and some camping lanterns that West brought. They find themselves in a room made to look like a log cabin, with a fireplace, a taxidermized goat head, and a door marked with a deck of cards. The room is divided by a glass wall and filled with wooden boxes hanging from the ceiling, each marked with a deck of cards, a compass, or a wishbone. They wonder if a key is hidden in one of the boxes but before they come to a decision, Hannah impulsively grabs one of the boxes and opens it. It contains a note saying that it is the wrong box, and, on the other side of the glass, a second box falls from the ceiling. It splits open when it lands on the floor and reveals that it is empty. The three friends realize that the box containing the key must be on the other side of the glass, and they probably only have three guesses as to which box to open. Sarah is angry at Hannah for being so impulsive, and Hannah apologizes. After they make up, they decide as a team which box to pull next.

The box that falls on the other side of the wall is again empty. Hannah then notices that only one box on the other side of the glass is triangular, rather than a rectangle, and the three friends figure out which box to pull to break that one. However, they fail, and the boxes rearrange themselves into a new configuration thanks to a conveyor belt mechanism. Hannah breaks down and confesses that she tends to act impulsively when she feels insecure next to her smart friends and wants to help. Sarah and West comfort her, reassuring Hannah that she is smart and strong and that they support her unconditionally. Hannah cheers up, and the Deltas set out to get the key with renewed energy.

The Deltas finally find the right box, and the key falls to the floor behind the glass. After trying to figure out how to open the door and get to the other side of the room, Sarah asks West to turn off all the lights. In the dark, she uses her UV flashlight to reveal hidden symbols and finds that the taxidermized goat’s lips are glowing. West finds a key hidden in its mouth and uses it to open the door, which only reveals a brick wall. At first, the three friends are discouraged, but Sarah then discovers a door in the glass wall. They push against it, and panels open to the other side of the room.

Hannah carefully approaches the key but does not grab it immediately, for fear of hidden traps. West picks it up and unlocks the door on this side of the room, which leads into a much larger room made to look like an elegant library. Sarah, West, and Hannah are overwhelmed by the number of books since they could all possibly contain hidden clues and keys, so they decide to search through the knickknacks and paintings first. West investigates a painting of a ship hanging above the fireplace and spins it to reveal an opening in the fireplace leading into a slide.

Above the slide, Sarah notices a small, engraved “W” but does not pay much attention to it. West goes down first, followed by Hannah. When Sarah joins them, she is surprised to find that they seem to be back in the Box Room. However, the three friends soon realize that it is only a copy of the Box Room, and they must have taken a wrong turn. This time, the glass door is locked. 

Sarah and Hannah are frustrated about having to start over and find the box pattern again, but West surprises them by finding the correct box immediately and revealing the key. When they compliment him on his memory, however, West gets embarrassed. He admits that his extraordinary memory can sometimes be a curse, and people sometimes accuse him of cheating when he can simply remember things without effort. Sarah and Hannah comfort West, assuring him of their unconditional support until he feels better. The Deltas then push the now unlocked glass wall open, pick up the key, and unlock the door, which reveals another brick wall.