As the cab pulled up at 33 Gooch, Liberty took what she supposed was her last look at her neighbors’ houses, noticing the terrible contrast their own house made. It was like setting a black-and-white picture down among colored ones.
If you’ve ever gone on a long vacation or to summer camp, you’ll know that returning home can be strange. Once you’ve adjusted to France or Hawaii or a tent in the Adirondacks, your own house can suddenly feel foreign and strange.
That was how it was with Liberty. After her time in the world with all of its sights, the house seemed drabber and more oppressive than ever, like the world’s worst joke.
The skunk ran circles around Liberty, threatening her with its raised tail, as Mal dragged her from the car.
“You’ll get no tip from me.” Mal thrust money into the cabby’s hand. “You do not know your place.”
“I’ve got a tip for you!” the cabby shouted.
But Mal did not wait to hear what it was. With surprising strength, he picked up Liberty and carried her into the house.
The room, too, was much smaller than Liberty remembered. Even her mother, dozing in her favorite chair with the chicken on her lap, seemed shrunken in size.
“What are you doing with my chicken?” Mal yelled.
Sal was startled awake.
“Libby!” Sal set the chicken on the floor and rushed to Liberty. “You’re back! Thank goodness! I missed you so much. Your hair! It’s short.”
Liberty’s eyes filled. “You’ve gotten thinner, Mother.”
“I was so worried about you that I lost my appetite. But now I’ll get back to eating straight away. I’ll have some clams and pancakes.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Wait just a stinking minute,” Mal said. “Libby is coming to the basement with me to get her punishment.”
“You leave her alone, Mal!” Sal jumped in front of Liberty, and gave Mal a shove that sent him sprawling into the kitchen. “From now on you are not the boss around here!”
“Flowers!” Mal shouted. The skunk rushed over, lifted up her tail, and sprayed Sal. Liberty knew just how Sal felt as she melted to the floor like a puddle of water.
“You’ll come with me or be sprayed again, Libby.” Mal dragged Liberty down the stairs. She could feel the bones of his hand bruise her skin. The skunk stood in front of Sal, its tail lifted and ready. Clearly, Mal had communicated something to it about guarding her.
“What are you going to do to me?” Liberty asked.
As they entered the basement, she saw all too quickly what would be done with her, for Mal had constructed a large cage. It was about her height and long enough to contain a mattress and chair.
“I just have to put the door on your new home! You’ve kept me so busy running around the city that I didn’t have time to finish. This is where you’ll live when you’re not in the toilets.”
From a drawer, Mal pulled out a roll of tape. Grabbing one of Liberty’s wrists, he taped her arm to the cage, then turned to his potions.
Liberty looked around the room. It was much messier than before. A pile of wood was in one corner, along with the pens Mal had used to make the signs. Jars were scattered instead of neatly lined up. Liberty searched for the comprehension cream among them and fixed her eyes on it. The lid was on cockeyed, as if Mal had been rushing.
“You’ll be eating the pudding now, too,” he said. “Just like your mother.”
“What does that do?”
“It gives you a voracious appetite so all you care about is eating. I didn’t want to have to feed you the way I do her, but I’ll do it, and you can become a satisfied blimp too.”
“It won’t work. Because I won’t let it.”
Mal opened a jar. “Obedience ointment. This is what I rub on Sal every night while she’s asleep. I hope it works better on you than it does on her.”
Liberty felt her mouth drop open. So this explained why her mother had changed so much from the one in her memories.
“Oh, don’t look so shocked!” Mal opened a bottle. “It’s something the pharmaceutical companies do every day, dabble with people’s brains.” He added a few drops into the ointment, then mixed it with a wooden stick.
“Why don’t you do something useful with your honkin’ genius!” Liberty yelled.
“I do. On a small island off the coast of Tasmania, there’s a medicine man whose village thinks he’s a god because of my telepathy tapenade. In Tibet, a whole monastery of monks can meditate for hours straight because of my brainwash bronzer. By the time they’re done, they’ll do whatever the Chinese government tells them. In Afghanistan, soldiers can fight for sixteen hours without having to go to the bathroom. I sell my potions on the black market for a pretty penny, and I can tell you, the money is very useful.”
“I mean, use them for good.”
“Good. Pah.” Mal spat on the floor. “What do you think the authorities of this country would do if they found out about my work? Regulate it. Slap fines on me. Put the FDA, the FBI, the CIA, and the animal-rights nuts on my tail.”
Liberty noticed something. Her hand was taped, but the cage could be moved. In tiny movements, she dragged it closer to the lab table. “What do you do with the money?”
“Give it to the poor, naturally.” His voice dripped sarcasm.
“You’re kidding?”
“Of course I’m kidding, you fool. I’ve been the poor my whole life. What do I do? I live it up when I’m not in this dump. Why do you think I never eat here? I wine and dine at the finest restaurants. Growing up, I had holes in my shoes. Kids made fun of me. I’m bent over because I always had to wear clothes too small for me.” Mal put on a rubber glove and dipped his hand into the obedience ointment.
What if I can get it on him? Liberty thought.
Mal pulled some of the tape off her arm and pushed up her sleeve. “Now you’ll be my obedient little girl.”
With her free hand, Liberty slapped his face so hard, the glove flew off his hand and the jar smashed to the floor. “You’ll be sorry for that. Now you’re in for much worse.” Mal dashed to another jar and opened it. “This will sting a little, and then it will sting a lot!”
There was a pounding upstairs.
“Someone’s at the door!” Sal shouted.
“Police!” Two voices came.
“Ignore it! They’ll go away,” Mal yelled, but he rushed to put the lids on his jars and turn them face in.
“Open the door!” the police shouted.
A moment later, there was a cracking sound, then a smash as the front door flew off its hinges.