9 KEEPING YOUR FEELINGS TO YOURSELF

CHAPTER NINE KEEPING YOUR FEELINGS TO YOURSELF Franny put some horrifying traps and chains on the table. "What are these for?" Duty-Fran asked. "To catch them," Franny said, adding a strange device to the pile. "This is a paralyzing ray. After I blast them, we can stick them in this bag." "No, no, no," Duty-Fran said, shaking her head. "I'm afraid your lack of feelings has made you a little heartless. We can just talk to them."

"I have a device you can strap onto your mouth that will make your voice painful to listen to when you talk. Will that help?" Franny asked. "Maybe some other time," Duty-Fran said. "For now we'll just talk regularly." As they headed outside, they passed a toad hopping around in the kitchen. "I guess that's my mom," Franny said. "I'll bet that's why nobody stopped me from watching TV all week." "What?" Duty-Fran cried. "YOUR MOM? That's terrible!"

"I'll have to take your word for that," Franny said. "Because I'm really not feelin' it." "We have to hurry!" Duty-Fran said, pulling Franny along by the wrist.

They soon found Angry-Fran out behind the garage, breaking bottles. They watched as she picked one up, smashed it, and then yelled at it for breaking so easily.

"You deserve to be broken!," she yelled at it. "I wish I had broken you a long time ago." Duty-Fran stepped up. "We need you to come with us," she said. "Forget it. I like being out here on my own, expressing my feelings—I only have the one, but I like to express it." "Okay," Duty-Fran said. "We wouldn't want to make you mad." And they started to walk away.

"Wait. I don't mind being mad," Angry-Fran growled. "Yes, of course, but this is the type of thing that will really make you lose it."