They were wrong of course. And Sofia was doubly wrong because not only did she fail to comprehend the message Gideon’s suddenly liberated body was sending her, but misinterpreted it as sign she should renew her efforts to properly train his mind, believing it capable of the same extraordinary growth as the rest of him.
That evening after dinner she gave him a haircut in the backyard. He liked his hair long but was tired from his five-day journey and decided the quickest path to bed was the path of nonresistance. He sat on a small wooden chair with a sheet wrapped around him and struggled to stay awake while she did her work. Soon his hair was short and resembled the style he’d had before the summer. Afterward he went immediately to his room and in minutes was in bed and asleep, his feet j
