Monday with a Mad Genius (2 page)
Read Monday with a Mad Genius Online
Authors: Mary Pope Osborne
O
ne summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. A brother and sister named Jack and Annie soon learned that the tree house was magic—it could take them to any time and any place in history! And no time at all would pass in Frog Creek while they were gone.
Jack and Annie also learned that the tree house belonged to Morgan le Fay, a magical librarian from the legendary realm of Camelot. After they went on many adventures for Morgan, Merlin the magician began sending Jack and Annie on “Merlin Missions” in the tree house. With help from two young sorcerers named Teddy and Kathleen, Jack and Annie visited four
mythical
places and found valuable objects to help save Camelot.
On their next four Merlin Missions, Jack and Annie once again traveled to real times and real
places in history. After proving to Merlin that they knew how to use magic wisely, he entrusted them with the Wand of Dianthus. With the help of the wand, Jack and Annie would now be able to make their
own
magic.
On their most recent adventure, Teddy and Kathleen told Jack and Annie that Merlin was very unhappy and not well and that Morgan wanted them to search for four of the secrets of happiness to share with Merlin.
Now Jack and Annie are waiting for the tree house to return and take them on their second mission to help Merlin….
J
ack poured milk over his cereal. His stomach felt fluttery. It was Monday—the first day of a new school year.
Jack always felt nervous on the first day. What would his new teacher be like? Would his desk be close to a window? Would friends from last year be in his class again this year?
“Annie, hurry!” Jack’s mom called upstairs. “It’s fifteen minutes till eight. School starts in half an hour.”
Jack’s dad walked into the kitchen. “Are you
sure you and Annie don’t want me to drive you?” he asked.
“No thanks, we don’t mind walking,” said Jack. Their school was only three blocks away.
“Annie,
hurry
!” their mom called again. “You’re going to be late!”
The back door banged open. Annie rushed into the kitchen. She was out of breath.
“Oh, I thought you were upstairs,” their mom said with surprise. “You were outside?”
“Yes!” said Annie, panting. “Just taking a quick walk.” She looked at Jack. Her eyes sparkled. “Hurry, Jack. We really should go
now
!”
“Okay, I’m coming!” said Jack. He leapt up from the table. He could tell Annie wasn’t talking about school.
The tree house must be back! Finally!
Jack grabbed his backpack. Annie held the door open for him.
“No breakfast?” their mom asked.
“Too nervous to eat now, Mom,” said Jack.
“Have fun,” their mom said.
“Learn a lot,” said their dad.
“Don’t worry, we will!” said Annie.
Jack and Annie slipped out the door and walked quickly across their yard.
“It’s back!” said Annie.
“I figured it was!” said Jack.
“Morgan must want us to look for another secret of happiness to help Merlin,” said Annie.
“Yep!” said Jack. “Let’s run!”
Jack and Annie dashed up the sidewalk. They crossed the street and headed into the Frog Creek woods. They ran between the trees, through shadows and light, until they came to the tallest oak.
High in the tree was the magic tree house. The rope ladder was swaying in the chilly morning wind.
“How did you know it was here?” asked Jack, catching his breath.
“I woke up thinking about Teddy and Kathleen,” said Annie, “and I had this strange feeling.”
“Really?” said Jack. “Teddy! Kathleen!” he shouted up at the tree house.
Two young teenagers looked out the tree house window: a curly-haired boy with freckles and a big grin and a smiling girl with sea-blue eyes and dark wavy hair.
“Jack! Annie!” the girl said.
“Come up! Come up!” said the boy.
Jack and Annie hurried up the rope ladder. When they climbed inside the tree house, they threw their arms around their friends.
“Are we going to look for another secret of happiness?” said Annie. “To help Merlin?”
“Yes, and this time you will travel back to Florence, Italy, five hundred years ago,” said Teddy.
“Florence, Italy?” said Jack. “What’s there?”
“An amazing person who will help you,” said Kathleen.
“Who?” asked Annie. “Is this person magical?”
Teddy grinned. “Some people might say so,” he said. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a book. The cover showed a drawing of a man wearing a purple cloak and floppy blue cap. He had a long nose, bright, kind eyes with heavy eyebrows, and a flowing beard. The title said:
“Leonardo da Vinci!” said Jack. “Are you kidding?”
“I’ve heard of him,” said Annie.
“Who hasn’t?” said Jack. “He was an incredible genius!”
“This biography of Leonardo will help you on your mission,” said Teddy.
“And so will this rhyme from Morgan,” said Kathleen. She pulled a small piece of parchment paper from her cloak and gave it to Annie.
Annie read the words on the paper aloud.
To Jack and Annie of Frog Creek:
Though the question is quite simple,
Simple answers might be wrong.
If you want to know the right one,
Help the genius all day long,
Morning, noon, and afternoon,
Till the night bird sings its song.
“So to find the secret of happiness, we need to spend the whole day helping Leonardo da Vinci,” said Jack.
“Yes,” said Kathleen. Teddy nodded.
“I wish you could come, too,” said Annie.
“And help
us,
” said Jack.
“Never fear,” said Kathleen. “You will have the help of the great genius and the Wand of Dianthus.”
“Oh!” Annie said to Jack. “Did you bring our wand?”
“Of course,” said Jack. “I always carry it with me for safekeeping.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out a gleaming silver wand.
“The Wand of Dianthus,” Teddy said in a hushed voice.
The wand looked like the horn of a unicorn. It burned in Jack’s hand—with cold or warmth, he couldn’t tell which. He carefully put the wand back into his pack.
“Remember the three rules of the wand?” said Kathleen.
“Sure,” said Annie. “You can only use it for the good of others. You can only use it after you’ve tried your hardest. And you can only use it with a command
of five
words.”
“Excellent,” said Kathleen.
“Thanks,” said Annie. “Ready?” she asked Jack.
Jack nodded. “Bye, Teddy. Bye, Kathleen.”
“Good-bye,” said Teddy.
“And good luck,” said Kathleen.
Jack pointed at the cover of the book. “I wish we could go to Leonardo da Vinci!”
In the distance, the school bell started to ring, letting kids know that school would start in ten minutes. But in the Frog Creek woods, the wind started to blow.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
A
different bell was bonging in the distance. Bright early sunlight poured through the tree house window. Teddy and Kathleen were gone.
Jack looked down at his clothes. He was wearing a knee-length tunic and dark tights. Annie wore a long dress with puffy sleeves. Jack’s backpack had changed into a cloth bag.
Jack and Annie looked out the window. The tree house had landed in a tall tree in a garden surrounded by green hedges. Beyond the garden was a sea of red-tiled roofs. A huge eight-sided
dome and a stone tower rose high above the red rooftops.
“Welcome to Florence, Italy,” said Annie.
Jack opened their book and read aloud:
In the early 1500s, many artists and craftspeople lived in the city of Florence. The city was filled with silk weavers, potters, and marble workers. Artists made sculptures, paintings, and tapestries.
“Cool,” said Annie. “I love art.”
Jack read more:
But the most amazing genius of that time did a bit of everything. Leonardo da Vinci was not only a great painter but also an inventor, architect, stage and costume designer, horseman, chef, geologist, and botanist.
“What’s a
geologist
and a
botanist
?” said Annie.
“They’re scientists,” said Jack. “A geologist studies rocks, and a botanist studies plants.” He turned the page.
“Come on, we should go,” said Annie. “The
tree house probably brought us right to Leonardo. We have to find him before he gets away!”
“Oh, right,” said Jack.
Annie started down the ladder. Jack packed up their research book and climbed down after her.
Jack and Annie walked around the tall hedge and came to a busy road that ran along a river. They stared at all the people going by. There were women in long silk dresses, priests in black robes riding donkeys, and soldiers in blue capes riding horses.
“I don’t see anyone who looks like the guy on the cover of our book,” said Jack.
“Let’s ask someone,” said Annie. She walked over to a girl selling flowers by the road. “Excuse me. Do you know a person named Leonardo da Vinci?”