Monday with a Mad Genius (3 page)

“Of course!
Everyone
knows Leonardo!” said the girl. “He was just here! He bought some
flowers from me. He said he was going to sketch them later.” Her eyes shone with excitement.

“Where did he go?” asked Jack.

“He headed toward the Old Bridge,” the girl said. She pointed toward a covered bridge farther down the road.

“Thanks!” said Annie.

Jack and Annie walked quickly along the bank of the river toward the bridge. “You were right,” said Jack. “The tree house brought us right to Leonardo. But while we were talking, he kept walking.”

“Don’t worry,” said Annie. “We’ll catch up to him.”

The covered bridge was supported by three stone arches. It looked like a long house stretching over the river.

As they crossed the bridge, it was hard to look for Leonardo. The light was dim and the walkway inside the bridge was filled with people.

Jack and Annie squeezed through the crowd
to the other side of the bridge. The sunlight was so bright that Jack still couldn’t see clearly. He shaded his eyes with his hand. “I still don’t see him,” he said.

“We can ask again,” said Annie. “That girl said
everyone
knows Leonardo!” She headed to a shop near the riverbank. Weavers were hanging colorful fabrics on a line. The red and purple silks waved in the breeze.

“Excuse me!” Annie called. “Have you seen Leonardo da Vinci this morning?”

A toothless old woman smiled. “Oh, yes! Leonardo passed by only a moment ago,” she said. “On his way to the bakery, I think.” She pointed down a narrow lane. “He goes there every morning.”

“Thanks!” said Annie.

Jack and Annie hurried to the bakery. The delicious smell of baking bread filled the air.

“Excuse me, did Leonardo da Vinci come in here?” Jack asked.

“Yes, he just bought his daily loaf of bread,” said the baker. “He always goes to the cheese shop next.” He pointed across the street.

“Thanks!” said Jack.

Jack and Annie crossed the busy street to the cheese shop. “Is Leonardo da Vinci here?” asked Annie.

“He just left,” said the cheese man. He pointed up the street. “He was going to the blacksmith’s.”

“Oh, brother,” said Jack.

“Thanks!” said Annie, and they headed up the street.

“I can’t wait to meet him!” said Annie.

“Me too,” said Jack. “If we ever catch up to him.”

Loud hammering noises were coming from a shop. Jack and Annie looked inside and saw a blacksmith pounding a horseshoe with a huge iron hammer. A fire was roaring in a hearth nearby.

“Excuse me!” Jack shouted.

The burly man stopped pounding.

“Was Leonardo da Vinci just here?” asked Jack.

“Yes, he paid me for his iron pots,” the blacksmith said gruffly. “Finally.”

“Do you know where he was going next?” asked Jack.

“Headed for the market, in a big hurry, as usual,” said the blacksmith, nodding toward the street. Then he went back to pounding.

Jack and Annie ran up the street. They rounded a corner and stepped into a huge square. Sunlight shone down on hundreds of tents and stalls. The air smelled of fish and cinnamon and other spices.

“Oh, man,” said Jack. “It’s huge!”

The market was jam-packed with shoppers. It was hard to see over the heads of all the grownups. “We could spend all day looking for Leonardo here,” said Jack.

“This is not good,” said Annie. “We’re
supposed to spend the day
helping
him, not
looking
for him! Remember the rhyme said, ‘Help the genius all day long, morning, noon, and afternoon, till the night bird sings its song.’”

“Yeah, whatever
that
means,” said Jack.

“Hey, maybe we should use the wand now,” said Annie. “This situation fits the rules. Finding Leonardo is not just for
our
good—it’s to help Merlin. And I think we’ve tried our hardest.”

“Okay, let’s use it.” Jack slipped the Wand of Dianthus out of his bag and handed it to Annie. “Five words,” he said.

“I know, I know,” she said. She held up the wand and counted her words on her fingers: “Help. Us. Find. Leonardo. Now.”

Jack and Annie held their breath and waited. But nothing changed. Everything around them looked exactly the same.

“It’s not working,” said Jack. “What did we do wrong?”

“I don’t know,” said Annie. “I used five words.

It’s definitely good for others. Maybe we haven’t really tried our hardest yet.”

Jack sighed. “Okay let’s keep trying.” He took back the wand and slipped it into his bag.

“Oh, look at the birds over there!” said Annie. She pulled Jack over to a stall that sold caged birds. Only one bird was singing: a brown bird with a reddish tail. He was very plain, but he sang beautifully with whistles and trills.

“Hi, you,” said Annie.

The bird tilted his head and looked straight at Annie. He chirped softly.

“Come on, Annie, we can’t waste time here,” said Jack. “We have to keep looking for Leonardo.”

“But didn’t you hear his song?” said Annie. “He wants to fly away. He wants to be free.”

Jack looked around for the bird seller. He was standing nearby talking to a customer. “Forget it, Annie. We don’t have money to pay for him,” said Jack.

“But he wants me to help him,” said Annie. “I can feel it.” She reached toward the cage door.

“Annie, don’t!” said Jack.

But Annie unlatched the door. The bird hopped onto the ground.

“Oh, no!” said Jack. He grabbed for the bird, but he was too late. The brown bird was already flying away into the blue sky.

“Yay!” said Annie.

“Hey!” shouted the bird seller, rushing over to them. “Were you trying to steal my bird?”

“We weren’t stealing him!” said Annie. “We were setting him free!”

The bird seller grabbed Jack by the arm. “You’ll have to pay for him, then!” he barked.

“But … but …,” stammered Jack.

“Marco, unhand that boy!” a man’s voice boomed.

Jack turned to see a tall man in a purple cloak and floppy blue cap. He had a long nose, bright, kind eyes with heavy eyebrows, and a flowing beard. He looked
exactly
like the man on the cover of their book.

“Leonardo!” said Annie. “The wand worked!”

“L
et the boy go, Marco,” Leonardo said again.

“But I caught him trying to steal my bird,” said Marco.

“No, Marco. The girl said they were setting him free,” said Leonardo. “And I believe her.”

“Then let them pay me!” the bird seller said.

“We don’t have any money,” Annie said in a small voice.

“I will take care of it,” said Leonardo. He put down the basket he was carrying. It was filled with flowers, cheese, and a loaf of bread. He
pulled out a gold coin. The bird seller let go of Jack and took the coin.

“Marco, when I lay in my cradle as a child, a bird flew down and struck me with its tail,” said Leonardo. “Ever since then, I have wished—”

“I know, I know,” interrupted Marco, “to be a bird yourself. You have told me this many times, Leonardo.” The bird seller turned away to help a customer.

Leonardo turned to Jack and Annie. “Yes,” he said, “to be a bird myself—which is why I often buy birds from Marco and set them free. So you see, my friends, you and I are kindred spirits.”

“Yes, we are!” said Annie, grinning.

“Thanks for helping us!” said Jack. He gave Leonardo a big smile. He wanted the great genius to like them so they could spend the whole day with him. “I’m Jack and this is my sister, Annie. Actually it was Annie who freed—”

But Leonardo didn’t give Jack a chance to finish. He kept talking. “In truth, I love
all
creatures! Every bird and animal known to man—and even the ones
not
known!” He laughed heartily.

“Me too!” said Annie.

“Me too!” said Jack.

Leonardo picked up some bird feathers from the ground. “Ah, beautiful,” he said, holding them up to the sun. “I will sketch these later.” He tucked the feathers into his basket with the bread and cheese and flowers. “Well, I must be on my way now, friends,” he said. “Good day!” Leonardo turned and began walking briskly away from the bird stand.

Oh, no!
thought Jack.

Before he could think of anything to say, Annie shouted, “Mr. da Vinci! Leonardo!”

Leonardo looked back at her. “Yes?”

“Do you … um … do you need any help today?” Annie asked. “Jack and I would really, really like to help you … all day … somehow.”

Jack was embarrassed. He was sure Leonardo
would say no. But to his surprise, the great genius was looking at them closely and tapping his chin. “Well … actually I am facing a great task this morning,” he said with a smile. He nodded. “Yes. Perhaps you could be my apprentices—just for today.”

“Great!” said Annie.

“What’s an
apprentice
?” asked Jack.

“Apprentices help a master artist or skilled worker,” said Leonardo. “They work hard and study hard in hopes they’ll become masters themselves someday.”

“Cool,” said Jack.

“Come along, then!” said Leonardo. He started walking again. Jack and Annie hurried alongside him. They left the crowded market and started up a cobblestone street.

“Do you children live in Florence?” asked Leonardo.

“No, we’re from … um … far away,” said Jack.

“We’re here on a mission,” said Annie. “We’re looking for the secret of happiness.”

Leonardo smiled. “Ah, yes, I discovered that secret some time ago,” he said.

“You did?” asked Jack.

“Yes, it’s something I sought and now I have it,” said Leonardo. “It’s really quite simple.”

“What is it?” said Jack.

“The secret of happiness is
fame,
” said Leonardo.

“Really? Fame?” said Annie.

“Yes!” said Leonardo. “When I look into the eyes of complete strangers and see their awe and admiration—that makes me very happy!”

As Leonardo strode a few feet ahead of them, Annie looked at Jack. “Fame,” she said. “I guess that’s our answer.”

“I don’t know,” said Jack in a soft voice. “Remember what the rhyme said: ‘Though the question is quite simple, simple answers might be wrong.’”

“Oh, yeah!” said Annie. “And the rhyme says that to learn the answer, we have to stay with him all day.”

“Yep,” said Jack. He didn’t mind that part. Spending the day with one of the most amazing geniuses who ever lived seemed like a great idea.

Jack and Annie followed Leonardo into a square with a huge cathedral. On the top of the building was the enormous eight-sided dome that they’d seen from the tree house.
How did anyone ever build that?
Jack wondered.

As hundreds of people moved about the square, Leonardo stopped. He stared into the crowd. “Oh! Oh!” he said.

“What? What?” asked Annie.

“I see an angel!” said Leonardo.

“An angel?” said Jack. He looked at the crowd. He didn’t see any angels.

“Over there!” Leonardo pointed to a short, dark-haired girl standing by herself. The girl didn’t look at all like an angel to Jack. She looked like an ordinary kid.

Leonardo put down his basket, untied a small book from his belt, and pulled out a piece of chalk. He started to draw. “I have been seeking an angel for one of my paintings,” he murmured as he sketched the girl. “I think I may have found her.”

In a moment, Leonardo was done. “There.” He showed his sketch to Jack and Annie. With just a few quick lines, he had created an angel. The drawing looked just like the real girl, yet somehow she really did look like an angel now.

“That’s the nicest angel I’ve ever seen,” said Annie.

“Hmm, I don’t know,” said Leonardo. “I fear the nose is not quite right. I’m afraid I must keep looking.” He tore the page out of his sketchbook. “Perhaps you and Jack would like to have this?”

“Oh … yes!” said Annie. “Thank you.”

“I’ll carry it,” said Jack. He took the drawing from Leonardo and carefully slid it into his bag, between the pages of their research book.

Leonardo put away his chalk and sketchbook and picked up his basket. “Come along,” he said.

Jack and Annie half walked and half ran, trying to keep up with Leonardo’s long strides.