"Let the boy go, Marco," Leonardo said again.
"But I caught him trying to steal my bird," saidMarco.
"No, Marco. The girl said they were setting himfree," 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 smallvoice.
"I will take care of it," said Leonardo. He put downthe basket he was carrying. It was filled with flowers,cheese, and a loaf of bread. He38pulled out a gold coin. The bird seller let go of Jackand took the coin.
"Marco, when I lay in my cradle as a child, a birdflew down and struck me with its tail," said Leonardo.
"Ever since then, I have wished-""I know, I know," interrupted Marco, "to be a birdyourself. You have told me this many times,Leonardo." The bird seller turned away to help acustomer.
Leonardo turned to Jack and Annie. "Yes," he said,"to be a bird myself-which is why I often buy birdsfrom 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 gaveLeonardo a big smile. He wanted the great genius tolike them so they could spend the whole day withhim. "I'm Jack and this is my sister, Annie. Actually itwas Annie who freed-"But Leonardo didn't give Jack a chance to finish. Hekept talking. "In truth, I love all39creatures! Every bird and animal known to man-and even the onesnotknown!" He laughed heartily.
"Me too!" said Annie.
"Me too!" said Jack.
Leonardo picked up some bird feathers from theground. "Ah, beautiful," he said, holding them up tothe sun. "I will sketch these later." He tucked thefeathers into his basket with the bread and cheese andflowers. "Well, I must be on my way now, friends," hesaid. "Good day!" Leonardo turned and began walkingbriskly away from the bird stand.
Oh, no! thought Jack.
Before he could think of anything to say, Annieshouted, "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 tohelp you ...all day ... somehow."Jack was embarrassed. He was sure Leonardo40would say no. But to his surprise, the great geniuswas looking at them closely and tapping his chin.
"Well ... actually I am facing a great task thismorning," he said with a smile. He nodded. "Yes.
Perhaps you could be my apprentices just for today.""Great!" said Annie.
"What's anapprentice?" asked Jack.
"Apprentices help a master artist or skilled worker,"said Leonardo. "They work hard and study hard inhopes they'll become masters themselves someday.""Cool," said Jack.
"Come along, then!" said Leonardo. He startedwalking again. Jack and Annie hurried alongside him.
They left the crowded market and started up acobblestone street.
"Do you children live in Florence?" asked Leonardo.
"No, we're from ... um ...far away," said Jack.
41"We're here on a mission," said Annie. "We'relooking for the secret of happiness."Leonardo smiled. "Ah, yes, I discovered that secretsome 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 isfame," said Leonardo.
"Really? Fame?" said Annie.
"Yes!" said Leonardo. "When I look into the eyes ofcomplete 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'sour answer.""I don't know," said Jack in a soft voice. "Rememberwhat the rhyme said: `Though the question is quitesimple, simple answers might be wrong."'
42"Oh, yeah!" said Annie. "And the rhyme says thatto learn the answer, we have to stay with him allday.""Yep," said Jack. He didn't mind that part. Spendingthe day with one of the most amazing geniuses whoever lived seemed like a great idea.
Jack and Annie followed Leonardo into a squarewith a huge cathedral. On the top of the building wasthe enormous eight-sided dome that they'd seen fromthe 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. Hedidn't see any angels.
"Over there!" Leonardo pointed to a short, dark-haired girl standing by herself. The girl didn't look atall like an angel to Jack. She looked like an ordinarykid.
43Leonardo put down his basket, untied a small bookfrom his belt, and pulled out a piece of chalk. Hestarted to draw. "I have been seeking an angel for oneof my paintings," he murmured as he sketched thegirl. "I think I may have found her."In a moment, Leonardo was done. "There." Heshowed his sketch to Jack and Annie. With just a fewquick lines, he had created an angel. The drawinglooked just like the real girl, yet somehow she reallydid 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 thenose is not quite right. I'm afraid I must keeplooking." 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 fromLeonardo and carefully slid it into his bag, betweenthe pages of their research book.
Leonardo put away his chalk and sketchbook andpicked up his basket. "Come along," he said.
44Jack and Annie half walked and half ran, trying tokeep up with Leonardo's long strides.
"When I travel through the streets, I am alwaysgathering information," Leonardo said. "I observe likea scientist. For instance, after years of observation, Inow know there are ten different types of noses.""Really?" said Annie. She felt her nose.
"Yes," said Leonardo, "straight, round, pointed, flat,narrow.... Of course that is from theside. If you look people straight in the face, you willfindeleventypes of noses.""No kidding," said Jack.
Jack tried to get a good look at the noses theypassed. He saw flat ones, round ones, straight ones...but many were hard to describe.
"My observations have also led me to conclude thatthere are many more types of mouths than noses,"said Leonardo. "But the location of every mouth isalmost always the same. It is halfway between thebase of the nose and the chin."45"Really?" said Annie. She held up two fingers,trying to measure the distance between her nose,mouth, and chin. "I think you're right, Leonardo.""I study people's expressions and gestures," saidLeonardo. "I study their hands, their eyes, their hair.
But to be a truly great artist, you must learn tocombine your observations with your imagination."Suddenly he stopped. "Look up, look up!"Jack and Annie stopped and looked up.
"See the clouds?" said Leonardo.
A few billowy clouds dotted the sky.
"What do they look like to you?" asked Leonardo.
"What sorts of things?"Big white blobs, thought Jack.
"The biggest one looks sort of like a castle,"said Annie.
"Good, good!" said Leonardo.
"And that little one looks like a dog's head," saidAnnie, "like a Scottie puppy."46[picture]
A Scottie Puppy?
thought Jack. He squinted, trying to see a puppy.
"Excellent!" said Leonardo. "And you, Jack? Whatabout that one?" He pointed at a long cloud. "What doyou see?"Jack studied it. "Uh... well, I guess it sort of lookslike a boat," he said.
"Wonderful!" said Leonardo. "I get ideas for mypaintings from everything! I look at a watermark on awall and see an old woman's face. I look at a foodstain on my tablecloth and see a horse! I study rainpuddles and rocks and see oceans and mountains!""Oh, I do that kind of thing, too!" said Annie.
"I imagine that the very first drawing might havebeen a simple line drawn around the shadow of aman on the wall of a cave," said Leonardo.
"Wow," breathed Annie.
Pretty cool, thought Jack. He liked Leonardo's way of thinking.
"Listen now to the cathedral bells," said Leonardo.
Jack listened. The bells played notes that went upand down:
Bong-bing-bong-bing.
"I hear the bells' voices as if they were singing3649to me," said Leonardo. "Can you hear what they aresaying?"Well... no, thought Jack. He just heard bongs and bings.
"They're saying:
You have much to do this Monday, Leonardo daVinci! Get to work!
" Leonardo laughed. "So let us be on our way, myfriends!" And the great genius took off, walkingquickly through the streets of Florence. |